Saiga rifles, who owns em?

[jonlisha]

Been thinking about getting a saiga in .223 and adding a pistol grip, it would be my first military style rifle and I figured its a fun, simple place to start before I move to building my own ar.

Who here owns a saiga rifle? Lets see pictures and reviews.

[ted]

get 5.56 that way you can shoot 5.56 and .223 ammo

[FUJIMO]

I've read a lot of great things about them. Enough in fact that if I should ever find myself standing in front of a deal on one it will probably go home with me.

I know that SMITH on here knows his way around a Saiga pretty well and he speaks highly of them also.

Good luck in your journey

[sigmtnman]

They are great guns. Wish I had not sold my converted .223 and but I hope to replace it soon. Currently I only have a .308 and a s12, both of which are converted.

[Guest bkelm18]

Saigas are about the best quality AK you can buy. Conversions are easy. Just make sure you've read up on the legal requirements. I've owned three and all were reliable as an AK should be.

[Guest bkelm18]

get 5.56 that way you can shoot 5.56 and .223 ammo

There is no Saiga 5.56. The Saiga .223 I'm pretty sure is rated for 5.56.

[jonlisha]

What do mags cost for the .223/5.56? I've seen where people make conversions so they can take the old steel AR mags.

[Guest bkelm18]

What do mags cost for the .223/5.56? I've seen where people make conversions so they can take the old steel AR mags.

Not sure about converting them to use standard AR mags, but 30 round Surefire .223 mags are about $30 each.

[Guest Revelator]

forum.saiga-12.com has all the Saiga info and pictures you could hope to find.

Here's my take on Saigas. I've owned two, currently just one that I converted. The conversion is not hard. However, if I could do it over again I probably would just get an Arsenal or even a well-built Wazzer. With Saigas, in addition to the pistol grip/stock conversion, you've got to add a bullet guide if you want surplus or spec quality magazines. If you want a traditional AK handguard you've got to buy one and a retainer. They don't come with flash hiders or brakes either. Overall kind of a headache unless you're just looking for something that you can customize. I don't like buying stuff piecemeal. I like it all together and simple. What you pay for the rifle and a quality conversion will put you into upper-middle shelf AK territory.

There is a way to convert a Saiga 223 to take AR15 mags, which to me is just wierd. But some folks do it.

A converted Saiga is a great rifle. I have a 223, and when I shoot Federal/LC XM193 (yes it is rated for 556), that **** is hot. But I don't like having to buy every little thing on there. I like it all together.

[rgaper]

Been thinking about getting a saiga in .223 and adding a pistol grip, it would be my first military style rifle and I figured its a fun, simple place to start before I move to building my own ar.

Who here owns a saiga rifle? Lets see pictures and reviews.

IMO - For your first military-type rifle, it would make more sense to buy a complete AR upper/lower, or to buy a complete AK than to mess around with modifying a Saiga into a traditional AK configuration. You could even shop for an already-converted Saiga.

[sigmtnman]

It's relatively easy to convert a saiga. I use surefire mags with mine which run 20-50 depending on round count and if they are on sale. If you use after market mags for the saiga, you won't need a bullet guide.

You can pick up a .223 for 349+tics, transfer and shipping+about $150 to convert in the least expensive manner. You will need a trigger group, various screws, shepards crook, grip, grip nut and screw, stock, a few drill bits and some black spray paint.

This will get you the base conversion. After that you can take it to a gunsmith for the harder stuff. I've never done anything more than the base conversions and have always been pleased. Dinzag offers many of the harder items to convert, as rather easy but expensive bolt ons.

Edited September 7, 2011 by sigmtnman

[Guest bkelm18]

You could even shop for an already-converted Saiga.

Yes but expect to pay inflated prices (aside from Arsenal, etc). Most of the converted Saigas you see on the used market will be considerably more expensive than if you just did it yourself.

[Jonsaiga]

Absolutely love mine. I've owned over a half dozen AKs and have shot several dozen more. In my personal experience, all things being equal(barrel length, ammo, conditions, rest, range, etc) Saigas tend to be slightly more accurate than the chinese, romanian, egyptian and yugoslovian AKs I've shot.

[jonlisha]

Thanks for the info guys and that's a real nice rifle jon. I want to do the conversion myself to get familiar with the ak and for the experience, and not to mention its a much more cost friendly route. My reason for not wanting an ar yet is cost, when I do build one it will be build right but right now I can't afford to do that

[Guest confederatewarlord]

If you just want a pistol grip and the ability to take ak mags then doing it yourself is worth it. If you want to do a real conversion with threaded barrel and all then you will end up with about 750 dollars in the parts and rifle. Then you still have to do the work. I bought one already converted 930 bucks and 140 of that was the fancy red russian stock on it. Its better to just buy one converted and save youre self the hastle