tbryanh 11 Posted November 16, 2012 Report Share Posted November 16, 2012 I am thinking about picking up a Saiga in 223, but I am not sure about what magazines are good and easy to get. What experiences do you have? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
canoecanoe 63 Posted November 16, 2012 Report Share Posted November 16, 2012 Surefires are good if you don't want to add a bullet guide. If you add a bullet guide, I have had great results with Weigers and Beryl mags. These require slight modification, but work very reliably. Many folks like and use Galil mags, but the steel ones seem to have some reliability issue. There are a number of informative threads on this matter. Do a search and you can probably get all of your questions answered. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
131Johan131 5 Posted November 16, 2012 Report Share Posted November 16, 2012 Right now thecheapest option is-bullet guide w/ tapco galil mag and promag .223 mags. This option works great. Surefires are about 30 bucks a pop but will never need to be replaced if you treat them right. Bulgarian circle 10 and polish beryl mags are great as well, probably the most milspec option and the most reliable right around 30 bucksfor the ((10)) and 24 bucks for the beryl mags. Wieger magazines are not a good option, they will work great if you can actually find any( when i see them they are usually priced at 50 dollars). I have a few and they run flawless but after that gunshow i bought them at about a year ago, they have vanished almost. I have never used promag saiga specific mags for.223 because the bad reviews, but hey it never hurts to try. I hope this helps. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bulldog_shotgun 47 Posted November 16, 2012 Report Share Posted November 16, 2012 my suggestion is a MSA/TAKD adapter and AR mags. 10 dollar dead reliable mags, after you install the adapter. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
131Johan131 5 Posted November 16, 2012 Report Share Posted November 16, 2012 I almost forgot about the adaptor, but yes they work very well i have heard and witnessed. The problem of mag scarsity goes away completely, if it wasnt for the fact i like ak mags i would own one myself. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tchick 52 Posted November 17, 2012 Report Share Posted November 17, 2012 I just picked up my .223 Saiga today. I plan on going with one of the adapters and use AR mags. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jbanzai 113 Posted November 17, 2012 Report Share Posted November 17, 2012 I would focus more on the 'good' rather than the 'easy to get'. Circle 10 are the BEST although they can be tricky to find and will be expensive. BUT you feed the rifle ammo, not mags. I don't understand goin' cheap on mags....buy 4 or 5 and they will last the rest of your life. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
avnate 335 Posted November 17, 2012 Report Share Posted November 17, 2012 Cheap, Reliable or Easy (Fast to get)...... reminds me of a " You can only pick two" quote. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bigdust80 10 Posted November 18, 2012 Report Share Posted November 18, 2012 (edited) Cheap, Reliable or Easy (Fast to get)...... reminds me of a " You can only pick two" quote. great quote. For those that don't know, it comes from engine building. Cheap, reliable or fast. You can only pick two. I guess I should add something useful to this thread. I would snap up some Beryl mags. They have steel reinforcement in the front as opposed to the full cage of the 10's. I like the fact that you can buy 5 for the price of 4 10's. I started out with SGM mags, which are great but it's easy to install a bullet guide as long as you know how to use a tap. Just use plenty of oil and go slow, backing out every time you feel resistance. Make sure you align the BG to the center of the chamber, mark where you're gonna put the hole with a center punch, drill and tap slowly. With the Beryls you're gonna have to grind the "interdiction" tab on the back of the magwell flush and file down the front of the feed lips on the mag some. What I did was insert the mag and mark where they were butting up against the locking lugs on the trunnion. I took a little bit off of the feed lips at a time. Some people fit to be tight, I fit mine with some side to side wobble due to seeing a thread on here where someone fit them tight and it was spreading out the front of the mag a little. Edited November 18, 2012 by bigdust80 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted November 20, 2012 Report Share Posted November 20, 2012 Yes that was my post. You don't want to fit the Beryl mags too tightly, as it will cause the front reinforcement to splay out, thereby spreading the feed lips and causing rounds to fit/feed loosely. This will cause double feeds and rounds falling out into the receiver. All of my Beryl mags wiggle slightly side to side, that's about where you want them to sit. Tight fitting mags really cause more problems in an AK than a loose fitting mag does. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jimdigriz 580 Posted November 20, 2012 Report Share Posted November 20, 2012 Tight fitting mags really cause more problems in an AK than a loose fitting mag does. Not in my experience. With my 223, I only had trouble with loose fitting mags. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dunedainn 0 Posted November 25, 2012 Report Share Posted November 25, 2012 (edited) New here! I would like to purchase a Saiga .223, but only if I have the ability to use AR mags, which are abundantly easy to find. Are the adapters easy to come by? I have heard about very long delays in shipping them and difficulty receiving them, but on threads that were a couple of years old. Is that still a problem? Edited November 25, 2012 by Dunedainn Quote Link to post Share on other sites
seabass30 0 Posted November 26, 2012 Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 on the bulgarian circle 10 mags, are you refering to the ak74 mags? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jimdigriz 580 Posted November 27, 2012 Report Share Posted November 27, 2012 on the bulgarian circle 10 mags, are you refering to the ak74 mags? No, the ones in question are designed for the 5.56 round: http://www.k-var.com/shop/M-74N.html Quote Link to post Share on other sites
