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Buffer idea


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I know, I know.....

 

Buffers in Saiga 12s are probably the first thing to check if your gun is not functioning well. The problem is because the shotgun doesn't have nearly as much overtravel of the carrier as the rifles do. By adding a buffer, you reduce the overtravel even more and that can lead to the round not fully ejecting or having it get hung up on the next round. Magazines not being able to load fast enough could be another problem I hear.

 

I ran across an old AK buffer I had from years ago. It was still in a ziploc baggie. Trouble is, it's much harder than I would like and doesn't have any "give" whatsoever. It's like machined delrin or something. I didn't even want to bother with it, knowing it would likely cause more trouble than it was worth.

 

I should probably mention here that if you're Saiga is already having ejection or loading issues, adding another component to the mix is probably not in your best interest. Better to get things running smoothly first.

 

Having said that, I still would like to protect my carrier and rear trunnion, so I've been experimenting with a few ideas and found one that seems to work well. I wanted to pass it on. At first I tried one of those stick on rubber pads like you put on the bottom of table or chair legs. It did OK, but after a few mags, it came unstuck and bounced around inside the receiver.

 

What I ultimately did was trim a buffer out of one of those really squishy gel insoles. I used the hard buffer as a rough template and just used scissors to cut out a section of the rubber. A leather hole puncher made a nice hole that could stretch over the op rod and spring, holding it in place, unlike how the hard buffer would have done.

 

heel.jpg

 

So far, I've got 75 rounds of Wally World Federals through it and nothing bad to report yet. I might make another buffer out of a thinner portion of the insole rather than the 1/4" thick piece I used this time. The carrier can squish it down to almost nothing though. Probably down to 1/16" I'm guessing.

 

installed.jpg

 

ingun.jpg

 

The weak spot will probably be the hole on top. The material is thinner there. The next one I do will likely have a beefier section there and maybe a thinner area to do the actual "buffing". If it gets tore up, I'm out something like 3 bucks and I still have enough material to make 3 or 4 more.

 

 

So, if you hate buffers....feel free to flame me for even mentioning the word. :haha: I don't care for them usually myself, for many of the reasons I mentioned earlier. Time will tell if this setup will be worth it or not though. So far, I'm pretty happy with everything, but I've only put 3 boxes of lightweight stuff through it. No slugs, buckshot or anything 3" yet. Those might tear it apart. We'll see. If it does, I'll let you know.

 

Corbin

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I ran across an old AK buffer I had from years ago. It was still in a ziploc baggie. Trouble is, it's much harder than I would like and doesn't have any "give" whatsoever. It's like machined delrin or something.

Blackjack makes two AK buffers--the green is softer and the black is harder (more appropriate for full auto use.)

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I hadn't tried one of his buffers, but heard people liked them. I'm sure they're a lot more professional looking than what I did here. I just wanted to see how it would work. I expect that it will eventually break into the hole cut-out. Time will tell.

 

Blackjack makes two AK buffers--the green is softer and the black is harder (more appropriate for full auto use.)
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CME,

Sorry, I didn't see that thread. I imagine that gasket material might be more durable than the gel insoles. The insoles let the bolt come back past the ejector too. I'm not sure how thin it can be compressed, but it's pretty thin.

 

Ruffian,

I know for some this is an old topic, that's why I put the 'can of worms' thing in the title. But for those of us that have only had our Saigas for a month or so now, this is still something new and different to try. I'm probably one of the lucky ones in that my Saiga has 4 holes and feeds most stuff except the really light Wally World loads, and that's only during rapid fire. I understand most buffers cause more trouble than they're worth.

 

Corbin

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CME, Sorry, I didn't see that thread. I imagine that gasket material might be more durable than the gel insoles. The insoles let the bolt come back past the ejector too. I'm not sure how thin it can be compressed, but it's pretty thin....

Try using a piece of Neoprene (Polychloroprene) mouse pad. This polymer has a high modulus of elasticity with excellent shear strength and if you play your cards right, can be got free...

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I've made my own buffers before using tire rubber. An empty shell casing chucked in a drill makes a good tool to cut the hole with too.

Sounds like a good idea! Corbin, I've got an old motorcycle tire at my place if you want a strip off it, I could cut you some to experiment with. PM me if so; I'll just have to find the tin snips.

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I've found air to be an excellent material to place between the rear trunnion and bolt carrier group, just like General Kalashnikov intended.

But then again, Kalashnikov never intended the AK design to be used for a 12 guage, so your point is moot... :D

Edited by Azrial
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