Saiga 12

[m39nut]

Does anybody use a Saiga 12 for home defense? What are the pros and cons of this platform?

[Boss Hogg]

I don't think you're going to get a lot of positive feedback on shotguns for home defense on this forum.

One drawback of the Saiga 12....probably the only drawback....is that if you want to keep a magazine in the gun, a round has to be chambered. Also, the 10-round magazines are very long.

Also, if you were to use a mix of loads (say 00, slugs, birdshot, etc) the 2-step gas system is a bit finicky.

That said, it's a shotgun based on a very proven Kalashnikov system. Just make sure you're 922(r) compliant.

[xpd54]

One drawback of the Saiga 12....probably the only drawback....is that if you want to keep a magazine in the gun, a round has to be chambered. Also, the 10-round magazines are very long.


Why? You can load a loaded magazine on an empty chamber if you know how to do it. Or take one round out of a 10 rd mag and you can seat the mag easier. Chambering a round from a loaded mag into an empty chamber is no harder than racking the slide action on a pump gun.

[chriskc04]

Cons:
Probably the least PC shotgun I can think of.
Mags over 8 rounds can be somewhat unwieldy, IMHO
Shells have a reputation for deforming if the mag is seated on a closed bolt

Pros:
Mine's been utterly reliable
It's a box magazine fed shotgun :cool:
If you run an AK, you'll have some commonality

[ChicagoTex]

Another con, slug changeovers require a seperate magazine, stoked with slugs.

Not a big issue for HD, I know, but it is there.

On a related note, side-saddling is far less useful/expedient.

My big objection to the Saiga-12s is it's a whole lot of unwieldyness and awkwardness for little to no capacity advantage, and they're some of the least tolerant gas systems around.

[Bolt_Overide]

I see the saiga 12 as more of a fun gun than anything else. Dont get me wrong the idea of being able to do a full reload so fast is appealing, but for the most part, I dont see it as having any real advantage over a pump or semi with a traditional tube mag. Especially if you actually practice reloading from a side saddle.

Of course if youre invaded by an entire fire team or larger element, that opinion would be subject to rapid revision.

[Crow Hunter]

My brother had one for a little while.

It didn't have any issues with malfunctions.

It was however, monstrously huge/heavy compared to my old Benelli M1.

The good news was it had almost no felt recoil. The bad news was that it was extremely unwieldly. The magazines extend way down (almost to belt level) and with all the weight it seemed to swing like a bag of bricks.

He didn't keep it for long once he actually tried to use it for something other than standing in an open range and mag dumping it. (That was pretty fun however)

He did sell it for a profit though, seems to be quite a bit of demand for them.

[Supermoto]

I used to run a Remmy 11-87 for 3gun, I have since switched to a Saiga. With a magwell, the gun reloads extremely fast. I found it to be much more reliable than my 11-87. Also it transition a lot better since the weight is at the center of the gun, were tube guns carry a lot of weight at the nose when fully loaded