rockhead
July 12, 2009, 08:05 PM
Finally was able to get out and shoot my new Saiga 308. Here's the skinny...
I installed the RAA Skeleton stock, left the FCG as OEM. Bought 2 Surefire 15 rounders and have ordered a POSP 6x24 from East Wave (not here yet). It's the 21.5" barrel model.
Notes: The RAA Skeleton stock isn't "designed" for southpaws and you cannot lock the cheekpad for lefty use, but it still works just fine. It's shorter than the stock "Monte Carlo" style. It was windy and sprinkling abit.
I took Brown Bear, Silver Bear and Wolf to test fire, two boxes of each.
After firing 120 rounds, no failures of any kind. Factory sights were great on elevation at 100 yds, slightly right (1.5 inches or so). At 100 yards, standing, 2 liter plastic bottles were pretty easy to hit. I sat down and fired at 20 ounce bottles, was able to hit them at about a 1 in 3 ratio. My eyes are getting old, and even seeing the 20 ounce bottles was a challenge, but once acquired, the rounds went where they were supposed too.
Recoil is about what I expected, which is to say more than a Winchester 94 carbine in 30-30, but not as much as a 7mm bolt gun. Lots of moving parts when it fires (This is my first experience with an AK of any type). My 13 yr old daughter fired it 10 times, but I noticed she was flinching after about the 5th round, so back to the 5.56 Mini-14 for a while. Surefire mags performed flawlessly.
There are some posts about the brass being bent during ejection. I checked about 10 from each maker and none showed any damage whatsoever.
Trigger is just what they said it would be- long, slightly up at the end and pretty heavy. My trigger finger actually got sore for some reason, I haven't figured that one out yet, so I started using my middle finger and that seemed to solve the issue. Regardless, it's a shame that my daughter's Daisy Red Ryder has a better triger. I'm sure RAA could have done better, but it is what it is.
Final thoughts- Tons of fun, like having a piece of hand held artillery. Accurate enough (can't wait for the optics and a more controlled enviroment to really see what she can do) for the job. Easy to clean, not too heavy. Given the reliability of the platform and the maker, it's a keeper. I can see why people have 2 or 3 of these things in different calibers.
PS- bump firing the 308 is an experience not to be missed....:p
I installed the RAA Skeleton stock, left the FCG as OEM. Bought 2 Surefire 15 rounders and have ordered a POSP 6x24 from East Wave (not here yet). It's the 21.5" barrel model.
Notes: The RAA Skeleton stock isn't "designed" for southpaws and you cannot lock the cheekpad for lefty use, but it still works just fine. It's shorter than the stock "Monte Carlo" style. It was windy and sprinkling abit.
I took Brown Bear, Silver Bear and Wolf to test fire, two boxes of each.
After firing 120 rounds, no failures of any kind. Factory sights were great on elevation at 100 yds, slightly right (1.5 inches or so). At 100 yards, standing, 2 liter plastic bottles were pretty easy to hit. I sat down and fired at 20 ounce bottles, was able to hit them at about a 1 in 3 ratio. My eyes are getting old, and even seeing the 20 ounce bottles was a challenge, but once acquired, the rounds went where they were supposed too.
Recoil is about what I expected, which is to say more than a Winchester 94 carbine in 30-30, but not as much as a 7mm bolt gun. Lots of moving parts when it fires (This is my first experience with an AK of any type). My 13 yr old daughter fired it 10 times, but I noticed she was flinching after about the 5th round, so back to the 5.56 Mini-14 for a while. Surefire mags performed flawlessly.
There are some posts about the brass being bent during ejection. I checked about 10 from each maker and none showed any damage whatsoever.
Trigger is just what they said it would be- long, slightly up at the end and pretty heavy. My trigger finger actually got sore for some reason, I haven't figured that one out yet, so I started using my middle finger and that seemed to solve the issue. Regardless, it's a shame that my daughter's Daisy Red Ryder has a better triger. I'm sure RAA could have done better, but it is what it is.
Final thoughts- Tons of fun, like having a piece of hand held artillery. Accurate enough (can't wait for the optics and a more controlled enviroment to really see what she can do) for the job. Easy to clean, not too heavy. Given the reliability of the platform and the maker, it's a keeper. I can see why people have 2 or 3 of these things in different calibers.
PS- bump firing the 308 is an experience not to be missed....:p