fallenangelhim 2 Posted March 25, 2012 Report Share Posted March 25, 2012 Hello All, I was talking to my gunsmith today to plan our next build. I'm looking to do a Saiga 5.45 conversion and also suppress it. I wanted to get the suppressor permanently suppressed and he suggested doing it on a Draco to minimize the overall barrel length. I, on the other hand, wanted to keep everything Russian. So we were talking about cutting the barrel off right in front of the gas tube. Could you guys steer me the right way in terms of suppressed 5.45. My gunsmith suggested a 7.62 suppressed would not be too quiet and that a 5.45 would be quieter and possibly more effective. Please give me any feedback or links you guys may have so I can better plan this build. Thanks. P.S. I finally converted my Saiga 12. It is awesome!!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
thebuns1 4,323 Posted March 25, 2012 Report Share Posted March 25, 2012 red jacket makes a pbs. will work with both 5.45 and 7.62 irc, and give you a russian look. i dont think you can get a russian suppressor for it. (dont know for certain, iv never seen one). and if your chopin the barrel that close to the gas tube, might as well use an ak 105 fsb/gb combo. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fallenangelhim 2 Posted March 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2012 What would be a better round to suppress? the 5.45 or the 7.62. From what I could gather online it seems that 7.62 is the more popular round to suppress. I hope to keep this as a log for future users looking to suppress a Saiga. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sickness 89 Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 What would be a better round to suppress? the 5.45 or the 7.62. From what I could gather online it seems that 7.62 is the more popular round to suppress. I hope to keep this as a log for future users looking to suppress a Saiga. You're not going to get fantastic suppressed results with either, since the rounds are supersonic. 7.62x39 is more popular than 5.45 - so you may have better luck finding subsonic ammo in that caliber. If you reload, it may not be an issue. But I wonder whether a subsonic round in either caliber would cycle the AK properly. The gas system is very loose on the AK. There may not be enough pressure without modifying the weapon for subsonic ammo. I'm not sure about that though. All that said, the 5.45 should suppress better because it is a smaller caliber = less blow-by in the suppressor. But if you're planning on shooting supersonic through it, that doesn't really matter either because the dB level of breaking the sound barrier is going to far exceed the sound of the additional blow-by. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Frankyoz 15 Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 As stated above unless you reload the 5.45 is going to be near impossible to get subsonic loads for and not too mention I dont know what your balastics would be like running the 5.45 sub sonic where as the 7.62 isnt as finnicky with that or barrel lengths. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
thebuns1 4,323 Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 i dont think you will find any 5.45 subsonic ammo here. and like sickness pointed out, i doubt it would cycle the action reliably on a longer barrel. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
storm6490 2,768 Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 (edited) I'm no expert but, I would go for the 7.62 over the 5.45. The 5.45 is best when used with a longer barrel. The fast twist rate and long length of the bullet really require some barrel length to stabilize it out to any distance. The 7.62 would be less sensitive to the shorter barrel and would also give you less unused gas and velocity out of the bullet. With this platform, you could run available sub sonic rounds to quiet it down even more. The action is pretty loud no matter what. Another benefit would be the knock down power at close range with the 7.62. All depends on your application. My guess is close quarters pipe hitting. Make sure you set it up so that the threaded barrel is silver soldered to the can by a pro gunsmith and get a can that the front end can be screwed off to access the baffles or can be modified to do so. When the end cap is removed, that will be considered your legal length. Think of the end cap profile as your +16 for good measure. Shorter barrel means more unburnt powder and you must have easy and reliable access to the baffles. You can always have your gunsmith modify a gemtec by cutting the end off one and threading in a nice custom end piece. Lots of options out there. Best to deal with a class III gunsmith than a dealer who cant build themselves what they sell. Get some! Edited March 27, 2012 by storm6490 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sickness 89 Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 (edited) i dont think you will find any 5.45 subsonic ammo here. and like sickness pointed out, i doubt it would cycle the action reliably on a longer barrel. Yeah, the more I think about it, I can't think of a good reason to build a purpose-built suppressed AK.. at least for an individual. I know the Soviets did it with certain suppressed krinks, but they also issued special heavy subsonic ammo, as I recall. You could probably get a suppressor going that is designed to supply a large amount of back-pressure to the gun to aid cycling subsonic rounds - but again, that stuff is tough to find in combloc calibers. Even so, this would probably preclude you from firing supersonic because of the overpressure that would result. The AK is an inexpensive platform, and because of that it is a great base to work from for projects like this since it keeps the overall expense down. But in this case, for a suppressed weapon, I'd want to get it as quite as possible. Not just "less noisy" than a regular AK. If you're JUST looking for a way to shoot w/o needing hearing protection, a suppressed AK might be OK (the ballistic crack of breaking the sound barrier will be travelling away from you). But if you're looking for a suppressed weapon to give you a tactical advantage - you don't want that loud sonic "boom" travelling TOWARD your target area. I'd start with a pistol caliber carbine. I'm partial to the HK USC, but it is spendy. Or some MP5 knock off. A Beretta Storm would be another option. Or even a Kel-tec sub2000. You'll get better suppressed results there, but sacrifice ballistic performance. If you absolutely MUST have a suppressed rifle caliber.. you need to get more spendy. Get an FN FS2000. Yeah, I know it hurts. But it has an adjustable gas system and can be set to cycle subsonic 5.56/.223 properly. Suppress that, fire subsonic .223, and you're good to go. If you want to fire supersonic .223, you can just tune the gas system the other way. You also get a bullpup weapon that will give you a much shorter OAL, as a bonus. Edited March 27, 2012 by sickness Quote Link to post Share on other sites
thebuns1 4,323 Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 the best thing about suppressors on high powered rifles would be to reduce muzzle signature. even with a loud crack, it would sound as if it came from some place other than your position of firing. if your really interested in one and dont know too much about them, check out the NFA section. you'll be able to find some first hand knowledge from some guys on the board here that own several, on several different calibers. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fallenangelhim 2 Posted March 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2012 Keep this comment coming. I'm keeping a log. We just got our 5.45 Saiga on order and will work on that conversion first. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VanKiller 322 Posted March 30, 2012 Report Share Posted March 30, 2012 If you get a chance you might take a look at the 5.45 I shortened and suppressed. The select fire AK was suppressed using a standaard AR can with the gas system shortened and one of my HD 12 Ga gas piston rods installed. The vid is on you tube under Cadiz Gun Works If you get a chance you might take a look at the 5.45 I shortened and suppressed. The select fire AK was suppressed using a standaard AR can with the gas system shortened and one of my HD 12 Ga gas piston rods installed. The vid is on you tube under Cadiz Gun Works If you get a chance you might take a look at the 5.45 I shortened and suppressed. The select fire AK was suppressed using a standaard AR can with the gas system shortened and one of my HD 12 Ga gas piston rods installed. The vid is on you tube under Cadiz Gun Works . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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