Breaking in the Saiga 12

[WardenWolf 6]

So my Saiga 12 comes tomorrow, and I know I need to break it in. What ammo do I need to run in order to do it? What can I count on to reliably cycle on a new gun assuming my gun is properly ported?

[Nailbomb 10,221]

So my Saiga 12 comes tomorrow, and I know I need to break it in. What ammo do I need to run in order to do it? What can I count on to reliably cycle on a new gun assuming my gun is properly ported?

start out on setting 1 with some remington sluggers, run 40-50 of those and try a winchester or federal bulk pack on setting 2.

 

after 150 rounds you'll be off to a good start.

[PRISONSHANK 70]

when i first shot mine it chewed up a 100rd box of federal on setting 2 and about 30 sluggers on setting one.

after the slugs i went back to the federal target loads and forgot to set it back to 2, it still ejects all the shells like a champ on 1 with federal after the slugs broke it in. but of course ymmv

Edited July 6, 2009 by PRISONSHANK

[BrutalGardener 205]

So my Saiga 12 comes tomorrow, and I know I need to break it in. What ammo do I need to run in order to do it? What can I count on to reliably cycle on a new gun assuming my gun is properly ported?

 

My S12 was rather finicky and took a while to break-in, but standard Winchester rifled slugs and 00 buck had always worked well. Some other buckshot, like S&B and Fiocci (sp?), it had problems with in the beginning.

[WardenWolf 6]

You're talking 3" shells, right?

[corbin 621]

I never used 3" shells to break mine in, though I suppose you could without a problem (other than a sore shoulder). Basically, shoot it as much as you can with heavier loads, as well as the Federal bulk stuff (what I used) and it should break in nicely.

 

You're talking 3" shells, right?

[hobbyshooter 59]

I just burned through 200 rnds of Federal bird shot on setting 2 and called it done. Hell on my '09 3 hole gun I ran through 50 rnds of federal bird shot then took it apart & converted it. Neither gun has ever had a FTE that wasn't gas setting related either though.

[scarbrough68289 76]

I broke mine in with about 30 remington slugger 3" magnums some 2 3/4" slugs then switched to birdshot{someone said that's help clean the lead out the barrel}. Have fun with the 3's they will leave a nice bruise on you! Remember to wear hearing protection too.

[Bridis 319]

My S12 is still a bit finicky. After 50 rounds of federal target I still suffered FTE on all settings. So I polished the bolt, receiver, carrier and hammer. But I continued to have issues with the federal ammo on all settings, even after installing the gunfixer gas valve. However, the 25 rnds of Winchester Xtreme I shot ran flawlessly out of my factory 5 rnd mag and MD20 drum. I've since installed a reduced tension hammer spring. So I'm hoping for an improvment the next time I get to the range. Though I've only put 75 rnds of federal and 25 rnds of Winchester through the gun, I thought that the polishing would have done the trick.

Edited July 7, 2009 by Bridis

[elementaltoad 0]

There is a break in? Just got mine this past weekend and ran 150rds of Federal 3 DRAM 7 1/2 bird shot through it doing clays. Only had one FTE, light birdshot would definitely be good to start with...and lots of clays ( it frequently nailed 2 clays or more in one shot).

[Etek 32]

You may or may not need to break in your Saiga. Just don't expect flawless performance until you've run quite a few rounds through it.

 

My 2001 22" ran flawlessly from jump street with only one FTE (Low Brass #7 handed to me at a Turkey Shoot) in a thousand rounds. My brand new Romanian AK-47 needed a break-in (Due to Century gun-monkeys welding the gas piston).

 

So take it out and shoot it with the correct gas setting. If it won't cycle crank the gas up to the '2' setting (More gas) until it breaks in.

[loki0629 55]

Remington target loads in setting #2 were the cheapest "break in" rounds I could find. I keep my OO buck and slugs for HD and occasional practice.

[WardenWolf 6]

All right, thanks for all the advice, folks. I decided to hold off shooting it until I get a few more parts for it. I immediately ordered:

 

(1) A Gunfixer plug to improve gas control and allow hand adjustment.

 

(2) A King Armory replacement piston to improve cycling.

 

Between these two upgrades, I should have no problem getting it working out of the box. I verified my gun has all its ports. I also thoroughly lubed it with Breakfree and hand cycled the action a few dozen times. It now seems to be cycling a lot smoother than it was before.

Edited July 14, 2009 by Mike the Wolf

[GTwannabe 1]

The bolt should draw back much smoother after break-in.

[Cobra 76 two 2,677]

The bolt should draw back much smoother after break-in.

 

 

Bingo. You can save a lot of money on ammo and a lot of sore shoulders by just getting the bolt and carrier polished. It's like an instant break in.

[rastamanila 313]

My S12 is still a bit finicky. After 50 rounds of federal target I still suffered FTE on all settings. So I polished the bolt, receiver, carrier and hammer. But I continued to have issues with the federal ammo on all settings, even after installing the gunfixer gas valve. However, the 25 rnds of Winchester Xtreme I shot ran flawlessly out of my factory 5 rnd mag and MD20 drum. I've since installed a reduced tension hammer spring. So I'm hoping for an improvment the next time I get to the range. Though I've only put 75 rnds of federal and 25 rnds of Winchester through the gun, I thought that the polishing would have done the trick.

 

This happened to me three days ago when I shot 83 rounds of two kinds of 00 BuckShot. The first 25 rounds were a complete and utter FTE disaster. I could barely get through an 8 round mag the whole day. The next 50 rounds of another brand of ammo were better but not immune to FTE problems. The slug's plastic kept getting eaten by the gun upon ejection.

 

I suppose I should buy a bunch of slugs like everyone is saying?

Edited July 14, 2009 by rastamanila

[6-Speed 0]

I read on here somewhere that they recommend at least 1300 fps for break in. I was using Remington express long range (buck shot, I think), 1330 fps, and I had no issues at all, went through about 50 of those, and then 5 sabot slugs at 1700fps. Then I went through about a whole box of walmart bulk pack federal multipurpose load. I had 2 stove pipes, and 1 that didn't eject on its own. When I pulled the bolt back manually it came out then. I never changed from gas setting 1, even with the federal...I may shoot it in stock form a few more times, but I'm already gathering parts for the conversion...

[WardenWolf 6]

After repeatedly hand cycling it some more, I can feel it becoming smoother and the finish starting to wear on the carrier. The bolt drawback is fairly smooth now. I don't forsee any problems. Where it still needs to break in some is on closing, where the extractor goes up the ramp. That's not a big deal, though, because it has plenty of force to slam closed.