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Saiga .223, my "pimped" Kalashnikov

13K views 14 replies 11 participants last post by  sniper69 
#1 ·
16" with SAW pistol grip, polished hammer/let-off FCG, Tapco Intrafuse fore grip, Tapco T6 collapsable stock and the TuffForce side mount scope mount. Converted and shoots quite well.


Recent target with Hodgdon Benchmark powder and Sierra GameKing 55 gr FMJ BT bullets:



And me holding the rifle and target from an earlier shoot at home when I was using some Hodgdon BLC-2 powder. Daughter took the pic.
 
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#5 · (Edited)
Well, j427x, If you ever reload, or the supply of 5.45 x 39 dries up, you may be left with a nice wall hanger. Without becoming part of a new thread, just check out the ballistic difference between the 5.56 x 45 and the 5.45 x 39, check around for re-loadable brass and re-loadable bullet. My Lyman manual doesn't even have one load for it, and neither does a website I go to for other reloading data that has some really obscure calibers.

railbuggy, that's a long ways, 300,400 yards. That's about 170.68 miles!! Might have to shoot down from the space station and depends on how fast I can pull the trigger and the rotational speed of the earth. Might be a group measured in miles.. LOL Just joking with you!!!

Seriously I haven't shot it out at 300 yards. I have shot it out at 200 yards at a plastic Folgers coffee container, the larger ones, and hit it 4 shots out of 4, and one nearly dead center of the can. I suppose it would do alright at 400 yards, but then you have a lot of bullet drop, and any wind will affect a 55 gr bullet at that distance a lot more than the 168 BT shot from a .308 Winchester caliber Saiga.
 
#15 ·
Well, j427x, If you ever reload, or the supply of 5.45 x 39 dries up, you may be left with a nice wall hanger. Without becoming part of a new thread, just check out the ballistic difference between the 5.56 x 45 and the 5.45 x 39, check around for re-loadable brass and re-loadable bullet. My Lyman manual doesn't even have one load for it, and neither does a website I go to for other reloading data that has some really obscure calibers.
Darth AkSarBen - nice rifle and nice shooting.

As for the 5.45x39 and reloading, there are a few threads here about reloading,etc http://www.gunco.net/forums/f266/reloading-5-45-a-53201/ is one and one where the dies were available as a group buy (group buy is closed, but it has good info in the thread) http://www.gunco.net/forums/f266/who-wants-set-545x39-reloading-dies-35-a-52601/ :)
 
#6 ·
Although I have a few 5.45 rifles I have always really wanted a good stamped 5.56 AK. I have all the parts to put together a Bulgy AK102 but it's a bit of a Heinz 57 and I just haven't put it together yet. Seeing your results has me seriously considering a Saiga conversion again too!
You are also a lucky man to have your daughter go with you when you shoot. As my daughter got older shooting went way down on her funlist. :frown:
 
#8 ·
Nice grouping indeed - I had similar luck with mine (but with a lower power scope)

I wouldn't worry about 5.45x39 ammo going away. Hornady has been quoted as working on some loads since S&W is now making an AR uppper in that caliber. YEP - US factory ammo coming "soon"! :D

Even if 5.45 ammo completely dries up and Hornady doesn't deliver, you can rebarrel it to .223. Add new followers and call it a day.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Well, Grendeljaeger, if you see the white fence in the picture and go to the right about 12 feet you'd see my house, but of course, it's not in this picture. My range is "at home" I have a 'Home on the Range' in a funny sort of way, or other way, I have a range "at home". I'm afraid she's still interested in internet, computers, and guys at the time, along with her drawing.

Coils, Thanks for the compliment!
I like the side mount scope mount very well. 2 allen head screws hold it in place and I can take the cover off, without removing the scope. Enough clearance. Also has many spots on the rail to mount the scope making it very customizable. Plus, it has rail on the side as well. Very sturdy, aircraft aluminum making it ridgid and light. From TufForce Home The magazine I think most of is the Sure Fire. Very tough built and strudy. The pro Mag is cheaper and ....is cheaper. The bullet guide is not beefy enough, and looks to break off easily.

I'd love to get rid of the raised area on the bolt face (put there by Saiga for Russian government control) and not have that. It would change the specs on headspace, and I think I can overcome it with just removing the barrel pin and pushing the barrel back a bit, then re-doing a new barrel pin hole with oversize pin.

Any thoughts or suggestion to this?
 
#11 ·
New load, new target

Worked on a load last night of 25.0 gr Hodgdon Benchmark, with a 55 gr JHP BT Sierra GameKing (not Speer) I took picture and then realized that it was not the Speer bullets but the Sierra bullets, so rather than re-take the pictures, I edited on the target and figured I'd just mention it in here. 100 yards, and 6 shots. Normally I shot 3 shot groups testing, or a 5 shot group for point of impact, but last night I ended up making one extra bullet, so thought.. what the heck. Group on the furthest holes measured 0.891" center - center. It seems to open up a bit more with an extra .5 grain of powder, and it could also be to the fact that I'm shooting hollow point as opposed to FMJ (same bullet mfg, Sierra). Another thing is these hollow points don't have a cannelure for crimping lightly, so I probably don't have an "exact" crimp as I did before.



I'm off a bit from the bullseye, but I had the scope and mount off of the rifle the other day, shooting with iron sights, and when I put it back on, I tried to adjust a bit down and over to the right from a previous target I shot and over corrected a bit on the down part, but the L-R windage seems pretty good.
 
#12 ·
16" with SAW pistol grip, polished hammer/let-off FCG, Tapco Intrafuse fore grip, Tapco T6 collapsable stock and the TuffForce side mount scope mount. Converted and shoots quite well.


Recent target with Hodgdon Benchmark powder and Sierra GameKing 55 gr FMJ BT bullets:



And me holding the rifle and target from an earlier shoot at home when I was using some Hodgdon BLC-2 powder. Daughter took the pic.
nicely done!
 
#13 ·
i havent ever re-head spaced a saiga but i have re-head spaced plenty of bulgy, romy,polish, and amd 65's. Not sure what size pin saiga uses. we start by head spacing with a .302 if something moves we go with a .315, .327,.338. after that the reamer will start to break thru the top of the trunion ( sometimes the .338 will break thru.) i believe the saiga starts with a pretty small pin, so you shouldnt have a problem. If your going to go thru the trouble of truing the bolt face, you might as well lap the lugs on the bolt to. Keep us posted on your work!
 
#14 ·
What kind of group will one of these print at 300,400 yards?
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about like any other 223 that shoots that good at 100.
my target build will do quarter sized groups at 250 yds. i kill prairie dogs at over 600 yards .

my factroy stock Saiga will do 3/4" groups with the loads for my other guns. I havent had a chance to develope a load for it yet,

with a little wrok the saiga 223 is the best bang for the buck in a autoloading 223. to bad they dont make a target version with a heavy 22inch barrel.
 
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