I've got one.
It works like an AK. Meaning dead reliable and tough as nails. Barrel is chrome lined and thick enough you can put 200 rounds through it quickly and still be able to grab it and not get burned.
It has a gas valve on the gas tube to allow you to shoot heavy loads, and 3inch shells without issue, and then a secondary setting for lighter loads etc. Comes standard with a bolt hold open, but even if you find one that doesn't Black Jack Buffers makes a great replacement notched safety lever that works as a bolt hold open.
Most now come with a threaded barrel and there is a choke kit available for it, or you can just spend 100 bucks and buy a poly choke for it that screws right on. There are a bunch of after market flash hiders and brakes too if you just like shooting it open cylinder.
I've modded mine to have a pistol grip and standard AK stock (eventually I will have an ACE folder on it). Saigas for the most part take any standard AK scope mounts, butt stocks and pistol grips. They have a different front end but there is a guy Dinzag, who makes a special adapter so that you could use standard AK hand guards if you wanted.
It is my home defense weapon that is for sure.
As for shooting clays etc, with a 19 inch barrel and a bead on the gas tube instead of the end of the barrel like an 870 etc it makes shooting clays a bit different in that you have to sight the shot gun entirely different from other shotguns. It takes some getting used to. I didn't buy it for trap shooting etc but it will do it if you don't have another shotgun.
The recoil isn't bad at all because it is semi-automatic. But the nice thing is one can get a limb saver slip on recoil reducer if you leave it stock or if you are using an AK buttstock you can use a grenade launcher recoil pad. Either way the gun with a recoil pad kicks so lightly that it is comfortable for most people.
You can bumpfire it just as easy as any other AK clone out there. There are 20 round drums out for it and an number of different sized mags. Also a mag well is coming out so that the mags can be inserted and released much more like an AR instead of the rock and lock AK style.
Things to look out for are making sure you have the correct foreign part count if you convert it. And also polishing the under side of the bolt and the trigger to help it cycle more efficiently with lower brass and low power shells.
All in all it is easily the best bang for your buck if you want a semi-auto shotgun for under 500 bucks.
