ajlobo 0 Posted June 27, 2009 Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 I am looking to buy a Saiga 12 gauge. I have been looking on gunbroker and I was getting ready to buy and then I starting reading some things form this site. I know this question gets asked probably weekly, but what exactly is a "vodka special"? I obviously want to avoid buying a shotgun that doesn't function properly. Is it a certain model? I'll post some pictures from gunbroker.com and maybe you guys can make suggestions. If you know of a place that I can go to directly to get a reliable, nice-looking Saiga, I would appreciate it. Here are some pictures of what I think looks cool: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HillBilly2 9 Posted June 27, 2009 Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 Welcome to the forum and to the Saiga world. A Vodka Special is a lemon, a gun with functioning issues due to manufacturing problems. Most common is just having two gas ports, or having some of the ports blocked by the gas block. You really should not be concerned about getting one, they are not nearly as common as the posts here might make you think. Also they are fully warranteed and any problems could be quickly taken care of by Cadiz Gun Works, the authorized warranty repair center. Most of these turned up months ago. The cause was from running the barrels on the wrong line. The guns made for export to England have to have 24" barrels and have two ports. While this mix up did occur, I'm sure they have taken steps to insure it will not happen again. You might find one of these on Gun Broker, but any new gun from a distributor should be fine. Saiga 12's are in my opinion the most reliable shotgun you can buy, They do sometimes require a break-in period and some tuning in order to get there, but that is the fun part. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
billyjoebob 10 Posted June 27, 2009 Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 (edited) Most of these turned up months ago. The cause was from running the barrels on the wrong line. The guns made for export to England have to have 24" barrels and have two ports. Not to hijack, but I always thought the vodka specials were caused when they mixed up the military barrels with the sporting barrels on the line (i.e. the military barrels had 2 holes to prevent over-gassing from high brass military shells). I also though someone had also said the vodka special barrels were either slightly heavier gauge, or something like that. Edited June 27, 2009 by billyjoebob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hobbyshooter 59 Posted June 27, 2009 Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 that folder in the image above is garbage. Everything else looks great. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Etek 32 Posted June 27, 2009 Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 Welcome. I suggest buying a new in box Saiga then shooting it to ensure functionality and to break it in. If you have some common tools and a little skill you can easily do the conversion yourself to pistol grip. If you so choose there are some fine gunsmiths here that will be happy to convert it for you. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nalioth 405 Posted June 27, 2009 Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 "Vodka Special" = Saigas made at beer o'clock Friday afternoon on a holiday weekend. . . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HillBilly2 9 Posted June 27, 2009 Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 Most of these turned up months ago. The cause was from running the barrels on the wrong line. The guns made for export to England have to have 24" barrels and have two ports. Not to hijack, but I always thought the vodka specials were caused when they mixed up the military barrels with the sporting barrels on the line (i.e. the military barrels had 2 holes to prevent over-gassing from high brass military shells). I also though someone had also said the vodka special barrels were either slightly heavier gauge, or something like that. Could be, you know how rumors go. The story I heard was some barrels on the 24" line were messed up while threading and they tried to save them by cutting them down to 19" & rethreading. I've not heard anything about them being larger though. We'll probably never know for certain what happened. It does not seem to be an ongoing problem, as all I've seen at the shows for the last few months were 3 port guns. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cobra 76 two 2,677 Posted June 27, 2009 Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 Wow, nice ad for Atlantic Firearms... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ajlobo 0 Posted June 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2009 Thanks guys. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
saigafan12345 21 Posted June 28, 2009 Report Share Posted June 28, 2009 Wow, nice ad for Atlantic Firearms... Yeah, not like they're a business member here or anything. http://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?showuser=3208 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
runningman400 0 Posted June 28, 2009 Report Share Posted June 28, 2009 Welcome to the community, just a few months ago I was in your shoes. Remember you're doing the right thing by asking questions. After conducting a bit of research on Saigas I found a great deal through a company called Classic Arms Inc. Their web address is www.classicarms.us They have shooting packages as well, that come with a few more goodies to get you started or you can just buy the gun itself. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Azrial 1,091 Posted June 28, 2009 Report Share Posted June 28, 2009 Welcome to the board. The problems that most Saigas have can be corrected. It is hard to tell without pulling the gas plug. You are looking for 3 to 4 ports. Most two port guns can be corrected and one of our forum members is the EAA Agent for doing just that, CGW. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cobra 76 two 2,677 Posted June 28, 2009 Report Share Posted June 28, 2009 Wow, nice ad for Atlantic Firearms... Yeah, not like they're a business member here or anything. http://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?showuser=3208 Well it's about time....I wasn't aware they had finally stepped up. I have yet to see their banner. My apologies to them...only. Wow dude you actually posted something informative for a change! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vbrtrmn 167 Posted June 28, 2009 Report Share Posted June 28, 2009 Well it's about time....I wasn't aware they had finally stepped up. I have yet to see their banner. My apologies to them...only. Wow dude you actually posted something informative for a change! Any chance to flame anyone else, he's there! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
shades_of_grey 1,092 Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 Welcome to the community, just a few months ago I was in your shoes. Remember you're doing the right thing by asking questions. After conducting a bit of research on Saigas I found a great deal through a company called Classic Arms Inc. Their web address is www.classicarms.us They have shooting packages as well, that come with a few more goodies to get you started or you can just buy the gun itself. Peach State Guns has the best online price on S-12's last I checked, (~$505 if you use the "super secret S-12 forum code"), and they are a business member here, while Classic Arms is not. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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