new member (I come with question)

[ISUshooter 0]

Im a student at ISU, shooting on the ISU trap and skeet team. Also with a general love for well built fire arms. My boss is a gun enthusiast as I am and showed me the saiga12 he picked up from a friend for $200. I fell in love with it immediately and started my own search. that was about 4 months ago. I can't seem to find ANY saiga-12s for sale. I've recently picked up a saiga-20 from a friend. I also have 5 magazines for it 4-70mm and 1-76mm. I am still looking for the 12, as I really have no use for the 20. Does anyone know where I could find one (at any price) and have my dealer get it shipped to him? Also, my 20 doesn't have the "open action" option with it, meaning its not very well liked on the range. Anyone know where I could get one of those little buttons to fit the 20?

[DHunter 1]

First off, Welcome!

 

As you have found out, it's getting hard to find Saiga shotguns in general. EAA crapped out on us & quit importing them & we are now waiting for another importer to come on line.

[shooter2 5]

Im a student at ISU

 

Indiana State?

[ISUshooter 0]

Iowa State, sorry We have an NCAA shoot near Denver this weekend... Buckley AFB. I wouldn't ever try using the Saiga in competition, its more of a novelty for me, however, on the list of "games" for the weekend is a "flurry" which entails 5 throwers throwing a bird every 3 seconds... thats a new bird in the air almost each 1/2 second. Now you've got 4 guys using a gun of their choice trying to shoot as many of these birds as possible. I've got several over-unders that I use in a real competition. The flurry is just for fun. Last year I took my Rem. 870 with a 10shot extension. I think I could take the saiga 20 and be able to load it's clips a little faster than the tube in my 870. Talk about a hot barrell though. I'm not sure if I want to subject my new saiga to that kind of punishment.

[topmaul 42]

you can punish a saiga any way you want and it will be fine

[kmoore 3]

Yea, they love it and will likely ask for more!

 

One local match was thinking about having a single monster stage. If I know the MD, we'd be looking at running ~100-125 rounds and the winning time (not mine, heh) would be 2 or 3 minutes!

 

Hope it happens in the cold, we can all stand around my shotty to get warm.

[ISUshooter 0]

the flurry is a 200 bird event

[kmoore 3]

the flurry is a 200 bird event

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You planning on shooting at them all? EXCELLENT! Curiosity question: How do you know who busted the bird? That many shooters, I'd guess there are some close calls, and I'd guess there would be a few times when both shooters hit the bird at the same time.

 

A serious constraint may be mag capacity. Saiga shooters in my area typically pool mags if the stage is long.

 

Unless you have enough mags available (they are currently rare), maybe you could have a helper load mags. We had a stage the dictated saiga mags started empty. Mickporno and I raced a couple of times to see who could stuff a mag the quickest. We raced each other, and didn't keep time. We got faster as we raced, and I'd guess we ended somewhere around 4 seconds to load one (9 rounds). So a dedicated loader and a few extra mags might keep up with you. Sounds like fun.

 

I can't seem to find ANY saiga-12s for sale.

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Very few available, and they are all trading at a premium right now. However there is a new importer who has been waiting on paperwork from the gov't (so I hear) that has mentioned that they will be up and running soon. They don't plan on dealing directly, but they will be supplying Saiga's to interested gun dealers and the shortage should go away.

 

Also, my 20 doesn't have the "open action" option with it, meaning its not very well liked on the range.

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I'd guess that any of the BHO's would work on a 20 (I haven't had a 20ga version for a bit now, but seems like the dimensions in the trigger area were the same). Another option would be to cut a notch in your saftey lever and use it to hold the bolt back. Lastly, a "chamber flag" is accepted in many places. I've placed a spent hull in the chamber from the side so that it is easily visable and many places will accept that.

 

The fact that it isn't well liked might have more to do with the lack of barrels, the lack of wood and the fact that it looks like an AK (funny, those are all the reasons I love mine lol)

 

HTH

[ISUshooter 0]

The flurry is a team of 4 people all shooting as fast as they can to break as many of the 200 targets thrown as possible. Last year we took 2nd with a break of 161 I believe... First was 179 and 3rd was 160. with about 8 other teams not placing. No individual scores in this event. It is the same setup as "five stand" if anyone has ever played that and each of the throwers is continuously throwing a bird.

