Best SHOTGUN EVER!

[RJTravel]

Too many posts to digest, and this may have been touched upon already - but just my observations. For HD the most important factor is reliability. The sometimes unreliability of the Saiga may be the result of shell 'side-crush' deformation. It may be a 'cool' shotgun, but for any and all serious purposes give me an in-line magazine - every time.
Richard

 

[Ole Humpback]

Fastcast, I'd highly suggest at the very least shooting some of the more challenging games first before saying they take no skill. I've some very great wingshooters fall flat on there face shooting trap/skeet/sporting clays which are all games I do fairly good at. The reverse is also true. I used to shoot with a guy who could count all the misses hed had in the last 4yrs on one hand and he was shooting well over 30krds a year. However, he went bird hunting and couldn't hit the bird even if it was standing still.

Theres far more to shotgunning than what meets the eye.

 

[PT92]

Let's be honest now, the >10 round magazines for the Saigas are a lot larger than a 30 round magazine for a regular AK-pattern gun, and they're also a lot heavier when fully loaded.

Weight wise I agree--But have a look and you will see scale-wise it's not. If you are used to the AK I think you will be comfortable with the Saiga (however, I will concede your point in that I oversimplified it):

AK-47


Saiga-12 with Extended Mag


-Cheers

 

[PT92]

Too many posts to digest, and this may have been touched upon already - but just my observations. For HD the most important factor is reliability. The sometimes unreliability of the Saiga may be the result of shell 'side-crush' deformation. It may be a 'cool' shotgun, but for any and all serious purposes give me an in-line magazine - every time.
Richard

Shells left in a tube fed shotgun over time deform as well. Cycle the ammo and you're worry-free tube or mag (and yes, if you happen to be spring paranoid, get a spare).

-Cheers

 

[Girodin]

The sometimes unreliability of the Saiga may be the result of shell 'side-crush' deformation.

Shell deformation can occur if a mag is left loaded on a closed bolt. My experience has been that the time this takes to occur depends largely on the ammo in question. I have done experiments mys self and seen the posted results of others where a round was left on a close bolt for weeks on end with no feeding issues.

Here is one such test: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P59kEasmtXA

Personally I prefer to leave the bolt back and then it is a total non issue. I have never seen any amount of deformation from just being in the magazine itself and I left a mag loaded for probably 8 months or so as an experiment.

Saiga reliability when it is an issue tends to be with lighter loads (personally all my S12s have cycled everything I've put in them provided the are on the proper gas setting). I've never seen or heard of one having issues shooting ammo that would be used for HD, slugs or buckshot. Not even with reduced recoil loads. I also hear people mention the gas settings but again it will cycle ammo that's suited for defense on either setting. If one is really worried they might be forced to or inadvertently use light loads just leave it on 2 and it will still run slugs and buck, and a dozen round wont ruin the gun.