Saiga 7.62x39 AK-47 conversion!

[freddy g]

So i have been wanting an AK and was realy looking at those WASR's (i just love the plain wood look) i found one at dunkelbergers for $349 with a 30 round tapco plastic mag,anyway i was talking to a friend about getting one and he says buy mine! not realy what i was looking for but it works real good,i put 40 rounds (wolf polimer coated)through it today.

[Cyte]

*Personal Opinion*
I like the saiga AK better than the WASR AK, to me, the saiga feels better constructed( This could be due to the fact they are made in russia in old AK plants. ). Saiga is also a little lighter.

Your friend's is already converted which is a big bonus. The WASR has the wood, not very good quality though, and you always have the possibility of canted front sites.

It seems to boil down to:
WASR = great beater/truck/cabin gun, but you get what you pay for, sometimes less.

Saiga = Made in Mother Russia in AK plants, better quality, and after conversion much closer to a *real* AK. The Saiga will give you more for your money.


In any case, good luck and enjoy!

[mojo]

You can easily add wood furniture to the saiga. Just sayin ...

[chrmm22sr]

The wasr are decent if you get a decent one so im saying they are hit or miss basically I got a perfect one nothing is canted I switched the front forgrip for the romanian wooden one with the wood forward grip then I stained all the wood a dark red very close to original romanian look matches the bayonet looks awesome so basically you take a gamble with the wasr but if you pick and select you can get a great one



good luck getting a wasr post pics if you hunt one down

[freddy g]

I just bought some wood furniture for the saiga,not i just gotta figure out how to mount it!

[scoutjoe]

Well if you just bought some surplus AK wood you might have some paperweights there.

Generally when people convert Saigas the Pistol grip and buttstock are used as 922r (American) parts. Now regular AK buttstocks and pistol grips are straight swaps but the forearms require some sort of handguard retainer and a gas tube.

Dinzag arms makes a really nice no gunsmithing lower handguard retainer but the downside is cost. They are very solid and well made.

[chupa]

speaking of furniture, make sure to check out the tapco black laminate. I'm probably going to use it on my next conversion.

[freddy g]

SCOUTJOE that is true,i was looking at the trigger group and it looks like soviet stuff,and im not crazy about the way it feals so i was looking into texas triggers or G2 for an up grade thats 3 922R pieces,and i was wondering how was that hand guard retainer by dinzag,thanks for the feedback, like some tell me the saiga is actualy better then the wasr,but after i make it the way i want it will be more money invested,there is one in the classified for sale here and man it is sweet! toxicodendron11 has it for sale.

[scoutjoe]

SCOUTJOE that is true,i was looking at the trigger group and it looks like soviet stuff,and im not crazy about the way it feals so i was looking into texas triggers or G2 for an up grade thats 3 922R pieces,and i was wondering how was that hand guard retainer by dinzag,thanks for the feedback, like some tell me the saiga is actualy better then the wasr,but after i make it the way i want it will be more money invested,there is one in the classified for sale here and man it is sweet! toxicodendron11 has it for sale.

G2 is what I put in my 7.62x39 and its in my 2 converted 12s. You could pay a lot more but a basic G2 with a little polish on the contacts is a great fit/pull for the AK platform.

I have a prototype Dinzag arms retainer, been on my 7.62x39 for about 4 years now its never moved....ever.

PM me if you have any specific questions and I'll help ya the best I can

[freddy g]

sounds good joe! well i just installed the wood and man it looks WAY better (IMO) now i just need the dinzag retainer up front,i had to do a very little sanding to the front corners of the stock and it went right on! i was looking at the tapco site and they say not for saiga's? thats why i was going to get the texas triggers FCG kinda confused