Saiga .223 With A 7.62x39 Bolt?

[Raiden]

My Google-Fu isn't getting me any real results...

I recently ordered a new Saiga .223 rifle from an online dealer. It always fails the eject .223 snap caps or cartridges, which worked fine in my other flawless Saiga .223 rifle. Upon closer inspection of the bolt head, the cartridge seat is much larger than the diameter of the .223 rim. As such, the extractor latch isn't catching onto the .223 cartridge's rim, which has a diameter of 9.6mm.

I measured it as best I could with a caliper, and the cartridge seat is approximately 11.35mm in diameter - same as the 7.62x39mm cartridge rim diameter.
http://fox-hound.us/misc/Saiga-Bolt-Head-mid.jpg

I don't have my other Saiga .223 to compare, as it's getting worked on. Is it possible they put the wrong bolt in there? Or, should the cartridge seat really be almost 2mm wider (I can't find Izhmash's Saiga bolt specs and I never noticed on my other rifle since it worked fine), and maybe something else is the issue? The only marking on the bolt and bolt carrier are the matching numbers 336, which doesn't turn up anything significant on Google. Suggestions and expertise warmly welcomed!

[Raiden]

I'm no Mikhail Kalashnikov, but c'mon... that much space just doesn't look right.
http://fox-hound.us/misc/Saiga-Bolt-Head-Photo-01a.jpg

[GIockGuy24]

The 223 Saiga bolt is suppose to have a spring loaded firing pin. Very few 7.62x39 Saiga bolts have spring loaded firing pins but a few have been made. The 5.45 AK-74 bolt (except Romanian) will usually fit and work in a 223 Saiga. It's only a very slight loose fit on the cartridge rim. It does not have a spring loaded firing pin though. Most Saiga bolts have all of part of the serial number on them, so it should be easy to see if it didn't leave the factory with that bolt.

Due to the spring loaded firing pin, the 223 Saiga is longer than other Saiga and AK-74 bolts.

The 7.62x39 Saiga marks fired cartridge cases according to Russian law by a band in the barrel chamber neck. The smaller cartridge 223 Saiga does this by a stepped circle machined into the bolt face to mark fired 223 cartridge cases.

If you have another 223 Saiga you may be able to swap bolts and test for function.

[Raiden]

Thanks, a bunch, for the info!

The gun's SN does contain 336, in the middle, but I wonder if that's just coincidental. The firing pin is definitely free-floating, so that's more confirmation they installed the wrong bolt and bolt carrier, if all .223s had spring retainers. I might swing by my local shop and see if they can't pull the bolt and bolt carrier from my other .223 so I can compare. Heck, I'm sure they can check it out themselves, since I suspect they have much-more accurate calipers there, compared to my dollar bin set.

Since the other Saiga, from the same dealer, worked so well - I never really paid much attention to the dimensions of everything. I just cleaned it after each trip to the range, and it behaved.