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Questions about buying used Saiga 12


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I'm in market for purchasing my first Saiga 12 and I recently came across a used one for $750 that has had a full 922r. conversion done on it. It's had about 1500 rounds through it. And since purchased has only had a Krebs custom retainer plate added. I was also told I could test fire the firearm before purchase. My question would be is $750 for a used Saiga with 1500 rounds through it a good deal or a waste of money?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

I've posted a picture of the "said" Saiga below.

post-26316-0-38997900-1324504166_thumb.jpg

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Most used converted ones are priced very high, so it seems ok to me if it shoots without any issues and looks good. Unless you plan on changing a bunch of stuff then buy a new stock one and convert with parts you want right from the beginning.

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I'd bring along some Federal #7, open up the gas plug and see how she cycles. If there are a few jams then that's no biggie but I'd use that to haggle the price down lower.

 

You can't really get one that's been converted for that price this day and age though so they probably won't go down much.

 

First thing I'd do upon receiving the weapon for inspection before buying would be to make sure there is no mag in it and roll it over to look at the undersides of the bolt and carrier. If they aren't polished then I wouldn't expect it to cycle birdshot too well but if it does cycle birdshot without polished internals, buy it.

 

Also, pull the bolt back and engage the BHO a few times...

Edited by Caged
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I personally would not pay that much for that shotgun. Its just not my style. Coming from a guy who paid $830 for a bone stock one, granted this was before I gots educated. Looks like a fair deal, but if you were me and I were you, I would get a new one from WPA as they should have some in soon and the prices will be good from what I read. You could then do the fun conversion part yourself instead of letting someone else have all the fun. And customize it anyway you want.

 

you have just be given 2c.gif my opinion is worth about half that.

 

ETA: few things to consider: does it have a side rail? will you use the side rail?

Edited by AZG
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It is a fair price, not a good price though. I wouldnt pay that myself either. I would just buy a new one and convert myself. Guess it depends on what you want. If you dont want to fool with it at all and that one cycles 100% then its worth it. Its just not worth it to me b/c I kinda like doing the work myself, so I would hold out on a non side rail model for $500

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I'd bring along some Federal #7, open up the gas plug and see how she cycles. If there are a few jams then that's no biggie but I'd use that to haggle the price down lower.

 

You can't really get one that's been converted for that price this day and age though so they probably won't go down much.

 

First thing I'd do upon receiving the weapon for inspection before buying would be to make sure there is no mag in it and roll it over to look at the undersides of the bolt and carrier. If they aren't polished then I wouldn't expect it to cycle birdshot too well but if it does cycle birdshot without polished internals, buy it.

 

Also, pull the bolt back and engage the BHO a few times...

Bring some Winchester Universal instead. Let the haggling begin!!!!

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I'd bring along some Federal #7, open up the gas plug and see how she cycles. If there are a few jams then that's no biggie but I'd use that to haggle the price down lower.

 

You can't really get one that's been converted for that price this day and age though so they probably won't go down much.

 

First thing I'd do upon receiving the weapon for inspection before buying would be to make sure there is no mag in it and roll it over to look at the undersides of the bolt and carrier. If they aren't polished then I wouldn't expect it to cycle birdshot too well but if it does cycle birdshot without polished internals, buy it.

 

Also, pull the bolt back and engage the BHO a few times...

 

Definitely buy some cheap Federal Bulk from wal-mart, #7 shot low brass. If he's willing to let you shoot it, just do as the man said and open the valve up so it lets all the gas flow and fire away. Definitely recommend shooting it from the hip... If it goes through a few mags with no problems than I would say it is definitely an excellent deal. All the hard work and labor is done on it... Right now its just like playing with lego's, swapping parts on and off is super easy.

 

I wouldn't be concerned about looking up inside at the internals and them not being polished. My gun has had about 1,000 rounds through it and been cleaned maybe 6 or 7 times and I don't have the internals polished. Most all of those rounds have been federal bulk from wally world, and never once has it jammed. I've shot it from the hip for nearly 200 of those rounds... may aim is terrible from the hip by the way, still.

 

I currently have no mod's done to my saiga... But tomorrow I'm going through and completely converting it and tossing about 400 dollars of parts on it, sooo I'll see what happens next. I've shot a couple completely converted saiga's and can say that polished internals are almost as good as sex though... So if the internals are polished than it is a huge bonus.

 

Overall, I think the gun is a good deal.

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I'd bring along some Federal #7, open up the gas plug and see how she cycles. If there are a few jams then that's no biggie but I'd use that to haggle the price down lower.

 

You can't really get one that's been converted for that price this day and age though so they probably won't go down much.

 

First thing I'd do upon receiving the weapon for inspection before buying would be to make sure there is no mag in it and roll it over to look at the undersides of the bolt and carrier. If they aren't polished then I wouldn't expect it to cycle birdshot too well but if it does cycle birdshot without polished internals, buy it.

 

Also, pull the bolt back and engage the BHO a few times...

Bring some Winchester Universal instead. Let the haggling begin!!!!

 

We want the gun to work not jam on every shot.

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I'd bring along some Federal #7, open up the gas plug and see how she cycles. If there are a few jams then that's no biggie but I'd use that to haggle the price down lower.

 

You can't really get one that's been converted for that price this day and age though so they probably won't go down much.

 

First thing I'd do upon receiving the weapon for inspection before buying would be to make sure there is no mag in it and roll it over to look at the undersides of the bolt and carrier. If they aren't polished then I wouldn't expect it to cycle birdshot too well but if it does cycle birdshot without polished internals, buy it.

 

Also, pull the bolt back and engage the BHO a few times...

