Saiga M3 EXP01 7.62x39 First impressions (pic heavy)

[Craig]

Nice review and info Mic, thanks for sharing. Lovely looking rifle you have there.

[feroze]

Nicely done review. Congrats

[Krokodil]

Very nice!

[SeanG]

Nice rifle, Thank you for the review

[Scuba Steve]

Mic, just a query.

With the bullet guide now installed do the original mags (polymer) still function correctly? I read ofn the SAIGA forum a while back that modification would enable one or the other to work but not both. Surely thats not right?

[mic]

Nah, both mags still work fine. The problem comes in when you modify the gun's mag retaining clip to accept the standard AK mag, instead of modifying the mag itself.

In my case I modified the steel AK mag itself by removing about 1mm of material behind the mag catch. All three my current mags works fine.

Also, as promised, here is a close-up of my Saiga's muzzle. It does not look asif it's threaded.

[Lian]

really quite ingenious and outside the box thinking with that deprimer. no special pressure depriming machinery, etc.
but, will normal primers work.... or do you have to use berden primers again in it?

[Scuba Steve]

Great news on both accounts!! Thanks mic.

I fondled mine in the shop this week and I also think its threaded.

[mic]

really quite ingenious and outside the box thinking with that deprimer. no special pressure depriming machinery, etc.
but, will normal primers work.... or do you have to use berden primers again in it?

You have to use berdan primers. The dimentions of the two primers differs slightly. Obtaining large rifle berdan primers is not an issue. PMP can supply them us here in RSA. You would just have to go to your neerest gunshop, and have them order you a packet. I think there are 228 primers in a box. They cost about the same as normal boxer primers.

[Scuba Steve]

hhhhhhmmmmmpppppffffffff, cut my barrel shroud off, alas, not threaded. awaiting tooling from the states.