raider929 31 Posted November 27, 2012 Report Share Posted November 27, 2012 New here! I would like to purchase a Saiga .223, but only if I have the ability to use AR mags, which are abundantly easy to find. Are the adapters easy to come by? I have heard about very long delays in shipping them and difficulty receiving them, but on threads that were a couple of years old. Is that still a problem? When I ordered my TAKD adapter ~6 months ago, the website said it had a 1-2 week production time. I had it in my hands ~2 weeks after I ordered it so it was right. Great product, I've got no complaints about it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dunedainn 0 Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 New here! I would like to purchase a Saiga .223, but only if I have the ability to use AR mags, which are abundantly easy to find. Are the adapters easy to come by? I have heard about very long delays in shipping them and difficulty receiving them, but on threads that were a couple of years old. Is that still a problem? When I ordered my TAKD adapter ~6 months ago, the website said it had a 1-2 week production time. I had it in my hands ~2 weeks after I ordered it so it was right. Great product, I've got no complaints about it. Sweet, I'll be looking into getting that .223 then. Thanks! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Brian M1 50 Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 There are 3 ways to go with 223 Saiga's. 1) use Saiga specific mags (SGM, Izmash etc). 2) bullet guide + Tapco Galil, Weiger's, or Cirlce 10 5.56 mags. 3) AR adapter + AR mags. Those are really the only 3 viable options. Owning a 223 sucks when it comes to mags. You WILL pay out the a$$ for mags. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
canoecanoe 63 Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Another option is a bullet guide and Polish Beryl mags. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 (edited) truth of the matter is that .223 AK mags are about the same price as 5.45 mags these days. there are several cheap options that will work fine in the Saiga. hell, the Tapco Galil and Promag .223 are $10-15 ea. That is dirt cheap. But, they're all plastic. AR adapter is great if you have an AR or desire the function. I don't. Edited November 30, 2012 by mancat Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Brian M1 50 Posted December 1, 2012 Report Share Posted December 1, 2012 Along the same topic here... I was thinking of picking up some circle 10 5.56 mags. I currently use SGM's, but have a bg I haven't installed yet (was waiting for the sgm guides to get beat up). If I put the bg in, will the circle 10's snap right in (after gently filing the top rear corners of the mag)?... or do I have to grind on the selector stop tab as well? My S223 is an '09, if that helps. My concern is, I don't want to buy a few circle 10's, and then have my sgm's (after bg filed off them) fitting super sloppy (since I have a bunch of them already). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jimdigriz 580 Posted December 2, 2012 Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 Along the same topic here... I was thinking of picking up some circle 10 5.56 mags. I currently use SGM's, but have a bg I haven't installed yet (was waiting for the sgm guides to get beat up). If I put the bg in, will the circle 10's snap right in (after gently filing the top rear corners of the mag)?... or do I have to grind on the selector stop tab as well? My S223 is an '09, if that helps. My concern is, I don't want to buy a few circle 10's, and then have my sgm's (after bg filed off them) fitting super sloppy (since I have a bunch of them already). Removing ther interdiction tab should not make the SGMs fit sloppy. Tight mag fit is a matter of locking tab and feedlip engagement. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tbryanh 11 Posted December 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2012 (edited) I just picked up a Saiga in 223, and for right now, I am limitting my choices of mags to SGM Tactical (Surefire) and Tapco Galil. Has anybody purchased both and compared the two with each other? If so, what are the results of your comparison? Edited December 3, 2012 by tbryanh Quote Link to post Share on other sites
canoecanoe 63 Posted December 3, 2012 Report Share Posted December 3, 2012 The Galils require a bullet and the SGM do not, but can be modified to work with a bullet giude. I did not like the TAPCO galils as they were "wobbly" in my two 223 rifles. The SGM mags fit nice and tight and I like them better, Just my opinion. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dayofruin 425 Posted December 3, 2012 Report Share Posted December 3, 2012 There's also the option of steel galil mags... And a very in depth thread on the bit of tweaking to get the to run 100%. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tbryanh 11 Posted December 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2012 This youtube video: shows a person filing a surefire mag to make it fit in the Saiga. Is it typical to need to do this? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
canoecanoe 63 Posted December 4, 2012 Report Share Posted December 4, 2012 Yes, all of my SGM mags needed this done. No biggie. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jerry52 893 Posted December 4, 2012 Report Share Posted December 4, 2012 Some times ! just file a little till it snaps in clean it is no big deal. Good luck with your gun. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tbryanh 11 Posted December 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2012 (edited) It seems the Tapco Galil's wobble because they are so thin: http://forum.saiga-1...an/#entry788839 Edited December 5, 2012 by tbryanh Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tbryanh 11 Posted December 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2012 (edited) I think I might go with SGM Tactical (Surefire) mags. I like the idea of a bullet guide built into the magazine. I think it might feed soft-points better (less/no damage to the soft-point) than a bullet guide in the rifle would. The casing of the round, rather than the bullet, contacts the bullet guide when the bullet guide is in the magazine. Rather than modifying the mags to make them latch into the mag well, I think I might modify the latch in the rifle instead. Edited December 5, 2012 by tbryanh Quote Link to post Share on other sites
canoecanoe 63 Posted December 5, 2012 Report Share Posted December 5, 2012 (edited) You might want to rethink modifying the rifle in the event that you may want to add the bullet guide later (which you probably will) and use milsurp mags. If you modify the rifle, the milsurp mags will be a little loose, but the SGM mags will work with the bullet guide and a little mod to remove the integral BG on the mags. Botom line is in this case modify the mags and not the rifle. Edited for spelling. Edited December 6, 2012 by canoecanoe Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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