sleeper 0 Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 Hey guys. I have a 22" S-308 that I plan on converting. I already bought the Tapco G2 FCG for the 308 from Dinzag which is modified, the trigger guard and the conversion kit which comes with the drill bits, screws, PG nut and screw. Now my question is, do I need to buy a retaining plate? I'm pretty new to this conversion and am not too sure what the function of the retaining plate is, I did some research but couldn't find a direct answer. thanks Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TJohn 8 Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 (edited) The retaining plate takes the place of the shepherds hook/crook/retaining spring that holds your trigger group in place. It fits down inside the receiver on the left side. When I did my .308 conversion, the retaining plate I ordered was going to require fitting, so I wound up using a Tromix retaining spring and it has worked fine ( this is what I used: http://store.carolin...SHEPERDS/Detail). I used retaining plates in my 7.62, .223 and 5.45 conversions and they worked great with no fitting required. You may be able to reuse your original retaining spring, I don't know, the retaining plate is much easier if it fits. Edited March 17, 2012 by TJohn Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dad2142Dad 6,559 Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 I did mine with the retaining plate. Much easier to deal with in my opinion. I have them on my S12 x 2, 7.62, and shortly here on my .223. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mossb 1 Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 (edited) Used retaining plate. Works great and it's easy. As I recall, the toughest part of converting was grinding down the spot weld with a dremel. After you convert be sure to run this test: http://forum.saiga-1...safety-problem/ If you have this issue just email Brian (DINZAG) for suggestions. I actually mailed him my FCG and safety which was way too short. He added material to it and did a great job. Always 2 thumbs up for Brian. Edited March 17, 2012 by mossb Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sleeper 0 Posted March 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 Thanks for the response guys. I think I got it. So I might be able to reuse my retaining spring? And one more thing, does that safety issue affect all 308's with a conversion or just some? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TJohn 8 Posted March 18, 2012 Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 The safety issue just affects some .308's for some reason, I did not have to modify my safey and everything works fine. I am not sure if the original retaining spring will work without modifications or if it needs modified to work, as I used a Tromix spring in my .308 conversion. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mossb 1 Posted March 18, 2012 Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 Yep, like TJohn said, it only affects some. To make that funky 308 stock trigger work, I believe they modified the 308 safety a bit. My 308 was an older 22 inch so that's why I brought up the safety check issue. Brian said my safety was way shorter than any one he had seen and added material to it. Perfect job he did. I also had him notch the safety to use as a bolt-hold open and I believe he added material to the trigger to compensate for not putting the original bolt hold open back in: http://www.dinzagarms.com/saiga_762x39/sslbho.html I think you'll be happy with the conversion. I had the original wooden stock and foregrip which I liked but the rifle always felt a bit front-heavy. After the conversion it balanced much better and it was a great way to learn about rifles. I had never done anything like this before. When I was done, I also took the gun to a local gunsmith who checked it out and said "ready for the range." Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sleeper 0 Posted March 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 I'm gonna do the conversion and hope that I can reuse the retaining spring and hope that my stock safety still works, LOL. Worst comes to worst, I'll end up sending parts to Dinzag. I don't know of any gunsmiths nearby, but I'll just put in a dummy round with the dust cover off and make sure everything is functioning like it should, I mean, everything goes in almost one way right? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dad2142Dad 6,559 Posted March 21, 2012 Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 Just take your time Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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