The Ghosts of Izhmash Are Still Haunting Us

The Long Shot · March 10, 2014, 01:00 PM

A while back I posted a thread about my buddy's "Cursed" Saiga .308. Just yesterday I experienced a similar incident. My friend had just got a Saiga 7.62X39 which he wanted me to convert for him, but we couldn't let than poor rifle sit in the trunk when we drove by the range so we decided to shoot it. He was sighting it in when the ghosts of Izhmash decided to do their thing. He put his the rifle on safe and laid it on the table to look through the spotting scope, and when the rifle was on the table it fired

The gun blasted itself clean off the table. It turns out that it had a tiny burr on the disconnector and apparently the hammer got caught on it. Darn Commie Ghosts

Jimro · March 10, 2014, 01:23 PM

What happened to the safety? Must have been pretty mangled after that.

Jimro

The Long Shot · March 10, 2014, 03:05 PM

My best guess is that the safety wasn't set all the way, but after the gun fell to the ground it was on safe... He swears that he had the safety on... The hammer got stuck on a burr on the disconnector and just released itself. I watched the exact same thing happen about 1 and a half years ago. Is there such a thing as "Anti-Luck?"

Chris_B · March 10, 2014, 07:19 PM

and that's why the muzzle is always pointing in a safe direction

Unlicensed Dremel · March 10, 2014, 10:59 PM

In Soviet Russia, rifle shoot YOU!!

Fishbed77 · March 11, 2014, 12:50 PM

All the more reason to convert that rifle back to its correct configuration.

The last Saiga I converted had some prettypoor machining on the stock FGG (but it was still safe). The Russians in Izhevsk probably assume you are going to throw those parts away anyway.

amd6547 · March 11, 2014, 07:37 PM

I have a Saiga 5.45 which I shot for a year or more before converting it. Never a problem. When I removed the original FCG, I was sorry to discard them...they were beautifully made.

skoro · March 12, 2014, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Darn Commie Ghosts

I just don't trust 'em.

Fishbed77 · March 12, 2014, 10:02 AM

Quote:

When I removed the original FCG, I was sorry to discard them...they were beautifully made.

I didn't discard them. I sold mine on E-bay to a poor fellow in New York who had just lost his Constitutional rights.

They were not beautifully made, but they worked and were safe.

Yung.gunr · March 15, 2014, 04:38 PM

That's pretty crazy/scary that that happened. I put probably only 100 rounds though my .223 Saiga before doing the conversion. Man, it is SOOOO much better now.

When I did the conversion I looped a thin strap of leather, like shoelace size, through the trigger and made it into a necklace for my 11 year old son. He loves it, it is pretty cool looking.

March 10, 2014, 01:00 PM	#1
The Long Shot Member Join Date: September 21, 2012 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 77	The Ghosts of Izhmash Are Still Haunting Us A while back I posted a thread about my buddy's "Cursed" Saiga .308. Just yesterday I experienced a similar incident. My friend had just got a Saiga 7.62X39 which he wanted me to convert for him, but we couldn't let than poor rifle sit in the trunk when we drove by the range so we decided to shoot it. He was sighting it in when the ghosts of Izhmash decided to do their thing. He put his the rifle on safe and laid it on the table to look through the spotting scope, and when the rifle was on the table it fired The gun blasted itself clean off the table. It turns out that it had a tiny burr on the disconnector and apparently the hammer got caught on it. Darn Commie Ghosts __________________ I own to many AR pattern rifles, I guess that would make me a hoardAR

March 10, 2014, 01:23 PM	#2
Jimro Senior Member Join Date: October 18, 2006 Posts: 7,097	What happened to the safety? Must have been pretty mangled after that. Jimro __________________ Machine guns are awesome until you have to carry one.

March 10, 2014, 03:05 PM	#3
The Long Shot Member Join Date: September 21, 2012 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 77	My best guess is that the safety wasn't set all the way, but after the gun fell to the ground it was on safe... He swears that he had the safety on... The hammer got stuck on a burr on the disconnector and just released itself. I watched the exact same thing happen about 1 and a half years ago. Is there such a thing as "Anti-Luck?" __________________ I own to many AR pattern rifles, I guess that would make me a hoardAR

March 11, 2014, 07:37 PM	#7
amd6547 Senior Member Join Date: May 27, 2006 Posts: 2,313	I have a Saiga 5.45 which I shot for a year or more before converting it. Never a problem. When I removed the original FCG, I was sorry to discard them...they were beautifully made. __________________ The past is gone...the future may never happen. Be Here Now.

March 10, 2014, 07:19 PM	#4
Chris_B Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2007 Posts: 3,101	and that's why the muzzle is always pointing in a safe direction

March 10, 2014, 10:59 PM	#5
Unlicensed Dremel Junior member Join Date: February 13, 2014 Location: Flathead Valley, MT Posts: 2,187	In Soviet Russia, rifle shoot YOU!!

March 11, 2014, 12:50 PM	#6
Fishbed77 Senior Member Join Date: November 23, 2010 Posts: 4,862	All the more reason to convert that rifle back to its correct configuration. The last Saiga I converted had some prettypoor machining on the stock FGG (but it was still safe). The Russians in Izhevsk probably assume you are going to throw those parts away anyway.

March 15, 2014, 04:38 PM	#10
Yung.gunr Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 2010 Location: Phoenix area Posts: 1,442	That's pretty crazy/scary that that happened. I put probably only 100 rounds though my .223 Saiga before doing the conversion. Man, it is SOOOO much better now. When I did the conversion I looped a thin strap of leather, like shoelace size, through the trigger and made it into a necklace for my 11 year old son. He loves it, it is pretty cool looking.