[ARCHIVED THREAD] - SBS Saiga 12 (Page 2 of 2)
Yeah I went with a Komrad with 12" barrel. Form 1 SBS. Removed the pistol brace and installed a side folding stock. Did need to polish the bolt and hammer and feed ramp. Installed an adjustable gas system. Now it runs very reliable even with cheap birdshot. Before it would only run with higher pressure loads. The 20 round drum is awesome!!  |
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Quoted: I'll be honest it seems like an 8" anything shotgun would not be pleasant. Quoted: Quoted: I have a one of Tony's 8 inch guns. I hate it. I'll be honest it seems like an 8" anything shotgun would not be pleasant.   |
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Quoted: Komrad 12 is the right way to do it if you can find one. Just works - higher build quality than the Izhmash ones IMHO. It’s the perfect candidate to SBS, the only issue I have with it is it does not include a BHO, which some Saigas/clones do. CSS has that covered for relatively short money… https://www.carolinashooterssupply.com/Saiga-12-BHO-Bolt-Hold-Open-Lever-Conversion-p/css-modified-bho.htm |
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Quoted: Yeah I went with a Komrad with 12" barrel. Form 1 SBS. Removed the pistol brace and installed a side folding stock. Did need to polish the bolt and hammer and feed ramp. Installed an adjustable gas system. Now it runs very reliable even with cheap birdshot. Before it would only run with higher pressure loads. The 20 round drum is awesome!! https://i.postimg.cc/gcS6Kbnh/IMG-8619.jpg Nice! Another vote for the KUSA Komrad-12. In somewhat related news there’s rumblings that KUSA may be back…not sure what to think about that but I didn’t wanna derail the thread either. |
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I was working at Tenn Guns Intl when we were getting a few thousand Saiga 12's at a time. They flew out of the shop in original configuration by the pallet loads to different distributors. The recievers we got early on were the slant back ones. We ordered no telling how many slant back to straight back conversion blocks at a time. First shipment of Vepr's were the same way. Rifles and shotguns. We converted a lot to accept AK stocks, or folding stocks and pistol grips. One of the first things we did was to drill out the gas ports to one size bigger. I forget what millimeter size the triple gas ports were, but we went up in size the next size up. Can't recall now what it was. All the ones we brought in were the 3 gas port style. There was a guy that came from Texas numerous times with a large cattle trailer. We would fill the trailer with as many Saiga 12's, then Vepr12's when we started importing those. Should have gotten one to mess with, but I kept saying "Next shipment I'll get one". Never got around to it. |
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Quoted: Nice! Another vote for the KUSA Komrad-12. In somewhat related news there’s rumblings that KUSA may be back…not sure what to think about that but I didn’t wanna derail the thread either. Quoted: Quoted: Yeah I went with a Komrad with 12" barrel. Form 1 SBS. Removed the pistol brace and installed a side folding stock. Did need to polish the bolt and hammer and feed ramp. Installed an adjustable gas system. Now it runs very reliable even with cheap birdshot. Before it would only run with higher pressure loads. The 20 round drum is awesome!! https://i.postimg.cc/gcS6Kbnh/IMG-8619.jpg Nice! Another vote for the KUSA Komrad-12. In somewhat related news there’s rumblings that KUSA may be back…not sure what to think about that but I didn’t wanna derail the thread either. What did they sell for when they were available new? |
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Quoted: Years ago, Tapco made a pistol grip conversion frame for those who wanted to convert the straight stock configuration to a traditional AK style. Those things were a godsend. Looks like a conversion kit is now offered by Carolina Shooters. Get a Shepherds Hook retaining plate and install that too. Pair that with a folding stock adapter from ACE, and then all you need is to find someone to cut the barrel to 13. Wow this topic is making me feel old. Seems like a lifetime ago dad and I were dremeling out my Saiga receiver. Same. Got my first S12 in 2008. Did all sorts of tinkering on that poor $500 shotgun before sending it out to get cut to 12 3/4” so I could stick with using an OEM bolt carrier. Since then I’ve added an S20, another S12 dressed up in wood and Dinzag’s conversion parts to make it look like an AKM, one of the 100 S12-030s with the magwell and correct gas block, and eventually a Vepr 12. I’m shooting a shotgun IPSC match on 5 October. Thinking about using the SBS if it’ll run properly on low brass birdshot. |
