mikegraffam 11 Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 (edited) OK, So a buddy of mine is looking to build an 18" autoloader slug gun. This gun would primarily be shooting custom-loaded sabot rounds. He loves my S12 and really wants to use one as the base. Honestly, I think he should just get something in the Mossberg 930 family; but I promised him I'd ask around .. so here I am. What we're wondering is if anyone has done any tests with the different rifled choke extensions and knows which one works best? We're not expecting a great deal of accuracy - but if a choke prevents a sabot slug from keyholing, and keeps it on paper at 100 yds - that would be something. It appears that the paradox choke is the longest rifled choke available (6" ?) .. assuming it works worth a damn, he'd get an S12 and get the paradox permanently affixed to a cut down barrel. Or he'll decide that an 8" group @ 100 yds isn't worth the detachable mag and he'll get a fully rifled bore Mossberg or Remington and cut it down to 18". Edited March 8, 2011 by Michael Graffam Quote Link to post Share on other sites
raleighsaiga 81 Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Why not buy one of Cobra's Winchester choke adapters, then screw the paradox into that? You maintain the flexibility of the regular 19" barrel for other uses while still having a manageable gun for slug hunting. Also, some sabots only need a regular rifled choke to group respectably at 100 yards. He might not need the 6" long Hastings choke in the first place. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mikegraffam 11 Posted March 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Why not buy one of Cobra's Winchester choke adapters, then screw the paradox into that? You maintain the flexibility of the regular 19" barrel for other uses while still having a manageable gun for slug hunting. Also, some sabots only need a regular rifled choke to group respectably at 100 yards. He might not need the 6" long Hastings choke in the first place. Well, the paradox choke is a Russian made choke specifically for the Saiga-12. Adds about 6" to barrel length.. he doesn't want a 25" barrel out in the woods. He needs to climb some hilly areas to get up to where he wants to hunt some elk, so he wants a more compact gun. A regular Saiga with a winchoke adapter might do the trick.. and keep the barrel shorter; but since this would be a dedicated slug gun - thats what he's building it for - he's looking to be able to fire the widest variety of slugs he can; both off the shelf stuff, and recipes of his own. I never had much luck with the 2" rifled chokes. Never seemed to do much for accuracy.. maybe I didn't try at far enough ranges to see the improvement, I don't know. This is why I think he should just get a rifled barrel shotgun - like a Mossberg or Remington, and if he really wants to shorten the barrel.. that is a quick chop and crown job for a gunsmith. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
raleighsaiga 81 Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Yeah, it does seem that a regular slug gun is a better choice. The Saiga doesn't really provide advantages over current mass-produced offerings. Add to that the fact that your friend will basically be experimenting with his money and his time... Anyway, some of us actually enjoy doing those kinds of things, and I can't blame him if that is why he wants to go forward with this project. However, if he thinks a Saiga with a cut-down barrel and a pinned 6" rifled choke is going to give him a useful advantage for longer range slug hunting, I just don't see it. A regular Saiga with a smooth bore and rifled slugs would be all you'd need out to 50 yards, and then you can have an HD/3-gun/clay gun just by a change of mags and/or chokes. That's about what I'm doing myself. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TTMR 11 Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Saiga's advantage is the big mag, take it hunting most places and you can't use a big mag. Sounds like he really would be better off with a tube fed gun to me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mikegraffam 11 Posted March 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Yeah, it does seem that a regular slug gun is a better choice. The Saiga doesn't really provide advantages over current mass-produced offerings. Add to that the fact that your friend will basically be experimenting with his money and his time... Anyway, some of us actually enjoy doing those kinds of things, and I can't blame him if that is why he wants to go forward with this project. However, if he thinks a Saiga with a cut-down barrel and a pinned 6" rifled choke is going to give him a useful advantage for longer range slug hunting, I just don't see it. A regular Saiga with a smooth bore and rifled slugs would be all you'd need out to 50 yards, and then you can have an HD/3-gun/clay gun just by a change of mags and/or chokes. That's about what I'm doing myself. Heh. He just called me asking for an update and whether I found any info about the Saiga situation. He is at a gun shop now, and they have a Mossberg 930 in wood furniture, for $300. The shop owner will cut and crown the barrel to 18.5" for him, and have it for him to pick up tomorrow morning for $400. So he should be out the door with it, with some shells for $450 or so. Then I guess he is going to buy a second barrel from Mossberg to have something other than the 18.5". I told him to go for it. It'll be a month or so before I get up there to see him and check out the gun, but from his description it was well cared for and looked near mint. Just a ding in the buttstock. Yeah, a cheap dedicated slug gun seems like the only real choice for him. I guess where he wants to go has some opportunity for longer shots that he can't quite make with his Granddad's old over-under.. but the main reason is he doesn't want to climb with an heirloom. Thats part of the reason he liked the idea of a Saiga - it's rugged, and scratches and dings don't detract from it, but rather add character. But at this point, even if he could find a Saiga, he'd be paying a lot more than for what he's getting that Mossberg for, it seems. Funny thing though.. he was telling me he feels guilty that he'll be going hunting w/o that over-under. It's put food on his family's table for many years. He feels like he's cheating on his wife. lol Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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