utstrat03 0 Posted November 5, 2011 Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 I just received my first Saiga 12. I purchased it from Century Arms. The quality stamp is dated May 2011. I was looking at the gas port so I only noticed 2 holes. I figured maybe they were hiding under the gas block. So I removed the gas block and there is definitely two holes. Does this sound like it needs additional gas ports to run the low brass ammo? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
supertex 242 Posted November 5, 2011 Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 how long is the barrel? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
utstrat03 0 Posted November 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 It is a 19 in barrel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
haugpatr 972 Posted November 5, 2011 Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 You need to determine the diameter of the two ports that are there, did you test fire the gun? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
saiga 12 power 31 Posted November 5, 2011 Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 Somebody feel asleep at the barrel porting station Quote Link to post Share on other sites
utstrat03 0 Posted November 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 Haven't had a chance to test fire the gun yet. Well with low brass ammo. What is an acceptable size for the hole I do not have a pair of calipers but I could use punches or drill bits to determine rough estimate of hole diameter. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VladTepes 160 Posted November 5, 2011 Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 shoot the gun and then make a decision IMO.. no sense in guessing.. drilling.. etc.. till you know there is a problem to fix.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cheeseybacon 10 Posted November 5, 2011 Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 (edited) Somebody feel asleep at the barrel porting station Or was totally shit-faced. Mmmmmm... Vodka!!! Edited November 5, 2011 by cheeseybacon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jdtravers 637 Posted November 5, 2011 Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 Yeah, looks like they machined the ports for a 24" barrel on a 19". Quote Link to post Share on other sites
utstrat03 0 Posted November 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 I would probably say the holes are ..09 of an inch. A 5/64 bit still has some play. A 3/32 bit seems like almost go in the hole.but won't. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChileRelleno 7,071 Posted November 5, 2011 Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 IIRC, three (3) port gun's ports are usually 3/32"... So those would be too small for a 19" barrel. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Saigano 2 Posted November 5, 2011 Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 Mine is 19" with one port, works great cycles everything...test fire it first imo Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mscottrogers 56 Posted November 6, 2011 Report Share Posted November 6, 2011 Test fire is the first thing you should do before converting or saying something is wrong. Shoot the crap out of it then make a determination. Have fun Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paulyski 2,227 Posted November 6, 2011 Report Share Posted November 6, 2011 I would probably say the holes are ..09 of an inch. A 5/64 bit still has some play. A 3/32 bit seems like almost go in the hole.but won't. Sounds like they're about the right size, just missing 1. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
evlblkwpnz 3,418 Posted November 6, 2011 Report Share Posted November 6, 2011 (edited) I wouldn't even bother trying to test fire with low power loads with just two ports on a 19". Neither of my 24" guns would run Federal with 2 ports, so at 19" you will likely just be wasting gas, money, and time. I would add 2 more at that same size and give it a thorough reprofile and polish in all of the right spots. Just my opinion.... Yeah, it looks like someone may have gotten shitfaced and went home halfway through porting the barrel. here are 4 ports at .080". Your ports look smaller. More like .070", but I could certainly be wrong. Edited November 6, 2011 by evlblkwpnz Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Etek 32 Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 You TORE the gun apart before firing it? You DO know you porked your warranty, killed any baseline information and......well, most folks wouldn't have done that. I mean, WTF? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VladTepes 160 Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 You TORE the gun apart before firing it? You DO know you porked your warranty, killed any baseline information and......well, most folks wouldn't have done that. I mean, WTF? you are kidding right? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SICARIO 26 Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 A friend of mine brought me his saiga with only two ports. He was stove piping almost every other shot. I tore the gas block off, enlarged the existing holes to 3/32, and added one more. Fixed the problem. That's what I'd do. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
evlblkwpnz 3,418 Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 You TORE the gun apart before firing it? You DO know you porked your warranty, killed any baseline information and......well, most folks wouldn't have done that. I mean, WTF? This is what happens to brand new Saiga 12s around here.... Warranty schmarranty..... I have never owned one that ran good out of the box (out of 6) and I have never sent one back for warranty work, but they do end up running great. I've never had any good luck sending things out and have learned that I am better off on my own. Shit ends up looking nicer anyways. YMMV 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
utstrat03 0 Posted November 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 Ok so I got a chance to fire with low brass ammo. I mentioned in a previous post that I did not fire previously to that point with low brass ammo. However I had ran about 50 rds of buck shot through it at that particular point. The gas ports are definitely bigger than .078 of an inch. I ran anotther 30 rds of buckshot and slugs through it before firing any low brass. Playing kick the can with a 5 gallon bucket and buckshot is alot of fun I might add. I tired a stock setup with puck and plug no cycling of low brass. I purchased a low brass reliability kit from CSS and with the puck and the md V plug it would cycle the low brass ammo once I backed the plug 10 clicks from bottom out postion.. At 5 clicks no cycling. It ran 80 rounds of 1 1/8 oz federal 7 1/2 shot through like a champ no fte at 10 out. My only concern is that this may damage the theards on the gas block over time. I inspected the threads on the plug and block and everything looks fine so far. When you guys are adding a 3rd gas port hole are you drilling at an angle or drilling straight down. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VladTepes 160 Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 Warranty schmarranty..... my point exactly... its a shotgun.. not a 2012 Mercedes.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
