High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Saiga Semi-Automatic Rifles are a family of semi-automatic rifles manufactured by Izhmash, the arms division of Izhevsk Mechanical Works in Russia who manufacture the original AK-series assault rifles. The Saiga rifles are a so-called "sporter" version of the AK-series rifles and are marketed for hunting and civilian use.Named for the Saiga Antelope , the Saiga series of rifles is based on the AK-47 weapon system originally designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov. The Saiga platform was developed for shooters who wanted the reliability of an AK pattern rifle in a non-military package.