Bullet guide for Saigas

[hawaii five-0]

I have been reading how Saiga rifles need a bullet guide to use mil-surplus pre ban 30 round magazines.I was suprised to hear this as I had used 30 rounders in a Saiga rifle that didn't have a guide and fired literally thosands of rounds thru it without issue.This was a rifle made in 2002.I recently bought a 2009 Saiga and it also works perfectly without the guide.The magazines are east German with no mods except the catch has been trimmed to fit in the Saiga so I didn't have to modify the mag release on the gun.Also of interest is that the trigger hole and pistol grip hole are already cut to return it to AK glory.Dimpled mag well as well.

[Brendan Sullivan]

Make sure you're observing 922(r) compliance if you convert a sporting Saiga to a non-sporting configuration.

That out of the way, a 7.62 Saiga does not need a bullet guide to feed from a standard AK magazine. It is largely a function of what magazines you are using, but Saiga proprietary magazines have a lip built into the front of the mag that helps nose the round up into the chamber as it leaves the feed lips. AK mags do not have this as a standard feature, so for the most part, the rounds get all excited and rush toward the chamber, then stick at the trunnion or breech face.

If your mags work for you, that's good and it saves you money, but I assure you bullet guides are not just some gimmick from a guy trying to make money. You don't have to buy one if you're a crafty person with welding or JBW or duct tape, but we can't all make that claim.