LWood 0 Posted January 16, 2014 Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 Hello to all. Been lurking for a while, gathering lots of good info and just finished converting my S20. Haven't shot but about 50 rounds, mixed slugs, buck and birdshot. Gas system seems to be ok, cycled federal low brass ok but not Winchester with the stock 5 round mag on setting 2. High brass worked well on setting 1. Had major feeding issues with the plastic 10 rnd mag. Lots of FTE w that mag and several nose dives when feeding into chamber deforming the shell. Looking for any input you guys might have. Attached a pic of my 20 with partner Saiga 5.45. Thanks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TigerFire13 5 Posted January 16, 2014 Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 My 20 needed some work before it would shoot federal bulk and eject reliably. Winchester bulk still results in FTE.The plastic 10rd mag, would that be the one from Carolina Shooter Supply, VG Tactical? If I load mine past 5 rounds, the feed angle is too low and it will not feed. It may be possible to change the angle of the feed ramp to compensate for this, but I chose to get a different magazine that works without mods. The metal 10rd mag from Csspecs is a little more expensive, but it works. My observation is that the VG Tactical mag does not adjust for the rimmed shell. Csspecs' mag does.Nice looking guns, and props for converting your Saiga the right way. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LWood 0 Posted January 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 Thanks Tiger Fire, I think mine is a vg tactical mag, bought it a while back off eBay or gunbroker. It has the waffle pattern on the outside. I have looked at the csspecs mags and will probably order one, was just hoping to save a few bucks and get these working. What else did you have to do to yours? I have polished and mildly profiled the bolt and carrier and the top of the trigger group. Also smoothed the rails of the receiver. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gunman1 1,753 Posted January 17, 2014 Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 Welcome aboard LWood Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LWood 0 Posted January 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 Thanks AA re-cvrd, I see you're in Norfolk. I'm in Va Beach. I've read a lot of your posts, you know your stuff about these Saigas. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MIKE20GA 11 Posted January 17, 2014 Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 Lwood ..........yes indeed , glad your a lurker no more ! I think the csspecs ,although they seem expensive , are worth every penny ........and just might be the ticket for solving your troubles Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LWood 0 Posted January 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 Ok, just ordered the csspecs mag. I'm hoping it will work. I want to be able to depend on the s20 as my HD gun. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gunman1 1,753 Posted January 17, 2014 Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 Ok, just ordered the csspecs mag. I'm hoping it will work. I want to be able to depend on the s20 as my HD gun. Just so you realize that it is a battle weapon, not a range toy. If you run good high brass buckshot and slugs through it you shouldn't have too many problems. I gave up on the idea of shooting "shit shells" through my S-20, I removed the gasblock, enlarged the ports, opened the hole in the bottom of the GB, installed a 1911 spring, and it still wont run "shit shells". It runs just fine with quality buckshot and slugs. I also purchased several CSSPECS mags for the S-20, and the S-308. I'm considering buying a polishing wheel for my bench grinder and doing some bolt and carrier polishing. Send me a PM if you're interested in having a cup of coffee one day. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LWood 0 Posted January 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2014 Hear ya on that one AA re-cvrd. I know mine's not even close to broken in yet. Just enjoy the chase for perfection I guess. The way I see it the gun should run all types of shells, that's why it has the settings on the gas plug, right? I'll pm you soon, maybe we can meet somewhere. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MIKE20GA 11 Posted January 18, 2014 Report Share Posted January 18, 2014 I disagree .......(but then again I digress alot .....and often have bad gas) The Saiga was built for battle - it was never meant to shoot "shit weak assed sissy shells" . Those that can make it do so , or are blessed with one that does so out of the box -more power to them Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TigerFire13 5 Posted January 18, 2014 Report Share Posted January 18, 2014 Lwood, I polished carrier, rails, and bolt. Also profiled and polished the hammer. Opened my 3 gas ports to 0.093", and recently opened up the gas block a little to let it in. I was impatient however, and sent it off to get cerakoted before I retested it. Last time I checked, Federal bulk was 4/5 success from shoulder, 3/5 unsupported. To get it to run on 30 cents a shell would be nice, but I can live with the 40 cent Remington STS... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mamassingale 1 Posted January 19, 2014 Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 I had the same problem with mine. I spent close to 200 hundred dollars on various accessories, mods, and mags trying to solve the problem. I finally solved my problem by adding a fourth gas port. I had previously expanded my 3 ports to 3/32(.09) but it didn't solve the issue. So I added a 4th hole with a 5/64 drill bit and now it shoots cheap ammo. I would not suggest this method for everyone but if all else fails you may have to. I still keep buck or slugs for hd but I use the cheap stuff for weekend fun Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LWood 0 Posted March 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 Hey all, finally got back to my s20 today. Last time I shot it I was so disguted I just put it away for a while. Anyway thanks to all the great info on the forum I was able to get my gas block off and enlarge the ports. It was actually pretty easy, I soaked the pins in PB for awhile before starting. Followed mamassingale's pattern, 3 at 3/32 and added one at 5/64. Put in a blackjack buffer. Probably be a week or so before I shoot it but I'll let you know how it works. Thanks for the help. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MIKE20GA 11 Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 ......can the stock S-20m shoot slugs without any problem ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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