18th March 2011
Here in a America we have a lot of gun laws on the books. They've all been put there "to stop crime", but somehow none of them do.
What these laws accomplish is reducing the ability of law abiding citizens to enjoy their rights under the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution (but you can read about that on many other blogs).
Today, I'd like to demonstrate how to take a "politically correct" Kalashnikov variant and convert it to something more akin to what was originally designed.
This is the Saiga rifle, as imported:
There is a Kalashnikov under all that sporty plastic, but to get to it, we need to refer to 18 USC 922 to keep us legal as we strip off that sporty veneer. . .
In a nutshell, 922r tells us that we can't assemble an rifle if it wouldn't be importable in its assembled condition. This law was enacted to stop the importation of "evil assault rifles" which are erroneously labeled semiautomatic rifles (please note that actual assault rifle ownership has been restricted in the US since 1934).
Okay, legal stuff out of the way.
I'm not going to go into every little detail of the process, as anyone interested can find dozens of videos on the various video sites, and hundreds of "how-tos" across the various gun-oriented discussion boards (including lots of pictures and posts from me on the subject
).
Long story short, we throw away the butt stock and the following parts:
The majority of these parts are present in the Saiga purely to help it get imported. The United States only allows firearms with a "sporting purpose" to be imported, and the Kalashnikov needed a major reworking of its innards to help it be perceived as a firearm with a "sporting purpose". Believe it or not, five of these parts are replaced by one part when the rifle is reassembled.
Anyhoo, after we do a little work on our factory Saiga, we can rebuild it like this:
Converting the factory Saiga back toward what Mr. Kalashnikov intended returns the balance and crisp trigger to a fine firearm. What is pictured here is considered a basic conversion, as the front hand guards are left alone (many [including myself] find the Saiga hand guards easier to handle than the milspec arrangement).
I have an open door policy here in Houston, so if you want to come by and convert your Saiga in my shop, just shoot me a private message from one of the message boards or an email:
A few pointers:
• I do not do any of the work. I'll show you how to do it for yourself, using my tools.
• I do not have any refinishing or welding equipment, so I'm only able to help with the "basics" of a conversion.
I do know some local folks who can help you with your welding or refinishing, if desired.
• I now have a press jig for the removal and re-installation of front sight blocks and gas blocks.
If you need a quick chat while you're converting YOUR Saiga, feel free to give me a ring. Call any time you wish - if I'm not available, it will go to voicemail.
Want to discuss this? Have a comment for the author? Mosey on over to the Novarata Forums and let us know what you think.
What these laws accomplish is reducing the ability of law abiding citizens to enjoy their rights under the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution (but you can read about that on many other blogs).
Today, I'd like to demonstrate how to take a "politically correct" Kalashnikov variant and convert it to something more akin to what was originally designed.
This is the Saiga rifle, as imported:
There is a Kalashnikov under all that sporty plastic, but to get to it, we need to refer to 18 USC 922 to keep us legal as we strip off that sporty veneer. . .
In a nutshell, 922r tells us that we can't assemble an rifle if it wouldn't be importable in its assembled condition. This law was enacted to stop the importation of "evil assault rifles" which are erroneously labeled semiautomatic rifles (please note that actual assault rifle ownership has been restricted in the US since 1934).
Okay, legal stuff out of the way.
I'm not going to go into every little detail of the process, as anyone interested can find dozens of videos on the various video sites, and hundreds of "how-tos" across the various gun-oriented discussion boards (including lots of pictures and posts from me on the subject
).
Long story short, we throw away the butt stock and the following parts:
The majority of these parts are present in the Saiga purely to help it get imported. The United States only allows firearms with a "sporting purpose" to be imported, and the Kalashnikov needed a major reworking of its innards to help it be perceived as a firearm with a "sporting purpose". Believe it or not, five of these parts are replaced by one part when the rifle is reassembled.
Anyhoo, after we do a little work on our factory Saiga, we can rebuild it like this:
Converting the factory Saiga back toward what Mr. Kalashnikov intended returns the balance and crisp trigger to a fine firearm. What is pictured here is considered a basic conversion, as the front hand guards are left alone (many [including myself] find the Saiga hand guards easier to handle than the milspec arrangement).
I have an open door policy here in Houston, so if you want to come by and convert your Saiga in my shop, just shoot me a private message from one of the message boards or an email:
A few pointers:
• I do not do any of the work. I'll show you how to do it for yourself, using my tools.
• I do not have any refinishing or welding equipment, so I'm only able to help with the "basics" of a conversion.
I do know some local folks who can help you with your welding or refinishing, if desired.
• I now have a press jig for the removal and re-installation of front sight blocks and gas blocks.
If you need a quick chat while you're converting YOUR Saiga, feel free to give me a ring. Call any time you wish - if I'm not available, it will go to voicemail.
