The Saiga 223 is a sporterized AK pattern rifle chambered in 5.56 NATO. The advantage of an AK pattern rifle chambered in 5.56 NATO is that it combines the rugged reliability of the AK platform with the wide availability and selection of ammunition in 5.56mm NATO.
It was called the Saiga 223 rather than the Saiga 556 in order to try to help it slip past the 1994 “Assault Weapons” ban. Although it was chambered in 5.56 NATO, it was thought that an association with the civilian .223 Remington rather than military 5.56 NATO chambering would make it sound more sporting and less scary. For the same reason, the rifle came with a 10 round rather than a 30 round magazine and lacked a pistol grip and flash hider.
Although the rifle works well in its stock configuration, enterprising Americans quickly worked to “de-sporterize” the Saiga in various ways. The most common upgrades involved the use of 30 round magazines and the addition a pistol grip. When I purchased my Saiga on Gunbroker.com a decade ago, it came with the original magazine and buttstock as well as the aforementioned upgrades.
My Saiga cost me $545.90 . A recent visit to GunBroker.com revealed that there are not very many Saiga 223s currently for sale. Their import was banned in 2014 in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Most of the few that are currently available cost about two to three times as much as what I paid. Saiga rifles and shotguns are made in Russia in Izhevsk where Mikhail Kalashnikov designed the original AK-47.
There are other options for AK platform rifles chambered in 5.56 NATO that are more readily available. Among others, these include the Zastava PAP M90, the FB 223S Beryl M1, and the PSA AK-556. If you don’t already own a Saiga 223, it is likely that one of these other options will be easier to find at a better price with a wider selection of parts and accessories.
Background
It was the summer of 2016. The presidential election was in full swing. I found the level of invective among supporters of the various candidates to be disturbing. I could easily imagine some level of civil unrest arising regardless of who won the election.
I decided to make some preparations. One of those preparations was to secure a centerfire rifle with a magazine capacity of at least 10 rounds. If a wild mob of rioters, arsonists, and looters came down my driveway with clubs and Molotov cocktails, I wanted a way to firmly encourage them to suddenly remember urgent business elsewhere.
After researching my alternatives, I ended up bidding on several Saigas on Gunbroker.com. I finally won one of the auctions and have never subsequently regretted that purchase.
Magazines
In addition to the original magazine, my Saiga came with one 30 round and two 15 round magazines made by SGM Tactical in the USA. These magazines functioned so reliably that I subsequently purchased more of them. I am happy to report that these magazines are still widely available. At the time of this writing, one of the 30 round magazines cost $25.99 at GunMag Warehouse. (Full disclosure: GunMag Warehouse is an affiliate advertiser of SurvivalBlog.com . Purchases made using the above link will generate a small commission for SurvivalBlog).
These magazines are designed for Saigas that have not been modified by the addition of a bullet guide. I won’t discuss the best magazines to use with Saigas that have been modified with the addition of a bullet guide, since I have no personal experience with that modification.
922R Compliance
The term “922r” refers to a portion of federal law governing the importation of rifles and shotguns. Some foreign made rifles and shotguns are prohibited from importation to the United States because they have certain features that cause them to be deemed as “not particularly suitable for sporting purposes.” It is also prohibited to assemble similar rifles and shotguns in the United States with more than 10 imported parts out of a list of 20 parts. Those 20 parts are the frame/receiver, barrel, barrel extension, trunion, muzzle attachment, bolt, bolt carrier, charging handle, gas piston, trigger housing, trigger, hammer, sear, disconnector, buttstock, pistol grip, forearm/handguard, magazine body, magazine follower, and magazine floorplate.
A stock Saiga 223 comes from the factory with 14 of these enumerated parts, all of them foreign made. This is not a problem, because a stock Saiga 223 is considered “suitable for sporting purposes.”
On the other hand, if someone inserts a 30 round magazine into a stock Saiga 223, it is suddenly no longer considered suitable for sporting purposes. It is immediately transformed into a 922R noncompliant firearm, making the person who inserted the magazine a felon under federal law.
