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new saiga 12 owner! just picked it up today....now what?


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just picked up my saiga 12 today. this is my first firearm and I have to admit I have little firearm experience.

 

first question is am I able to fire with the gun straight out the box?

 

do i have to do any adjustments with the gas settings (1 vs 2) ?

 

any problems shooting rounds from big 5 (remmington bird shot 6.5 & winchester x 8)?

 

please i need your guidance and expertise. i read the manual and things seem pretty straight forward, i just want to hear it from ones with experience now.

 

thx for the help in advance.

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Chances are it won't run cheap ammo out of the box. You test ammo on setting 1, and if it won't run, change it to setting 2. Setting 1 its for high brass. Run too much high brass on setting 2, and you risk breaking somthing. However its highly unlikely. You need to measure you're gas ports somehow. Unscrew the gas plug and see if you can fit a bent paper clip into all the ports, if you can you should be good. If not you may have to drill them out or get a booster puck or maybe tac 47's new adjustable gas puck.

 

Things I recommend doing........... CONVERT!!!!!!

However, if you prefer the gun in its neutered form, that's your choice. I also recommend sending your internal parts out to one of the many vendors here who can reprofile and polish them. This will help loading on a closed bolt and running low brass. I had mine done by cobra, and he did a outstanding job with them.

 

Welcome too the addiction, and the forum, and be prepared to start viewing your s12 as a financial black hole.

 

Edit: just wanted to add that these guns do not get along very well with winchester universal, so don't expect it too. it takes alot to make them run with it, and with federal blue box being even cheaper, I don't think its worth it personally to make a s12 run with it.

Edited by yooper14.5
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Now find someone to teach you proper firearm safety. A friend or even a gun safety class. Congratulations on your new gun and your first gun but that being said you MUST be taught some basic principals of gun safety I.E. trigger discipline, muzzle discipline etc. I see new guys posting here saying basically what you have said and It always shocks me that NOBODY here advises these guys to get some safety training rather than worrying about making their gun look cool. Theres plenty of time for that but now you need to learn to use your weapon safely, ALL THE TIME, everytime. Because as I was always told, It only takes ONE mistake! One mistake, one time you forget to engage the safety while your not practicing trigger discipline and SOMEBODY DIES. Most likely someone you love or care about.

 

Not trying to scare you at all but you asked what now and this is what I would tell anyone who has no experience with guns and just acquired a gun. It was years befor I was allowed to carry a gun alone as I was growing up. Mainly because it takes a LONG time to get to the point where you can handle a gun safely all the time, It needs to be second nature. Where you dont have to think, you just do it. I wont go into to the basics because they seem really obvious but there so obvious their easy to neglect when your having fun shooting your new saiga. Just remember to respect it for what it is, a deadly weapon. The second you forget that something bad can happen.

 

 

Welcome to the board!! And yeah you can shoot it out the box, I did. Alot of guys like to strip them and clean em but I shot mine!!

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Yes, shoot it. Shoot it a lot. Set it to Gas Setting 1, then move it to 2 if it doesn't run what you are shooting. Yes, there's a good chance that it won't run Walmart bulk pack right out of the box, but it's designed to run buck and slug. If it does have any problems, contact the importer for warranty information. That said, before you do anything to the firearm, fire it as is at least 200 times to break it in. Then, once you've established a baseline, you can decide how you want to proceed.

 

I also highly recommend attending some beginner firearms class. If you can't find a shotgun class, then find a Hunter Safety class or any other basic firearm course like an NRA Basic Pistol course. All training is good and even if it's not directly related to your new toy, it'll teach you the basics of firearm safety and may introduce you to new interests. If you have any friends who shoot, go with them your first few times. If not, talk with your gunshop or your local range about it and see if they have any advice or information.

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How you picked a hell of a gun for your first firearm lol...don't pull all of your hair out when you can't get the thing to fire right. ;)

 

 

 

Congrats and welcome to the wonderful world of the S-12 :)

 

 

Or when it doesnt fire at ALL, as some of us have experienced after a high 3 figure investment.

 

The key to Saiga ownership (shotgun wise anyway, not so much for the rifle) is patience. Tons and tons of patience. I, unfortunately, lack that trait as evlblkwpns can attest to. Expect it not to work and if it does you can be excited.

 

Once it does finally function properly it is an awesome toy and tool all wrapped into one.

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Chances are it won't run cheap ammo out of the box. You test ammo on setting 1, and if it won't run, change it to setting 2. Setting 1 its for high brass. Run too much high brass on setting 1, and you risk breaking somthing. However its highly unlikely. You need to measure you're gas ports somehow. Unscrew the gas plug and see if you can fit a bent paper clip into all the ports, if you can you should be good. If not you may have to drill them out or get a booster puck or maybe tac 47's new adjustable gas puck.

 

Things I recommend doing........... CONVERT!!!!!!

