Zombies-Bane 3 Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 (edited) I just recently bought my first saiga, errr ak in general for that matter, and am finally getting around to posting it's evolution over the last couple weeks for y'all. I bought it as a combination small game/SHTF gun from a friend who had already converted it. It came like this: Tapco stock Tapco trigger group Tapco pistol grip Tapco sling (noticing a trend yet? Lol) And 4 30-round surefire magazines Then after tearing it apart and playing with it, I realized I needed a scope and bipod to try and squeeze every bit of accuracy I could out of it for hunting. So the spending began. I started by adding a Leapers sight rail, Magpul polymer rail to the stock handguard, and an NC star 9-12" adjustable bipod. The outcome was this: Next was adding the scope. I picked up an NC star rubberized 3-9x scope calibrated for 55 grain FMJ .223s (which will be what is mostly used) with a side mounted laser. The attatched laser wasn't really a selling point, but why not? It looked about like this: Now the last step was adding an adjustable stock. This was by far the hardest part, BUT I learned a very valuable lesson. That lesson being that you should never go cheap on a firearm that you plan to use a lot. Not knowing this I bought a cheap polymer 6-position tube from CAA, and regret it still. But I did mate it with a Magpul MOE stock which I absolutely love. The issue was that while they were both "mil-spec" the OD of the tube way consideribly larger than the ID of the stock. I did manage to slam it on there though, bad idea, and it cost me my pistol grip during the removal process. Yep, it ripped clean off while using it to hold on to while pulling on the stock. So since I lack any form of patience, I began sanding. Since I wasn't all too familiar with polymer, I started with some 320 grain sand paper to see it's effect on it. After 2 ridiculously long hours of slaving over it, I tried again. Little to no effect. So since my patience was already in the negative levels, I switched to some much tougher paper with hopes to make a dent. After many more hours, I tried again. Now at this point I will confess my new found respect for this super plastic. This stuff is tough as hell. I noticed about 0 improvement. At this point I said, after many explitives, "Screw it, toss me my knife!" And the whittling began. Another day or so of whittling and sanding and I was finally getting close. So I decided I would give it one last whack before just buying one of the aluminum ones, and I was finally able to get it on and off with cobsideribly less effort. So I added a new Mako grip, then it looked like this: The only thing different on it now is a Leapers 7-9" bipod since I disliked the NC star one. All that's left now is fixing the slight wiggle in the grip, threading the barrel for a break, venting the handguard for that tacticool look, and shooting some coyotes. And thats the story of my baby maturing from baby AK to a lead-slinging coyote destroyer. Any advice or feedback is more than welcome Edited February 27, 2012 by Zombies-Bane 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
liberty -r- death 1,445 Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 Nice Saiga. Welcome. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Zombies-Bane 3 Posted February 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2012 Thanks Liberty. She's been a blast to play with so far. I'm actually considering doing an SBR conversion now that we have a class 3 dealer in town, and getting a .308 version for hunting if somebody can prove to me that they are worth the coin. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
liberty -r- death 1,445 Posted February 28, 2012 Report Share Posted February 28, 2012 Wish I could have SBR. They are illegal in Illinois. Look forward to seeing what you end up with. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
crowak 12 Posted February 28, 2012 Report Share Posted February 28, 2012 It looks nice. Sounds like your CAA tube was commercial spec and the Mag Pul stock was mil spec. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Zombies-Bane 3 Posted February 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2012 (edited) Thanks Crowak. And I had considered that as well, but I double checked the listing for it from Cheaper Than Dirt and it said on there that it was "mil-spec". So they told me I could return it, but I decided to just modify it and see how it turned out. Here in a few days I'm going to whittle/sand it down just a bit more to make it easier to adjust, but so far I've been too worried about it wobbling if I do. And that sucks Liberty. That's one of the reasons I'm glad I live in Texas. They don't care what are guns are like, as long as they are legit and registered lol. Edited February 28, 2012 by Zombies-Bane Quote Link to post Share on other sites
liberty -r- death 1,445 Posted February 28, 2012 Report Share Posted February 28, 2012 And that sucks Liberty. That's one of the reasons I'm glad I live in Texas. They don't care what are guns are like, as long as they are legit and registered lol. I'm from the Hill Country, and man I sure miss Texas. Hope to get back there after I retire from military life, and can just focus on being a Fire Fighter and shooting more. 15 months will give me 21 yrs. I'm ready to move on with my life and be able to enjoy some of the freedom I've been serving for all these years. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Zombies-Bane 3 Posted February 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2012 Well you're getting damn close. And at least you'll be retired young and be able to spend plenty of time waiting around for permission to get an SBR! Lol. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dobravery 49 Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 Nice setup. Just a FYI: I once had to dremel a little of the pistol grip nut in order for the PG to get closer to the receiver. The inside of the PG was hitting the nut. Good luck. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Zombies-Bane 3 Posted February 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 Thanks for the tip Dobravery. I havent really gotten into fixing that yet, but thats exactly what I was suspecting the issue was. Which is a simple enough fix it seems. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Zombies-Bane 3 Posted March 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2012 (edited) Quick update: I had a buddy of mine at work take as close to 1/16" as possible off the pistol grip nut. Just got home and put it on, and the grip now fits like a glove. So you were absolutly right on that. Thanks again! Edited March 3, 2012 by Zombies-Bane Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SgtRaven 531 Posted March 4, 2012 Report Share Posted March 4, 2012 (edited) Looking good, Bud! SBR or not, threading for muzzle brake will make big difference. Good comp will help with rapid follow up shots, if necessary, and prevent 3-ft fire breathing. Check barrel threading postings or send it out, if out of proper tools and patience. Happy Shooting! Edited March 4, 2012 by Sgt. Raven Quote Link to post Share on other sites
thebuns1 4,323 Posted March 4, 2012 Report Share Posted March 4, 2012 it does look good. you did great! i like the butt stock with the factory handguard. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Zombies-Bane 3 Posted March 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2012 Thanks guys. I'm actually on my way to my girlfriends parents to see what tools they have access to for threading it. And yea, I personally like the stock handguard a lot. I Just need to vent it a little for a slightly more custom look, and it will be perfect. Though I do keep looking at it and find myself thinking, "Damn. That would look sexy with about 6 inches off the barrel." Well I guess we will just have to see what happens over time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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