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I'd be more embarrassed using buckshot on clays if it were me... most ranges I've been to will boot you for that.

 

Jamming is not a helpful description.

Describe your failures, FTE, stovepipe, FTF?

Any odd markings on the failed cartridges?

 

If you jam while shooting clays, but not with bench rest, it is might be your shooting technique, with handguns this is called limp-wristing. Its not very common with rifles/shotguns but if your grip / shoulder contact is poor or you are trying to shoot from the hip and your gun is cycling poorly to begin with it can happen with shotguns.

 

Some general advice:

If you don't have at least 500 rounds through it, shoot more. All guns, saigas in particular, tend to improve with 'experience'.

If you have more than 500 rounds through it, make sure you have taken the gas system completely apart and cleaned it well including poking the gas ports with a pick to ensure they are clear. I clean my gas system fully every trip to the range, not 100% necessary, but I like to take care of my guns.

If your still having problems switch ammo.. I use 2-3/4" remington heavy dove #7.5 w/o problems, $60/250 at academy.

 

Another general fix is to polish your hammer face and the hammer engagement points on your bolt to a mirror finish, don't take material off just polish with a cloth wheel and some buffing rouge. This will remove some friction from the system so your bolt moves faster and puts more force on the rounds to move them around properly.

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Setting #1 is made for 3" shells but may work on 2-3/4" slugs, it is for 'heavy loads' that cause high back pressures.... ie more powder (3" shells) or a better seal (slugs). It is used so you don't damage parts by slamming the piston / bolt carrier back too hard.

 

Use setting #2 is the 'light load' setting, it lets more gas into the tube for when setting #1 will not cycle well. Use it only on 2-3/4" shells in general, but you may need to use it on 3" bird shot .

 

Taking the gas tube apart is not hard, just turn the screw that you use to select #1 / #2 all the way out, pull out the spacer piston and clean it (the spacer), the piston and the tube with a brass brush.

 

The failure I think you are describing is called a stovepipe (where the empty shell pokes out the side of the receiver), polishing the hammer and bottom of the bolt will help fix this. Also different ammo may fix this (some expand more than others resulting in more bolt energy lost extracting the shell).

 

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I wasn't accusing you of using slugs on clays, I was accusing you of using buckshot. There are 3 common types of sporting ammo for a shotgun:

 

Slugs - Single projectile for large game (deer, people)

Buckshot - Large pellets (5-25 per shell), used for medium-large game (jack rabbits - people)

Birdshot - Small pellets (25-600 per shell), used for small-medium game) (dove, rabbits) and sporting clays.

 

The smaller the projectile the faster it decelerates (and lower terminal velocity on return trip), so the safer it is to use near populated areas and the safer it is to shoot up into the air (such as at clays). Most ranges I have been to get pissy if you use bigger than #2 birdshot (~90 per cartridge) on the clay range.

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by 7 1/2 pellets and 9 pellets I assume you mean #7-1/2 birdshot and #9 birdshot. 2-3/4" birdshot WILL NOT cycle in most saigas under setting #1, you must use setting #2. Unless you are shooting 3" shells stick to setting #2.

 

and by polish, I mean polish not clean. Take some 400 grit sandpaper and a dremel w/ cloth wheel & rouge (DONT USE STONES) and make that shit look like a mirror.

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It is really common for Saiga 20's to jam and stovepipe CONSTANTLY for a while before its broken in...

 

I NEVER polished ANYTHING on mine... but I DID participate in a summer trap league, and shot over 150 rounds a week through it... for about 12 weeks... needless to say, it shoots EVERYTHING n the 1 setting now, no FTE no stovepipes... just gotta KEEP shooting, and break the NEW gun in... Thats all there is to it.. patience... shoot... :up: all good! :lol:

 

 

:smoke:

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It is really common for Saiga 20's to jam and stovepipe CONSTANTLY for a while before its broken in...

 

I NEVER polished ANYTHING on mine... but I DID participate in a summer trap league, and shot over 150 rounds a week through it... for about 12 weeks... needless to say, it shoots EVERYTHING n the 1 setting now, no FTE no stovepipes... just gotta KEEP shooting, and break the NEW gun in... Thats all there is to it.. patience... shoot... :up: all good! :lol:

 

 

:smoke:

I'm an S-20 owner as well and completely agree with what IndyArms stated above. You will find that your S-20 functions better and better, the more rounds you shoot through her. Such has been my experience anyway.... I totally empathize with your current frustration.

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Actually, Mr Cole and I were discussing this exact thing today, and he is on a mission from the importer to discover exactly WHAT it is that causes this in new 20 gauge guns. Mr Cole did have a good point, however, in that russian ammo is loaded hot, and is hunting ammo, not cheap walmart stuff. Which may be the issue completely.

