need help on a AK/SAIGA 223

CHEVELLE427

HELLO
a friend picked up a saiga 223. Thing is it looks just like my AK.
it has all the wood like an AK, no bayonet lug, welded on flash, detachable mag. Gun looks like it is new and he got it for $200. I tried to search for one but had no luck. anybody know anything about this.

CobrayKid

if it has a pistol grip and wood stock and all that its been converted.

If it's legal....he got a great deal.

CHEVELLE427

quote:Originally posted by CobrayKid
if it has a pistol grip and wood stock and all that its been converted.

If it's legal....he got a great deal.


was told the guy he got it from got it from a pawn shop. gun looks new, pic to come

Rangerdavid

it does look new, but Saiga's do not come imported with pistol grip and wood furniture. Saiga's are made at the Izmash arsenal in Russia, same factory that makes the russian AK, in fact the Saiga is a russian AK with a "hunting" stock and no pistol grip so they can be imported like that. conversions, if done properly, are 922r complian, and you can add the pistol grip, etc. Saiga's are also "new" rifles, not assembled from kits. All are matching numbers and parts.

there are many saiga specific forums, like www.saiga-12.com, and others. Perhaps one of these forums will have more gun-specific info for your friend. Very nice looking gun though!! [8D]

rufe-snow

I agree with the previous poster. Five years ago when CDNN was selling Saiga .223 "Sporters" for $200, there were a bunch of guys converting them into military configuration. They posted instructions on the net. The big thing besides the pistol grip and stock was to convert the magazine well to take the hi-cap military mags. This was kind of a tricky deal as a ramp had to be fabbed to guide the ammo from the magazine into the chamber. The "Sporter" Saigas took a different magazine, that didn't need this internal ramp to function correctly.

Since it's now in the military AK configuration I would make sure that it has the required number of U.S. made parts, to keep the feds off your back in the future. Since they can trace the serial number and markings back to a Saiga "Sporter", your a** could be grass if they wanted to make a big deal of it, in the future.

drobs

Saiga's are pretty easy to convert. It's possible the conversion was done by a home gunsmith or even a custom shop like Krebs Custom.

Check out http://www.cross-conn.com/Saiga_Conversion/
for how to convert.

You want to make sure your fire countrol group, gas piston, + pistol grip is US made. Any removable muzzle needs to be US made too. Finally double check there is a bullet ramp (see above link). Without one, it just won't work.