saiga AK74 M3

[semper 0]

Hello to you all . im from England and i have just brought myself a Saiga M3 http://www.rusmilitary.com/html/firearms_ak74m.htm

 

unfortunately its a straight pull, however the basic principles should be the same, i was wondering if anybody has any experience of this rifle and how well will it stand up to abuse and still maintain accuracy etc.

 

i do know the AK 47/74 military version have stood up to a lot of abuse and neglect (not that i am going to that) do civilian versions have the same resiliance, also when cleaning it, which is better ? a cleaning rod or a Pull through ? some say if you use a pullthrough you could nick the inside of the barrel and affect the accuracy , some say it doesn't matter either way.

 

any other feedback would be welcome , thanks

[SaigaShooter 0]

Incredible. You guys get the Ak config but no semi auto, and we get semi auto but not the ak config!

 

I have te Saiga 7.62x39 semi auto, absolutley love it. Ive fired 1000's of rounds, and it's fed, fired, and extracted everyone of them. I'd think the straight pull would be the same.

 

The AK is easy to clean and maintain, and very reliable.

 

I've used both pull throughs and cleaning rods. The pull throughs are fast and convenient, but i think a rod with a bore brush does a better job.

[steve467 0]

Hello to you all . im from England and i have just brought myself a Saiga M3 http://www.rusmilitary.com/html/firearms_ak74m.htm

 

unfortunately its a straight pull, however the basic principles should be the same, i was wondering if anybody has any experience of this rifle and how well will it stand up to abuse and still maintain accuracy etc.

 

i do know the AK 47/74 military version have stood up to a lot of abuse and neglect (not that i am going to that) do civilian versions have the same resiliance, also when cleaning it, which is better ? a cleaning rod or a Pull through ? some say if you use a pullthrough you could nick the inside of the barrel and affect the accuracy , some say it doesn't matter either way.

 

any other feedback would be welcome , thanks

Congrats on your new rifle. So just so I am straight, is this a Saiga with no gas port drilled in the barrel so it works like a bolt action rifle?

 

Kalashnikovs are functionally near indestructable, but cosmetically can be blemished. Be careful not to use a harsh solvent when cleaning. As far as a cleaning rod vs pull through, just be careful at the end of the barrel (crown) not to ding it, and always start at the chamber and brush towards the muzzle. This means you will have to unscrew the cleaning jag after each push/pull. This is my technique, others may have different ones.

[SaigaShooter 0]

Yep, no gas port. But I'll bet it makes picking up brass much easier.

[semper 0]

Hello to you all . im from England and i have just brought myself a Saiga M3 http://www.rusmilitary.com/html/firearms_ak74m.htm

 

unfortunately its a straight pull, however the basic principles should be the same, i was wondering if anybody has any experience of this rifle and how well will it stand up to abuse and still maintain accuracy etc.

 

i do know the AK 47/74 military version have stood up to a lot of abuse and neglect (not that i am going to that) do civilian versions have the same resiliance, also when cleaning it, which is better ? a cleaning rod or a Pull through ? some say if you use a pullthrough you could nick the inside of the barrel and affect the accuracy , some say it doesn't matter either way.

 

any other feedback would be welcome , thanks

Congrats on your new rifle. So just so I am straight, is this a Saiga with no gas port drilled in the barrel so it works like a bolt action rifle?

 

Kalashnikovs are functionally near indestructable, but cosmetically can be blemished. Be careful not to use a harsh solvent when cleaning. As far as a cleaning rod vs pull through, just be careful at the end of the barrel (crown) not to ding it, and always start at the chamber and brush towards the muzzle. This means you will have to unscrew the cleaning jag after each push/pull. This is my technique, others may have different ones.

 

yes there is no gas ports drilled, it is very simplified only three moving parts involved, cover, cocking handle and breach block, thats it. less to go wrong i would say.

(this is due to UK gun laws rather than for any other reasons)

 

when you say the "crown" is this at the chamber or at the muzzle ? "ding it" as in nicking it or denting it ?

just trying to clarify as american english may be a bit different from UK english.

 

would a scratch down the side of the barrel be significant in a saiga when using either a pull through or a rod ? or would the bullets smooth it out as it fires outward.

 

sorry if some of the questions may seem silly to you ,but im a complete newbie so i don't want to make a classic newbie mistakes and bugger up an expensive rifle , which im sure is everybody else's nightmare ! i want this rifle to be a positive experience for me and something i will use for years to come as this is the first brand new rifle i ever had.

Edited February 4, 2006 by vespa

[Tokageko 8]

The crown is the muzzle of the barrel, where you can see the rifling. As far as messing it up goes.... The barrel is most likely chrome lined. You're not going to scratch, dent, ding, or otherwise disfigure it unless you use abrasive metal-working tools (file, drill, saw, etc) on it.

 

Your rifle should provide you with a great shooting experience, possibly being more accurate than the semi-automatic versions that we have. As for reliability, it should be great. Not having a working gas-system, most all of the reliability issues (not that there are many to begin with) are gone.

 

Again, welcome to the forum. I hope I have been of some assistance.

[ironhead7544 35]

Take a look at the manual. The link shows the rifle comes with a cleaning kit. There should be a cleaning rod guide which will protect the muzzle when cleaning. If theres no rod guide Im sure you can get one from a gunshop. I use rod guides on all my guns, even 12 gauge. Good luck with you new rifle. Welcome to the sport. If you have any questions use the forum.

[semper 0]

thanks for your many tips so far , had a shootout on my Saiga, at 200 yards , it performed well, little recoil, easy to clean and reasonably accurate, just need to improve my aiming skills , any tips on that would be handy chaps

[aka108 0]

You may wish to acquire a graphite or coated cleaning rod and some brass jags and brushes for cleaning. Think the rod accessories that come with the Saiga are steel and that steel against the steel chrome lined barrel can not be good for the rifle. Looked at your vendors advertisement --350 some odd British pounds is a lot of money for one of these. Guess your tax collector has got his hands in the cookie jar.