Siaga magazine problem

[CAJUN_CHOOTER]

I just got a Siaga AK47... it came with one Tapco magazine..i wanted to buy more magazines but found out they won't work... tried Pro Mag and bought one at a gun show not sure of brand but it is a military surplus.. they won't lock in ... i read that some AK-47 are modified to accept regular magazines.. anyone know what it will take to modify my rifle to accept regular AK magazines ??

UPDATE: i went to my local gun store... was told that some Siaga's take a SIAGA ONLY MAGAZINES.... ANYONE HEARD SOMETHING LIKE THIS ?

[Schuetzenman]

Without images of how the magazines don't fit, can't say. Possibly the mag catch that pivots on the trigger guard is too tall to flip in under the rear mag catch surface of the standard magazines. If that's the case, shorten with a dremel tool and grinder disc.

Do the mag bodies go in the magazine well, if they do then probably the catch. If they don't go in the mag well opening then dremel tooling the opening until they do fit is the answer. Sometimes it the corner raidus in a mag well that binds on the mag body, opening up the radius sometimes will get the job done. But like I said, good photo images showing the mag attempting to seat would tell me something useful and I could do more than speculate.

[CAJUN_CHOOTER]

thanks for your reply... the mags go into the mag opening fine.. they just don't seat far enough... the Tapco mag fits great.,. but the others do not.. it seems the little catch that holds the mag in place is a tad too long inside the rifle.. i figure about 1/16" .. i guess a gunsmith could drill out the rivet that holds locks the mag in place and shorten the "arm" for a better description.. replace the spring & catch or release ... what ever its called..

[stinker]

Does that tapco mag look like someone removed a little bit from it to make it fit into the mag catch lever? Thinking maybe somebody found a way to fubar moving the fcg forward and somehow made the mag catch too tight then bubba shaved a bit off the mag to make it lock in. If that's the case what Schuetzenman said is the perfect and really the only good fix.

It is also possible the new mag is too big as well so i would take it up to a gun shop and see if other mags fail to lock in too just to be sure it is a problem with the rifle.

Pics are extremely useful and really needed with stuff like this.

[CAJUN_CHOOTER]

i looked real closely at the Tapco mag that came with my gun..it works perfectly... no mods to the Tapco mag.. did take it to my local gun shop... they said i have to order some "Siaga specific" AK mags... ? so i am looking for some... anyone have any leads on where ?

I did find some mags for a Saiga..it does take a different mag... learn something every day..

thanks for all the replys..

[stinker]

i looked real closely at the Tapco mag that came with my gun..it works perfectly... no mods to the Tapco mag.. did take it to my local gun shop... they said i have to order some "Siaga specific" AK mags... ? so i am looking for some... anyone have any leads on where ?

I did find some mags for a Saiga..it does take a different mag... learn something every day..

thanks for all the replys..

It a 5.45, 5.56 or 7.62?

I've been assuming we're talking about a 7.62.

[cevulirn]

Saiga's in 7.62x39 can be modified to take a standard AK mag, IIRC its a rather simple modification, but I haven't done it myself.

[CAJUN_CHOOTER]

yes 7.62... i found some Saiga specific mags... ordered 6 of them.. thanks for the replys...by the way.. if anyone interested i have an unused 75 rd Romanian drum mag & 2 unused metal military surplus mags for sale . i'll take $100.00 + actual shipping for all..

[WB!]

The Saiga mag was supposed to have a feed ramp built into the mag (and not in the rifle, like the AKs). To convert the rifle to use standard AK mags, you add a feed ramp to the rifle. This is for the 7.62. Minnor fitting may be required for the catch. Check several mags with your rifle, and check the same mags with other rifles. You don't won't to grind the rifle catch too much, and then only be able to use one mag with your rifle.

[CAJUN_CHOOTER]

I contacted the people i bought my AK47 ... he said the magazine catch should have been altered so regular AK magazines would work... he told me to send it back and they would take care of the problem.. i did.. my rifle works perfectly now..

thanks for everyone's help..

[FunkyPertwee]

Damn.

You could have shortened that catch yourself in 5 minutes with a dremel tool. No disassembly would have been required.

[CAJUN_CHOOTER]

well, the rifle was only 1 month old. if they screwed it up... they are responsible...if I would have altered it... and something else broke...... then its my hard luck.. they paid the freight both ways..

[O.S.O.K.]

Saiga's in 7.62x39 can be modified to take a standard AK mag, IIRC its a rather simple modification, but I haven't done it myself.

This.

You just have an unmodified Saiga. The "modification" needed to make them accept standard AK mags is simply milling a little material off of the catch - where it contacts the mags - put one in and look at it and it will become obvious.

[O.S.O.K.]

Damn.

You could have shortened that catch yourself in 5 minutes with a dremel tool. No disassembly would have been required.

Yes - seriously. Return the new mags for a refund and do the mod. Then, find some good steel eastern block milsurp mags.

Trust us on this.