Saiga 12 for hunting?

[dhaze579 0]

Is a Saiga 12 good for hunting waterfowl and deer? This may be a determining factor as to whether or not I get one. If you choose the right chokes, it will be a great wingshooter, Amirite? <--(Am I right) It would look straight awesome carrying that thing on a sling on my back out to the field... sweet. I also shoot left handed, but I have no problem shooting right handed guns. I dont mind the detachable mag for hunting.

 

Thanks

Edited February 15, 2010 by Dhaze

[nycGUNguy 61]

Used my S-12 and S-20 for Pheasant hunting and they worked great. the advantage is the second follow up shot and they are rugged. You won't worry about trudging thru the brush and worry about getting stuff on it because it will shoot regardless. Good luck. there are many people here that will testify to the fact that you will enjoy this gun for whatever you want it for. It will fit that role.

 

nyclu3

[dannyfantasy2000 68]

I haven't hunted deer or birds with my Saiga 12, but I have taken quite a few squirrels, rabbits, and raccoons. Indeed, it is a very versatile gun.

[Matthew Hopkins 1,065]

Is a Saiga 12 good for hunting waterfowl and deer?

 

 

just as good as any other shotgun. just a different look to it, that's all. if you are going to hunt waterfowl or deer with it, abide by the law of shell capacity, block the 5 round mag that came with it. or buy a 2 or 3 shell mag capacity.

Edited February 15, 2010 by Matthew Hopkins

[YARP 300]

Yes, just a yes....After I found the S-12 I literally overhauled my gun cabinet....It was like a fire sale. If I didn't have love for some of my old hunting shotguns, I would've sold them too but all my older semi-autos got the boot. I saved some side by sides ( past down to me) and a few pumps.

[dhaze579 0]

Thanks for all the replies, guys. Barrel length really doesnt matter as long as its over 18", right? And also, when you have a 2 round mag, is there 2 rounds in the mag and 1 in the chamber or...? A saiga will be great for ducks, but what about geese? Is it good at trap, too?

Sorry about all the questions, just curious.

[YARP 300]

Barrel must be over 18", what are your state laws on how many rounds you can have loaded for hunting? The S-12 has taken me through (at least one season each) deer, rabbit, grouse, pheasant, duck. It has also taken a coyote a wazoo of racoon's and possums. I can't think of any season (shotgun) that I won't use it for.

Trap is a whole lot more fun when you don't have to stop to reload. Cobra76Two offers a choke adapter http://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?showtopic=43443 that should help you a good amount.

[Matthew Hopkins 1,065]

Thanks for all the replies, guys. Barrel length really doesnt matter as long as its over 18", right? And also, when you have a 2 round mag, is there 2 rounds in the mag and 1 in the chamber or...? A saiga will be great for ducks, but what about geese? Is it good at trap, too?

Sorry about all the questions, just curious.

 

 

not being a hunter of anykind myself. well except for poontang hunting , I can't answer the hunting mag question. but I do know that the S12 is fun for shooting at clay targets, as for geese and such I think that you would need a choke of somekind for a pattern spread.

 

and as far as barrel length goes, 18 inches is the legal length for a shotgun barrel, I don't believe there is a set size for hunting purposes. I have seen shotguns that look to have like 6 ft barrels. usually carried by people who hit other people with it as they carry it.

[Dirty 4]

Is a Saiga 12 good for hunting waterfowl and deer?

 

Does Charlie Daniels play a mean fiddle?

 

It's a shotgun. The only Disadvantage I can see is not being able to easily top off your magazine with one or two rounds. As long as you break it in properly and use the correct gas setting you should be good to go.

[Nailbomb 10,221]

In stock form...

Good for hunting? yeah it does okay. Trap/skeet? yeah alright...

 

With a down and dirty conversion, and a change of sights it becomes a whole different animal. The short sight radius pistol sights are a weakness, and IMHO so is the sporter stock and trigger group.

 

Take care of those items and performance is impressive to say the least. I don't know of anyone who has changed those items and regreted it.

 

If your really serious about birds and clays you might be interested in the 22" version. with a externaly threaded choke system(like cobras, or a poly choke) your effective barrel length is in the 25" range. Even with the 19" with choke your going to be over 20" of overall length.

[TR Young 175]

If it is stated that it is a "2-round mag", then there are two rounds in the magazine. Most states, as far as I know, that have a restriction on the number of rounds that can be loaded into the firearm means in the chamber and in the mag combined. For instance, if a state has a law requiring you to only have 3 rounds for hunting, you can have to make the mag(s) that you are hunting with accept ONLY TWO rounds, and you can then put one round in the chamber, thus totaling 3 rounds. You can, however, carry as many loaded two-round mags as you can possibly carry.

[YARP 300]

In stock form...

Good for hunting? yeah it does okay. Trap/skeet? yeah alright...

 

With a down and dirty conversion, and a change of sights it becomes a whole different animal. The short sight radius pistol sights are a weakness, and IMHO so is the sporter stock and trigger group.

 

Take care of those items and performance is impressive to say the least. I don't know of anyone who has changed those items and regreted it.

 

If your really serious about birds and clays you might be interested in the 22" version. with a externaly threaded choke system(like cobras, or a poly choke) your effective barrel length is in the 25" range. Even with the 19" with choke your going to be over 20" of overall length.

 

LOL! I didn't even think about it in stock configuration! LOL! I forget sometimes that anyone would ever want to keep it stock.....

However, I hunt with the 19" and still get impressive results over my buddy who swears he'll never hunt with anything that doesn't have a 24" barrel "at least". I still got more game then him this year!

[sunnybean 939]

Is a Saiga 12 good for hunting waterfowl and deer?

 

Does Charlie Daniels play a mean fiddle?

 

It's a shotgun. The only Disadvantage I can see is not being able to easily top off your magazine with one or two rounds. As long as you break it in properly and use the correct gas setting you should be good to go.

 

+1

 

I used my 24" S-12 with a poly-choke this season for pheasants and waterfowl. The only thing I didn't like was not being able to quickly shove 1-3 rounds in while on the move. I did have three extra mags with me so I could swap out mags instead. But, then you still have to load mags on the move. This requires two hands. It was frustrating when a bird would get up and both hands are trying to load a mag and the gun is slung over your shoulder. By the time I got the mag I was loading back in my vest and the gun to my shoulder the birds were gone. To me it is faster to have the gun in one hand and feed a tube.

 

Also, not being able to look at the mag and see how many rounds remain is kind of a deterrent too. I plan to drill some small holes in the mag so I can check how many rounds remain. Having said all that, I'll still be hunting with the S-12 next bird season.

Edited February 15, 2010 by sunnybean

[dhaze579 0]

Again, thanks for all of the replies, you had exactly what I was looking for.

 

Two more questions: Should I get the 19", 22" or 24" barrel for birds and clay? And the safety shouldn't be a problem for left handed shooters, right?

[Bvamp 604]

must post pictures.

 

 

sorry, PLEASE post pictures, next time out.

 

thank you.

 

-Ben Vampatella

[sunnybean 939]

Already posted these here before, but since you asked....

 

[Mayor Al 41]

I asked this question (about hunting) on another thread before reading this one. Thanks for the info !

[psl sniper 963]

i love skeet shooting with my saiga.

redneck style!