45leadslinger 0 Posted July 23, 2004 Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 I am beging to wander if i am the only one left who owns and shoots a 20. I would be interested in hearing range reports, opinions, upgrades etc. Come on you 20 owners don't be intimidated by the 12 gauge guys. look at the 410 board it has alot of activity. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JesusCow 1 Posted July 23, 2004 Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 over 100 kills about 1200 rounds through it, almost a year old got internal threads for chokes, for skeet shooting i attempted to install Makc's BHO device but i had no luck getting it to actually hold the bolt open once installed, oh well very happy i plan on a PG conversion later this year Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dman 0 Posted July 24, 2004 Report Share Posted July 24, 2004 I started my siaga collection with an impulse buy at a gun show with a 20 and I still think it was one of the best purchases I've made. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pnguyen678 0 Posted July 26, 2004 Report Share Posted July 26, 2004 (edited) I just got a Saiga 20 with fixed full choke over the weekend at a local gun show. I like the reliability and relatively maintenance-free operation of an AK and I needed a shotgun, so the Saiga was definitely on the list. Another plus was the price. It was only $175.00 at one of the dealer tables so I went ahead and bought it. This is a very nice shotgun. The finish is good, clean and modern. I'm planning on getting a gunsmith to thread the barrel so I can use some of the chokes from EAA soon. BTW, anyone know how this shotgun operates as a trap/skeet gun? Another observation is that I did take it to the range today and got a chance to shoot it for the first time. The recoil is manageable but I had one major problem. The two factory magazines that came with it were jamming up like crazy. I must have had 1 misfeed/jam for every box magazine loaded. It was frustrating as hell. I'm not sure if this is a problem with the magazines or the action itself. I was using some of the Winchester value packs from Wally World (pretty good deal at $14.00/100). They seemed like high quality 2 3/4" Number 7 loads. Maybe I'll try some Federal next time to be sure. Has anyone run across this problem as well? Edited July 26, 2004 by pnguyen678 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
emclean 0 Posted July 26, 2004 Report Share Posted July 26, 2004 Has anyone run across this problem as well? yes, check your mags, if they are the 76mm you will have truble with them cycling a 2 3/4 shell, it sounds likr you do. are the shells hanging up on the frount? get the right size mags, it makes a huge diffrance. i am planing on a PG with top fold stock (or maby a side) but it will wate till sept. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pnguyen678 0 Posted July 26, 2004 Report Share Posted July 26, 2004 Thanks for responding to my post. I have 2 mags that came with the Saiga 20. One marked 20 x 70 and the other, 20 x 76. I was getting jams/misfeeds on both. I thought the 76 could load 2.75 and 3.00 shells. Is that not true? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
45leadslinger 0 Posted July 27, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2004 great!! I am glad to hear that there are others out there. i am having fun with mine and the pg conversion stuff waiting for sept. Still looking for good rounds to work without probs. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pnguyen678 0 Posted July 27, 2004 Report Share Posted July 27, 2004 45slinger, If I'm reading your post correctly, are you having problems with jams/misfeeds as well? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
emclean 0 Posted July 27, 2004 Report Share Posted July 27, 2004 I was getting jams/misfeeds on both. I thought the 76 could load 2.75 and 3.00 shells. Is that not true? i had problems with the 76 mags, i have not with the 70. i put less than 100 through with the 76 with a lot of problems, and over 500 with the 70 with none, so it was the coulse of the problems for me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mr_fubar 0 Posted July 27, 2004 Report Share Posted July 27, 2004 I Bought A 20 For Home Defense. It Is Possibly The Number 3 Most Reliable Gun Ive Ever Owned. Behind The Makarov And Nova Of Course. It Is A Well Rounded All Together Great Gun. Just A Tip. Break In Your Newer 20 With Some Heavier Loads. Slugs Or Heavy Shot. I Put A Box Of Slugs Through It And Havent Had Jams Nearly As Much. