scattergun10 125 Posted April 18, 2014 Report Share Posted April 18, 2014 I saw a Saiga 5.45 on GB that I was thinking about getting and doing a build. I asked the seller the first few digits of the serial # so I could determine the date of manufacture, and he said H0988...... (which should be 2009, correct?) I found that to be interesting because the gun(s) are listed as "factory new", which may very well be true,but why would they be selling factory new 2009 rifles in 2014? Anyhow.... Now,this was before I found a thread on here regarding keyholing issues due to wrong barrels/twist rate on maybe a couple Mercury Hermes Saiga 5.45 rifles a few years back with the same serial # prefix. I did a google search just out of curiosity and I'm glad I did because I was very close to buying the rifle. I'm just wondering how isolated of an incident that was and how many of these issues(if any) have been seen since then.I want to buy the gun, but I definitely don't want one that keyholes. BTW, the importer of the rifle I'm interested in is RWC Group. (not Mercury Hermes) I'm not sure if that should be a determining factor in my potential purchase or not. Thanks in advance for any replies. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BigChongus 765 Posted April 18, 2014 Report Share Posted April 18, 2014 I've only heard of one member who had one with that issue, not several. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
scattergun10 125 Posted April 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2014 Even though the chances of me getting one with the wrong barrel/twist rate are quite slim, if somehow I did get one, how would I get a replacement? With there already being a shortage of 5.45 rifles and the political climate being what it is in Russia/Ukraine right now.That's one of my main concerns. I wonder if it's going to be months, maybe even a year or more until we see a fresh shipment of Saiga 5.45 rifles? I guess no one really knows right now,huh? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DEshooter 1 Posted April 21, 2014 Report Share Posted April 21, 2014 Mine is an 09; I bought brand new for $399 back around then. I got a good one. Does 1.5 to 2" 100yd groups with Russian spam can ammo; from a bench rest with an optic. It is more accurate than me. It works with every milsurp mag I've tried, consistently. I have not needed to use a bullet guide. I guess I got lucky. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BigChongus 765 Posted April 21, 2014 Report Share Posted April 21, 2014 I'm pretty certain that was a singular, freak incident. It shouldn't even be a factor in your decision. If by some chance you have an issue, Cadiz should cover it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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