jmeck 12 Posted December 24, 2013 Report Share Posted December 24, 2013 My Christmas eve project. Shaved off almost 5 ounces with this mod. It took around 2 hours to do. It could be lighter if I eliminated the sling swivel but I like it with it. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kevinfreel 215 Posted December 24, 2013 Report Share Posted December 24, 2013 Looks good what's the total weight unloaded Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BobAsh 582 Posted December 25, 2013 Report Share Posted December 25, 2013 Heh. Every so often I actually see something new here. Good on ya' 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nailbomb 10,221 Posted December 25, 2013 Report Share Posted December 25, 2013 Managed to do it without looking like a total hack job. Gives a tabuk look to it. Nice Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nailbomb 10,221 Posted December 25, 2013 Report Share Posted December 25, 2013 Overmolded yugo grip? Is the rail worth the weight if 5 oz off the rear was worthwhile? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DogMan 2,343 Posted December 25, 2013 Report Share Posted December 25, 2013 If it's still solid without flexing at all then I say.... good job. This will probably be copied a few times. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mancat 2,368 Posted December 26, 2013 Report Share Posted December 26, 2013 that's pretty cool, hope it holds up, but there's a lot of dead weight on the rifle if lightness is your goal. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Matthew Hopkins 1,065 Posted December 26, 2013 Report Share Posted December 26, 2013 looks good! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jmeck 12 Posted December 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2013 Quote:Looks good what's the total weight unloaded The total weight unloaded is 8 pounds 12 ounces Quote:Overmolded yugo grip? Is the rail worth the weight if 5 oz off the rear was worthwhile? I can't remember what brand the grip is, but it fits my hand well. I'm going to mill off the rear part of the scope mounting rail, the part behind the red dot and the rear support arm. It will still have 3 support arms which is plenty, might save 1-2 ounces there. My goal is to try to get the weight, with out a mag, down to 7 pounds ( lofty goal I know). So the whole front hand guard is definitely going to have to go. I'll likely have to consider lightening some factory parts so we'll see. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nailbomb 10,221 Posted December 26, 2013 Report Share Posted December 26, 2013 As a word of advice, don't get so fixed on shaving weight, pay more attention to where you put it. the more you can keep the weight of the gun rearward the less noticeable it will be. Think of it as a lever with a increasing mechanical advantage against you the further away from the center of your body it gets. the first dead weight you can shave off the end of the barrel is the sleeve hanging off the front sight around the end of your barrel. the Shield on the gas tube is another good target for removal. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kevinfreel 215 Posted December 26, 2013 Report Share Posted December 26, 2013 As a word of advice, don't get so fixed on shaving weight, pay more attention to where you put it. the more you can keep the weight of the gun rearward the less noticeable it will be. Think of it as a lever with a increasing mechanical advantage against you the further away from the center of your body it gets. the first dead weight you can shave off the end of the barrel is the sleeve hanging off the front sight around the end of your barrel. the Shield on the gas tube is another good target for removal. He speaketh the truth. I took the whole fsb off and use the ace bolt on front sight with the OEM handguard and it points as well as an AR now in my opinion. The rails were cool but then I got tired of lifting the extra weight. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jmeck 12 Posted December 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2013 As a word of advice, don't get so fixed on shaving weight, pay more attention to where you put it. the more you can keep the weight of the gun rearward the less noticeable it will be. Think of it as a lever with a increasing mechanical advantage against you the further away from the center of your body it gets. the first dead weight you can shave off the end of the barrel is the sleeve hanging off the front sight around the end of your barrel. the Shield on the gas tube is another good target for removal. Good advice, your correct the AK platform tends to be heavy out front, I'm going to focus my attention in that area. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jmeck 12 Posted January 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 A little more work on the lightening project. I took the factory hand guard and lightened it as well as adding some ventilation slots, removed the heat shield off of the gas tube, and cut off the rear section of the scope mount. If you look at the pic with the removed pieces you can see that the tip of the Saiga hand guard has metal reinforcing imbedded in the plastic, its still ridged with the removed pieces. I needed to blue the gas tube as the Parkerizing under the shield was very minimal, not a big deal to do. With the swapping out of the hand guards and the material removal I shaved off 8 ounces so the current weight is 8 pounds 4 ounces with out a Mag. No where near my target weight of 7 pounds ( probably not doable)but its feeling pretty good right now. I could cut off the part of the FSB where you mount a flash hider, skeletonize the sides of the RSB and mill out the bolt carrier as I've seen done in the pic thread. But I don't really believe all that work will lighten the rifle by 1 pound and 4 ounces. I might try a few other things down the rode but I think I'm going leave it as is for now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