 

Definitely buy some cheap Federal Bulk from wal-mart, #7 shot low brass. If he's willing to let you shoot it, just do as the man said and open the valve up so it lets all the gas flow and fire away. Definitely recommend shooting it from the hip... If it goes through a few mags with no problems than I would say it is definitely an excellent deal. All the hard work and labor is done on it... Right now its just like playing with lego's, swapping parts on and off is super easy.

 

I wouldn't be concerned about looking up inside at the internals and them not being polished. My gun has had about 1,000 rounds through it and been cleaned maybe 6 or 7 times and I don't have the internals polished. Most all of those rounds have been federal bulk from wally world, and never once has it jammed. I've shot it from the hip for nearly 200 of those rounds... may aim is terrible from the hip by the way, still.

 

I currently have no mod's done to my saiga... But tomorrow I'm going through and completely converting it and tossing about 400 dollars of parts on it, sooo I'll see what happens next. I've shot a couple completely converted saiga's and can say that polished internals are almost as good as sex though... So if the internals are polished than it is a huge bonus.

 

Overall, I think the gun is a good deal.

 

Look at it like this, would you open the hood on a car that you're looking at buying? I prefer to look at what I'm buying before I purchase it, call me crazy but if all it takes to see if the gun has had some decent work is to turn it over an look with my eyes, I think I'm going to take that immensely small extra step...

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I'd bring along some Federal #7, open up the gas plug and see how she cycles. If there are a few jams then that's no biggie but I'd use that to haggle the price down lower.

 

You can't really get one that's been converted for that price this day and age though so they probably won't go down much.

 

First thing I'd do upon receiving the weapon for inspection before buying would be to make sure there is no mag in it and roll it over to look at the undersides of the bolt and carrier. If they aren't polished then I wouldn't expect it to cycle birdshot too well but if it does cycle birdshot without polished internals, buy it.

 

Also, pull the bolt back and engage the BHO a few times...

Bring some Winchester Universal instead. Let the haggling begin!!!!

 

We want the gun to work not jam on every shot.

 

 

Depends, if its jamming he can have leverage to negotiate. Unless its damaged it should be capable of running good with some minor tweaks using this sites advice.

 

 

If he wont budge on price make sure it cycles cheap Federals

 

If you want to low ball him it should jam up with cheap Winchesters

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I'd bring along some Federal #7, open up the gas plug and see how she cycles. If there are a few jams then that's no biggie but I'd use that to haggle the price down lower.

 

You can't really get one that's been converted for that price this day and age though so they probably won't go down much.

 

First thing I'd do upon receiving the weapon for inspection before buying would be to make sure there is no mag in it and roll it over to look at the undersides of the bolt and carrier. If they aren't polished then I wouldn't expect it to cycle birdshot too well but if it does cycle birdshot without polished internals, buy it.

 

Also, pull the bolt back and engage the BHO a few times...

Bring some Winchester Universal instead. Let the haggling begin!!!!

 

We want the gun to work not jam on every shot.

If we are to have leverage for haggling, we must use the "best" tool in our potential bag of tricks. All of mine run winchester Universal just fine. If said weapon for sale runs them then it would certainly work out in the seller's favor and there will be no leverage for haggling. The OP would also be getting a weapon that he will likely have a good time with and could be proud of when it runs great. It is already a buyer's market and why not use every advantage possible for negotiations?

 

Winchester Universal it is ;)

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Or you could just do like the guy from American guns and miss what you're shooting at on purpose and call it a bad gun. Dumb sht like that seems to work now'a days.

Pure genius!

 

A S12 that will not cycle Universal and not hit the intended target can't possibly be worth over $500.

Hell, you can get a brand new one for that now. $400 it is!

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True and if you want, I could send you a 4ft. level that was dropped over 80ft. It's a little bowed now but you can't really tell unless you put it up against another level. You could put that against the barrel and show the seller that the reason you couldn't hit anything was because the barrel is torqued...

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True and if you want, I could send you a 4ft. level that was dropped over 80ft. It's a little bowed now but you can't really tell unless you put it up against another level. You could put that against the barrel and show the seller that the reason you couldn't hit anything was because the barrel is torqued...

No.... because the barrel isn't level, lol!

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Note to self, don't ever buy a gun from you guys!

I actually just give all details about the weapon, good or bad, and throw a price on it that reflects the condition of the item and will move it fast. There are no ill suprises and I always undersell the item. If you undersell a weapon's condition etc., the buyer is always pleasantly surprised. People love buying from me. Since '06, 100% positive feedback from Ebay selling old school car audio amplifiers to arfcom with sell/trade transactions over $2k value. I always undersell the condition of the item and the buyer is usually notably and pleasantly surprised when they receive it. People love buying from evl.

 

However, a seller's weapon has to be an excellent deal or I will not buy it. I am very savvy when it comes to details and things to look for in weapon platforms that I would be interested in, and I can legitimately pick a weapon apart in no time flat that others would think was perfect. Suddenly that hunk of gold just turned into a turd, but I can fix most common issues, so I can make that turd into a winner with a little time invested. If you want to sell me something, be sure that the price reflects the honest and critical evaluation of the weapon. Otherwise, you will be disappointed in what I will pay or trade for something.

Edited by evlblkwpnz
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The only mods I plan on doing to the firearm after purchase is taking off AR buttstock in favor of a side folder. Possibly adding a new quad rail and or a different gas plug.

 

It's funny I found another Saiga and the guy only wants $600 for but the trigger group hasn't been moved forward and it also has an AR stock on it. So after getting all the parts I would need to move the trigger forward I would be paying over $150 in parts plus my labor to do it all. Which makes it seem like getting the $750 Saiga is a better deal since it's already been done for me.

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