Thoughts on Saiga-12?
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Fred Fuller
Moderator Emeritus
What do you plan to use the shotgun for?
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
As a gun collector? Well, no one else can tell you what tickles your fancy. As a "collector's item" it isn't likely to ever have much additional value due to rarity or exceptional quality, but you could be one of the few owners in the distant future who kept theirs "stock" and didn't convert it to the more suitable military type pattern. That could be kind of worth something.
For plinking and just goofin' off? Sure. It's fun.
For hunting? There are much more ergonomic and efficient choices in the more traditional style shotguns.
For wingshooting competition? (Skeet, Trap, Sporting Clays, 5 stand) No. Not the right tool for the job.
For practical / 3-gun competition? Well, they can work, if the divisions are set up to allow them. They sometimes require a lot of tinkering to get them to run reliably enough to want to use. The top guys don't use them, but you could have a lot of fun with one. (Or cuss it till the air turns blue!)
For plinking and just goofin' off? Sure. It's fun.
For hunting? There are much more ergonomic and efficient choices in the more traditional style shotguns.
For wingshooting competition? (Skeet, Trap, Sporting Clays, 5 stand) No. Not the right tool for the job.
For practical / 3-gun competition? Well, they can work, if the divisions are set up to allow them. They sometimes require a lot of tinkering to get them to run reliably enough to want to use. The top guys don't use them, but you could have a lot of fun with one. (Or cuss it till the air turns blue!)
Fred Fuller
Moderator Emeritus
If you just want a shotgun ... well, it's a shotgun 
. And yes, I have one, so I'm not making fun of them.
If you have other AK style firearms and want an AK shotgun, a Saiga will definitely meet that need. A 12 gauge AK - how cool is that?
If you want a blaster for the range - it has that role down pat.
They make pretty good 3-gun shotguns, in the eyes of some shooters.
Some people do use them for HD. I'm not comfortable enough with keeping plastic box magazines loaded over the long term to be one of those however.
The 'gun club' crowd would have ... mixed reactions ... to it, I'd guarantee.
There are many better choices for hunting.
Like everything else, it's not a one dimensional choice. Its appearance will alienate some people and attract others. It is definitely a 'statement' shotgun - be sure you know what it says, and be sure that's what you want to say... especially if it's the only shotgun you have.
fwiw...
. And yes, I have one, so I'm not making fun of them. If you have other AK style firearms and want an AK shotgun, a Saiga will definitely meet that need. A 12 gauge AK - how cool is that?
If you want a blaster for the range - it has that role down pat.
They make pretty good 3-gun shotguns, in the eyes of some shooters.
Some people do use them for HD. I'm not comfortable enough with keeping plastic box magazines loaded over the long term to be one of those however.
The 'gun club' crowd would have ... mixed reactions ... to it, I'd guarantee.
There are many better choices for hunting.
Like everything else, it's not a one dimensional choice. Its appearance will alienate some people and attract others. It is definitely a 'statement' shotgun - be sure you know what it says, and be sure that's what you want to say... especially if it's the only shotgun you have.
fwiw...
GarySTL
Member
I took mine once to a clays course. One station had five true pair's of rabbits. I loaded a 10 round magazine and told the trapper to roll them as fast as he could. Hit them all. Then everybody had to try it. Best gun for clays, of course not. Lots of fun and happy laughter, you bet.
Russian Hammer
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I'd suggest looking at a vepr 12, I personally own a very reliable saiga 12 but after having first hand experience with the vepr I can say its a significantly better shotgun. The only drawback to the vepr IMO is there will be CSSpecs steel magazines available in the future and they won't work with mag wells and from handling the beta model I think the conversion would be harder than a plastic mag.
I've used the saiga 12 to some extent for hunting, and it works fine but IMO it's a handicap for shooting anything in the air and for clays I don't think I could do well with it but then again I'm not very good at skeet or clays.
For home defense even though it is not my go to firearm I would have no problem trusting it to defend my life, but I also use factory 5 round mags exclusively so I don't have the reliability issues presented by most of the aftermarket mags though I do have a drum for blasting away at the range.
The best suggestion I have for you is get the saiga or vepr, whichever one you prefer, but remember if you get a saiga you should be comfortable working on it to get it to reliably run light loads, the vepr on the other hand has much better QC and the majority of the ones I've seen run federal bull packs right out of the box.
I've used the saiga 12 to some extent for hunting, and it works fine but IMO it's a handicap for shooting anything in the air and for clays I don't think I could do well with it but then again I'm not very good at skeet or clays.
For home defense even though it is not my go to firearm I would have no problem trusting it to defend my life, but I also use factory 5 round mags exclusively so I don't have the reliability issues presented by most of the aftermarket mags though I do have a drum for blasting away at the range.
The best suggestion I have for you is get the saiga or vepr, whichever one you prefer, but remember if you get a saiga you should be comfortable working on it to get it to reliably run light loads, the vepr on the other hand has much better QC and the majority of the ones I've seen run federal bull packs right out of the box.
Inebriated
Member
Fred Fuller said:
That would be my primary reason for owning one, if I'm perfectly honest. The gasps and grunts will be louder than the shooting. Lol
OP, it's a decent shotgun. It's heavy, they take some work to run with low brass stuff, the shells tend to deform in the magazines overtime, they're certainly fun, and more fun with a Bumpski stock. If you want one for pure fun, they're tough to beat. For any serious competitions (be it sporting clays, trap, skeet, 3-gun, etc), home defense, or hunting, there are better routes that you could take. It's really just a fun gun to have.
VA27
Member
Fun to play with. I bought mine when they were cheap. When the price skyrocketed I sold it and bought a Benelli M1 with the money.
Tejicano Loco
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I have a Saiga-12 converted to folding stock/pistol grip configuration with the barrel cut to just over 18" including the permanently attached muzzle brake. This is part of my travel kit. It fits into a tennis racket bag along with an AR handgun or FAL Para - depending on the trip.
I find it relatively light and handy and believe it has serious firepower for a CQB scenario. I have 5 round and 10 round magazines and a couple 20 round drums. As long as I have used high brass 12 gauge ammo it hasn't give me any problems.
I find it relatively light and handy and believe it has serious firepower for a CQB scenario. I have 5 round and 10 round magazines and a couple 20 round drums. As long as I have used high brass 12 gauge ammo it hasn't give me any problems.
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