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Quoted: They were $1250-$1300 MSRP back in the day. The KUSA link I posted states $1281 and IIRC I scored mine for nearly half that and it was practically BNIB… Quoted: Quoted: What did they sell for when they were available new? They were $1250-$1300 MSRP back in the day. The KUSA link I posted states $1281 and IIRC I scored mine for nearly half that and it was practically BNIB… Yeah, that’s what I was asking, what did they really sell for Thanks |
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Quoted: I have one of Tony's early guns. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/766/30586_-_Copy_JPG-3600530.jpg That's sick. |
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Quoted: As an owner of saigas in every gauge they came in I can confirm the 20ga is the best one and the Vepr12 is the best 12ga by far. Even though my S20 was a vodka Friday gun I choose it over all the rest. I even have chokes for it! The S20 is fun. I got one of the long barreled 20s, that’s built in Full choke. It’s so heavy the little 20g recoil is soaked right up. I should get it cut for a manual BHO, but with them no longer being imported I don’t want to mess with it. |
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Quoted: The S20 is fun. I got one of the long barreled 20s, that’s built in Full choke. It’s so heavy the little 20g recoil is soaked right up. I should get it cut for a manual BHO, but with them no longer being imported I don’t want to mess with it. Mine is the shorter barrel. Did a bunch of work on the gas system early on and it runs 100% now as long as the hull isn't thin and crappy. I run Remington hulls in it most of the time. Mine is no heavier than any other AK. Its lighter than my 410 Saiga with wood. I have a choke set for it, modified, full and extra full. I usually run the modified choke. Was my 3 gun shotgun for years before getting the Vepr12. That Vepr is fantastic. |
| Went with 12.5", been too long to remember why. 4 hole barrel, I upsized the ports a tad, adjustable gas block (reliability kit). The only thing it runs reliably is slugs, everything else is hit or miss. I did put a lighter spring on it last and I haven't tried it since then. To be honest it's been a PITA. |
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Quoted: I friend bump fired this one of mine. It was pretty cool with a fast cyclic. https://i.postimg.cc/pTvw5mqd/IMG-5545.jpg I think I have three or four NIB stock S12s somewhere. Don't have any talent to do a conversion. |
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Quoted: Yeah, I'm not necessarily taking about converting the trigger, butstock, grip, although that's part of it More so cutting the barrel down and getting the gas system to work reliably I'm 95% sure the gas system really needs to be moved back to get a longer dwell period and cycle well with low brass loads |
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Quoted: Went with 12.5", been too long to remember why. 4 hole barrel, I upsized the ports a tad, adjustable gas block (reliability kit). The only thing it runs reliably is slugs, everything else is hit or miss. I did put a lighter spring on it last and I haven't tried it since then. To be honest it's been a PITA. It all comes down to gas port size and location. A weaker front spring on the recoil spring system can make up for blocked or undersized gas port holes, but the bottom line is that if your Saiga doesn’t run with whatever ammo it’s just not getting enough gas from that ammo to the face of the tappet to drive the bolt carrier. Some of the fixes like multi position gas plugs didn’t actually solve shit, as there is still only so much gas getting to the tappet face. |
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Quoted: My personal 8" I converted. Goes great with the 8" .300 Win Mag.  https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/47383/IMG_20180624_115812_648-3627815.jpg 
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Quoted: It all comes down to gas port size and location. A weaker front spring on the recoil spring system can make up for blocked or undersized gas port holes, but the bottom line is that if your Saiga doesn’t run with whatever ammo it’s just not getting enough gas from that ammo to the face of the tappet to drive the bolt carrier. Some of the fixes like multi position gas plugs didn’t actually solve shit, as there is still only so much gas getting to the tappet face. One of these days I'll pull it out and mess with it some more. I bought it used and even I've barely shot it, maybe it just needs more break in time. |
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Quoted: So y’all are saying just file form 1, chop it, open the ports as much is needed to cycle reliably, and send it? Can these be threaded for internal chokes, or just stick with the external threading? I can't say what you should do, but I'm going to stay externally threaded and use my polychoke. |
[ARCHIVED THREAD] - SBS Saiga 12 (Page 2 of 2)
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