dinzag 31 Posted January 6, 2006 Report Share Posted January 6, 2006 (edited) How to Modify AK-74 Mags & Followers to Fit and Feed .223 Ammo This tutorial will explain how to modify AK-74 mags & followers to feed .223 ammo reliably. You will need to have installed a bullet guide and/or chamber bevel in the gun. To install a bullet guide, here's a good clean write-up by Sixty Driver: http://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?showtopic=8574 To modify your S-223 Rifle to use un-modified magazines, see this post by icarus: http://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?showtopic=9030 Another source on how to modify the magazines, check out Sheik YerBouti's conversion tutorial: http://www.cross-conn.com/Saiga_Conversion/ If you can find .223 magazines, the followers are fine and you need not do the follower mod. There are some German steel & Bulgarian polymer ones out there. (plus others) If you want to use cheap AK-74 (5.45x39mm) magazines, you will need to replace or modify the followers. Robinson Arms sells .223 followers for $6 apiece. If you want to do it for pennies, read on... Thanks to forum member inparidel for his help & patience with me. Here's a pic of one of the magazines. I bought these Bulgarian AK-74 mags at K-Var for $30 for 4 of 'em. Magazine Mods (same as the Sheik's tutorial) Here's a pic of where you need to file on the top of the feed lips. You don't have to go all the way down to the notch in the front. Take a little bit off at a time to ensure a snug fit. Here's a pic of where you need to file on the back - above the mag catch. I didn't have to file the catch itself. Follower Mods The next 4 pics show what a modded follower should look like. You want to raise the rear of the hump and area next to it about 3/16" and taper down to nothing at the front of the hump. The case heads on the 5.45.39 rounds are fatter than the .223 rounds. Keep the side of the hump intact (don't make it wider). I did with mine and it needs to be sanded down a tad. It works fine though. Robinson Arms just added a raised pad on the rear in each area. It is sufficient, but the tapered ramp seems to be more stable. -Score & clean the top of the follower. -Apply epoxy putty. I used "Magnum Steel" epoxy putty from Home Depot. It comes shaped like a tube. You simply cut off a tad and knead it until you have a uniform color. Press onto the top of the follower and form it to shape. Use a wet round to roll a nice profile. -After an hour or two, sand it smooth. -Apply teflon grease or Armor-All to protect from wear. Mine, I spray painted to see where the wear points are. This is not necessary. Stock AK-74, Modded AK-74 & Robinson Arms followers (l-r) Stock AK-74, Modded AK-74 & Robinson Arms followers (l-r) Robinson Arms, Modded AK-74 & AK-74 followers (l-r) Edited January 6, 2006 by dinzag Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Crosshair 1 Posted January 6, 2006 Report Share Posted January 6, 2006 Great, now another rifle I will need to buy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
inparidel 4 Posted January 10, 2006 Report Share Posted January 10, 2006 (edited) Outstanding tutorial. But, if you reduce the locking lug bottoms in the rifle back to mil spec, you will not have to mod the mag fronts. All else is well done! Also screw opening up the hole in the follower. I just epoxy over it. BTW, if you load the mag full after the epoxy has cured 15 or so minutes, that's the best and slickest final finish you can get. The rounds will settle in a tad (not very much) in the putty, which is pretty darned hard by then. Edited January 10, 2006 by inparidel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NEFOZ 1 Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 I had some apoxy left so I built a feed ramp into the front of the mag Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Echoseirra1983 0 Posted March 12, 2007 Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 I wish I'd have heard of these mods. a couple of years ago. I tried to get an AK74 mag to function in a friend of mine's .223 Saiga. After getting the mag to finally lock up, I got 15 rounds to feed and fire before it stopped feeding and I gave up. But, now I know why I failed. Great info! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dinzag 31 Posted March 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 Hey bro, for more updated info, download the mag options .pdf file listed here... Saiga 223 Mag Options That is geared towards the same type of setup... leaving the lugs & receiver alone in the gun, adding bullet guide modding mags & followers. Also instead of the epoxy putty, try plastic welding if you have plastic followers. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hoser4963 1 Posted March 13, 2007 Report Share Posted March 13, 2007 You woldn't happen to know what kind of plastic the Bulgarian .545x39 followers are made of would you? I have a new plastic welder and can get rods for ABS, PVC and PP. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dinzag 31 Posted March 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2007 You woldn't happen to know what kind of plastic the Bulgarian .545x39 followers are made of would you?I have a new plastic welder and can get rods for ABS, PVC and PP. Hell I don't know, I've used pieces of polyamide (sp?), ABS & PVC to mod those & S-20 followers & do mag welding with. Whatever looks pretty in the end. I use a couple different soldering iron tips - pointy one for poking/tacking and flat one for smoothing. Polyamide had similiar melt temps, but I don't think you can get that in rod form. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
swmodel19 0 Posted February 4, 2008 Report Share Posted February 4, 2008 (edited) I just wanted to say thanks for this thread. I bought four AK-74 magazines for my WASR-3 and followed the part of your post that talked about modifying the follower (cutting the mag is apparently not needed for a WASR) and three of the four work flawlessly. I still need to figure out what went wrong with #4, but I'm pretty durn happy with the three that did work. ETA: I think I may have fixed #4. It cycles well manually - I just need to get out to the range to check out how it functions under fire. Edited February 5, 2008 by SWModel19 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
russiangunrunner 10 Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 thanks, i posted darn near a same post but couldn't get pics to load. thumbs up. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
swmodel19 0 Posted February 6, 2008 Report Share Posted February 6, 2008 thanks, i posted darn near a same post but couldn't get pics to load. thumbs up. Hey Vlad, How well does your method work? I saw your post, too, but I couldn't quite fathom what you were talking about until after I read this thread. You basically lowered the front of the follower, while this method raises the back of the follower, right? My concern with following your method was wondering if the last bullet is raised enough to catch the bolt. And since this method only required buying some epoxy that I can use elsewhere anyway, I went with it. But I am tempted to buy some of those followers and try your way, too, just to see what happens. Thx. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sgt ron 0 Posted August 10, 2008 Report Share Posted August 10, 2008 thanks, i posted darn near a same post but couldn't get pics to load. thumbs up. hey, has anyone heard from this guy in a while? i sent him a usps money order for a part. no part and no response from him. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nalioth 405 Posted August 10, 2008 Report Share Posted August 10, 2008 thanks, i posted darn near a same post but couldn't get pics to load. thumbs up. hey, has anyone heard from this guy in a while? i sent him a usps money order for a part. no part and no response from him. Dinzag maintains a vendor area here. I think that would be a better place to ask this. http://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?showforum=77 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sgt ron 0 Posted August 10, 2008 Report Share Posted August 10, 2008 thanks, i posted darn near a same post but couldn't get pics to load. thumbs up. hey, has anyone heard from this guy in a while? i sent him a usps money order for a part. no part and no response from him. Dinzag maintains a vendor area here. I think that would be a better place to ask this. http://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?showforum=77 thanks, i will try that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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