 

did you guys experience any shortstroking when using, say, slugs or buckshot?

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  • 2 weeks later...
Actually, Mr Cole and I were discussing this exact thing today, and he is on a mission from the importer to discover exactly WHAT it is that causes this in new 20 gauge guns. Mr Cole did have a good point, however, in that russian ammo is loaded hot, and is hunting ammo, not cheap walmart stuff. Which may be the issue completely.

 

did you guys experience any shortstroking when using, say, slugs or buckshot?

 

I've had slugs, birdshot, and buckshot all jam in my S20 and have done just about all the tricks to get it improved. They worked to some degree, but not to the point I'd trust my life with an S20.

 

My main gripe with the S20 is virtually no availability of 2 and 3/4 inch mags, and known crappy reliability when using the shorter shells in the 3 in mags. Also, the mags tend to wear out quickly at the top where they push the rim of the shell forward and up into the feed lips. Once that part of the mag is worn it's worthless. I've gotten some workable reloads for my gun, but the fact that it only works OK with handloaded buckshot and most slugs is very disappointing given how the S12 is a decent performer. The 20 gauge is a better all around shell then the 12 gauge IMO, and it would be great to see some improvements or factory suggestions to improve the reliablity, also have them import a bunch of 2 and 3/4 inch mags if that's a possibility.

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Actually, Mr Cole and I were discussing this exact thing today, and he is on a mission from the importer to discover exactly WHAT it is that causes this in new 20 gauge guns. Mr Cole did have a good point, however, in that russian ammo is loaded hot, and is hunting ammo, not cheap walmart stuff. Which may be the issue completely.

 

did you guys experience any shortstroking when using, say, slugs or buckshot?

 

I've had slugs, birdshot, and buckshot all jam in my S20 and have done just about all the tricks to get it improved. They worked to some degree, but not to the point I'd trust my life with an S20.

 

My main gripe with the S20 is virtually no availability of 2 and 3/4 inch mags, and known crappy reliability when using the shorter shells in the 3 in mags. Also, the mags tend to wear out quickly at the top where they push the rim of the shell forward and up into the feed lips. Once that part of the mag is worn it's worthless. I've gotten some workable reloads for my gun, but the fact that it only works OK with handloaded buckshot and most slugs is very disappointing given how the S12 is a decent performer. The 20 gauge is a better all around shell then the 12 gauge IMO, and it would be great to see some improvements or factory suggestions to improve the reliablity, also have them import a bunch of 2 and 3/4 inch mags if that's a possibility.

 

I can get you them, but it would be simpler right now for me if you just ordered 2 3/4 mags from saigastock.com I probably cannot beat thier price on them.

 

My partner is in the middle of tearing a 20 gauge apart for RAAC (not a customer gun) to find out just wtf is up with the short stroking that is common with the 20 gauge. Right now, it appears the gas ports are the same as the 12 gauge, and the recoil assembly is the same as the 12 gauge as well. Ill have to get a status report on what is going on as far as progress tword a solution in the next days for you all, and either post it myself, or have him post it.

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It's pretty simple actually. The damn recoil spring is too strong. That and the extractor spring.

Then there's the problem with the difference in feed angle in the two different mags.

The ports could also stand to be larger but I kicked my reliability problems in the ass without messing with them.

Then again....mine has a 22" fixed full choked bbl.

 

 

Take the rear recoil spring out and put a 1911 spring in there. Then polish all the mating surfaces and put 100 rds of magnums through it.

FIXED! :smoke:

 

Oh and AK wood furniture helps too....

 

$1.25 you have a PM...

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Yikes, $42.50 plus shipping for a 5 round 2 and 3/4 mag. Despite having bought a mess of FBMG mags, I need to draw the line when the choice is three mags or a functional surplus rifle.

 

I'll just hang out and see if any 10 rounders become available. At any rate, the value of the S20 is sure to go up, and since I only paid $200 for mine it's worth just hanging onto it to see what happens.

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  • 7 months later...
It's pretty simple actually. The damn recoil spring is too strong. That and the extractor spring.

Then there's the problem with the difference in feed angle in the two different mags.

The ports could also stand to be larger but I kicked my reliability problems in the ass without messing with them.

Then again....mine has a 22" fixed full choked bbl.

 

 

Take the rear recoil spring out and put a 1911 spring in there. Then polish all the mating surfaces and put 100 rds of magnums through it.

FIXED! :smoke:

 

Oh and AK wood furniture helps too....

 

$1.25 you have a PM...

I just purchased a S12 and I am having the same issues of jamming on every round. Will this work on the s12 as well?

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