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My experiences with my brand new Saiga 20 thus far...


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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks IJ! Yeah she's running better now but still not worth a crap with those Remington"Game Shok" #7.5 loads. I just went through a whole box of Remington "Sure Shot Heavy Dove" #6 that I picked up at Wally World for around $4 and did not have one misfeed or FTE! Hooray!! :super: It also ran great on a box of Remington 'Rabbit/Squirrel" #6 that was $4.27 at K Mart. These were both #6, one was 7/8oz and the other 1oz so maybe the shot size has something to do with it? They were still 2.5 DR EQ like the other stuff that sucked. Just to make sure I tried another mag full of the "Game Shok" #7.5 and it FTEd all but the last round. This was after shooting up a whole box of the other stuff with no probs.

Lesson learned. Don't buy any more of that crap!

Well I'm glad to give a good report on the newly converted AKS-20! Seems like as long as I keep buying the cheap stuff it likes or better it will be just fine now.

I think it just likes the new outfit and FCG!

 

I also just found a surefire way to get the 76mm mags to feed 2 3/4" shells 100%! But I'll start another thread on that one.

:smoke:

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  • 5 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Guys, I don't know about this. Maybe I have operated under the mistaken impression that part of the allure of the Saiga shotgun is that it would eat anything you fed it with a gas adjustment for magnum loads. That sure doesn't seem like what I am hearing when it comes to the S-20's. Are they "that" different from the S-12's? I mean Bvamp has fed ancient beat to hell and corroded ammo through his S-12 without a hiccup. Cobra sure makes a distinction between his S-12's and S-20. I've had pretty good luck but all I have shot is Wally World stuff so far. What gives with S-20?

 

Wolvie

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Wolvie, my experiences have been great with them. Only thing I will say is that you do need to adjust the gas setting for the appropriate loads.

 

I have shot them quite a bit too. :killer:

On my trap league I put 2 - 3 boxes through it every week for 10 weeks. Also had several other outings with it, so who knows how many that one saw. Both of mine were converted before I test fired them, so maybe the FCG has something to do with it. :unsure: I think Cobra noticed an improvement after his swap too. My current one has seen about 300 or more rounds.

 

My current one didn't like some cheap-ass #9 federals I fed it, but there was nickel & brass rims and some were deformed and wouldn't even chamber. (All in the same boxes) Also had some old old old federals I found at my dad's that were all tarnished & nasty. It ate those (#6) with only one FTE.

 

My buddy's gun hasn't been loved as much, so we don't have any data on her yet.

 

I think the best course of action is to shoot some heavy loads & get it good & broke in. If that don't work, open the ports. I've heard of shortening/replacing front recoil spring & FCG polishing, but people seem to get mixed results.

 

There's my $.69...

:smoke:

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Wolvie, my experiences have been great with them. Only thing I will say is that you do need to adjust the gas setting for the appropriate loads.

 

I have shot them quite a bit too. :killer:

On my trap league I put 2 - 3 boxes through it every week for 10 weeks. Also had several other outings with it, so who knows how many that one saw. Both of mine were converted before I test fired them, so maybe the FCG has something to do with it. :unsure: I think Cobra noticed an improvement after his swap too. My current one has seen about 300 or more rounds.

 

My current one didn't like some cheap-ass #9 federals I fed it, but there was nickel & brass rims and some were deformed and wouldn't even chamber. (All in the same boxes) Also had some old old old federals I found at my dad's that were all tarnished & nasty. It ate those (#6) with only one FTE.

 

My buddy's gun hasn't been loved as much, so we don't have any data on her yet.

 

I think the best course of action is to shoot some heavy loads & get it good & broke in. If that don't work, open the ports. I've heard of shortening/replacing front recoil spring & FCG polishing, but people seem to get mixed results.

 

There's my $.69...

 

now mine does not like high brass shells in 7 1/2 for some reason. had a bunch of low brass dove loads and high brass dove loads. ate every low brass and choked on the high. stovepipes and some that just barely get caught on ejection. my barrel is 19" cutoff by me, it eats slugs like candy and federal #3 buck but not remington #3. i changed out the front recoil spring the other day with a 12 pound stretched commander spring but it was too windy to go out and test, dust storm. i'll be going out this saturday to fire some rounds across the river into mexico and i'll post on what happens.

:smoke:

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Well I went shooting yesterday. It was about 38 degrees out. My bone stock S-20 had a shit day. I tied shooting Wally World ammo and met with some minor stove pipe issues with low brass Remington. Then I tried shooting a couple of boxes of high brass WW Federal. Every other friggin round jammed on ejection. Of couse I had it on #2 setting.

 

While I plan to thoroughly clean it today, I suspect the whole performance issue with the S-20's is the ammo. It simply won't reliable cycle the cheap stuff. I'm going to buy a supply of the kind of "hunting" ammo COBRA had success with. Dollars to donuts it will run alot more reliably.

 

I ain't gonna drill extra gas ports or cut and fit new springs or otherwise beg this POS to work. After puttting some hunting and magnum loads through it if it doesn't work reliably I will sell this focker too.....and buy myself a GD pump that I can count on cycling every time. Do I sound pissed? I am!!! :ded:

 

Wolvie

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LOL! Sorry Wolvie, I hate to hear your's is givin' you fits too. Don't let it hear you talkin like that! Clean the shit out of the gas system before you go out again and if it won't work with the #6 loads I used then just grease the hell out of the FCG, bolt carrier and rails and try it again. I use white lithium grease. The spring swap is very easy too. The forward spring just pulls right off and you can get a colt spring to cut back from your local gunsmith for about $6-10. Do it just like I did mine and you WILL see an improvement. I think mine does like the new FCG too but it did work better (100% with the loads it likes) even before the conversion.

If you decide it's a POS and want to get rid of it let me know.

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I've been fortunate with the ones I've owned. If mine was doing what yours & others have been doing, I would have had the gas block off & opened it up. I can understand not wanting to do that though.

 

The majority of what I buy is Estate Heavy Game Load #4 & #6 for hunting & #7 1/2 thru #9 for trap at the gun club. $3.19/box at Gander.

They're all 2 1/2 dram with 1oz. loads.

Edited by dinzag
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I've been fortunate with the ones I've owned. If mine was doing what yours & others have been doing, I would have had the gas block off & opened it up. I can understand not wanting to do that though.

 

The majority of what I buy is Estate Heavy Game Load #4 & #6 for hunting & #7 1/2 thru #9 for trap at the gun club. $3.19/box at Gander.

They're all 2 1/2 dram with 1oz. loads.

 

I'll slide over to Gander this week and pick some up and try it. I want to avoid open heart surgery on both the Saiga.....and myself. :P

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  • 2 weeks later...

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