However, by replacing the buttstock of the Saiga 223 with an American-made buttstock and using a magazine with an American-made body, follower, and floorplate, the Saiga now has exactly 10 of the enumerated foreign-made parts and is thus 922r compliant.
To the best of my knowledge, no private non-FFL has ever been charged for inserting a 30 round magazine into a stock Saiga 223. But that does not mean that it could not happen with a hostile prosecutor in a firearms unfriendly jurisdiction. I try to avoid putting myself in situations where I am at the mercy of the good will and good sense of the American legal system. I would recommend that you do the same, but I am not a lawyer, so I don’t give legal advice.
Sights and Optics
The iron sights of the Saiga 223 are standard AK sights. Adjusting them requires an AK sight adjustment tool. I broke my very first AK sight adjustment tool because it was too fragile. I recommend the Midwest Industries AK Multi Tool instead. It is so rugged that I don’t think even a klutz like me can break it.
Mounting optics on a Saiga 223 requires an AK optics mount. The dust cover on the top of the AK receiver is not sturdy enough to firmly support an optics rail. As a result, AK optics mounts attach to the side of the receiver and then extend up over the top of the dust cover. This long extension allows more room for the mount to shift and thus move the optic out of zero. That is not usually a significant problem, because AKs are not designed to be long-range precision tools in the first place. The generous tolerances that make them so reliable do not lend themselves to long-range accuracy. If you decide to mount an optic on an AK, I recommend a red dot sight rather than a scope. That will make target acquisition easier within the 75 yards or so that I would consider to be the truly effective range of most AK pattern rifles.
Alternatives
As I mentioned, Saiga 223s are no longer widely available. As a result, it may be advisable to seek a similarly-configured AK alternative like the Zastava PAP M90, the FB 223S Beryl M1, or the PSA AK-556.
Based upon my own testing, I can highly recommend the Zastava PAP M90. Although not currently in stock at zastavaarmsuse.com at the time of this writing, there are still many new-in-box Zastava PAP M90 rifles available at gunbroker.com . The M90, like the other alternatives mentioned above, has better balance than a stock Saiga because the M90 is not sporterized. Just a few years ago, 30-round, American-made, steel magazines for the M90 were readily available from Zastava. Alas, those good old days are now past. But American-made polymer magazines are still available from Zastava in 10 packs.
The FB 223S Beryl M1 has the most direct military bona fides of any AK pattern rifle chambered in 5.56 NATO. It is directly based on the Polish FB Beryl service rifle. The Poles did some things their own way, so not all Beryl parts are fully interchangeable with typical AK parts, but many are. At the time of this writing, a Beryl cost $1,499 at atlanticfirearms.com
The PSA AK-556 is made by Palmetto State Armory. It has two major advantages over the other AK pattern rifles chambered in 5.56 NATO mentioned above. One is that it is made in the USA, so there are absolutely no 922r compliance issues. The second is that it accepts standard AR magazines. Magazine compatibility and availability is a major issue for most AK pattern rifles chambered in 5.56. Magazines made for the rifles of one manufacturer will not necessarily function reliably in the rifles made by a different manufacturer. These magazines also often hard to find and come at a premium price. But AR magazines are easy to find and inexpensive. At the time of this writing, an AK-556 cost $999 at palmettostatearmory.com.
Conclusions
The Saiga 223 is a nice AK pattern rifle chambered in 5.56 NATO. It is durable and reliable under a wide variety of conditions.
Since new models are no longer being actively marketed in the United States, parts and accessories are gradually growing more rare. If you already own a Saiga, there is no reason to get rid of it. But if you are looking for an AK pattern rifle chambered in 5.56 NATO, there may be other options that present a better choice. My own testing has confirmed that the Zastava PAP M90 is an excellent choice. The FB 223S Beryl M1 has extensive Polish military use behind it. And the PSA AK-556 is American made and uses AR magazines.
Disclaimers
GunMag Warehouse is an affiliate advertiser of SurvivalBlog. Midwest Industries provided me with a sample of their AK Multi Tool for a previous review. Zastava loaned me a sample of their PAP M90 for a previous review. Palmetto State Armory is an affiliate advertiser of SurvivalBlog. I did not receive any other financial or other inducement to mention any vendor, product, or service in this article.
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