Just got back from visiting Nate at Mississippi Auto Arms (Saiga-12 Forum sponsor) in Oxford, MS yesterday, and picked up a Saiga 7.62x39! Took a few hours off and on to restore it to intended condition.

Izhmash IZ-132 Saiga, 16.3" barrel, dimpled receiver, manufactured 10-09. Factory certificate says 91mm at 100 meters. (That's about 3.5 inches with the terrible linkage trigger) It has a Round trunnion and A THREADED BARREL!!!!!!! I was very pleased to find a tiny bit of thread showing at the muzzle that I was able to confirm was there as it grabbed my fingernail. I will get a 14mm L/24mm R adapter and put on a Krink flash hider I got.

Since I did this on the cheap, initially it will be a utilitarian restoral: Tapco AK grip, Texas AK double hook FCG, out of print FSE polymer/resin fixed "triangle" stock that looks like a Krinkov stock, and a ventilated factory hand guard with a heat shield fabricated in it. Even found what I think is an East Germanicon sling at a yard sale for $1.

First, fabricated a bullet guide from 3/4"i.d. galvanized pipe. Didn't have a template, just eyeballed it and modified a little at a time until it fit perfect and fed fine.cycled several magazines through by hand, fast, slow, right side up and upside down. Fed flawlessly.

Then drilled the hand guard with (7) 3/8" holes on each side for better ventilation. used a pencil to mark of a grid 1" apart, about 1/2" down. Used a small drill (1/8" to drill pilot holes, opened it up with 1/4" and finished with 3/8". TAKE your time. I took some aluminum duct work material and made a U shaped trough liner. Nothing fancy, but it doesn't show and works well.

I thought having a nice retro XM177E2 CAR-15 would ease my "Lack of AK pain" but it didn't.

Best thing about this AK is it says "Izhmash" "Made in Russiaicon"! It is about as real of an AK as you can get, especially after it is restored.

First picture is before it was restored, second is after.
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