Siaga mag feed 12 gauge

[BlueStarLizzard]

 Dads thinking on a it possible future purchase to fill a niche in our collection.

We know the ak platform an are fans.

Thoughts, reveiws, prices you've seen would be welcome.

[Tallpine]

Well, ma'am - I never had much use for one myself.

 

[AJ Dual]

I like mine.

Conversion to a pistol grip is easy. I get most of my AK's from Atlantic, Centerfire, or Classic Arms. Although saiga12.com usually has a price & availability thread going. Or folks post spontaneously.

I like Carolina State Armory for the best deals on conversion parts kits.

The SGM 10 round box magazines have been good to me. Avoid ProMa. g box mags they're terrible, but strangely their 12 and 20 round drums are good to go. I'd say to go with DM drums, as he's the little Guy entrepreneur etc. but you'll save $10 a drum, and maybe shipping if some place you've got a big order going already has ProMag.

The break in/wear in process to smooth things out so it'll cycle cheap weaker low brass loads can be a pain. But you can polish the bolt and get after-market gas plugs with adjustment etc.

[lee n. field]

---delete---

[kgbsquirrel]

Just sold mine as part of the "reduction in force" my collection is undergoing.

Kicks stoutly, but not overly harsh. Worked well with buckshot and slugs out of the box but you will need to tweak the gas system if you wish to run target loads instead, also this will be necessary if you wish to drop the money on an SBS stamp. The 6 round box mag that came with are decent, the 12 round box mags are overly long, and I found the pro-mag 12 round drum to be a pleasant size, about the diameter of a grapefruit. I actually preferred the 12 round drum to the 20-rounder as there was less wasted space involve (shells are only stored on a ring running the outer diameter of the drum, inside that is more or less wasted space), and it was a handier size and weight. If yours comes with the conventional stock you can cheap out and replace it with a tapco pistol grip and telescoping stock, or you can spend a bit more and do a full stock conversion where you change out the trigger group and make it into a true AK regarding pistol grip location and shoulder stock (this is also obviously a more advanced evolution than the cheap tapco replacement).

All in all I liked it and was quite happy with the system. Mine also had a side rail so I tossed a mount and a red dot on it for giggles. Also added a flash hider/striking device to the muzzle. Only reason I sold it was the desire to free up money for other things.

[vaskidmark]

Prices have jumped upwards considerably since ATF hinted that imported shotguns that cannot prove their "sporting purposes" would be banned.  Since you are in Virginia look at www.vaguntrader.com - folks there seem to bump WTS prices by 40% and depress WTB prices by 75%, then occasionally work out an agreeable compromise.  Unfortunately, there are none currently listed except for a guy out your way looking to trade an AR15 type in 7.62 for one.

stay safe.

[MechAg94]

I had heard that you had to be careful leaving the mags loaded as the plastic shotgun shells would deform and not feed reliably.  Have any of you noticed this?

[kgbsquirrel]

Only time I noted a deformation of a shotshell hull was if the mag was topped out and locked in the shotgun pressed against a closed bolt. Easy solution: Use the bolt hold open that the Saiga-12 comes with, or just leave the magazine stored outside the shotgun. Had the pro-mag 12 round drum loaded for several months with no noticed ill effects. YMMV.

[AJ Dual]

I had heard that you had to be careful leaving the mags loaded as the plastic shotgun shells would deform and not feed reliably.  Have any of you noticed this?

That's why the drums are a good idea. Especially the the smaller ProMag 12 rounders that don't protrude much more than an 8 round box.

Prices have jumped upwards considerably since ATF hinted that imported shotguns that cannot prove their "sporting purposes" would be banned.  Since you are in Virginia look at www.vaguntrader.com - folks there seem to bump WTS prices by 40% and depress WTB prices by 75%, then occasionally work out an agreeable compromise.  Unfortunately, there are none currently listed except for a guy out your way looking to trade an AR15 type in 7.62 for one.

stay safe.

Fortunately Congress stepped in and told the ATF "Uh... No."  

Prices have fallen back to almost pre-scare levels. Almost. Considering most all of the central banks in the Western world have begun Quantative Easing #5 to try and prop up the Euro, the price is arguably even "the same".

http://centerfiresystems.com/SAI-12GR100.aspx

Decent prices, but "temporarily out of stock" is common.

ETA: Here's mine. Just after fininshing the conversion. The only "scary" part was sawing off the rear tang. That was kind of "final" if you know what I mean.



The only maddening part was lifting the Bolt-Hold-Open lever's spring over the catch. I finally found a YouTube video about using some dental floss threaded around it to pull it up.

The ACE folder is kind of silly since it's got the huge 19" barrel (shoved out even further than most shotguns due to being stuck on the end of the long AKM style receiver), but I wanted maximum political incorrectness. Main difference now is it's had a flash hider/adjustable multi-choke added to the muzzle.

[Physics]

I paid $450 for mine.  

I absolutely love my S12.  The only issue I've had is the standard issue 5 round mag is just too small for plinking due to the firing rate, so I bought a 10 round mag, but it doesn't really work with my gun for some reason.  Rounds get stuck on feed.  Other than that though, the gun is very fun.  I have yet to put a pistol grip on mine.

[AJ Dual]

I paid $450 for mine.  

I absolutely love my S12.  The only issue I've had is the standard issue 5 round mag is just too small for plinking due to the firing rate, so I bought a 10 round mag, but it doesn't really work with my gun for some reason.  Rounds get stuck on feed.  Other than that though, the gun is very fun.  I have yet to put a pistol grip on mine.

What brand magazine is it?

[lee n. field]

ProMag 12 rounders

So the Promags work OK?  Th reputation of Promag products is "spotty".  (YMMV.  My Mini-14 Promag 10 and 20 rounders, when I had one, were the only aftermarket magazines that actually worked well.)

[GigaBuist]

I've got the .410 and 20 gauge versions.  Purchased them both in 2004 (or close to that) for $180 and $200 respectively.  Back then the 12 gauge was going for $300.

They're fun but I've never found any real use for them.  Too clunky to shoot clays with.

[Physics]

What brand magazine is it?

AGP Arms