Thread: Saiga 12 yes or no?

There seem to be lots of new ones for sale and very few secondhand so maybe they are good, although other than youtube videos of Americans shooting zombie pumpkins with them there does not seem to be much on the net about them (other than getting them to cycle light loads). So are they actually a good functional shot gun for rabbits/wallabies/possums etc and maybe the odd game bird or are they more of a look at me kind of thing?

reliable, will take any ammo but the short sight radius (basically the length of the gas tube) is the downfall. a total pain in the bum for fast moving rabbits. also remember the sights are a couple of inches above the barrel which is a pain too.

Awesome guns, some need work for lighter loads and they all need work if you want to use them with shorter shells.
Due to the shorter sight plane they are harder to shoot well unless you fit a optic-I have found a barrel mounted eotec the best.
The factory chokes are average at best and sometimes don't line up properly

I have owned a few, trigger fwd converted a lot more, and shot thousands of rabbits with them and a fair number of ducks,goats and wallabies and even a deer.

I now mostly hunt from a truck with a versamax tactical due to the ability to top up the mag without having change mags while bumping around in the dark on the truck.




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or you could do this
Kushnapup - Saiga 12 Bullpup conversion

Originally Posted by gonetropo

or you could do this
Kushnapup - Saiga 12 Bullpup conversion

Been there, done that.

As we can just cut the barrel down in NZ most of the benefit doesn't apply. Also had some gas and concision issues with you face over the receiver. And the trigger issues. Reloading bull pups is harder and on a s12 bullpup it becomes crazy-a magwell version or a v12 would be better.
And makes using drums very impractical.
Still bullpups are cool.


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Thanks for the replies, so basically the only big deviations from a more conventional shot gun are the short sight radius / raised sights and not being able to top up the mag as you go. I might have to start saving and hope the police dont change the rules before I get enough money!

Don't forget to budget for a few mags, not much point in a mag feed shotgun without a good supply of mags


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Originally Posted by res

Don't forget to budget for a few mags, not much point in a mag feed shotgun without a good supply of mags


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And ammo....

it wont do anything a half decent conventional semi wont do better,and would struggle to beat a good pump...... yip the "hey Bubba look at me me me me me me" factor is strong with this one.

Oh really? You basing this on experience or assumption?


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experience with a pump,experience professionally shooting rabbits, 35 years using shotguns of all sorts,shapes and sizes.
assumption that it handles not unlike the AK47 it is based on...which I have experienced handling
bottom line with a shotgun of ANY type
fit is EVERYTHING...if you can throw it to shoulder and squeeze off a instinctive shot without conscious aim and hit moving target at 25-40 yards you have 95% of the battle won.
there are a couple of makes of shottie out there.....humpback Browning/Mossberg-maverick/Remington pump (cant for life of me think of model number)Winchester defender, that have been around for a hell of a long time and haven't changed a hell of a lot in design...for good reason...they work and work well...you don't faark around with a proven successful design.
personally I use a cheap H&R pump action that is a pretty close take off of one of the above,super reliable and does all I could ask of it,having a Rambo looking gun wouldn't make it shoot any better or be any more reliable....so no I'm not putting your pet design down as such just saying it wont be any BETTER than any of many other options out there.

Wank factor of the s12 is big. Reliability? Hard to beat a m2!