Lone Star Arms

Had a KS-12 in the shop with receiver/carrier alignment issues, and although the fit and finish is generally much better than the Russian export models, KS-12s clearly aren't immune to these issues. Lynx seems to attempt to address cycling issues with generally weaker springs, a blackjack type recoil buffer at the rear of the receiver, and a couple of extra gas settings. Once again it looks like yet another manufacturer is applying band-aids and Appalachian engineering to address problems inherent in the engineering and assembly issues copied from the originals. Receiver alignment is definitely something we always look at when a gun comes in for work. One of the the other issues we commonly see is fitment geometry. The guns we see often have a combination of issues when they come in the door, and have often been previously 'worked on ', so along with the inherent issues present in many factory guns, we also often have to address issues created by previous aftermarket work. I'm sure you get your fair share of these guns as well When I started doing this a decade ago, and I' know the same is true of you, I came to gunsmithing with a background as a master craftsman. Custom pool builder, or custom jeweler - that's not a bad place to start.

"ive had -2-3 russian shotguns over the years that would run birdshot without futziing around. i shoulda kept 2 of them. they were just so buttery smooth! and light recoiling. not sure what made those guns so perfect. i guess they were just perfectly in sync". So true! The biggest issue with Russian shotguns and their many recent clones has always been that the way the parts fit and work together in the real world is often very different than the workings the engineers envisioned when they designed these guns. What is baffling is that with nearly every clone produced, regardless of origin, the defects which cause common malfunctions are precisely copied from whatever sample the copier happens to have in hand, and that on the corporate side no apparent effort goes in to analyzing and engineering a better product. Generally speaking, one comes away with the impression that If they're actually paying engineers, they're paying them way too much, and they'd be much better off hiring guys who actually understand how to make these systems perform in the real world. Pretty much across the board, regardless of the source, out of the box, most AK shotguns will run high brass reasonably well, fewer guns will run low brass reasonably well, and some guns won't run anything well. Once in a while, when the stars are in divine alignment, an AK shotgun right out of the box will run absolutely everything beautifully. As Salty has opined, when one is lucky enough to get one these. its a "keeper". .

All of the parts on the KS-12s I've worked on have been top notch US Made parts. In many cases machined from bar stock, where Russian parts are cast/forged. Have swapped in Russian Bolts and Carriers to test compatibility with KS-12s and vice versa, and its always 100%.

"I was running 2.75 dram loads reliably in stick mags and 3 dram bulk pack loads in MD-20 drums. These things are winners right out of the box." Have rebuilt a number of these guns, and so far I've seen one KS-12 that ran this way out of the box. My advice to the owner was to leave it just as it is mechanically, and enjoy it. Right out of the gate, Kalashnikov USA guns have been head and shoulders above their Russian siblings in terms of build quality and performance, and K-USA appears to be continuously striving to improve the quality performance of the guns.. Still love the Russian guns, but at this point I'm loving the K-USA guns even more! Spring resistance can definitely have an effect on performance, but with the caveat that weaker springs usually means limiting the range of ammo you're shooting to lower powered loads. Running more powerful loads with weaker springs can result in damage to your bolt carrier and rear trunnion. If you want to try weaker springs to improve low end performance, proceed with extreme caution, and keep your heavier springs handy to swap in if you see any wear or deformation to the rear of your bolt carrier, or to the rear trunnion.

Congratulations, brother! He's beautiful!!! Mike

"Do any of yall run recoil buffers on your rigs/do you recommend them?" We don't usually install them unless a customer specifically requests it, and this is exceedingly rare. Black Jack buffers are primarily sold as a recoil reducer, and for that purpose they aren't effective at all. What they are effective for is preventing your bolt carrier from hammering and deforming your rear trunnion. If your gun is tuned properly for the ammo you're shooting, you probably don't need one.

Taking a couple of coils off the recoil spring lowers resistance, theoretically increasing low end performance. The caveat is if you like to shoot high powered stuff, without something like a blackjack buffer, you're more likely to damage the rear trunnion. What you are referring to as the 'piston' is the 'op rod'. On this platform, the puck is actually the gas piston, and a slightly off center impression where it contacts the op rod is more common than uncommon, so unless it's way off, or you start to see cracking where the op rod inserts into the bolt carrier, I wouldn't worry about it.