utstrat03 0 Posted November 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 You TORE the gun apart before firing it? You DO know you porked your warranty, killed any baseline information and......well, most folks wouldn't have done that. I mean, WTF? This is what happens to brand new Saiga 12s around here.... Warranty schmarranty..... I have never owned one that ran good out of the box (out of 6) and I have never sent one back for warranty work, but they do end up running great. I've never had any good luck sending things out and have learned that I am better off on my own. Shit ends up looking nicer anyways. YMMV What type of paint is that on the receiver? I was thinking about making my light gray as well when I do the conversion. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rctreadaway 4 Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 What type of paint is that on the receiver? I was thinking about making my light gray as well when I do the conversion. That's the factory black. You're just seeing the light reflecting off of it if I'm not mistaken. Most people use duracoat from what I read. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sergii 142 Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 (edited) Worker fell asleep during the operation There is another option to improve the work automation. You can set a short gas piston. I use a 7mm piston. This is easier than increasing the gas ports. Edited November 7, 2011 by Sergii Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Etek 32 Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 Mine ran like a Mercedes right out of the box. Even low powered stuff. Tearing a gun apart before EVER shooting it is like buying a TV then tearing it down then whining that it has 1/4 Watt resistors instead of 1/2 Watt resistors. Many times manufacturers make changes to improve a product without telling you. I see it all the time. I'd at least have shot it first. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VladTepes 160 Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 Mine ran like a Mercedes right out of the box. Even low powered stuff. Tearing a gun apart before EVER shooting it is like buying a TV then tearing it down then whining that it has 1/4 Watt resistors instead of 1/2 Watt resistors. Many times manufacturers make changes to improve a product without telling you. I see it all the time. I'd at least have shot it first. id agree with you if tearing it down had any effect on functionality.. I messed with quite a few saigas.. and with the rifles.. yeah I test fire them first (ever since people were complaining about 5.45 keyholing) but this is a smooth bore shotgun.. pretty simplistic in design.. tearing it apart and inspecting it is not going to create any huge problem.. in fact if he posted "I only have two gas ports" one might even suggest taking off the gas block and making sure one is not being hidden under it.. for what it is worth.. I agree with you.. in the sense that I would have just shot it to see.. but I hardly think it is a huge issue.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
evlblkwpnz 3,418 Posted November 8, 2011 Report Share Posted November 8, 2011 (edited) You TORE the gun apart before firing it? You DO know you porked your warranty, killed any baseline information and......well, most folks wouldn't have done that. I mean, WTF? This is what happens to brand new Saiga 12s around here.... Warranty schmarranty..... I have never owned one that ran good out of the box (out of 6) and I have never sent one back for warranty work, but they do end up running great. I've never had any good luck sending things out and have learned that I am better off on my own. Shit ends up looking nicer anyways. YMMV What type of paint is that on the receiver? I was thinking about making my light gray as well when I do the conversion. Rustoleum Professional Series High Performance enamel (Semi-gloss black). Apply a few light coats while holding the nozzle about 20-24" away and do them 45 minutes apart. It looks really close to factory when done, but looks slightly shinier. I haven't tried the flat black yet. I have a feeling that it will be too flat. this is good paint and it is pretty tough if the receiver is properly prepped and cleaned. Here is a good pic of that same weapon beside a bone-stock brand new S12. It is all in the technique.... keep the can far away and do multiple thin coats. Ok so I got a chance to fire with low brass ammo. I mentioned in a previous post that I did not fire previously to that point with low brass ammo. However I had ran about 50 rds of buck shot through it at that particular point. The gas ports are definitely bigger than .078 of an inch. I ran anotther 30 rds of buckshot and slugs through it before firing any low brass. Playing kick the can with a 5 gallon bucket and buckshot is alot of fun I might add. I tired a stock setup with puck and plug no cycling of low brass. I purchased a low brass reliability kit from CSS and with the puck and the md V plug it would cycle the low brass ammo once I backed the plug 10 clicks from bottom out postion.. At 5 clicks no cycling. It ran 80 rounds of 1 1/8 oz federal 7 1/2 shot through like a champ no fte at 10 out. My only concern is that this may damage the theards on the gas block over time. I inspected the threads on the plug and block and everything looks fine so far. When you guys are adding a 3rd gas port hole are you drilling at an angle or drilling straight down. They are angled. Edited November 8, 2011 by evlblkwpnz Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paulyski 2,227 Posted November 8, 2011 Report Share Posted November 8, 2011 Worker fell asleep during the operation There is another option to improve the work automation. You can set a short gas piston. I use a 7mm piston. This is easier than increasing the gas ports. Your gas plug looks to have no settings? Are many Russian guns like that? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sergii 142 Posted November 8, 2011 Report Share Posted November 8, 2011 Worker fell asleep during the operation There is another option to improve the work automation. You can set a short gas piston. I use a 7mm piston. This is easier than increasing the gas ports. Your gas plug looks to have no settings? Are many Russian guns like that? No adjustment. Five gas vents. This is done at all Vepr-12. In the evening show photo standard Vepr. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sergii 142 Posted November 8, 2011 Report Share Posted November 8, 2011 (edited) 2PauIy Here's what a gas piston system on a standard Vepr-12 VPO-205 00 And here's what a gas piston system on the modified Vepr-12 VPO-206 SP Edited November 8, 2011 by Sergii Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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