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Old April 17, 2013, 05:51 PM   #1
Duzell
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looking for info on saiga rifle 7.62x39

ok im 23(shooting since 5), i long distance shoot at around 200-300 yrds normally

i started with a 22mm rifle, then worked my way up to using a m1 garand , then mosin nagant, and my favorite the m1a socom which is my tackdriver.

anyway ive been looking for a saiga rifle (as title states) and have zero luck.... im in california (yes it sucks as much as you think) , and i cant find it , when about a year ago i saw them in all the stores. i want one so i can make it my tactical rifle , you know the one you customize and put

so i had some question on the rifle itself

whats with the conversion kit ive read on?

what mods can i do to it in california legally(pistol grip, collapsible stock, ect)

can i easily instal a scope, quad rail ect?

anything i should be aware of?

ect
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Old April 17, 2013, 06:25 PM   #2
Mausermolt
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22mm? Holy smokes! thats quite a starter rifle

the conversion kit basically moves the trigger group forward about 2'' to allow placement of a vertical grip just like a standard AK. you can buy already converted Saiga's but they cost about 100-200$ more than the standard rifle.

as far as mounting a scope they shouldnt be any more difficult than a regular AK to mount optics too.

not to familiar with California law so i cant help you there, but i know you will have to have some sort of "bullet button"
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Old April 17, 2013, 06:57 PM   #3
Dr Big Bird PhD
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I live in California, and although I've never fired a Kalashnikov-style platform within the state, I know that you will need a bullet button for you Saiga unless you have no threaded barrel/muzzle device, and a standard rifle stock without a pistol grip.

AK bullet buttons are easily available at your LGS. And all saiga firearms will come with a bullet button installed if you buy the rifle complete.
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Old April 25, 2013, 02:29 PM   #4
dyl
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22mm

Sorry Duzell just can't let this one go you mean 22 caliber which is close to 0.22 inches in bullet diameter. Remember a 9mm handgun round is only about 0.356 inches in diameter. 22mm would be bigger than a 50 cal!
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Old April 28, 2013, 04:33 AM   #5
Mike38
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Duzell, have you found www.saiga-12.com yet? Try the forum over there. Read for a couple days so you can find the folks with the most knowledge then hit them up with any questions you may have. It’s an “all right” forum once you learn to sift threw the mall ninjas and the keyboard warriors.
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Old April 29, 2013, 11:57 AM   #6
Fishbed77
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Quote:
It’s an “all right” forum once you learn to sift threw the mall ninjas and the keyboard warriors.
There's definitely a high "noise to signal" ratio at www.saiga-12.com, but it still the best resource out there for converting Saiga rifles. Just peruse their 7.62X39mm and Saiga conversion forums, and look for the advise of some of the long-term members there, and you will learn everything you need to know.

There are some great how-to videos on Youtube for converting Saiga rifles. I found this series well-done and useful:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waj8aLz-xY4

The actual process is actually not difficult at all (assuming you have the required tools, none of which are very expensive). It took me a Saturday afternoon to do my first Saiga conversion.

Started with this (a stock Saiga IZ-132 photo):




Ended up with this:




Your main obstacle right now will be finding a new Saiga in stock. They have pretty much dried up completely, but the rumor is that they will imported again some time this summer.
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Old April 30, 2013, 11:35 AM   #7
Duzell
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sorry i was blocked from posting by mods who having some personal issues , but oh well

anyway sorry about the miss type this was done via my cell phone and it auto corrected me and then i was site blocked for a week and not able to correct it

so it seems that they may have more in summer , that sounds great ill save up till then

currently my play gun is my mosin , which i have had zero issues

but im not familiar with ak variants and their needs for cleaning
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Old April 30, 2013, 04:30 PM   #8
Dr Big Bird PhD
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im not familiar with ak variants and their needs for cleaning
I wasn't aware you ever needed to clean an AK variant
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Old May 3, 2013, 05:40 PM   #9
Duzell
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LOL!

that was good

still no luck, though a saw a belgin one at a gunshop, to pricey , im really hoping i find a saiga to begin my new gun project on
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Old May 6, 2013, 02:37 PM   #10
Boomer58cal
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22mm that's 86 cal! Puts my .62 to shame.

I've lived in California twice and wouldn't do it a third. No more bullet buttons, no more 10rd mags. Don't forget the no flash suppressers and anything threaded on the barrel must be wielded on.

Stupid cali
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Old May 7, 2013, 06:03 AM   #11
shaunpain
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Those Saigas seemed well worth it when they were going for $300 in a x39, but hardly seem worth it for the prices they were commanding before they disappeared. At $500-700, you're better off with an AK, or better yet, an SKS. All things being equal, and you living in California, I think the SKS is more suitable. The Saiga will just be more expensive, less accurate, and subject to 922(r). Just my opinion, anyway! Good luck!
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Old May 7, 2013, 09:20 AM   #12
Fishbed77
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At $500-700, you're better off with an AK, or better yet, an SKS.
If you can find a new AK in that price range today, you are doing much better than most of us. Even WASRs are running well over $700 these days, and a Saiga represents a significant leap in quality over a WASR.

After all, a Saiga is a brand-new Russian AK built on the same assembly line with the modern AK-100 series rifle with the same cold-hammer-forged chrome-lined barrel and many of the same parts as those military rifles.

This is in comparison to a surplus SKS (still a potentially great rifle), or a WASR from Century (whose quality-control leaves much to be desired). Sure the Saigas are in sporter configuration when they come into the US, but an easy ~$150 basic conversion can fix that. At that point, you've spent WASR-money for a much better rifle.
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