?Who has a converted Saiga 12?

[Beiruty]

For those who have a converted Saiga 12, please, could you share some photos and your view on your SA-12?

What do you like?
Do you think the price is justifiable?
Any FTE, FTF?
What do you like to modify?

[cajunautoxer]

I don't have any pics but I love my converted S12. I had problems with light loads (Winchester) FTF /FTE until I got 150 rnds thru her. Now she eats anything I feed her.

I've done the following during the conversion
Side folding stock
HK rifle sights
Vented gas tube cover
Extended mag release
AR style magwell
Trigger Guard
I can't decide on the forearm yet

The best comment I heard from a friend of mine, "I don't like guns but I want one of those"

[Bullwhip]

That's an AK-based shotgun I know. But what is a converted one?

[OldCannon]

For those who have a converted Saiga 12, please, could you share some photos and your view on your SA-12?

What do you like?
Do you think the price is justifiable?
Any FTE, FTF?
What do you like to modify?

Oh....ok...first of all, a "vanilla" Saiga12 is not really "competition friendly" for a variety of reasons. If you just want "a shotgun that works like an AK" and intend to put some 3" buck through it for home defense reasons, you're in good shape without modifying it (but don't leave the magazine preloaded - more on that in a bit).

If you plan on using it for competition, you will likely want to make sure you modify it to support the following:
1) Adjustable gas system to run cheap loads (i.e., Wal-Mart Federal)
2) Easy-to-reach magazine release
3) Functioning muzzle brake
4) Adjustable stock (assuming you want to tweak the stock length)
5) Large capacity magazines
6) Other decorative items to intimidate your opponents (i.e., a skull capping your charging handle, or the intimidating kushnapup.com )

In my case, most of the stuff I got was from Carolina Shooters Supply. Good people there.

You could pony up the $$ and order a modified one from Tony Rumore (http://www.tromix.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;), but he's not even taking orders until next year because he's so backlogged.

You can also find heavily modified Saigas on gunbroker.

Most of the modifications can be done yourself with simple tools and a little patience.

Back on the topic of pre-loaded magazines: Unless you run full-length brass shotshells, you're seriously asking for trouble by keeping a Saiga magazine pre-loaded. The plastic casing on shotshells and the mag spring pressure will deform the plastic over time, and you will end up with a magazine full of shotshells that won't load or cycle. Probably the opposite of what people want to happen in an emergency situation. It's not easy finding preloaded full-brass shotshells either - you'll have to do your own reloading if you want to go to that extreme (and reloading full brass is different from standard shotshells).

[Beiruty]

WoW! I like the kushnapup conversion.
However, is this for real?
Does it work?
Can you keep it sighted?
Can you add a limbsaver?
the $200 cost is tempting!

[OldCannon]

I preorderd one, they're not quite ready yet. Should be interesting to see how it turns out :)

[Beiruty]

as noted on firearm blog. the lack of traditional trigger guard is major concern Also, If the from grip is done like in the FN-90 it would be better. A limb saver pad could be a good idea. Finally how comfortable to shoot it from the shoulder is a concern.

Let us know when you get yours.

[cajunautoxer]

Is $200 for the kit or is that the down payment?

[Beiruty]

$200 is special price if you pre-order and would go to $450 MSRP
for the kit (stock) railguard or holo sight not included. However, many doubt this product. It was reported that it was an idea for 2-3 years now and no product. I will not pay a cent till it is on the market with user feedback.
There are a lot of engineering issued to resolved, starting from the trigger linkage to the placement of the grips and no true trigger guard, and the ejection of shells couple inches from your face. How controllable the shotgum would be too.

Many claim that $450 is too much money for the kit.

[OldCannon]

I preordered based on a few things:
1) $200 for a stock modification like that was low risk. I'd pay more than that for a trigger job, grip modification, etc. for the Saiga. Better still, I can keep my gas puck, recoil spring mods in place.
2) I've conversed directly with the owner, who is very responsive via email. I have no reason to believe he's steering me wrong
3) The "trigger guard problem" seems no different than what you would have with a Steyr AUG, which I also own. I could see a market, however, for trigger guard mods for it.
4) I think it will help in 3 gun matches for shotgun maneuverability. If not, I won't have trouble selling it to a mall nijna for 2x what I paid for it

[stroo]

Any idea how long it takes for the plastic shells to deform. Gun isn't very useful for home defense if you have to load the magazine first. This has me rethinking my use of my Saiga 12.

I have a Saiga 12 with a minimal conversion. I changed out the foregrip to add a Tapco grip with rails on it so I can add a light.

[Beiruty]

ikd,

I would love to hear from you when you get your kit.

Good luck.

[OldCannon]

Any idea how long it takes for the plastic shells to deform. Gun isn't very useful for home defense if you have to load the magazine first. This has me rethinking my use of my Saiga 12.

Depends on the thickness of the plastic and the manufacturer's quality. I've had problems in less than an hour of my magazines being loaded. Mind you, that only happened once, but would you want that "once" to be when you really need it?

[Beiruty]

is there steel mags like regular AK?

[OldCannon]

is there steel mags like regular AK?

Not that I know of, but I have 12-round clear mags that work perfectly fine, and have taken their share of abuse at getting dropped during reloads in matches.

Oh, for the record - I'm not trying to set up a panic about full-brass shotshells. They're hard to find and (as I've said) a pain to reload. The key point here is to make an effort to determine your shotshell's resistance to deformity from magazine compression. I've had problems with some, but most work just fine even after some time of being loaded in my magazines. You just need to be actively aware of the potential problem. It's not like rifle or pistol ammo.