AICS Magazine Conversion Kit for the TRG-22

[Massoud]

Gents,
We've developed a conversion for Sako TRG-22 users who want to use AICS mags in their TRG's. The kit consists of a new backbone or chassis, along with a new mag catch, and a catch extension.

Due to the shape of the forend, only 10rd mags can be used. At some point in the future, we will offer a forend like that on our upcoming Whisky-3 Chassis which will allow 5rd mags as well.

Feeding with the AICS mags is pretty stiff for the first few rounds from a new, full mag. We've developed some ways around this by polishing up the mags a little and tweaking the feed lips a tiny bit.

On our chassis, we employ a "V" style bedding system that gives better contact between the action and the chassis.

The kits ship with one Mcree Precision mag (no spacer), and the user has the opportunity to purchase up to two more for $50 each at the time of purchase of the kit.

More info is posted on the site, www.krg-ops.com, along with pics of all the parts.

We don't have online ordering up just yet but will have it going ASAP.

Let me know if you have any questions, thanks,
Justin

 

[jbell]

Re: AICS Magazine Conversion Kit for the TRG-22

Massoud , that sounds awsome. I do have a few questions though. Is there any reason to go to the AICS mags. in the TRG other than to reduce the cost of the mags. themself? My TRG feeds like Oprah at a buffet. I know the AI mags for a AIAW load easier than the TRGs b/c you can just drop them in, are the AICS the same? How does the "v" block style bedding work with a flat bottom action? I have no bedding issues at all w/ mine have there been some problems with the Sako chassis , because in my mind a milled flat action and a milled flat chassis will be as good as you can get , if done properly better than using bedding compound. It seems to me that a "v" block style will just substantially reduce the contact between the action and the chassis. Do the AICS mags. in this system drop away as free as the TRG , b/c I think the TRG is better than the AIAW (no experiance with the AICS). Last one you have an approx. price point?

Sorry for all the questions and if they are a little hard to understand the though of all this just got my brain up and running. I does sound cool Im looking forward to some pics and reports.

Please develop an action wrench for the TRG!

 

[ptd]

Re: AICS Magazine Conversion Kit for the TRG-22

Brings cheaper mags to the TRG, that is a good thing (coming from someone who has a couple TRG's and quite a few mags between them)... I see mention that new AICS mags feed pretty stiff for the first few rounds, any testing done with the Alpha Type 2 mags?

Also, any news on the W3C? and will the folding back end still be compatible with the TRG?

-pd

 

[Massoud]

Re: AICS Magazine Conversion Kit for the TRG-22

Jbell,
-I would say the primary reasons to switch mags are cost of mags and now you can use the same mags in all your mag fed bolt guns (most out there now use AICS mags). This would simplify things greatly. The factory mags are great mags, very high quality. They aren't without problems though, and are expensive to replace (my TRG-22 mag only holds 9 rounds for some reason, etc). This definitely is not a product that everyone who has a TRG needs to rush out and buy, but it does fill a need for some.

-AICS mags don't load like AW mags because AICS feed from a single stack, so you have to load them like a TRG mag, but they're not hard to load.

-The TRG is not a flat bottom action. I thought that myself when I first got mine, but it is round on the bottom. There really hasn't been a bedding issue that we have seen or heard of, in terms of rifle performance. However, when we take apart our rifles, by looking closely we can see the imprint of the action onto the chassis and it's kind of an incosistent mate up. Since we were doing a new chassis anyway due to the change in the shape of the magwell, we decided to upgrade to the V system as an extra benefit.

-The AICS mags will drop free, depending on how you set the magwell tension. There's two ways to do that, a spacer block that rides in the lower part of the chassis (little silver aluminum piece) and also moving the forend. You can adjust things so tight that the mags won't drop free. It's up to you.

-Price looks like it will be 295, which includes 1 mag and the option to buy 2 more at 50/ea. Sorry I forgot to include that on my original post.

-Either we will do an action wrench or another guy on here will, either way I suspect there will be something out before the end of the year

PTD,

We tried out some of the very first MORTA mags and then some revised ones. Both fed extremely smoothly (even from a full 10rd mag) but weren't always consistent. One one, the 8th round would nose dive every time. Between us and Alpha, we never did figure things out fully. They can be used for sure, but I can't say what results you will see.

As for the Whiskey-3, we have revised it slightly and went to a billet back end. I'm having some pics taken tomorrow so I'll post them. The backend will still fit a TRG. First we will offer the fixed (we want to test the hell out of the folding mechanism). But as we have it now, guys will be able to buy a kit eventually that converts their fixed to a folder (as well as offering the W3 in a folder and also just the folder for the TRG's)

Ok hope that answers things a bit,
Justin

 

[jbell]

Re: AICS Magazine Conversion Kit for the TRG-22

Justin, thanks for the intell. Did you see any improvement in the accruacy of your TRG w/ the up graded chassis? I have got to say at that price range you cant go wrong , sounds awsome. I cant wate for the action wrench and the folder upgrade, you have at least one sell here. PLEASE keep us informed on the action wrench and the folder.

