mancat 2,368 Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 (edited) I was thinking to myself.. We have a whole forum of Saiga .223 and VEPR .223 owners (and everyone else) here who I would bet would jump all over a .22LR Saiga. We already have a thread about bringing the .22LR Saiga to the US. Alas, it doesn't seem we'll be getting them any time soon. SO, why not a .22LR conversion? It's done all the time with ARs. You can even use the same receiver and barrel with the insert-type kits. We already have mags that would work in the form of WASR-22 mags. The Saiga/VEPR .223 have an AKM-spec magwell and will accept AKM mags. Guess what else uses an AKM magwell? The WASR-22. I suspect that the mags would be a straight swapover. Gas port fouling is a potential issue, but most of the .22LR AR kit guys are able to clear out their gas ports by just running a couple rounds of .223 through to blow out the port. I imagine the AK will have even less issues with its tendency to be a bit over-gassed. Any machinists here interested in stepping up to the plate? I wish I could myself, but alas I have no machining experience or tools. Come on guys.. This is all it takes to get an AR-15 chewing through cheap .22LR. It can't be that hard, can it? I'm seriously thinking about buying one of these kits, a WASR-22 mag, and seeing if it can be adapted to the Saiga/VEPR. Edited February 8, 2013 by mancat 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
theorangeplanet 968 Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 I wonder if .22 LR can effectively swage through a 5.45mm barrel as well? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted February 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 Probably not. .22LR is a .222 dia bullet, 5.45x39 is .220. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Superhawk138 202 Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 Ciener used to make a kit for the AK platform to convert to .22lr. I sometimes see them for sale but they are expensive and from what I've heard really finicky and don't work to well. I don't think one for an AR15 could be modified to work. For .223s For 7.62x39 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
theorangeplanet 968 Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 (edited) That's just two thousandths smaller and it is only a rimfire cartridge. To put into perspective, on IV8888's channel they fired numerous .44s, .45s, and even .454s out of a .410 break action with a muzzle diameter of .387 with no apparent damage to the gun. I proposed the question in terms of accuracy from a smaller bore, really. Edited February 8, 2013 by Risky Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted February 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 superhawk138, I had no idea either existed. Thanks for pointing them out. Didn't Ceiner go tits-up? If someone could get blueprints, well... You know. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Shandlanos 1,470 Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 I hope so - Ciener is an ass with terrible social/customer service skills. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jojo200517 68 Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 Someone needs to get on making a decent system for these. Lot of 223 saiga guys are going to AR mag wells so you may could work a system to use the existing mags for the AR 22lr conversions. Come to think of it both systems should be feeding from the same place relative to the internal of the receiver and the chamber so who knows maybe the same system could work with either that or a mag made for the 223 saiga like the old ceiner system appears to be. Too bad 22lr isn't as cheap as it used to be but 223 has went up too so there would still be some savings and I could shoot at the indoor range that only allows 22lr rifles. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Eric Pate 478 Posted March 7, 2013 Report Share Posted March 7, 2013 I hope so - Ciener is an ass with terrible social/customer service skills. +10,000,000 FYI, he actually got arrested a few years ago over his business practices. http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2011/11/07/sheriffs-arrest-jonathan-arthur-ciener-on-fraud-charges/ Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
saltydecimator 482 Posted May 13, 2013 Report Share Posted May 13, 2013 I too can't assume it would be that hard. Ciener is an ass, but I wonder how much effort he put into it? Problem right now is everyone is too busy slinging glocks and ars to develop anything new. Rome is falling 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
XdamagedX 248 Posted May 13, 2013 Report Share Posted May 13, 2013 I had an x39 conversion kit. It worked "alright". If you're into cool "gadgets" and getting WTF looks from people it's pretty cool, but as a training, hunting, target shooting piece: it's a waste. The only training you'll get is clearing jams and testing your nerves for slam fires. Not to say it wasn't cool, but it seemed to be a little more hassle than it was worth. And yes Ciener is a dickbag. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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