sagia 223?

V

Vermonter

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An inexpensive semi auto in 223 with available extended mags. Whats not to love. No seriously anyone have a reason not to grab one?

Should i spend the extra dough on a mini 14?
 
The Saiga will just as reliable and accurate as a Mini-14...and its cheaper.
I've got Saigas in 308 and 7.62x39.
I've also got a Mini-14 and sold 2 others due to poor accuracy.
 
It's a great gun. I've had Saigas in 7.62x39, .308, and .223 and have never had a problem with any of them. They're well-made, reliable, durable rifles. The Saiga .223 will do anything that Mini-14 can do, and for less money. It's a great buy, IMO.
 
so what am I loosing

The only thing that worries me is the lack of availability of accessories. No I don't mean taticool mall ninja stuff I mean mags mostly. I would like a high capacity mag for it if I could find one.
 
30 round mags are readily available for Saiga .223 rifles. Check out Sure Fire, and SMG Tactical.

As for most of the other parts, it’s an AK, parts are available in about any country in the world.

Be advised, you will need to make a Saiga 922r compliant before using high cap mags.
 
Mags

I was looking at some pro mags so I can see that now. Therefore my original fear is a bit dashed. Any Idea what I should pay for a used sagia?
 
For me, the Mini has better sights and a better safety switch.

Other than that, the 2 are pretty much even as far as ergonomics.

The Saiga offers the option of converting it to an AK if desired in the future.

Don't think there is a wrong answer between the two.

Of course, it won't be long before somebody tries to talk you into an AR:p
 
price

Any idea on a fair price on a used sagia 223? There is one at my LGS for 400 which seems high. Could it be an older more valueable model?
Thanks, Vermonter
 
Parts and mags-Mississippi Auto Arms. Got most of my stuff from them. I paid $400 brand new last year for my .223. As far as 922 compliant, I was told if they are imported,they have to already be 922 compliant. Us mags count as 3 parts for your 922. Problem with comp comes when you put foreign parts on it IIRC.
 
ice dog

A man can admit his ignorance. I must admit i have no idea what your refering to. What is 922?

Thanks, Vermonter
 
Vermonter, stay away from Pro Mags for the Saiga. One thing unusual / different about the Saiga is the bullet guide ramp for feeding is a part of the magazine, not the receiver. The Pro Mag feed ramps break off then it will no longer feed correctly. Trust me, I have tried them. Sure Fire and SGM Tactical are the best.

You can install a receiver mounted bullet guide and use standard AK mags, but remember 922r compliance. Using over seas high cap mags is three non compliant points.

Icedog88, try the compliance generator at the web site www.forum.saiga-12.com Simply adding a USA made high cap mag doesn’t cut it for compliance. You’re still one point short, so you have to add one more USA made part.
 
Vermonter: 922r is a compliance law to make imported weapons legal.

Icedog88, try the compliance generator at the web site www.forum.saiga-12.com Simply adding a USA made high cap mag doesn’t cut it for compliance. You’re still one point short, so you have to add one more USA made part.
Click to expand...
Mike38: The way way I read this law is if you are BUILDING a rifle from imported parts. Fully assembled rifles should meet compliance to even be imported to begin with. If you start adding foreign made parts is where 922r comes into play. Basically, you need a certain number of US made parts (14 I think?). If you replace those US made parts with foreign, it makes it non compliant. I was pointing out that a US mag(I use Surefire), counts as 3 parts. Not saying I am 100% correct, but I did check with the LGS owner and he confirmed my interpretation. There is a chance he and I are wrong, but as he sold it to me, I gotta believe him.
 
saiga rifles start with 14 parts including magazine from the factory. They are sporting rifles and are exempt from parts count as they are sporting/hunting rifles.

If you want to add a none sporting pistol grip or magazine over ten rounds you must meet parts count.

There is no set number of US parts required to be on the rifle. Just that you have no more then 10 imported counted parts on a non-sporting rifle at any given time. If you went to use US made magazines for the saiga .223 such as the SGM mags then you would need to replace one additional counted part.

The law does read "assemble" not manufacture, so installing a magazine or bolting on a grip counts as assembling.
 
Don't know much about the .223 but I've converted a Saiga 12. If you're going to replace one more part for compliance I'd suggest the G2 trigger from Tapco. That's 2 or 3 U.S. parts actually, and is a great trigger. Lots of folks will move the trigger group forward and mount a pistol grip and a shorter stock. This would probably get you up to the price of a Mini anyway. Also if you replace the trigger without moving it you don't use all of the new parts. Lots of good details at Saiga-12.com - they have a .223 section. Great resource. I should warn you that once you start modding a Saiga you may find it hard to stop until you have a full-on EBR.

Also I read 922r to mean that if you do any modification to the gun you have to get down to 10 or fewer foreign "evil" parts.
 
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