Failure rate of your S-12

[Kliegl 304]

I've got mine still in stock config, and have put probably 100 round through it.

 

I would shoot LOW BRASS (yes, that is the term for low-power bird loads, lupo)

and it would stovepipe a few. It seems to stovepipe the last round out of a mag.

 

I will continue to evaluate and shoot more. I have yet to have a failure using

2.75 or 3 in HIGH BRASS (that's the term we use for high powder loads, lupo)

and it throws them nice and far out the side, as opposed to the little distance

the birdshot hulls go.

[corbin 621]

It really does depend on the ammo you feed it. The Winchester AA crap will screw up reasonably often in mine. But even the 2" buckshot rounds cycle well:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=544FSOBxhE0

[The_Caged_Bird 474]

Just took mine out behind my parent's house and fired off two full 12 shell mags.

 

I had one fail to feed but that was because of the shell, cheap Rio birdshot isn't always round. The gun itself functioned flawlessly, even during rapid fire where I held the weapon on target (a 2-liter Coke bottle full of water at 45 ft.) and emptied the 12 shell mag in about 4 or 5 seconds.

 

This weapon is newly broke-in, and it's really impressed me. Just the fact that it eats cheap birdshot is amazing. I remember when I first got it, I didn't know shit about Saigas, I fired a couple of full five round mags through it, bought a 12 round mag and an American puck and took it to see my bro up in O.K.C. We went to the ammo store before we went to the range and I bought $20.00 worth of Rio bird shot (100 rounds), then we went to the range and I proceeded to embarrass myself by loading my weapon with that cheap stuff and the gas piston on the #1 setting.

 

Needless to say, my bro was NOT impressed but his AK was jamming up too so , his AK still jams and now my Saiga functions flawlessly.

 

On a related note, what would cause the bolt to "rise up" out of it's rails while the weapon is functioning?

[auburn2 1]

For me it depends entirely on what ammo I use, here are my results so far:

 

With S&B target loads, S&B Heavy Game load, Remmington 3" steel #2, Remmington heavy game load #5, winchester 3" steel #4, Winchester 2-3/4" 00 and 1 Buck, winchester 3" 00 Buck - no failures yet with about 400 rounds on setting 1 (not counting a problem magazine I had).

 

With Winchester target loads #9 on setting 2 I get about 3 out of 4 FTE with no choke. If I put a choke on it I get about 1 in 3 FTE.

 

Unfortuneately I have like 30 boxes of winchester target loads. :-(

 

I have a lot of S&B target loads to, ironically on my Mossberg 500 the extractor has problems grabbing the S&B but feeds the winchester fine. So I guess I'll use one of them for one gun and the other for the other gun.

[cfish 2]

Mine has been modified to pistol grip and trigger back where its supposed to be. I have over the last week ran 9 full 20 rnd drums through it with zero failures. All shells were wally world rem bird shot 7 1/2 shot. That was using my MD 20 drum. With the 10 rnd promag and same ammo two shots then failure.

[cfish 2]

Just took mine out behind my parent's house and fired off two full 12 shell mags.

 

I had one fail to feed but that was because of the shell, cheap Rio birdshot isn't always round. The gun itself functioned flawlessly, even during rapid fire where I held the weapon on target (a 2-liter Coke bottle full of water at 45 ft.) and emptied the 12 shell mag in about 4 or 5 seconds.

 

This weapon is newly broke-in, and it's really impressed me. Just the fact that it eats cheap birdshot is amazing. I remember when I first got it, I didn't know shit about Saigas, I fired a couple of full five round mags through it, bought a 12 round mag and an American puck and took it to see my bro up in O.K.C. We went to the ammo store before we went to the range and I bought $20.00 worth of Rio bird shot (100 rounds), then we went to the range and I proceeded to embarrass myself by loading my weapon with that cheap stuff and the gas piston on the #1 setting.

 

Needless to say, my bro was NOT impressed but his AK was jamming up too so , his AK still jams and now my Saiga functions flawlessly.

 

On a related note, what would cause the bolt to "rise up" out of it's rails while the weapon is functioning?

 

 

Caged, sounds like the rails are either ground down to much or not welded in the correct place. I assume you mean the bolt carrier is rising up? The only other thing I could think of is the carrier itself is worn down. Not my first guess though. If the gun wasn't riveted correctly the receiver could possibly move or spread out during cycling causing the carrier to jump the rails.

