[writerinmo]

Any opinions whether a bullet guide is really needed for a Saiga 7.62x39?

If you intend to run AK mags it is, otherwise the tip of the bullet just rams into the bottom of the barrel instead of into the chamber. If you look at a Saiga mag next to an AK one, you'll see the front of the magazine is raised up on the Saiga one, basically kicking the front of the round up as it is stripped out of the mag, the AK has a much lower front.

If you have a round trunnion and decent mechanical skills you can make a bullet guide out of a chunk of pipe from Lowes, just make sure and recess the bolt head down into it enough to clear the bolt as it locks, or just get a bullet guide from CSS or Mississippi Auto Arms or Dinzag, just take your sweet time tapping the bolt hole, a broken tap in there will just ruin your whole day. I think I backed mine out and blew the chips out like ten times when doing mine.

If you do install a bullet guide, you can still use your Saiga mags, just cut that front lip down a bit until it clears the bullet guide.

Also, if you want to run AK mags you'll need to do a little filing on the mag catch, just take it slow and check fit often. The Siaga mag will be a little loose but not bad at all, mine still run 100%.

 

[writerinmo]

Some of us had to learn the hard way, other's googled, lol...

 

[writerinmo]

Yep, that's what I was talking about. However, I'm too lazy to spend that much time making one, much easier to just buy one with my conversion kit.

You do have to watch on that "how-to", there's some things missing in it, I noticed. The article must have been done before retainer plates for the pins were around as it doesn't refer to them anywhere. It says you need to install the pistol grip before the trigger group which you don't.