i thought about converting a saiga 7.62x39 or .308 (was supposed to be easier to covert .308 and 12g i think) a couple years ago. there was a couple videos online as well as a couple how to's on various forums. pretty detailed info on how to go about it. it really didn't seem all that hard to do. as for the parts and compliance there has been lots of discussions out there so i think its hard to go wrong if you find a older post and read through it all.

i hate how much the prices have jumped on these and wish i had bought back in 08'-09'. i really don't see the prices going down the way things have been. one of the pluses of buying a converted s12 is hopefully they covered any little details and maybe did a good job refinishing the conversion. With dealer pricing on parts and added labor it really should be more price effective to buy converted but I can't see the $300 there myself. I would think it should $200 or less over a unconverted S12. but of course I don't know where the converted s12's are coming or what all is done to them. i'm guessing compliance issues is a main reason these are being done this way now. they seem to be running right at $900 which is too rich for my blood and at $600 for a s12 it's hard to say if it's worth it one way or the other. my guess is if the necessary parts are at least half the cost of a converted rifle and the conversion can be done in a couple hours at home then it could be worth it to pocket the $100-$150. but i would definitely check and double check my parts against what they are using...