 

[Massoud]

Re: AICS Magazine Conversion Kit for the TRG-22

Jbell,
I will definitely post updates on the stock and the action wrench, I should have some new pics shortly, along with another TRG related product announcement.

I can't say I noticed an accuracy improvement with my TRG. It shot so well before, basically as well as my custom .243 AI and other custom guns. You can, however, see the difference in bedding, as it is very clear where the contact point are in the V block once you remove the action from the V block, and it's very consistent.
Thanks for your interest,
Justin

 

[sirhrmechanic]

Re: AICS Magazine Conversion Kit for the TRG-22

Folks:

I had the opportunity to beta test one of these kits as a prototype this past summer and I can't say enough good things about it or about Justin and his engineering efforts.

The new chassis had fantastic fit and finish and other than a couple of sling bracket mount screw holes being a bit off on my gun (this was fixed on the final version) the new chassis went on perfectly.

One of my concerns expressed to Justin when we talked about it was how was the cost of this unit going to be justified in new magazines... but now that I see the final price, that issue totally goes away. I had expected that this unit would cost about $500 - 600 to produce and that would take a lot of magazines to justify. But the kit final price is half of what I thought the production cost would be... That's impressive.

And Justin was concerned that the 'fit and finish' of the prototype wasn't up to snuff and that the final version is much better. He is worried that I didn't like it. Well, I thought the cosmetic and build quality of the prototype was fantastic. If the production unit is better... wow!

The only functional area that was different from the original TRG chassis/magazine is that the first round was harder to strip out of the clip. But this was only with a 'packed' AI mag. After the first round no problem. And do follow Justin's recommendations on magazines. We tried different mags and some worked better than others. His testing was thorough... believe it! Other than that, the TRG functioned just like it left the factory.

The unexpected bonus for this whole kit is the magazine release. One of the PITA areas of the TRG is the mag release which is hard to use and requires jamming a finger in the space between trigger guard and mag. The extended release provided with the AI Mag conversion is worth the price of the whole kit.

Anyway, I just wanted to throw some support behind Justin and his efforts. This unit shows a lot of time, trouble, attention to detail and effort. I hope he sells a boatload of them and watch for some additional cool stuff from his workshop.

Some pix below... though you can't see much... the look and function of the TRG is just as the Finns intended.

Cheers,

Sirhr

PS... the scope on the rifle was just there for the photos... Normally a 58mm T-Pal resides there. That's why the mount height looks... goofy...

 

[Massoud]

Re: AICS Magazine Conversion Kit for the TRG-22

Sirhr,
You're making me blush! haha. Thanks for the kind words. I hope the next round of products is even better.

We've revised things slightly from the version seen above. You can find some pretty clear pics on our site. Additionally, we'll post some pics comparing the factory parts with KRG parts.

We did do some pretty extensive testing with various mags, and we gave Alpha Ind feedback with the early MORTA/Alpha Ind mags.

Anyway, we've got something coming for guys who want to keep the factory TRG mags...
Justin

 

[MinorDamage]

Re: AICS Magazine Conversion Kit for the TRG-22

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Massoud</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Anyway, we've got something coming for guys who want to keep the factory TRG mags...</div></div>

You're such a tease.

Josh

 

[aubie515]

Re: AICS Magazine Conversion Kit for the TRG-22

Any plans for TRG42 conversion?

 

[Massoud]

Re: AICS Magazine Conversion Kit for the TRG-22

haha, we are processing images and tweaking the product page for the site. Hopefully we'll show it soon. It's nothing crazy, just another useful upgrade.

aubie515, we will likely do a 42 conversion, in fact it's already designed. We just wanted to get a few things out the door first, and gauge interest. From our very initial testing, it looks like the AICS long action mags will feed very well without any massaging. But it's still quite early in the process to make any claims.

Thanks,
Justin

 

[zunrj5]

Re: AICS Magazine Conversion Kit for the TRG-22

Hey guys,

Justin and I are playing with the idea of possibly doing a TRG-42 mag conversion sometime this year and we wanted to see if there would be any interest in such a product.

Please let us know what you think.

-John

 

[Adam B]

Re: AICS Magazine Conversion Kit for the TRG-22

I would be all about one!

 

[SFTexan]

Re: AICS Magazine Conversion Kit for the TRG-22

I'd be in for a -42 conversion. For the .338LM, would this run the CIP length mag?

 

[skog]

Re: AICS Magazine Conversion Kit for the TRG-22

Has anybody else have any experience with this? Havent heard much more after this thread. what mags work best? cost of this is justified as 1.5 trg mags covers the cost and if I have a bunch aics mags. I can sell my trg mag and cover a good portion of the cost.

skog