Northern VA?
Midatlantic?
Thanks.
Be more specific. What are you needing to have done (or what’s the problem)?
Swap gas block and FSPs, put on a HG retainer.
Also, install a side mount on a VZ 58 - MAYBE cut 15" pin on muzzle cover(CSA) and pin/tac a permanent device.
Does the barrel have the two slots for the handguard retainer?
No - Saiga with commercial front end. I’ve seen this done on youtube and it ain’t rocket science -albeit can affect handguard orientation.
I’d send the Saiga to Two Rivers Arms. However, be prepared to wait. They’re good, so they have plenty of demand for their services. For sure I wouldn’t have a gunsmith cut the slots that’s never done it before.
For the vz.58, I’d contact Czechpoint USA. They seem to be out of most firearms, so perhaps they have time to work on guns.
If you don’t mind shipping to Louisiana, I recommend Vincent Buckles
InRange did most of the Vz58 conversions. They used to be “go to” AK guys, not sure about currently.
Thanks for the input. If I were looking to change the rifle substantively, or turn it into a real custom project, I think I’d take on shipping, etc. and send it out to one of these.
Correct me if I am dead wrong, but repopulating the FSB and GB and adding a retainer is a pretty low risk operation. Even drilling and tapping the VZ receiver for a side rail, and fitting a pin on muzzle device is not that involved for a class III licensed smith. There is one less than an hour away, and does plenty of AK work - even builds. (Admittedly, if it was a custom build I’d ship).
Am I all wet?
The hardest part will be cutting the hand guard retainer slots. If he can do that without taking the barrel off, then he’ll likely be able to do everything else. If he’s built AK’s professionally, then he should be good to go.
So long as you are confident in his ability then you should be fine. But LOTS of people do builds, some really crappy godawful builds but they do them. When I lived in Florida there were a few gunsmiths that were internet famous for their custom configured ****ery and hand crafted bubbamess.
Red Jacket Firearms turned out all kinds of football bats and they had a reality tv show even. So just make sure your guy is good to go. And if you don’t have to ship, then really no reason to do so.
I would send it out. Saigas are collectable now, and only going to get more so. Worth the extra expense and hassle, especially if you ever sell down the road. I’ve been burned by several well regarded VA gunsmiths. Not on AKs but other things.
To be fair the guy who ran Red Jacket had his hands full with other distractions
Yeah but he’s also the F head who HAD to make a AK-74 pistol and got 7n6 ammo banned.
What is his name?
Well I dropped it off. We’ll see. They had some very good looking builds and are starting to replace the rear sight blocks with those new fangled rails, so they are at least taking on some higher level stuff than repopulating GBs. I met the smith and he looks like he’s right. Explained some of the details pretty extensively and what he’d do to make the retainer placement right.
He will have to cut a bottom retainer notch - sides are there now, but not the bottom.
I’m not doing it no, but they explained that the Zenitco rails may need some custom fitting, etc. True?
I MAY decide to send the VZ 58 out - I emailed InRange.
Who did you use?
sterling
I thought the 7n6 ban stemmed from some Onyx style 5.45 AK pistol that was made in Poland and approved by the ATF for import but never actually made it stateside. (If true, Kind of makes you wonder if that was the ATF’s long game from the get go: approving something that there was never any serious intent to sell in the US as a pretext to ban 7n6)
I’m happy to blame the ban on either the ATF or the convicted pedophile at Red Jacket though.
That’s how I remember it.