*Disclaimer*
The below information is only intended to provide informal advice, NOT professional counsel. The author and website DO NOT claim that the below information is fully accurate and encompasses all aspects of the law. Professional legal counsel should be sought prior to any activities that have the potential to violate the law.
Upgrades and Modifications for Saiga Rifles and Shotguns
So you've got a Saiga rifle or shotgun? Congrats, your new gun is pretty darn close to a current Russian military issue. To make you feel even better, click here for a 1:17 video showing why AK-pattern guns (like your Saiga) are great.
Yep, that's your gun. Your Saiga may have a few tweaks, a few different bits of furniture, but your gun and the guns in that video were made in the same factory, on the same equipment, by the same workers. Get excited.
The rifles and shotguns used in the video are from the AK-10x series, the most modern version of the AK-47 assault rifle. Your Saiga is a hunting gun from the AK-10x series. Saiga hunting guns are "neutered" to limit the use of military-esque accessories like muzzle devices, pistol grips, and high-capacity magazines, allowing them onto the very short list of firearms that Russia can export to the USA for civilian sale (see VRA).
The trouble now is “un-neutering” your Saiga so that it can use high-capacity magazines, pistol grips, and other military features while staying within the legal guidelines of the federal law commonly known as “922r”. You can find a lot of information on 922r here but the meat of it is that you can’t add non-sporting (military) features to an autoloading imported rifle like the Saiga. However, if you swap a bunch of parts on the gun with American-made replacements, the gun is no longer considered imported, and military features can be legally added.
According to Federal Law, a Saiga rifle has 14 “parts” when it is imported, and any gun with more than 10 imported parts is considered an imported gun (the ATF decides what constitutes a “part” on a particular gun and publishes this information). Below is a list of the parts that make up a Saiga rifle.
Yep, that's your gun. Your Saiga may have a few tweaks, a few different bits of furniture, but your gun and the guns in that video were made in the same factory, on the same equipment, by the same workers. Get excited.
The rifles and shotguns used in the video are from the AK-10x series, the most modern version of the AK-47 assault rifle. Your Saiga is a hunting gun from the AK-10x series. Saiga hunting guns are "neutered" to limit the use of military-esque accessories like muzzle devices, pistol grips, and high-capacity magazines, allowing them onto the very short list of firearms that Russia can export to the USA for civilian sale (see VRA).
The trouble now is “un-neutering” your Saiga so that it can use high-capacity magazines, pistol grips, and other military features while staying within the legal guidelines of the federal law commonly known as “922r”. You can find a lot of information on 922r here but the meat of it is that you can’t add non-sporting (military) features to an autoloading imported rifle like the Saiga. However, if you swap a bunch of parts on the gun with American-made replacements, the gun is no longer considered imported, and military features can be legally added.
According to Federal Law, a Saiga rifle has 14 “parts” when it is imported, and any gun with more than 10 imported parts is considered an imported gun (the ATF decides what constitutes a “part” on a particular gun and publishes this information). Below is a list of the parts that make up a Saiga rifle.
1. Receiver
2. Barrel
3. Trunnion
4. Bolt
5. Bolt carrier
6. Gas piston
7. Trigger
8. Hammer
9. Disconnector
10. Buttstock
11. Handguard
12. Magazine body
13. Magazine follower
14. Magazine floorplate
Special Notice For Saiga Shotguns:
Saiga shotguns use a short-stroke gas system rather than the long-stroke gas system of AK rifles. Short-stroke systems have more moving parts and so Saiga shotguns have one additional part, commonly called a gas puck. Thus, Saiga Shotguns have 15 imported parts, not 14.
2. Barrel
3. Trunnion
4. Bolt
5. Bolt carrier
6. Gas piston
7. Trigger
8. Hammer
9. Disconnector
10. Buttstock
11. Handguard
12. Magazine body
13. Magazine follower
14. Magazine floorplate
Special Notice For Saiga Shotguns:
Saiga shotguns use a short-stroke gas system rather than the long-stroke gas system of AK rifles. Short-stroke systems have more moving parts and so Saiga shotguns have one additional part, commonly called a gas puck. Thus, Saiga Shotguns have 15 imported parts, not 14.
All you need to do it get the imported parts count down to 10, and then you are free to legally add military features. Note that adding US-made parts that are not included in the original parts list (for example, adding a pistol grip and flash suppressor to your Saiga) will NOT help you get down to the 10 part limit. You must replace foreign parts with US-made parts, or else you are simply adding to the overall parts count of the firearm.
The most common method of getting the imported parts count down on a Saiga is called “converting”. Converting a Saiga rifle or shotgun means replacing the FCG, attaching a pistol grip, and replacing the sporter-style stock with a standard stock. As long as all replacement parts are American made, this process replaces four imported parts (trigger, hammer, disconnector, buttstock) and brings the imported parts count down to 10 for a Saiga rifle and 11 for a Saiga shotgun. At this point, a Saiga rifle is 922r compliant but a Saiga shotgun will need one more compliance part. This is easily resolved by using an US-made magazine, which counts as three additional compliance parts (magazine body, magazine follower, and magazine baseplate).
If not all parts were made in the USA (for example, you might opt for an authentic Russian folding stock), remember that you need to swap out one other part from the above list with an American-made replacement to be compliant.
Converting your Saiga is simply the most common method of meeting 922r compliance. If you want to add military features but don’t want to convert (retain the sporter configuration of the stock and trigger), simply replace 4 other parts with American components (5 for a shotgun), and your Saiga will be compliant.
Now that you understand how Saigas interact with 922r, click on any of the below Saiga parts to see how they can be altered or improved.
The most common method of getting the imported parts count down on a Saiga is called “converting”. Converting a Saiga rifle or shotgun means replacing the FCG, attaching a pistol grip, and replacing the sporter-style stock with a standard stock. As long as all replacement parts are American made, this process replaces four imported parts (trigger, hammer, disconnector, buttstock) and brings the imported parts count down to 10 for a Saiga rifle and 11 for a Saiga shotgun. At this point, a Saiga rifle is 922r compliant but a Saiga shotgun will need one more compliance part. This is easily resolved by using an US-made magazine, which counts as three additional compliance parts (magazine body, magazine follower, and magazine baseplate).
If not all parts were made in the USA (for example, you might opt for an authentic Russian folding stock), remember that you need to swap out one other part from the above list with an American-made replacement to be compliant.
Converting your Saiga is simply the most common method of meeting 922r compliance. If you want to add military features but don’t want to convert (retain the sporter configuration of the stock and trigger), simply replace 4 other parts with American components (5 for a shotgun), and your Saiga will be compliant.
Now that you understand how Saigas interact with 922r, click on any of the below Saiga parts to see how they can be altered or improved.
|
|