I Adopted a Russian Orphan
March 11th, 2009Baby Pictures
The newest baby in the nursery arrived unexpectedly today. Here she is:
That’s a Saiga 12 with a 19″ barrel. Pardon all the post-Clinton crap, such as the misplaced trigger and silly buttstock. Consider it afterbirth. It will be removed.
Closer shot:
Here’s the Bulldog bag that came with it as a freebie. This bag was not the reason I bought the gun, but it’s very nice. It’s better than my other gun bags, which were not free. Note the extra magazine.
I ordered this from Classicarms.us. They still have the offer up.
I’m hoping to ship this to a smith and have it restored to a Kalashnikov configuration, with the trigger farther forward and a folding buttstock for storage and easier carry. I found a first-rate smith who is not as backed up as Tromix.
The finish on this thing is pretty bad. But it’s considerably better than the Romanian bluing on my Romak. The parts all seem to fit well, and it strips and reassembles without too much trouble. I was afraid it would be bathed in cosmoline, but fortunately, it was not.
It’s possible to reconfigure one of these things on your own, using a drill and a Dremel and a vise. But I’ve seen video of the job, and it leaves the gun marred up, and you end up with holes that have to be plugged with nylon inserts. That’s not for me. I want the holes welded over, and then I want the gun blasted and refinished. It’s not that expensive.
It’s considerably heavier than my Browning Sweet Sixteen, which is surprising, since the Browning is milled and has wooden furniture and a longer barrel. The Browning swings and aims effortlessly. This thing is shorter and more maneuverable, though, and I would guess that it’s a lot tougher, given its lineage.
If I had a shorter barrel for it, I could see using the Browning for home defense. I have some buckshot for that purpose. I don’t know how I’d go about getting an 18″ Browning Sweet Sixteen barrel. It would almost amount to perversion.
While the FFL was doing the transfer paperwork, I asked him if he was getting a lot of Obama business. He said most of it was coming from cops who did not want to take a chance on getting caught in an Obama gun ban. He said he’d get me a price on a Glock in .45 ACP, so I’ll have a quote ready if the friend who wants my .40 ever takes delivery.
He had a 9x19mm Kimber he was trying to unload. Why would Kimber bother making a thing like that? You have a 1911 frame. It will hold .45 ACP, .38 Super, and 9x23mm. Help me understand. Who would want nine rounds of 9mm in a gun with that much potential?
I hear bad things about Kimbers anyway.
Wish me luck with the Saiga. FINALLY I have a defensive long gun to add to my hamster shooters, heirloom, and milsurps. When the Vz 58 arrives, I’ll have two, and I’ll feel fairly well prepared to defend my home.
Although a Benelli would sure be nice.
Forget I said that.
March 11th, 2009 at 7:14 PM
I have a Kimber Polymer-2 which is a 10×45 or 13×45 depending on the magazine you use. Great gun, eats any ammo and spits out rounds more accurately than I can fire.
Good luck finding cheap mags tho. That is why I have a Gold Cup and am selling the Kimber.
FWIW, I got my Glock/21 on gunbroker.com (yes, really) for $600 in VG condition with a spare lead usable barrel and 6 mags and two holsters. Deals do exist.
-OT
March 11th, 2009 at 8:46 PM
I tell people that the reason to own a 1911 is at least partially the wonderful ergonomics. I have them in .45 ACP and a few other calibers. Among friends, we have .380, 9×19, 9×21, 9×23, 9×25, .41 AE, .40 S&W, 10mm, .40 Super, .45 ACP, .45 Super, 460 Rowland, and .41 Magnum (Coonan-made). Why not?
March 11th, 2009 at 10:10 PM
Nice. I’ve thought about getting one in 12 gauge just for fun.
You often see butchered Browning barrels on Ebay. Common to see them with the “vari-choke’ screwed up too, which makes a good barrel to chop.
The browning feels good because it’s pretty much the pinnacle of the firearm manufacturers’ art. it’s the Moto Guzzi of Shotguns- there are faster and more flashy guns, but the Auto 5 has soul.
March 11th, 2009 at 10:43 PM
I have a Saiga 7,62 that I converted from sporter to evil looking AK. I found a website that had very good instructions on moving the trigger forward and installing a pistol grip. I also replaced the stock with an adjustable. I really enjoyed doing the conversion and it wasn’t all that hard. I don’t know if the 12 ga. is the same, but with all the tools you have I’m surprised you are not attempting to change it yourself.
The conversion didn’t mar the gun at all and as for the holes, I replaced the pins that were removed and used J-B weld to hold them in place. They are barely noticeable.
March 12th, 2009 at 7:47 AM
I also have an old Belgian Browning sweet sixteen. It’s my favorite field gun.
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My brother still has a Kimber on order, it’s been three months. Any more feedback on the “bad things” would be appreciated.
March 12th, 2009 at 8:14 AM
That looks great! I must have skipped class the day you mentioned modifying it. What are you planning to do?
March 12th, 2009 at 8:48 AM
I’m turning it back into an AK. Move the trigger to the correct position. Install pistol grip. Etc.
March 13th, 2009 at 12:40 AM
I’m compelled to ask: Why did they ship you a shotgun with a side-rail scope mount?
March 15th, 2009 at 12:05 AM
“Who would want nine rounds of 9mm in a gun with that much potential?”
Who indeed? IMHO, the only reason to step down to the 9mm is to get 15 rounds in the magazine. My small-boned wife doesn’t have the wrist strength for a 1911 in 45ACP, so I tried interesting her in a .38 Special revolver. She shoots the revolver well, but isn’t comfortable with a mere six rounds – she wants quantity, not quality. Her first pistol was a Beretta Cougar, since replaced by a Smith & Wesson 5946 (shorter trigger pull). Her ammo of choice is the old Winchester Black Talon……