Saiga AKM Conversion in Black and Red

**Jackal** · December 1st, 2008, 05:17 PM

This is my Saiga AKM conversion. I did whatever work and installed the parts myself with the help of saiga-12.com and some accurate guesswork.

Pictured is a stained wood kit with the "donkey dick" foregrip removed. Also, I have an amd-65 piece that I badly need to refinish.

It accepts saiga mags and basically any 30 round steel mags with the addition of a bullet guide.

I threaded the barrel and drilled a hole for a spring loaded pin to hold the break on, which is not authentic but does negate the effects of recoil a good deal.

Ace internal block, push button mechanism, and stock.

Surplus strap, which needs a proper rear mount.

Tapco grip. This honestly is the only thing that I believe doesn't quite fit. If I still had the saiga foregrip I believe I could have gotten away with the polymer look. It is comfortable though so its staying.

This will hit 25 yard pistol targets at 100 yards consistently and the kick is very reasonable.

**BSH** · December 2nd, 2008, 12:29 AM

That's real nice. I like the black foreend better.

**Jackal** · December 2nd, 2008, 11:34 AM

Thanks.

Yeah....I was thinking about what to do with that foregrip. All black does look a bit tougher than wood, especially since I don't have a wood stock. I'm prepping the entire thing for paint soon. Some nice grill black. Has anyone ever seen black stained ak wood?

**Shawn.L** · December 5th, 2008, 05:02 PM

what was the cost of doing the conversion?

**Jackal** · December 6th, 2008, 12:24 PM

It could be done cheaply once upon a time. When I got my base saiga sporter, it was $250. So that after conversion, you could have a Russian ak-47 for $400 or less.

I don't know who has them now, but they are not $250 anymore, I have seen just the sporters going for $400.

In my case though, I dote on her and spend money I don't have to. The ACE stock parts together were I think around $150. The rest wasn't much, about 40 for the trigger parts, foregrip was 20, threading kit rental was like 30 I think, break was 15, pistol grip was about 20. The special parts, i.e. folding stock and firegrip bolt on retainer together cost around 250, and these were expenses I did not necessarily need.

I don't think the parts prices have gone up much, but I don't know how to get the receivers cheaply anymore.