FYI - Found a 5.45 bolt on g brkr if you need one

[liberty -r- death 1,445]

Was looking for stuff and found a listing for a Saiga 5.45 bolt is some really needs one to fix there 5.56

[mikebaker1129 19]

I searched  and could not find it .

[liberty -r- death 1,445]

I searched  and could not find it .

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=374717338

[mikebaker1129 19]

Thanks for the link ,that is local for me, but I am not sure it is a Saiga. Looks a little different than my Saiga .223 bolt. 

[liberty -r- death 1,445]

Might be a little different since it's 5.45

 

Maybe they would let you test fit since it's close.

[Matthew Hopkins 1,065]

5.45 bolt and a 5.56 bolt are 2 different animals, they are not interchangeable.  besides length, the cartridge of a 5.56 round fits a lot more  loosely in the bolt face,  I just checked a 5.56 round in a 5.45 and 5.56 bolt.

 

 

and even between 2 countries 5.56 AK ,  the bolts do not interchange. a Bulgarian 5.56 bolt won't even go into a Romanian  5.56 carrier, the Bulgarian bolt "stem" is too thick 

 

lesson here people, buy the correct caliber bolt, model and  country to the caliber, model and country of the rifle.

 

these bolt are not like mags, where you can tweak them to fit, there is no tweaking them to fit.

Edited November 17, 2013 by Matthew Hopkins

[liberty -r- death 1,445]

You are correct sir. Different country of origin bolts won't work becuase every country makes the AK bolt a little different.Russian bolt should work in russian rifle. Yep, the 5.56 will be a little loose. But, it will work for some with a 5.56 if they need a bolt because their 5.56 bolt broke or need a spare.

 

Mancat is the member that seems to know the most about this subject.

[mancat 2,368]

Yeah, the 5.45 bolt will work just fine. I have one that headspaces OK in a Saiga .223 and cycles reliably. The other doesn't headspace but I'm sure it would work OK if it was fitted.

 

The 5.56 case is a tiny bit loose in the 5.45 bolt vs. the 5.56 bolt, but the rim size difference doesn't seem to be enough to impact reliable function.

 

There are other builders out there that have made custom 5.56 AKs using the AK-74 parts kits, especially back when there were not a lot of 5.56 AKs being imported. There are guys that have put thousands of rounds through them this way - I think one of them who has mentioned it before is user allesengowat or AKBLUE on AKfiles.

 

http://www.akfiles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=106183

 

Of course the 5.45 bolt doesn't have the spring-loaded pin. Otherwise the Saiga 5.56 bolt is dimensionally identical to any 5.45x39 short-collar, thin-stem bolt, i.e. Russian, Bulgarian (early Bulgarian only), E. German, Polish, probably a couple others.

 

You are right that the later Bulgarian 5.45x39 and Romanian bolts are not compatible. They are AKM spec bolts and won't fit in the Saiga carrier nor will they lock up in the trunnion.

 

Obviously if you can find another Saiga 5.56 bolt that would be preferred. However the AK-74 bolts are available as a cheap alternative for some people that want SHTF spares and such at a fraction of the price.

 

If you can buy a complete AK-74 bolt carrier and bolt that's a bonus too.. Both work fine in the Saiga.

 

Of course the bolt has to be checked for proper headspace  - don't just drop it in and start shooting.

Edited November 17, 2013 by mancat

[liberty -r- death 1,445]

Yeah, the 5.45 bolt will work just fine. I have one that headspaces OK in a Saiga .223 and cycles reliably. The other doesn't headspace but I'm sure it would work OK if it was fitted.

 

The 5.56 case is a tiny bit loose in the 5.45 bolt vs. the 5.56 bolt, but the rim size difference doesn't seem to be enough to impact reliable function.

 

There are other builders out there that have made custom 5.56 AKs using the AK-74 parts kits, especially back when there were not a lot of 5.56 AKs being imported. There are guys that have put thousands of rounds through them this way - I think one of them who has mentioned it before is user allesengowat or AKBLUE on AKfiles.

 

http://www.akfiles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=106183

 

Of course the 5.45 bolt doesn't have the spring-loaded pin. Otherwise the Saiga 5.56 bolt is dimensionally identical to any 5.45x39 short-collar, thin-stem bolt, i.e. Russian, Bulgarian (early Bulgarian only), E. German, Polish, probably a couple others.

 

You are right that the later Bulgarian 5.45x39 and Romanian bolts are not compatible. They are AKM spec bolts and won't fit in the Saiga carrier nor will they lock up in the trunnion.

 

Obviously if you can find another Saiga 5.56 bolt that would be preferred. However the AK-74 bolts are available as a cheap alternative for some people that want SHTF spares and such at a fraction of the price.

 

If you can buy a complete AK-74 bolt carrier and bolt that's a bonus too.. Both work fine in the Saiga.

 

Of course the bolt has to be checked for proper headspace  - don't just drop it in and start shooting.

Thanks for the extra clarification.