Without mods I doubt it can be coaxed to reliably run the stuff you're shooting. CSS sells reduced power springs that might lower resistance enough to get the 1325 - 1350 FPS shells to run without having to get into modifying the action and gas system. If it runs 1450 - 1600 FPS ammo as is, it will definitely run the lower powered ammo with correct modification, but as it's a "new" clone, no one really knows yet how well it will hold up over time.

Note: Posts advertising non-LSA vendor products which are not currently available have been removed from this thread. Brothers, if you have a truly useful or great innovative KS-12, Saiga 12, or Vepr 12 product you want to mention in relationship to Lone Star Arms high performance work , I welcome your input here, but if you advertise it to MY customers, It better goddamn well be available, and work "as advertised". Lone Star Arms does not endorse "vaporware," or allow advertisement for products which are not "as advertised" or available when referenced. One warning only. Mike

Present... and still building extreme high performance Kalashnikov platform shotguns, and loving every minute of what I do..... What are you up to these days, brother?

"I'm fortunate enough to not lay on my death bed wishing I would have. It makes all of the things about the business that I hate worth it (paperwork, sales tax reports, the occasional customer who refuses to read and follow instructions and it leads to some sort of shipping debacle, etc.). I'm definitely not doing it for the money, lol. " Well...that's at least mostly true! There are likely (especially in the Trump economy) many other things we could be doing to make a buck, and at the end of the day, along with taking care of our customers, we do need to eat, and to feed our families. But, and this is a big "But" (pun intended), there is nothing more satisfying than delivering the absolute ultimate in whatever it is one does, and knowing that at the end of that build, you have absolutely "delivered the goods" for your client. As the economy continues to expand, there will no doubt be a great number of self styled "gurus" "instant experts", and snake oil salesmen showing up on the forum. The typical pattern is to: A). Write extensive posts building oneself up an absolute and unassailable "Expert", devoting particular attention to one's unique "Genius" and "Extraordinary Abilities". B). Disparage, and tear down established forum vendors and regular forum contributors in a way that completely demeans and discredits them and their contributions to the community. C). While actively discrediting others, copy whatever it is they (the originators) are doing and (with emphasis) pass if off as their own. D). To promote/hawk/sell whatever it is they are attempting to sell/pass off at the expense of others. At this point the forum, its membership, and its management have separated the wheat from the chaff. The members, vendors, and forum staff who remain are those who are A). All of those who are truly dedicated to the platform, and B). Those vendors who deliver good value for money. The forum, and the platform around which it is organized have undergone a true "trial by fire", withstanding, a long period of political adversity, various con men, hucksters, and snake oil specialist (you all know who), assaults on the 2nd Amendment, political turmoil, and outright bans. Through all of this, we have remained a tight knit community united in patriotism, a respect for the 2nd Amendment, and true passion for AK platform firearms. My take is that things continue to get better from here. Anecdotally, we are are seeing a tremendous uptick in interest in interest in AK platform shotguns nationwide, and customers (throughout the US) are enthusiastically voting for the platform with their guns and with their wallets. My customers today are bright, educated, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, motivated, dedicated to 2nd Amendment rights, and affluent enough to commission exactly the work they want without compromises. This is a very, very good thing. I continue to do what I do because I LOVE what I do. I love the platform, and ultimately I need to pay my bills. Artist stuff.... Yep. For 30 years before I started building guns for a living (and ever since), I have worked as a designer, Silver and Goldsmith and have at it. My Jewelry work has been sold in the Smithsonian, Museum of Man, Museum of the American West, Autry Museum, Verkamps at the Grand Canyon, The Heard Museum, and numerous art galleries throughout the US, and in Europe and Japan. Yep. I'm a real, honest to God artist who chooses to build guns. No brag. No bullshit. No self aggrandizement. Why do I do it? Because I absolutely love it, because I'm extremely good at it, and because my customers are willing to pay me what my time is worth for what I do. Honestly, I am absolutely blessed to do exactly what I love to do.

If that works for you, stay with it!