Fall Shoot Saiga 12

[6-Speed]

I got everything except the ISA from CSS. I got the internal stock adapter form Magnolia State Armory.

 

[boatbod]

Where did you buy your parts? I just bought an S12 yesterday so I'm looking to start buying my parts for my conversion.

Found mine at MissisipiAutoArms. Lots of other places to look too.

 

[boatbod]

Got to let off a few rounds yesterday, and didn't anticipate that shooting snow could be so much fun!

Curiously however, the gun cycles less well with lighter loads now that it has a bunch of conversion parts in it. I suppose its related to the Tapco hammer which is reportedly 1/8" higher (thicker?) than the stock part, so more resistance when the bolt goes back.

More breakin required, or maybe some quality time with a dremel polishing wheel.

 

[hole punch]

boatbod, did you take any pictures of the process?

i've read several accounts of the DIY pistol grip conversion, but I wanted to hear yours. any tips or observations are welcome :O)

 

[boatbod]

boatbod, did you take any pictures of the process?

i've read several accounts of the DIY pistol grip conversion, but I wanted to hear yours. any tips or observations are welcome :O)

Sorry, no step-by-step photos. There really wasn't anything complicated per-se, except perhaps the fiddly reinstallation of the BHO spring. I tried the dental floss trick, but eventually had success using a slave pin to keep the spring aligned while I pushed the trigger pin back into place.

The pistol grip & stock installation itself was straight forward; I used one of the "DIY" trigger guards which screws on and has the pistol grip nut built-in, then had to relieve the inside of the plastic pistol grip for a nice snug fit. The stock mount was one of the bolt-on style as well, and that required the rear tang to be cut off the receiver (hacksaw+grinding) plus some minor relieving of the mount fingers to clear the rear trunion. After that, all you need to do is refinish the bare spots on the receiver and put everything back together.

 

[hole punch]

what did you refinish with?

 

[boatbod]

what did you refinish with?

Rust'oleum High Heat 2000F in matt black. Its a bake-on finish available in your local auto parts store that is easy to apply and theoretically tolerant of oil & solvents. (I don't propose to try acetone or lacquer thinner, but it should be ok for Hoppes or similar cleaning solvents.)

I used the recommended primer and then baked it in my gas BBG grill at 300F and then 450F. Theoretically you are supposed to give it a third bake at 650F, but at those temps you could affect the temper of hardened parts, so I skipped that step.

Afterwards I wiped the entire gun down with Rem Oil to even up the finish and remove any non-adhered overspray etc.

 

[hole punch]

hmm, i might just skip the refinish step and try to do as neat a job as possible.

either that or just have the entire gun refinished in a different color.

 

[boatbod]

hmm, i might just skip the refinish step and try to do as neat a job as possible.

either that or just have the entire gun refinished in a different color.

You can be as neat as you like, but sadly Izhmash didn't paint under the trigger plate that you have to remove before you can do the conversion. Worse still, the safety stop wraps around the side of the receiver, so the bare metal isn't just confined to the underside.

 

[h2u]

For my x39 Saiga, I actually had to cut the pistol grip hole. This left me no choice but to "refinish". I went to Home Depot and purchased a can of Flat Black BBQ paint. Very inexpensive. It turned out pretty nice. I haven't had to yet, but if I ever do scratch it or the paint comes off-I just break out the can of paint and spray it.
It's an AK. It doesn't deserve anything better

Hole punch- If you're cool with how the top pic looks, you're golden. But, you can see the edge of where the paint ends on top and bottom. That's bare metal that will need special attention. I did two coats of paint with about 15min between coats. Let it sit over night and then took it shooting.
HTH

 

[boatbod]

The quest for reliability continues...

Earlier today I punched out the retaining pins and drove off the gas block so I could open up the gas ports a little. Prior to the conversion, it'd cycle more or less anything I cared to feed it, but after, she got finicky and wouldn't reliably eject light loads. After opening the gas ports from 5/64" to 3/32" it once again eats anything and spits 'em out while asking for more.

Mag dumping this baby is awesome!

 

[hole punch]

The quest for reliability continues...

Earlier today I punched out the retaining pins and drove off the gas block so I could open up the gas ports a little. Prior to the conversion, it'd cycle more or less anything I cared to feed it, but after, she got finicky and wouldn't reliably eject light loads. After opening the gas ports from 5/64" to 3/32" it once again eats anything and spits 'em out while asking for more.

Mag dumping this baby is awesome!

I'm having cycling problems with all target loads. I'm thinking of getting one of the aftermarket gas plugs.

 

[IlikeNFA]

I'm thinking of getting one of the aftermarket gas plugs.

A good idea either way, but have you checked to see how many gas ports you have?

 

[boatbod]

I'm having cycling problems with all target loads. I'm thinking of getting one of the aftermarket gas plugs.

A good idea either way, but have you checked to see how many gas ports you have?

A Gunfixer plug won't fix your cycling problems if there isn't enough gas to start with.

Even with the factory 3 holes, you may not get enough gas on a 19" converted gun to reliably cycle light target loads with the standard Tapco G2 hammer and Izhmash springs. Sometimes the single large hole in the gas block is incorrectly aligned and can partially cover the gas ports. Sometimes the ports themselves are just too small.

Lots of good info over at http://forum.saiga-12.com

 

[hole punch]

never had mine apart so i'm not sure what's in there. i'm willing to try about anything as long as it's not real expensive.

 

[h2u]

boatbod, did you take any pictures of the process?

i've read several accounts of the DIY pistol grip conversion, but I wanted to hear yours. any tips or observations are welcome :O)

Here's what I used for my x39. The shotgun will be similar.

http://vimeo.com/2787027

Also, speaking from experience on your cycling issues. Make sure to put the stock closer to the center of your chest-like right on the pec muscle. I was having FTE's on target loads all the time. I'm a small guy and was shown that a proper stance (squared up and butt almost on sterum) gives the shotgun something solid to recoil against. It made all of the difference.

 

[Numidian]

Got to let off a few rounds yesterday, and didn't anticipate that shooting snow could be so much fun!

Curiously however, the gun cycles less well with lighter loads now that it has a bunch of conversion parts in it. I suppose its related to the Tapco hammer which is reportedly 1/8" higher (thicker?) than the stock part, so more resistance when the bolt goes back.

More breakin required, or maybe some quality time with a dremel polishing wheel.

Take a grinder to the face of the hammer and shorten it up a bit...Keep the angle and profile the same, but just take a little meat off of it. But just remember that the hammer needs to drag/get pushed down enough to be caught by the disconnector

 

[jtarpley59]

Check out MD ARMS for part's it is in PA. You can also look at his stuff on Youtube.

 

[jtarpley59]

I have the 20 round drum for mine.

 

[boatbod]

Take a grinder to the face of the hammer and shorten it up a bit...Keep the angle and profile the same, but just take a little meat off of it. But just remember that the hammer needs to drag/get pushed down enough to be caught by the disconnector

Good suggestion, but I've already been there. As near as I can, I ground the profile of the G2 hammer to match the factory hammer, then polished the contact surfaces of the hammer, bolt and bolt carrier. I also did a little work on the underside of the bolt to smooth out and polish the transitions.