S12 barrels?

[diamondback 56]

Well, I'm looking at a GunBroker S12 here in Western WA. The problem is...

 

It's been chopped to 16", with a permanent break added. My project plan requires a 19" threaded barrel for chokes. So, pass on this one, or try to snag it and hope the guys at Cadiz can find me a replacement barrel to graft on?

 

How hard is it for a DIY'er to remove an S12 barrel and fit a new one, anyway?

[KC913 324]

For the price you would endup paying for all of that, why not just buy a brand new, unmodified S12 for $479.00 shipped and start fresh?

[kresk 10,063]

Yeah--good luck.

[Jdhonda810 29]

Yeah--good luck.

 

If you contact MD Arms, they're sellin 109's for $465 ryt now. Don't mean to start any business talk here or anything. Just saying...it WOULD be cheaper to go from a brand new IZ-109 model ALREADY having a 19" barrel to do what you want to do.

[TARE 47]

I would think you are best to either buy another NIB SAIGA or getting that one and trade someone who wants that setup.

[diamondback 56]

The one I'm looking at also already has a full conversion done--it also has the advantage of FTF Private Sale if winning bid's local. I had assumed, based on the private-sale cost-inflation and general firearms-market BS here in the Soviet Socialist Kleptocracy of Seattlegrad--GO ROSSI!--that I'd be looking at around $600 for an unconverted.

 

You guys do raise good points, and I'll keep 'em in mind.

[Fumes 84]

They sometimes do group buys on northwestfirearms.com and if you're in Seattle that might be close enough to get a deal. Or at least find someone on there close enough to buy private, that's where I found mine.

Edited November 2, 2010 by Fumes

[diamondback 56]

Same name over there, Fumes; I discussed NorthernBornRebel's group-buy, and was in talks on a private-sale, but a hiccup with my domain-host forced me over to a new email and he hasn't replied to my "Reopening Comms" email from the new account despite that I was ready to meet his asking price with no quibbles or haggling other than Seattle-to-Vancouver logistics. (I don't drive, so I'd have to piggyback pickup onto either him having business up here or my relatives going on a shopping-junket to Centralia or Portland.)

[sunnybean 939]

If you want the local gun then I would think the best thing to do is find someone wanting to do a SBS and then work out a deal....

[pedal2alloy 206]

What you should do is buy a new S12 for the barrel, and then sell off the other parts. You will find buyers for the bolt, safety lever, top cover etc, and probably even the receiver. I bet you'd be able to sell the short barrel too.

[JFLand 0]

How hard is it for a DIY'er to remove an S12 barrel and fit a new one, anyway?

 

I don't think anyone answered the above question, just gave work-arounds.

[TARE 47]

How hard is it for a DIY'er to remove an S12 barrel and fit a new one, anyway?

 

I don't think anyone answered the above question, just gave work-arounds.

 

Because the average DIY'er is not going to have an easy time extending the barrel and there are far more lucrative means to get the end result desired by the poster.

[ErikTaylor 41]

After you buy the local gun, buy another barrel, and then pay someone to switch the barrels you'd probably save some coin buying a new one, paying $150 for parts, and doing it yourself. Then you'd get exactly what you want. I've made the mistake of buying something that wasn't what I wanted and it costed me more of a headache and money to get it right had I just got it right from the beginning.

[Gothmog 24]

After you buy the local gun, buy another barrel, and then pay someone to switch the barrels you'd probably save some coin buying a new one, paying $150 for parts, and doing it yourself. Then you'd get exactly what you want. I've made the mistake of buying something that wasn't what I wanted and it costed me more of a headache and money to get it right had I just got it right from the beginning.

 

 

Me and a few others would like to know where you are going to get the "other" barrel? As alot of us have been waiting for either replacement smooth bore, or the unatainable ( or nearly so) rifled barrel.

 

 

 

HUZZAH !!

Edited November 2, 2010 by Gothmog

[6500rpm 670]

With my limited experience (pressed two off/on) it's no more difficult than any other Ak and more or less the same process. I don't know if you absolutely have to, but I made a S12 specific aluminum insert to put in the chamber end for the press off using a 12t press. Mine actually pressed a lot easier than the AK's I've done, but I think I recall Tony R. making statements that some can be a real bitch so it might be a luck of the draw. Remove barrel pin. Put in press and support chamber end of barrel. Use a aluminum (soft metal) buffer against the front trunion and slide a pipe that's about 2" longer than the barrel over the barrel against the buffer material. As you press against the pipe/trunion, the supported barrel will be pressed up and out through the pipe. I pressed mine out to send off to Carlson's and have threaded for internal chokes and polished the mouth of the barrel. I have to agree, the best bet would be to work something out with someone wanting to do a SBS and use their barrel or just but a unconverted gun and do the conversion unless you have the proper tools and a bit of experience.

[RecycledElectrons 7]

How hard is it for a DIY'er to remove an S12 barrel and fit a new one, anyway?

 

I don't think anyone answered the above question, just gave work-arounds.

 

I see lots of AK parts kits would barrels.

 

I think barrels are banned from importation.

 

I think you're screwed.

 

Sorry.

[Paulyski 2,227]

Me and a few others would like to know where you are going to get the "other" barrel? As alot of us have been waiting for either replacement smooth bore, or the unattainable (or nearly so) rifled barrel.

 

 

 

HUZZAH !!

Tony R. of Tromix was given a bunch of $$$ by a venture capitalist for the development of a rifled barrel.

 

Ask him what ever came of it.

[Gothmog 24]

Me and a few others would like to know where you are going to get the "other" barrel? As alot of us have been waiting for either replacement smooth bore, or the unattainable (or nearly so) rifled barrel.

 

 

 

HUZZAH !!

Tony R. of Tromix was given a bunch of $$$ by a venture capitalist for the development of a rifled barrel.

 

Ask him what ever came of it.

 

I believe he made the one, for the client. And that was all that was heard of. I'm not gonna bother Tony, as he is a busy guy. My S12 is set up for HD, if I wanted to do some deer hunting or similar with a S12, I would probably build another S12 and look into it.

 

 

 

HUZZAH!!

[Paulyski 2,227]

King Armory says he's about to release a US made smoothbore barrels & some rifled barrels with a few improvments over the Russian...

 

He doesn't mention them being chrome lined which would be really cool, however, he plans on internally threading some for internal chokes.

 

Edited November 8, 2010 by Paulyski

[diamondback 56]

Reserve turned out to be outside my budget, anyway--the seller wanted $1100 starting, and my budget projections allow ~$600 for an "unconverted" or ~$850 for a "restored".

 

Thanks, guys! I should probably shoot King a note and see if he's considered an outside-threaded Polychoke-compatible version.

[vintagedude88 16]

Try to find someone local to you that charges the least FFL fee who is willing to accept EBR/EBS. If you do you can get in under $600 for an uncoverted Saiga-12. The cost to convert on your own is about $180 with the most economical stock and PG(Tapco). That will put you under $800 which is well below your budget of $850. From there its all up to you. Mine seems to be a money pit ever since I got it about 2yrs ago. Many others can say the same about their S12s. Good luck.

[diamondback 56]

I can do $490 via a group-buy on another board if I wanted to go through an FFL... the rub is, my numbers are specifically on "Private Sale" terms without playing with 4473's. (It's enough that Big Brother knows I have guns thanks to my CCW permit, exactly what all I got is NOTFB IMO.)