Saiga 12 conversion help

[kalebiscool]

I went looking for a pump action home defense 12 gauge last week and somehow i ended up with a new Saiga 12...I have never owned an AK style rifle. I held this gun up one time and decided this is not going to work without a pistol grip. So what i really need to know is about the legality of the conversion. I guess i need 5 US made parts or something. I need a list of exactly what i need to complete this swap legally. That way i can plan how much tax money to hide from the wife. also does anyone have a stock preference on these? from what i have seen i like the Ace stock more than tromix. Any help
here would be appreciated. Thanks guys.

 

[septic_shock]

It's not that you need to add 5 us parts, it's that you need to remove X number of foreign parts. Can't have more than 10 of certain foreign parts recognized by the ATF as components of the shotgun. For example, adding a US pistol grip does not count toward 922r kosherness, but adding a foreign pistol grip counts against you.

For specific parts number on the shotgun, I believe it depends also on whether or not your barrel is threaded or not threaded. I'm not sure about posting links to other forums, but you can google "saiga 12 922 parts checklist" and get several tools that will help you determine which parts you can change to get to the magic number. Some of these parts can include (but not limited to): buttstock, trigger group, forearm, etc.)

I've not converted a shotgun yet, but I've done a rifle. In my case, the rifle had 14 countable parts. I swapped the trigger group (counts as 3) with a tapco g2 set, and a US made upper and lower hanguard (counts as one). That makes 10 foreign parts. GTG. Added a US made pistol grip (does help, but doesn't hurt), and swapped out the original foreign buttstock with another foreign buttstock (no net gain or loss).

 

[septic_shock]

BTW, I'm not sure how many countable parts the shotguns have. Somebody may chime in with the answer.

 

[saltydecimator]

something about hi cap mags. somehow they sort of count too...

basically you wanna decide how you want it to look. do you want an ak that looks like an ak or an ak that looks like an ar?

_tapco single hook hammer
-sheperds crook (etc) pin retaining device
-pistol grip, and retaining method

-flash hider, or gas puck and regulator kit.

i would take a lil walk over to the saiag 12 forum....they have a step by step conversion thread....

midway usa has side folding triangle stocks for 150, basically the same price as a ace side folding setup...

i had this waking nightmare at work today that if israel bombs iran, and russia sides with iran, and we side with israel, that will interruptt the flow of saigas here, THE HORROR!!!

 

[kennedy]

www.carolinashooterssupply.com They have different kits you can get to convert one. I bought one of theirs and it only took a few hours. They also have good info to get the shotty compliant

 

[TJohn]

Here is a discusion on 922r compliance for Saiga shotguns, it may be of some use to you: http://thegunwiki.com/Gunwiki/BuildSaigaShotgunVerifyCompliance. As said above check out Saiga 12 forums and Carolina Shooters Supply for additional info and even some video tutorials of the conversion process.

I believe the shotguns have 15 countable parts whereas the Saiga rifles have 14. You have to get to 10 or fewer foreign parts if you are going to modify the firearm from it's sporter form.

 

[kalebiscool]

Wow that was alot of information. Thanks everyone. Looks like i have a few hours of reading and picking out parts ahead of me.

 

[kalebiscool]

Well I just bought a bunch of stuff from the Carolina shooters supply. Should be putting it together Mon Monday or Tuesday. Thanks for all the help.

 

[Super Dave]

By using a US made magazine (counts as 3 parts) and a US made trigger group (3 more parts), you are good. Use the compliance calculator link that Tjohn has up there in post #6.

Be advised, that you may not use your factory magazine unless you add 2 more US parts (removing 2 import parts)! You will prolly be doing that anyway.

If you use a US pistol grip, buttstock, and handguard with your US made trigger group, you will have enough US parts to use your factory mag, so no worries.

 

[kalebiscool]

Finally got it all done. Thanks a bunch for all the help. Now I need to find a mount and optic for it.