Saiga 12: The Adventure Begins.....

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Dave, seating a full mag on a closed bolt isn't hard. But the angle of initial insertion is critical when you do this. Then you seat with a touch of gusto. On an open bolt, seating is easy.

Myself, when I run mine, I ALWAYS seat on a closed bolt. No worries about shell deformation, as I keep it "cruiser ready" for HD purposes. No two different "feels" when seating a magazine. And I know that I have to cycle the charging handle EVERY time I insert a mag. If I get a bump-in-the-night that pulls me out of sleep and needs attention, I don't want to have to remember wether or not I need to cycle the charging handle before it'll go bang. K.I.S.S. applies here.

Repetition builds competence.........

How many rounds so far? Any hiccups?

Also there are chokes avalible for them. A set of three (IC/mod/full) runs 90 bucks last I checked, should one so desire.
 
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Most new Saigas are threaded for chokes, and you can get a Poly Choke II for it that lets you change it to whatever you want. That costs around $100. If it's not already threaded for chokes, a gunsmith can thread it for WinChokes for you.
 
Glad you liked it,HM. I sure did.

HK, the 19" version. Not an ideal trap gun. Fun, though and that
was the idea. It does feel like a shotgun, not an "Assault Rifle".

I played with it a little yesterday. The mag changes are coming easier, and it moves nicely from low ready to firing position. I need to bench it and try out some slugs and buck.
 
Eventually, I loaded up both mags and we tried a few trap clays. Since this has no choke, rudimentary sights and a trigger best described as stout, results were not that good.
Click to expand...

Not questioning your or anyone else's skills in the matter, but if I avoid using the sights (I never use the sights on birds/clays) I can usually do decent work on clays. As long as they're in close I can get em, the lack of a choke tube does allow the pattern to spread out quickly but if ya get em before they fly off, they turn to dust, and mine's a 19" barrel. not saying i hit every one but i can do some damage on the clay birdies with it!
 
With my own trap gun,Grant, I usually score in the low 20s at trap. My longest straight so far is 64.

The sights on this get in the way of seeing the bird. I'm sure I can adjust with practice.

But, this is not a clay buster per se. It's a weapon designed to work very well at close range for reducing threat levels.
 
With my own trap gun,Grant, I usually score in the low 20s at trap. My longest straight so far is 64.

The sights on this get in the way of seeing the bird. I'm sure I can adjust with practice.

But, this is not a clay buster per se. It's a weapon designed to work very well at close range for reducing threat levels.
 
Best I've done with my Saiga in Trap is 23/25 and 21/25. Polychoke did wonders.

Shell Deformation: I've left #7 1 1/8oz Federal Value pack birdshot loaded on a closed bolt in 10rd AGP mags (Loaded to 10) for 2 months straight. After 2 months, it chambered the first round flawlessly.

Do they deform? Yes, but only a little bit lopsided. I'm guessing the problems really occur with SOFT Winchester shells or bad crimps that allow the shot to be pushed forward, deforming the cross-section.

Loading on a closed bolt is possible with any mag and any gun:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rV5DcHQO5w

It just takes practice.



THERE ARE LEGALITIES INVOLVED WHEN YOU USE 10rd MAGS and 20rd DRUMS. DO NOT STICK THESE IN FACTORY 19" THREADED MUZZLE GUNS WITHOUT SWAPPING AT LEAST ONE US MADE PART. (The easiest is a gas piston "Puck" found here Chaos is A+ in service and quality and is a devoted member of the Forum.Saiga-12.com boards. Top notch manufacturer.)

19" Threaded Saiga-12 = 14 foreign parts (With mags)
22" Fixed choke = 13 Foreign parts (with mags)

Swapping out the OEM russian for a 3 US part AGP will give you 11 and 10 respectively. Make SURE you do not get caught with your pants down. For $35 you can be 100% legal with any mag or drum in your Factory gun.

~SN
 
Even if you don't plan to right now, I have a feeling you'll be doing the full conversion soon...

Originally I didn't plan on converting my Saiga 7.62, but ended up doing the full conversion - I liked it before but am absolutely in love with the rifle now.

Conversion parts are back ordered for the Saiga 12 (I ordered a month ago and still don't have them) but as soon as they get here I'll be converting it also - and will likely fall in love with the gun all over again.
 
Since this is a loaner, I'll stick with the 5 round mags.

Same with conversions. And, I do like it as it is. Lots of time with shotguns means the stock feels good. And, I can work a standard stock pretty fast.

I may pattern this tomorrow. Lessee how it goes....
 
Mine just came in today......Gotta pick it up from my waaaay too busy FFL....on Monday......Can't wait:)
 
As far as Home Defense goes, isn't there a problem with the magazines if you leave the shells in for too long? I thought I read something about it not being a good idea with these guns in particular, but if its not the case I imagine it would be wonderful for home/zombie defense.
Click to expand...

I have a converted saiga 12 and so does one of my friends. forum.saiga-12.com is the place you want to get your answers from.

Basically the story is the plastic shell will be compress in time by the pressure of the closed bolt on top it and be problematic. My home solution is to have a full magazine but have the bolt locked back. If it is needed just sling shot the bolt closed. Makes that scary sound that is suppose to make perps pee in their pants and run immediately too. Just had to throw that one in because so many claim nothing is scarier than the sound of a pump shotgun being ratcheted. A couple of other solutions is one guy drilled holes in his mags and put a pin in to keep the pressure off the top shell. He just pulls it kind of like a grenade pin when needed. My buddy modified his bolt by per reputable instructions by shaving some mass off the bottom and he can load on a closed bolt easily. Don't know if that solves the shell deformation problem or not.

Any day now (been saying that over a year) two new aftermarket features will appear that will make an already great shotgun awesome. One is a mag well which will do away with awkward hit it just right rock and lock AK dance. There will also be a button release to drop the mag. The other will be a last round bolt hold open that will stay open when you release the magazine. It will also have a quick release in lieu of sling shoting the bolt.

I have tried skeet shooting too and it is definitely not the right shotgun. My range only allows two shots and fiddling with the magazine was a hassle to keep up with. Definitely prefer a good O/U for that activity.
 
Mines just came in S-12

Thanks Dave et al. Cause of this site and the saiga forum I decided to buy a S-12.....Can't wait to shoot 'er......


Pics to follow..when I learn how to post 'em here....
 
I got the IZ-109 19" bbl. I put the RAA Sleteonized stock on it. Its in the sporter config and I liked the way she performed.

Box and a half of #6 shot. The barrel kept my hands warm at the outdoor range:D

Recoil was about equal to other 12 ga shottys, as far as I can remember.

Overall I'm real psyched about this weapon;)
 
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