thebobrusso 27 Posted January 27, 2014 Report Share Posted January 27, 2014 Ribbed dust cover is lighter Rs regulate side mount is lighter Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jmeck 12 Posted January 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2014 Ribbed dust cover is lighter Rs regulate side mount is lighter The R S regulate side mount is 5 ounces, mine weighs the same now. Where do you get a ribbed dust cover? and how much does it weigh? 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mullet Man 2,114 Posted January 28, 2014 Report Share Posted January 28, 2014 (edited) Remove the BHO and notch your safety. Same feature (better actually since you can lock it back and be on safe), less weight. Miniscule savings at best tho. How much does that magwell weigh? Your side mount may not work with a ribbed cover. Edited January 28, 2014 by Mullet Man Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nailbomb 10,221 Posted January 29, 2014 Report Share Posted January 29, 2014 Ribbed dust cover is lighter Rs regulate side mount is lighter The R S regulate side mount is 5 ounces, mine weighs the same now. Where do you get a ribbed dust cover? and how much does it weigh? Apex carries ribbed dust covers as of this post. Bulgarian ak74... not sure on the weight savings, but the ribbed covers are generally thinner metal, the ribs give them the needed rigidity. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jmeck 12 Posted January 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2014 Remove the BHO and notch your safety. Same feature (better actually since you can lock it back and be on safe), less weight. Miniscule savings at best tho. How much does that magwell weigh? Your side mount may not work with a ribbed cover. The AR mag adapter and an aluminum milspec mag weight slightly more than a good 30 round steel mag, unloaded that is. Thanks for the suggestions guys but I'm starting believe that in order to remove any more weight I'd have to sacrifice some things I'm just not willing to. I could probably save 1-2 ounces If I used a gas tube mount and removed the side mount plate from the side of the receiver, but I prefer my optics up close. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
thebobrusso 27 Posted January 29, 2014 Report Share Posted January 29, 2014 aimpoint t-1 micro drill a bunch of holes in the gas tube Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jmeck 12 Posted January 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 aimpoint t-1 micro drill a bunch of holes in the gas tube I would really like to have an aimpoint micro, it would save about 1 and a 1/2 ounces, but $500.00 to save an ounce and a half is too rich for me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nailbomb 10,221 Posted January 31, 2014 Report Share Posted January 31, 2014 Remove the shroud off the front sight, or get a front sight gas block combo to reduce more weight and move weight rearward. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wpflgun 3 Posted May 9, 2014 Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 My take on a skeleton buttstock, from scratch... 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mikebaker1129 19 Posted May 10, 2014 Report Share Posted May 10, 2014 Which brand of AR mag adapter is your ? How much work was it to fit ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MAAnew 162 Posted May 13, 2014 Report Share Posted May 13, 2014 My Christmas eve project. Shaved off almost 5 ounces with this mod. It took around 2 hours to do. It could be lighter if I eliminated the sling swivel but I like it with it. great job on that !! how is it holding up over the few months so far ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jmeck 12 Posted May 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 Which brand of AR mag adapter is your ? How much work was it to fit ? Its the Magnolia arms? adapter. I didn't find it that hard to install, but then again I do own a milling machine and used it to mill out the magwelll and front trunnion. You could use a dremmel and a few files, but I'd be sure I had plenty of bits and take my time. Dremmeling the front trunnion is not going to be easy and probably won't look to pretty when your done. My Christmas eve project. Shaved off almost 5 ounces with this mod. It took around 2 hours to do. It could be lighter if I eliminated the sling swivel but I like it with it. great job on that !! how is it holding up over the few months so far ? I've had it out to the range twice, around 120 rounds through it, I really like it. No flexing, bending or other issues. The stock comes from the factory with thick plastic ribbing on the top and bottom so its plenty strong with the sides cut out. It might not be strong enough for head bashing Zombies, but I live in a "Zombie free Zone" so I don't worry about that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jmeck 12 Posted May 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2014 (edited) I just finished a new hand guard for my Saiga. This mod lightened the front of the rifle by about 1 1/2 ounces. It feels and handles great, gotta get out to the range soon. Edited May 23, 2014 by jmeck Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jmeck 12 Posted July 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2014 I had the opportunity to test out my Saiga's carbon fiber hand guard a couple of weeks ago. It works and handles great. I gave it a good heat test by firing 40 aimed shots in around 3-5 minutes ( not exactly a mag dump I know). The hand guard didn't heat up much but the screws that attach it to the mounting brackets got pretty hot , fortunately they are at the ends of the hand guard and I don't grip there when shooting. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nailbomb 10,221 Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 Did you box in the buttstock? or is that a illusion? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mrwiggles2004 15 Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 (edited) You can shave off 1oz by switching out that tapco buttplate for a surplus AK model without the trapdoor. The factory TAPCO buttplate is 1.5 oz. Also someone mentioned losing the BHO, that was good for about .25 oz IIRC. I'm at 7.5 lbs unloaded with the light Edited August 2, 2014 by mrwiggles2004 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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