However, if you prefer the gun in its neutered form, that's your choice. I also recommend sending your internal parts out to one of the many vendors here who can reprofile and polish them. This will help loading on a closed bolt and running low brass. I had mine done by cobra, and he did a outstanding job with them.

 

Welcome too the addiction, and the forum, and be prepared to start viewing your s12 as a financial black hole.

 

Edit: just wanted to add that these guns do not get along very well with winchester universal, so don't expect it too. it takes alot to make them run with it, and with federal blue box being even cheaper, I don't think its worth it personally to make a s12 run with it.

 

He means setting 2 here. run your high brass on setting 1 never 2.

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Chances are it won't run cheap ammo out of the box. You test ammo on setting 1, and if it won't run, change it to setting 2. Setting 1 its for high brass. Run too much high brass on setting 1, and you risk breaking somthing. However its highly unlikely. You need to measure you're gas ports somehow. Unscrew the gas plug and see if you can fit a bent paper clip into all the ports, if you can you should be good. If not you may have to drill them out or get a booster puck or maybe tac 47's new adjustable gas puck.

 

Things I recommend doing........... CONVERT!!!!!!

However, if you prefer the gun in its neutered form, that's your choice. I also recommend sending your internal parts out to one of the many vendors here who can reprofile and polish them. This will help loading on a closed bolt and running low brass. I had mine done by cobra, and he did a outstanding job with them.

 

Welcome too the addiction, and the forum, and be prepared to start viewing your s12 as a financial black hole.

 

Edit: just wanted to add that these guns do not get along very well with winchester universal, so don't expect it too. it takes alot to make them run with it, and with federal blue box being even cheaper, I don't think its worth it personally to make a s12 run with it.

 

He means setting 2 here. run your high brass on setting 1 never 2.

 

Thanks for pointing that out, ill edit it.

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who ever said the S12 isn't a good first firearm. it was my first firearm and i did fine. made me look good the first time i shot it (dont know with the other places but when shot mine the first time, the other people at the range just stopped and had to look 027.gif

 

i suggest you shoot it a BONE STOCK first. don't even think about modifying anything yet. make sure it shoots fine, that way if you see a major problem, you can still return it for warranty claims.

 

my gun came out of the box set at setting 1 (that's for high brass) so i shot slugs first (just 10 shots initially). of course it should cycle those just fine. then you go buy yourself most of the available shotshells you can find and most likely to be shooting in your S12. make sure you use setting 2 for low brass shells. if you encounter problems cycling low brass, then you can DIY polishing the bolt etc, or send it to any of our friendly members here that does this thing.

 

once you know your gun runs as it should wth all the ammo you want to shoot, then you can start modifying it. then it becomes the MONEY SINK.

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Thx all for the great advice guys!

 

So what is the difference between high brass and low brass?

 

Just finished taking it to the range and shot some big 5 rounds. Shot great despite a few times it failed to eject the casing. Other than that it ran like a machine.

 

I guess its called a FTE. Easy to remedy but I would like to prevent it.

 

Thx in advance

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I'm certainly no expert but here's what i know.

 

the "brass is the metal part at the butt end of the shotgun shell where the primer resides. the terms "high and low" relates to how tall that metal part is and in turn how "strong" the shot shell is.

 

so high/tall brass = strong = gas setting 1

low/short brass = weaker = gas setting 2 (this setting allows more gas to push the gas puck which pushes the piston)

 

if you shoot low brass shells at setting 1, you'll most likely get failure to eject (FTE) since there is less pressure/gas pushing on the piston.

 

 

here's an xray i made of a low brass (# 4 birdshot) and high brass (double "o" buckshot). BTW, the "white parts in the Xray are metallic parts of the shotgun shell.

 

b3adbc47-35f8-4dbe-8d94-e1fcf6f72026.jpg

 

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Congrats! The Saiga 12 is my first and only personal firearm as well. I bought mine this year on Independence day and she is wonderful with no modifications ( yet :P )

 

Mine was imported...? from US Sporting Goods Inc. (engraved on receiver) I am a beginner and have heard that the shotgun can vary a bit but here's what I've learned.

 

Don't worry about "high brass/low brass". I recommend every time you try a new type of ammunition you fire it on setting one. If the shells fail to eject often or barely exit the gun, try it on setting 2. I haven't tried 3" shells yet.

 

remington 2 3/4" 1oz sluggers fly out of my shotgun on setting 1. 1+1/8oz 7+1/2 federal bulk shot and 1oz 8 shot Remington game loads both cycle on my setting 2 only. Im not sure about buckshot.

 

something i havent seen mentioned is to make sure your safety lever is fully disengaged when you want to fire, not just off of the bolt, but all the way down, else you might get a click and a bang on the second trigger pull for each shell.

 

Take a hunting safety course or gun safety course if you haven't.

 

Other than that, hold her tight against that shoulder and let whatever is down range have it.

 

Enjoy!

-Mason

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