I couldn't wait for my paint to arrive to give the rifle a test-assembly. Everything went smooth, no problems! Bolt works just fine, trigger pull is nice.

Here she is:




Thanks to EVERYONE on this forum that helped me out, gave tips, etc. Thanks to Brian (Dinzag) for being so quick and helpful in emails. This is my first gun and doing the conversion was pretty damn easy.

Cheers

Joe

Looks good. Congrats!

Thanks man!

Can't wait to fire her...I might have to go tomorrow.

-Joe

That is a nice looking AK and you did a good job.

What kind of magazine is shown on your rifle in the picture?

that looks like almost exactly what im doing.. i also ordered from Dinzag... VERY VERY helpfull..

looks great..

Thanks guys, much appreciated.

That is a Surefire 15 round magazine.

-Joe

Looks good Joe. Glad we could come together and help you out.

NOW GO SHOOT IT!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks man! You were a big help.

It's funny, I only shot it once before starting the conversion. When I bought it, I said I would go at least 3-4 times, haha.

-Joe

I'm thinking about doing my rifle like yours to look like the authentic AK100 series. I have a quad rail and stuff which I could swap out at anytime to normal Saiga, tacticalized, AK100, etc...

That is one of the things that is really cool about these Saigas. You can dress them for the various purposes.

Why did you choose the 15-rd Sure Fire mags?

Cool man, sounds good. I have some regular Saiga 10 round mags as well. I wanted something a bit higher than 10, but in NJ we can only have a maximum of 15 round magazines. There are some questionable aspects of our law regarding blocked 30 round magazines that can only accept 15 rounds. Some say they are fine, some not so much. The law is very unclear on this. I spoke to a highly regarded gun lawyer in NJ who told me the same. I'd rather not risk it. I'm more than happy with the gun right now!

-Joe

as far as im aware... the law goes like this.. as long as the modification you do is reasonably perminent its ok.. its the same for pinned adjustable stocks that make them no longer adjustable..

ok
rivit (sp?) - requires tools to remove and can not just be pulled out..

not ok
nut and bolt - not so perminant.. can easily be removed..

thats at least my understanding for things like bocked magazines and colapsable stocks..

Yup. I agree with you there. The problem is, the law does not explicitly state what is permanent and what is not. If for whatever reason you get "busted" by a disgruntled cop, it will be up to the judge to decide in court. It's a potential hassle I just don't want to deal with. My range is very cool as well...very pro 2nd amendment. I just don't want to risk it.

-Joe

Very nice Job. clean lines

Nice job. I converted my 7.62x39 about a month ago and now I'm converting my brother's .223 now.

What front handguards did you use? Where'd you get them? Is your stock NATO or Warsaw length?

Thanks guys! I just got back from the range. 160 rounds with zero jams or problems.

K-Var handguards; I bought em from Dinzag.

The buttstock is NATO length.

-Joe

can you measure the length of the nato stock... would be really appreciated...

About 10.5" from where it enters the receiver, to the end of the buttplate.

-Joe

Very nice.

Thanks!

I'm curious if anyone noticed my dental floss hanging out of the BHO well lol. It came in handy for sure. I think there is still some wrapped around it inside.

-Joe

thank you much

Great job, Joe! That really looks nice.
What kind of handguard retainer did you use? Did you also swap out the gas tube?

handgaurd looks like k var.. looks like he got the kvar furniture package.. AK retainer.. clamp on or press on clamp on is way easier.. and yeah you need to swap out the tubes..

all these items can be found on Dinzags website..

hope that helps? i appologize if im wrong on any of those gyuesses.. lol

DamagedWorld, no problem!

Yep, all K-Var furniture bought from Dinzag. Retainer is the bolt on from Dinzag, AK gas tube.

Thanks for looking and for the compliments guys!

-Joe

Ah, almost forgot, two small issues.

The lower handguard has a bit of "play" even with the retainer on tight. No big deal really, still very stable.

Also, after some grinding, the buttstock still has a tiny gap where it goes into the receiver. Still very stable though.

-Joe

excellent job! i have done 4 2s-308 & 2 223s they get easier the more you do them my last one took 11/2 hrs i put blonde romy wood i got off a SAR-3 on it . i made my own lower handguard retainer for it . ill have to post some pics later on tonight in the 223 forum..

It came out great. Nice job.

Thanks guys! It means a lot!

I feel proud, (even though it was easy, really!), since I had not even shot a gun up until a month and a half ago.

I'd love to see that DIY retainer.

-Joe

Hey Joe
What kind of paint are you waiting for?


Russell

I'm waiting for some Duplicolor low-gloss, high temp engine ceramic paint for the bottom where the trigger plate came off. To be honest, the bare bottom really isn't bothering me nearly as much as I thought, but I'll probably paint it anyway at some point.

-Joe

That should do it. I've been using Brownels Aluma Hyde 2. Good stuff but it takes 3 to 6 days to dry depending on the temp. I refinished 2 AES-10B rifles from CIA, the factory finish was so bad it came of with brake cleaner.

Heh, yeah it's quite thin, but I like how rough it looks really. If it becomes a problem down the road with rust or whatnot, I might consider having it refinished.

-Joe

I'm sure the factory finish will last quite a while. The first batch of S12s I received months ago looked like they used a crayon. The latest Saigas have had much better finishes. I just refinish the bottom of the receiver and do a little touch up work and call it good. I like to give them a coat of Birchwood Casey Sheath. That stuff is amazing.

-Russell

Nice, I'll check it out...thanks!

I'd also like to figure out the tiny ass space between the buttstock and receiver. It's probably 2mm, but it bugs me. It's still very solid and feels fine in the shoulder.

-Joe

My lower retainer also had some play in it. I went to a sewing center and got some of those adhesive backed (peel and stick) velcro squares that are about 1 inch square.
I cut a piece of the furry sided one about 1/4 inch wide and put it along the bottom of the lower retainer that holds the lower retainer in place. It took up the slack that I had and now it doesn't rattle around.


Click to view attachment

louielouie

Thanks for the tip!

-Joe

That's why we are here.
louielouie