Saiga 308 conversion

[jaymce]

Just completed a Saiga 308 conversion:

Mississippi Auto Arms:

The stock, trigger group and Hogue grip came from MAA. The 308 already comes with the receiver cut out for the forward control group so moving the trigger forward was not that hard. To get all the part into place is difficult. The springs and pins all have to align. Once you figure it out though it goes together pretty smoothly.

Dinzag Arms:

Provided the tritium iron sights. The front sight is very wide and takes a little getting used to.

The forearm is a Fuglystick forearm which I make. It is the first that I have made for the rifles.

Silva Coatings in Gloucester did the light grey and black powder coat. I find the powder coat is more durable than the gun coat and other spray and bake at home kits.

I polished the bottom of the bolt and the trigger group. Also fabbed up a custom trigger guard, added a washer to the side of the mag release to aid in mag removal and added some width to the safety in order to make it easier to use.

Tried it out yesterday and other than needing a little push on the front sight it is good to go. I will have this and the 12Ga at the TVI shoot for anyone who wants to check it out.

 

[SKS Ray]

I'm going to be doing a muzzle brake job to my .308 now that I'm confident I can move the FSB w/out screwing it up. Maybe I'll bring my Saiga 7.62x39 build to TVI shoot and we can compare build info and ideas.

Good work on your conversion. To me though the colors just scream for a winter camo job.

 

[55_grain]

Nice job!

 

[jaymce]

Thanks guys.

SKS Ray bring it along. This is my first build and I hope to be doing a 7.62 x 39 , 5.54 & .223.

You are not the first to suggest the winter camo job but I am still feeling out what can be done with powder coat. We tried some test panels when I did this build and found that the powder can be taped and the tape removed after a second coat is applied. I have a x39 ready to go and that is getting an olive color and I may go for olive and black tiger stripe camo layout. This color is a little lighter and has more gloss than I would have liked but I wanted contrast. All in all I am very happy with the outcome. These conversions go quick supposedly go quick with off the shelf parts but when I begin to add the time that it takes me to do one I have to take a breather between builds. I also want to come up with a new pattern and some different ideas so they do not all blend into one.

 

[crockett]

Nice rifle. I am new to the forum. How difficult is the conversion? I am itching for a Soviet AK, this looks like my best bet (Saiga/conversion). Are there any special tools needed to do the conversion? And what is involved? Thanks.

 

[SKS Ray]

Nice rifle. I am new to the forum. How difficult is the conversion? I am itching for a Soviet AK, this looks like my best bet (Saiga/conversion). Are there any special tools needed to do the conversion? And what is involved? Thanks.

There are a few videos on youtube showing full conversion step by step, and there is also an old site thats been around for a while showing images. You can also do some reading on the Saiga12 forums. Thats where I got all my info from. Reading there you'll see posts by people that do the conversion with a chisel and a hammer and others who use a drill press. Its all about how confident you are in your tinkering abilities but all in all its a fairly easy process.

If you want to use standard AK mags you'll need to instal a bullet guide and that invlolves drilling and tapping one hole in the trunion and sometimes a little dremel work. There are kits from sellers that give you everything you need though including the bullet guide and correct drill, tap, and screw.

 

[sarabellum]

Sorry I am checking in late. Very creative conversion.

 

[Donvin999]

What a nice looking rifle you have there!

 

[jaymce]

Thanks again for the kind words. I have fun building these.

The conversion process is not too hard. SKS Ray has done a bunch. Once you get a couple under your belt I imagine you can do a basic one in an hr or 2. I tend to spend more time and making custom parts etc as they are a mostly a platform to show off the hand guards. That is why this one is light grey, I wanted contrasting parts for more visual impact. Love it or hate it it draws attention at the range when you touch off a few rounds.

 

[sarabellum]

Star Wars

Hello Jaymce, can you ID the stock? It looks much better than many of those cheesy folding stocks that look like a bent Huffy kick stand. Your build has the futuristic Star Wars appeal that is right on the money. Good for you.

 

[jaymce]

I can identify the stock it is a MAA stock. I just got some ace stocks as well from MAA and they are cool but 4 piece pinned.

I get the Star Wars comment a lot I hear it refered to as the storm trooper gun all the time.