 

Its a pretty crazy and disorgainzed fast paced game... either you need to be a good shot, or load damn fast. I'm trying to do both. I have an 870 that holds 10 shells, kinda debating on what to use... the saiga will be a head turner im sure.

[6500rpm 670]

Keep an eye on the for sale section of this board, or check GunBroker.com but be prepared to spend atleast $375 or more depending on if it's been converted or not unless a new distributor comes through. They aren't necessarily hard to find, just the day of the $225 Saiga 12 seems to be gone.

[mikey1 0]

Well, you have found the place!!! Don't slight the Saiga 20... It will do all you wish...maybe more? Put a few $$$ in the 20 BEFORE you get the s-12.. The 20 will change your mind? The worst problem for a competion shooter is the stock trigger group, BUT $35 cures that (TAPCO style)). You can file a slot on the safety/selector lever that functions as a Bolt Hold Open for FREE or use a $5 chain saw file. (RANGE GUYS will like you!). You can put on a day glo front sight for $5. A rubber butt pad is availible for $10 (Medium Slip on) $32 gives you a 10 round mag that WORKS!(dinzag). "Blakjack buffers" cut the recoil way down($10,green)(can affect gun jams, check with your ammo). A $5 Colt 45 spring will let you shoot/extract cheepo Wally World ammo with no modifications to the gun.("jams") These are FUN, Inexpensive guns IF you are at all HANDY??. Be careful of the 20x76 mags... they don't shoot everything!!! There is a FREE tracing (jeric) for a internal BHOpen, (need to make simple spring) which is very good for competition shooting(or purchase one from him on the 12 site, (fits s-20) as full Saiga mags can be difficult to load with the bolt closed. You can make the 5rd. mag into a 6 round mag for ZERO $$. Don't forget the side rail,you can put a red-dot on easy!! seeing more & more scopes on competiton shotguns! There are many helpful "posts" here. SAVE a few $$$, the 20 will do it all. If you just have to have a S-12, find/consider the factory external threaded one, (19" barrel) for the reason that chokes are availible and you might want to change chokes for what your uses are. Check the posts, ...lots of good info.. mikey1 Edited September 8, 2005 by mikey1

[IndyArms 10,186]

As I posted in the S20 section lately... my 20 will step up and shoot as good or better than any 2000 dollar trap gun on the market...

 

ANd ya know how I know?? Cause I use it for TRAP LEAGUE SHOOTS and I can shoot just as well as ANY of them "olt timers" that have thousands in their gun, all custom fit to them... and I have a FACTORY SAIGA 20... with Saiga 308 wood mounted on it!!!!

 

Go figure!

 

 

GO Team SAIGA!!!!

 

[ISUshooter 0]

I have $2500 in vested in my trap gun. SKB 85TSS and I would never attempt to outshoot it with my saiga. There are just so many variables that can't be fixed with the saiga. For example the barrell length and weight is very important to how the gun swings. I light gun such as the saiga can cause misses on the trap range. For skeet however, The saiga would probably have more potential. As what I have planned for it. I just did my first mod to my S-20. The factory constriction was 39 thousanths... the TIGHTEST I have EVER seen on a 20ga. I opened it up to about 9 thousandths. I think I'll do that filing on the safety for a BHO. Also I'll get a set of colt 45 springs. The S-20 has 2 springs in its setup. I'm assuming you replace BOTH springs with the 45 springs?

[IndyArms 10,186]

I think you JUST REPLACE ONLY ONE SPRING... not both... It doesnt require much in the way of spring tension reduction to get good cycling.

 

Well, of course you COULD replace BOTH... I would just do the ONE first, then if it still doesnt give you what your looking for swap out the other one...

 

Its not like you cant go back and put the originals back in if you ever needed to... REVERSIBLE MODS are always the BEST way to go!!!