Tomac
10-22-2004, 11:32 PM
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with nor have I received any compensation from Elite Firearms.
My Saiga-12 conversion from Elite Firearms arrived today at my FFL via Priority Mail. Needless to say I couldn't wait to get that package open after filling out my yellow form! I had sent them a Romanian AK folding stock, US pistol grip & Tapco G2 fcg for use in the conversion and my total cost including shipping was $450. I received a phone call from Dave earlier in the week telling me that the trigger pull was better w/the US fcg he was using than the Tapco G2 so I gave him the go-ahead to use his original and keep the G2.
When I opened the package I found my Saiga nice and snug in an inexpensive padded guncase. Dave had told me this was because he wasn't happy with the way my finished conversion fit in the box. (Nice touch!) It worked, because there wasn't a rub mark or blemish anywhere on the shotgun. I examined the end of the barrel closely and it looks like very good work shortening the barrel to 18.5" plus the gas port has been opened slightly to compensate for the shorter barrel. The donor Saiga is a 2001 model w/o a MBHO device (no big deal to me but worth mentioning).
My pistol grip and buttstock were nicely installed with no play or looseness whatsoever. The receiver cover was on very tight and required a couple of light taps w/my nylon-tipped reloading hammer from side to side to loosen it. Nothing unusual under the hood; no burrs, shavings, filings or other signs of monkey-smithing. While I had the receiver cover off I installed one of Blackjack Buffers green AK buffers.
The entire shotgun had been refinished in semi-gloss black Duracoat, looks *very* nice and very similar to what I'd expect from the factory. The conversion holes appear to have been tapped & filled w/a nice-looking hex-head machine screw. Perhaps not *quite* as nice looking as rivets but very professional looking nonetheless.
This is my first experience w/a Saiga shotgun and the trigger pull (though very light) feels unusual to me, nothing like the pulls on my AKs. Not a complaint, just an observation. Dave told me that my Saiga had been testfired but (like with many Saiga-12s) that it may take some breaking in to be fully reliable with all loads at a gas port setting of '1'. I've already replaced my standard AK pistol grip with a Tapco SAW-style AK pistol grip, it should handle the recoil better. I've also installed a PK-AS sight like the ones I have on my AKs.
So far I'm very pleased with the results from Elite Firearms and look forward to range testing it tomorrow. Range report will follow!
Tomac
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/Tomac/Saiga-12001s.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/Tomac/Saiga-12002s.jpg
My Saiga-12 conversion from Elite Firearms arrived today at my FFL via Priority Mail. Needless to say I couldn't wait to get that package open after filling out my yellow form! I had sent them a Romanian AK folding stock, US pistol grip & Tapco G2 fcg for use in the conversion and my total cost including shipping was $450. I received a phone call from Dave earlier in the week telling me that the trigger pull was better w/the US fcg he was using than the Tapco G2 so I gave him the go-ahead to use his original and keep the G2.
When I opened the package I found my Saiga nice and snug in an inexpensive padded guncase. Dave had told me this was because he wasn't happy with the way my finished conversion fit in the box. (Nice touch!) It worked, because there wasn't a rub mark or blemish anywhere on the shotgun. I examined the end of the barrel closely and it looks like very good work shortening the barrel to 18.5" plus the gas port has been opened slightly to compensate for the shorter barrel. The donor Saiga is a 2001 model w/o a MBHO device (no big deal to me but worth mentioning).
My pistol grip and buttstock were nicely installed with no play or looseness whatsoever. The receiver cover was on very tight and required a couple of light taps w/my nylon-tipped reloading hammer from side to side to loosen it. Nothing unusual under the hood; no burrs, shavings, filings or other signs of monkey-smithing. While I had the receiver cover off I installed one of Blackjack Buffers green AK buffers.
The entire shotgun had been refinished in semi-gloss black Duracoat, looks *very* nice and very similar to what I'd expect from the factory. The conversion holes appear to have been tapped & filled w/a nice-looking hex-head machine screw. Perhaps not *quite* as nice looking as rivets but very professional looking nonetheless.
This is my first experience w/a Saiga shotgun and the trigger pull (though very light) feels unusual to me, nothing like the pulls on my AKs. Not a complaint, just an observation. Dave told me that my Saiga had been testfired but (like with many Saiga-12s) that it may take some breaking in to be fully reliable with all loads at a gas port setting of '1'. I've already replaced my standard AK pistol grip with a Tapco SAW-style AK pistol grip, it should handle the recoil better. I've also installed a PK-AS sight like the ones I have on my AKs.
So far I'm very pleased with the results from Elite Firearms and look forward to range testing it tomorrow. Range report will follow!
Tomac
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/Tomac/Saiga-12001s.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/Tomac/Saiga-12002s.jpg