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Saiga 12 Surefire Mag Problems?


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I got a new Saiga 12 a few weeks back and completed the conversion. The only problem I am having is FTF using Surefire mags. I have one 12 round mag that has not been modified and one 12 round that has been modified for use with the JT Surefire Magwell.

 

The factory unmodified Saiga five round mag functions with absolutly no problems with over 100 rounds fired using it.

 

The unmodified 12 rd. Surefire mag is not reliable with 2-3 FTF per mag. When I load the mag, the shells feel like they are catching on something in the mag. I have to work the shells up and down to get all shells loaded.

 

The competition 12 rd. Surefire mag modified for the magwell will have up to 4-5 FTF per loaded mag. I have tried moving the magwell to fine tune the feeding but it does not seem to help.

 

To try and identify the problem I removed the magwell and went to the range with the Saiga 5 rd. and the unmodified 12 rd. Surefire. I thought if I can get the mags to work without the magwell, I can then reinstall the magwell and at least know the mags work and any further problems would be associated with fine tuning the magwell.

 

The results are again the Saiga 5 rd, performs with no problems. The Surefire mag still had a few FTF. I did get one mag through it with no FTF but need 100% reliability since I want to use this for 3-gun competitions.

 

I have read on other posts here it could be a mag spring problem. ANY HELP OR SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.

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It sounds to me like your bolt carrier is outcycling your magazine; the magazine can't present a new cartridge before the bolt face has passed it. The factory 5-round magazine is working because of its insane magazine spring - take it out some time, it looks like enough spring to handle an 8- or 10-round mag (maybe they use the same spring in the 5- and 8-round factory mags?). Your gun may be a little overgassed; if this is the case, an aftermarket gas plug could be a simple, inexpensive fix. MD Arms sells a gas plug that works very well. An increased-power recoil spring might also work, but I think the gas plug is a much easier fix, and more likely to work.

 

Edited to add - if you're having issues loading the magazines themselves, disassemble them and look at the inside of the rearward portion of the magazine, where the rims fit into the track. Look for an obstruction in the track - if you see one, you should be able to remove it with a long dental pick. I had a little bit of plastic obstruction in one of my eight-round mags, it was a ~5-minute fix.

Edited by Shandlanos
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Sorry, I should have been more specific about the FTF. The round is actually stripped from the mag but does not chamber all the way. Sometimes I can bump the bolt pretty hard and it will chamber.

 

Again this only happens with the Surefire mag. It has never happened with the Saiga mag.

 

Thanks

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