Finally finished my Saiga 12!

[AKATTACK]

Finally got around to finishing my Saiga 12! I love this shotgun! Received my Kobra from Tantal-great service, I'll be buying from Doug again!! Wish I had a darn 8 round mag to stick in this damn thing!! Supposed to be a couple of guys working on producing some domestically! Here's a shot of the Saiga with a few other shottys:
http://www.gunsnet.net/album/data//500/18260Saiga_12_-_Shotguns_-_All-med.jpg
http://www.gunsnet.net/album/data//500/18260Saiga_12_-_Finished-Full-med.jpg
http://www.gunsnet.net/album/data//500/18260My_Saiga12-full-left_side-med.jpg
http://www.gunsnet.net/album/data//500/18260My_Saiga_12_-_left-close-med.jpg

[steve465]

Nice! What did you use for a rear iron sight? The Kobra looks good and I'm sold on that grenade-launcher recoil pad. It's a "must-have" for a Saiga 12. Thinking about sawing the barrel?

Steve

[AKATTACK]

Steve, the rear sight is the factory one. There are two types of sights used on the Saigas, one is a two-piece setup, like mine. The other is a "rail-sight", probably what you have seen on other guns. I'm perfectly content with the barrel length, it's the factory 19"-I wouldn't go to the trouble for one less inch. Thanks for the compliment! AKATTACK

[steve465]

Hey that looks like a Russian trigger! Where'd you get it?

[AKATTACK]

It's not a Russian trigger, it's the older triggers that Arsenal used to make that were sold by the K-V@R folks. They still have the triggers, but are sold out of the complete fire control parts kit. I thought these looked much like the Russian triggers myself and just happened to pick up two sets from a member here on the "for-sale" forum. The other set is going in my .410 Saiga. AKATTACK
http://www.gunsnet.net/album/data//500/18260Arsenal_trigger.jpg

[steve465]

Awesome, I'm buying some today for all my evil Russian clones.... :)

[hoplo74]

nice, putting a cobra on those is almost cheating, i got to get one for mine too though.
congrats.

[NorthernFirepower]

I've been thinking of getting myself one of these beauties for myself, did you have a smith move the trigger group. If so what did it run you about?

[AKATTACK]

NorthernFirepower, I moved the trigger group. The original trigger pin and hammer pin holes are already there. When they move the trigger to the rear all they do is cut off the part of the trigger that your finger touches and then they drill two holes at the rear of the receiver and install a transfer bar and another trigger. If you look, you'll notice where the two holes were. All you need to do is buy a new fire contol goup, drill out the pins of the rear trigger and transfer bar, drill the rivits that hold on the plate on the bottom that covers the original trigger hole, and mark and cut the hole for the pistol grip. Then install the fire control group and pistol grip. You'd also have to buy/fabricate a new trigger guard. If needed, I can provide a template to locate where the pistol grip nut is located. Go to Saiga-12.com to learn more. Here's a close-up of the underside of mine before I painted it, at this time I still had a First Son Enterprise's fire control group installed. AKATTACK

http://www.gunsnet.net/album/data//500/18260My_Saiga12-underside.jpg

[NorthernFirepower]

Great, I didn't think that it would be very difficult to do. I just know that many other articles that I read on this subject made it sound like a smith had to do it. This was very informational and well appreciated (awesome visual)! Now I know what I need to get before deer season opens. Not to be a pest but, is the old trigger opening to large for a normal AK47 pistol nut to seat (will it pull thru)? Also is the piece protruding just before the grip for locking the bolt open?

[AKATTACK]

You're not being a pest at all, I'm glad to be able to help. The opening that is left from the rear trigger is too far to the rear and is too narrow for the pistolgrip nut to fit. The new pistolgrip hole will be cut farther forward. Some of the guys that have converted their guns use the Tapco S.A.W. style grip and from what I've read, the old trigger opening will work for these grips and position the new S.A.W. grip in the right location. I just wanted to use a more traditional style grip. Here's the template that I used to locate the hole, notice that it's for an AK rifle, I just cut out the pistol grip hole out of the template, laid it over my receiver, then used an x-acto knife to scribe where the hole needed to be. Then I used my dremel with a worn-down cutoff wheel to cut the hole and then trued the hole up with a file. Kinda delicate work, but go slow and it's not hard. I think that you can just right-click on the template, select print and it should print to scale, check the scale of it with the other holes in your receiver before you use it. Let me know if you have any further questions. AKATTACK

Edited to add: Yes, that is a bolt hold-open lever that is behind the trigger.


http://www.gunsnet.net/album/data//500/18260AK_Receiver_Template-orig.jpg

[NorthernFirepower]

Nice! Now for the bad news, I went to purchase my first Saiga-12 yesterday at the place which had it 3-months ago; and there it was Gone! The manager of the shop said that his vendor was unable to get that line of guns and had no idea of where else he could. I remember hearing that the importer for Saiga was bought out or something, I imagine that this can't last for long. Is anyone aware of a past thread on this subject? If not I’m certainly going to start one.

[NorthernFirepower]

I typed too soon, I have found a thread with this subject.

[AKATTACK]

As I'm sure you have been informed, hopefully you'll be able to pick one of these up in a few weeks!! AKATTACK

[ROBERT BROWN]

How Much $

[AKATTACK]

How Much $

No one knows just yet. Everyone is expecting them to be a little higher than what the other importer was selling them for a few months ago. Back then, there wasn't as much of a market for these as there is now, funny how not being able to get something only makes you want it MORE. I'm going to pick up another one. AKATTACK