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ol'smokie 0 Posted July 28, 2004 Report Share Posted July 28, 2004 (edited) I started out with a Saiga 12 bought at a gun show in early June, of course I was hooked.........bought a Saiga 20 about 2 weeks ago and took it to the range last weekend. The 3" mag. with 3" loads was balky and difficult to lock, but when I got it home I worked with it and it finally loosened up a bit. The 2 3/4 mag was just fine, but for real light loads I need to put the gas tube selector on 2, it wont cycle on #1 with the light low brass loads. Shot about 40 slugs that day, 19" barrel and really accurate. Can't wait to get a red dot scope and do more slug shooting. Shot both Federals and Sluggers, hard to tell the difference, will try Sellier and Bellot slugs soon. Also getting "K" mags that will work with both sizes. The 20 is my flavor of the week for now........ the 12 is a monster for HD though. Have fun with your 20, it's about as sweet a shotty as there is......... Smokes Edited July 29, 2004 by Ol'smokie Quote Link to post Share on other sites
45leadslinger 0 Posted August 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2004 pnguyen678, yeah i have had no problem hand cycling but some jamming and FTE 2 3/4 still. The gun smith at EAA said I should break it in with heavy loads. I thought the heavy dove loads would be enough. I am going to get winchester AAA heavy loads 3 inch and shoot the piss out of this thing and then go back to medium to light 2 3/4 to see if there is a difference. Mr. Fubar, Kind of wish i would have never sold my east german Mak. great little gun I couldn't help but sell it to help me buy my detonics compat 45acp. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pnguyen678 0 Posted August 3, 2004 Report Share Posted August 3, 2004 You're still having trouble eh? I bought a couple of boxes of Remington Shurshot Heavy Dove myself and was going to put them through the shotgun this weekend to see if it helps. After reading your post, I think it's prudent that I lower my expectations then. IMHO, this situation kinda sucks. I was always under the impression that a firearm had to be reliable and function normally right out of the box. But then again, it was cheap as hell (<$180) so I can't complain too much. We'll see how it performs after a trip to the range this weekend. I might as well buy a couple of boxes of Winchester 3" heavy loads as well. BTW, where can I get the best deal on these? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
45leadslinger 0 Posted August 4, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2004 (edited) believe it or not the best price i have run across here in maryland has been a Gaylans, a big sports store chain. I agree about a gun being good to go right out of the box. Having said that most guns do need some sort of breaking in period. The last time I talked with the gun smith at EAA he said the main reason is that the bolt for the 20 is pretty heavy and the fact that the gun needs to be shot well to broken in. I thought the dove loads would do the breaking in but not the case. I am hoping 100 rounds of winchester heavy loads will do the trick. Edited August 4, 2004 by 45leadslinger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pnguyen678 0 Posted August 4, 2004 Report Share Posted August 4, 2004 Do me a favor and let us know if those Winchester heavy loads do the trick. I'd be interested in your experiences. BTW, I took a few pics of my new Saiga and posted on my amateur website. The site is still being renovated but this section should work fine: https://home.comcast.net/~pnguyen678/Saiga20.htm I put a nice Holosight 2 on it and a cheek rest to get a better cheek weld. It's a really nice combo. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mr_fubar 0 Posted August 5, 2004 Report Share Posted August 5, 2004 45leadslinger, That Would Be A Tough Decision... But I Think You Made The Right One... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pnguyen678 0 Posted August 9, 2004 Report Share Posted August 9, 2004 Hey guys, Just a quick status.. I just got back from the range today and I was able to cycle through about 100 rounds 6 shot heavy dove through the Saiga 20mm magazines flawlessly. I didn't have one jam or misfeed. I didn't have any Winchester target load with me so I'll see how it performs the next time with the target load. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
45leadslinger 0 Posted August 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2004 pnguyen678 sounds great. i have been too busy to get to do any shooting. i am going to try toget to gaylans and get some heavy loads and do a test myself. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
harsten 0 Posted August 16, 2004 Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 Finally got rid of my own FTE problems, thanks to all the comments here. Fully removed the gas cylinder plug and examined it, then reset it properly. Ran a box of 2 3/4" Remington 1 oz. through it without a hitch. This is a fun gun. I'll put a couple more boxes of that ($!) through it first, then try the cheaper, lighter stuff again. Thanks all! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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