[The_Caged_Bird 474]

Just took mine out behind my parent's house and fired off two full 12 shell mags.

 

I had one fail to feed but that was because of the shell, cheap Rio birdshot isn't always round. The gun itself functioned flawlessly, even during rapid fire where I held the weapon on target (a 2-liter Coke bottle full of water at 45 ft.) and emptied the 12 shell mag in about 4 or 5 seconds.

 

This weapon is newly broke-in, and it's really impressed me. Just the fact that it eats cheap birdshot is amazing. I remember when I first got it, I didn't know shit about Saigas, I fired a couple of full five round mags through it, bought a 12 round mag and an American puck and took it to see my bro up in O.K.C. We went to the ammo store before we went to the range and I bought $20.00 worth of Rio bird shot (100 rounds), then we went to the range and I proceeded to embarrass myself by loading my weapon with that cheap stuff and the gas piston on the #1 setting.

 

Needless to say, my bro was NOT impressed but his AK was jamming up too so , his AK still jams and now my Saiga functions flawlessly.

 

On a related note, what would cause the bolt to "rise up" out of it's rails while the weapon is functioning?

 

 

Caged, sounds like the rails are either ground down to much or not welded in the correct place. I assume you mean the bolt carrier is rising up? The only other thing I could think of is the carrier itself is worn down. Not my first guess though. If the gun wasn't riveted correctly the receiver could possibly move or spread out during cycling causing the carrier to jump the rails.

 

Damn, that's what my bro's AK is doing, I guess I'll tell him to sell it or trade it off and get one that is in better shape.

 

I'm sure it can be fixed but he calls me when it comes time to clean the thing because he can't remember how to field-strip it, so I doubt he'll want to fix it...

[vintagedude88 16]

If my S-12 has a missfire or FTF/FTE It was due to me using either...

 

A: Crappy Ammo

B: Crappy Mags

C: Forgeting to change the gas setting when using low brass

 

Otherwise, after getting a few thousend rounds through it, It has functioned flawlessly.

 

+1

 

Exactly what Nailbomb said.

[arsenal-junkie 0]

I've had mag issues with AGP that I had to tune out, and I believe I'm starting to see some feed issues from weakening Surefire mag springs. ~1-2% with my '08 4 hole gun.

 

For what it's worth taping the charge handle home to chamber a slow fed round is easier to deal with than a FTE. I've seen some rounds that load at just the right angle and jam the corner of a star crimp right into the extractor slot in the chamber and deform the plastic. I have a potential fix for that, but it's extremely rare so I haven't done much about it.

 

My 3 hole '09 gun has never had an issue but it only has about 300 rounds through it, and I haven't tried the surefire mags in it since I started having the issues with the 4 hole gun. It might have been a dirty gun issue too. I'll know more next time I take it out.

 

I have a 10 round AGP mag as well... had feeding issues when i first used it, i just pulled the spring and oiled it and it works fine now. My s12 chews up the walmart special winchester and federal rounds, ever since i opened up the gas ports it's ran great, jammed twice with Winchester universal but the gun is nowhere near broke in yet.

[BobAsh 582]

Zero failures. I never clean the gun.

 

Mix of birdshot, 00 and slugs in rapid fire out of an MD drum. Standard 2-pos plug (modded by me for quick-action).

[ktcm7271 999]

Mine's nearly unheard of. Self converted: Tapco FCG, silicone main spring, home made tiger maple furniture, Hogue PG, scotch brited all the internals and rails, I use the little packets of green grease you get with air tools to grease the rails. The 10 rd mags used to hang up at first, but I squirted some light air line lube in them and jerked 'em off about 100 times each with a stick. No problems, Everything from 8 shot low brass to 00 to slugs work great. Remington 000 hangs up because they're lumpy. I won't use Winchester bulk-too many warnings from you guys. Mine's a 4 port, I will get a better gas plug eventually just for the upgrade and U.S. part.

[stinkybox 5]

Shot my 12 for the first time today and had zero failures. I was shooting 7.5 shot 1 1/8 oz powder Remington Sport Loads. Cycled great on setting 3 and the empties were ejected with force. I have a 4 port with a Gunfixer plug. It was awesome

[cfish 2]

Bobash, you shot all those different loads on the #2 setting? You said you modded it, does that allow you to shoot buck and slugs on#2 setting without banging the gun up?? I wuld like to shoot bird shot and buck without making an adjustment. Can it be done?

[going12220 125]