Converting a Saiga

The term "Saiga" comes from a medium sized antelope that makes it's home on the sub-polar Siberian steppes.  It is characterized by bulbous nasal passages which scientists think allow it to warm the cold winter air it breathes before that air enters the lungs.  Like it's African and American counterparts, the saiga is a wily and difficult animal to hunt, and is considered quite a prize by Russian hunters.

Time to get down to brass tacks!

First we are going to remove the trigger plate from the bottom of the receiver.  This plate is a piece of sheet metal that is riveted to the bottom of the Saiga receiver.  Because we have removed the internal working parts, we are able to grind/drill/mill the rivet heads down to remove them and the trigger plate.

1. File, grind, or mill the rivet heads flush with the trigger plate.  Don't worry about damaging the trigger plate, because it will be discarded anyway.  However, if you want to save a few dollars on the trigger guard (along with the hassle of riveting the new one on), try not to mangle it too badly.  To remove the trigger guard in one piece, we must first remove the trigger guard spot weld.  In the picture below, I have placed the receiver in a mill vise and am preparing to drill the spot weld with a 3/16 inch end mill.  The receiver is placed in the vise only hand tight to steady it; any tighter, and the receiver would be crushed.  A hand drill with a 3/16 inch bit would work, but you need to be sure to center punch the spot weld so that the bit will not wander.  You may drill all the way through; the spot weld is under the hole that the new trigger passes through.

2. Next, because I will re-use the trigger guard, I will remove the rivet at the rear of the trigger guard.  This time, I will use a drill bit to remove the rivets.  First, I file the tops of the rivets with a triangular mill-bastard file.  Then, carefully center punch each rivet.  Be sure to use a backing anvil when you center punch, or you will distort the receiver. 

3. Now, carefully drill each rivet where you have center punched.  A hand drill is fine; this is not precise work.  You don't need to drill completely through - in fact, it works better if you do not.  I used a 1/8 inch bit and drilled until I could tell that I was completely past the trigger plate. 

I recommend drilling the rivets most of the way through once the heads are removed.  This ensures easy removal with a punch without distorting the receiver.

4. Backing the rivet from the inside with a short 3/8 inch steel pipe nipple, carefully punch what is left of the rivets from the outside in.

5. When the rivets are all out, remove the trigger plate and discard.  If you want to keep the trigger guard and reuse it, rather than purchase and install a new one, detach it from the trigger plate and put it aside.  Here is what you should be looking at:

I am very fortunate in this conversion.  Unlike the last one, the pistol grip nut hole has already been punched.  I have been told that this is common on the .223 Rem versions of the Saiga, but not on the 7.62x39mm versions.