LawAbidingCitizen

Johns Creek here.

My S12 was pretty tight and didn't start ejecting Wallyworld low brass with any consistency until after a couple hundred shells through the thing. I'm not convinced you are undergassed but it would be instructional to check out the ports and see if they are unobstructed. Check this thread for pics: http://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?/topic/33836-modification-to-repair-fte-issues-on-saigas-with-blocked-gas-ports/

That was a hoot! Good one. Thank you for not playing blaring music, using superfluous fades and wipes, and generally keeping the camera still.

Seems today was a lot better at the low grade Winchester bulk. I had about 25 left and a whole crapload of cheap 2.75" stuff that I picked up at a gun show here on a lark for around the same price as the Wallyworld stuff. The cheap gun show stuff was just that... crap. Will probably work fine in a pump action but it couldn't make the Saiga cycle on any setting. The Walmart Winchester bulk ammo was cycling a lot better today and I was able to shoot multiple magazines on gas setting 2 with only 1 in 5 FTE. All fed flawlessly. Guess when I clean it out tonight I'll have a look at the bo

Ah then that makes a lot more sense. Sounds like a lot of the polishing and whatnot I see in pics is just bling then. I'm off to the range to run a couple hundred more shells through it to break her in polish that action. Thanks you guys!

I'll look for Pauly and port gauges. Might knock the gas block off it anyway just to make damn sure that last little bit of gas port isn't blocked and use a drill bit to check sizes. As for the bolt polish is that going to make a huge difference in cycling? A lot of what I see here looks to be a bit much... Thanks, at least I'm on the right track. I'm still wondering what the bolt polish has to do with cycling. Is there that much internal friction in these guns? And if internal friction is adding enough resistance to the equation why would you say the low tension spring won't help?

There is always the possibility that I'm just impatient. Realistically I've put about a hundred shells through the thing. I always change the regulator setting depending on the shot used per http://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?/topic/262-gas-regulator-adjustment/ so it's 1 for Magnum and high brass and 2 for the cheap shit. No real conversions to speak of... it's got a Tapco collapsing stock and pistol grip replacing the factory stock and a Pro mag 20 round drum. The FTE's occur with either magazine though obviously the 3" Magnum only works with the factory clip and that always c

Having a ball with it but had a question for you veterans. The gun will reliably cycle high brass and magnum shells all day but the Walmart low brass 2 3/4" stuff stovepipes and FTE consistently. What's wrong? I've done some searching and read the gas port threads and also some about the reduced tension spring and plug kits. I've checked my gas ports and there are three exposed. One is in plain sight, the others are hard to see but when I feel in there with a dental pick they appear to be unobstructed but are very close to the edge of the circular hole Ivan drilled in the gas block. Do I n