VEPR 12 Shotgun Review

[plouffedaddy]

Well, Molot finally got through all the US legal import related red tape and their VEPR 12's are on American shores and in American's hands. The gun arrived dripping with some sort of preserving lubricant in a cardboard box with 1 factory 5 round magazine (higher cap mags from SGM are on the way). I unboxed it yesterday, cleaned/lubricated it, and started putting rounds through it. So, far I've got 250 rounds of various ammo (#4 buck, #1 buck, 00 buck, slugs, and some low brass range ammo) with 0 failures of any kind. Here's some of the features of the gun along with what I've found...

Pros:
-100% reliable thus far
-Hinged dust cover with a 1913 rail. I mounted a red dot and opened/closed it repeatedly and it held zero
-The action is extremely smooth; much more than any Saiga 12 I've ever shot
-Original Molot polymer grip. Much more comfortable than many AK factory grips out there
-Molot self-regulating gas system. This one's key to the 'why is this better than a Saiga 12?' question. Izhmash has a version of this system but reliability reports are still hit or miss with the low brass ammo
-Original Molot competition magazine well. Allows for fast reloads eliminating the need for rocking and locking the mags
-Molot factory AK adjustable rear sight. This is essentially a beefed up RPK rear sight
-Molot original AK enhanced safety lever. It allows for easy disengagement of the safety when shouldering the gun
-Cost. The gun is available many places for $1000. Considering what it costs to buy a Saiga 12 and convert it to this configuration that's not too bad
-Factory chrome lined barrel, chamber, receiver shaft and gas chamber
-Factory threaded barrel. Treads are the same as the Saiga 12 so there are lots of brakes/flash hiders available
-The fit/finish are superb. It's as nice, if not nicer, than any AK platform gun I've ever seen
-Machined bolt assembly, gas blocks etc. As far as I know there is no MIM on this gun at all. Every part feels very solid

Cons:
-Bolt hold open feature doesn't function on the gun 100% of the time (see video below for a better explanation)
-The safety was so tight from the factory that it was almost unusable. I fixed it with a little filing but just beware you may need to adjust it a bit

Here's a video review where I test out the gas system, do some shooting with slugs from 100m, disassemble/assemble the gun, and discuss some or the features of the shotgun:

VEPR 12 HD Video Review Link

[LHS]

I got mine this week, and while I haven't shot it yet, my impression has been much the same. I did find a few oddities, though.

1. The stock seems to be a standard laminate AK pattern, but it has a wooden buttplate affixed with two wood screws. It also has the slot for the rear sling swivel milled out, but there is no hardware attached.

2. I'm baffled by the decision to use a standard RPK rear sight. What's the point of a 1000-meter sight on a shotgun? Also, why is it a satin grey when the rest of the gun is uniformly black? It just seems odd.

3. The pistol grip is one of the most comfortable AK grips I've ever used. It rocks.

4. The handguard retaining bracket has a sling attachment loop on each side, which is a nice upgrade.

5. The enhanced safety works very well, but the motion is exactly the opposite of a traditional AK, including things like a Krebs safety. It also rides hard against the base knuckle of my trigger finger. I might dip the tab in rubber to make it more comfortable.

6. As noted, the gun is very smooth. The build quality seems higher than the Izhmash stuff, especially lately.

7. Love the mag well. It's so much easier to insert a mag than, say, a stock Saiga.

Can't wait for the weekend so I can get some trigger time on it.

[LHS]

Also the badly translated owner's manual is comedy gold. I don't know what "personal tackle" means, but apparently I am not supposed to wrap it with the oil-impregnated paper in which the gun was shipped.

[Redmanfms]

Very nice. I actually had no idea the VEPR was going to made in shotgun. It looks like they went to the trouble of bringing the weapon in the way everyone wanted the Saiga. Doing the conversion to the Saiga, while not terribly difficult, was still tedious and a chore I didn't like (plus, who likes having to buy a gun only to immediately drop some more money on it). Hopefully Molot won't make the gas port errors that has been plaguing the Izhmash guns.

What's the price? Do they use Saiga mags?

[LHS]

What's the price? Do they use Saiga mags?

Price seems to be $1000, give or take. Due to the magazine well, it does NOT take unmodified Saiga mags. I'm not sure if you can mod Saiga mags to work with it.

[plouffedaddy]

Price seems to be $1000, give or take. Due to the magazine well, it does NOT take unmodified Saiga mags. I'm not sure if you can mod Saiga mags to work with it.

Over on the Saiga forum people are saying it's do-able but the BHO doesn't work (that's the current word, someone may come up with a fix there.....).

I have 10 round & 12 round SGM mags on the way.

[LHS]

This gun's not 922r-compliant as it comes from the factory, so we'll have to swap out parts before using hi-cap mags, yes? With the US-made SGM mags counting as three parts, that leaves two (or three if you use a flash hider or brake) remaining. I figure I'll replace the FCG since I really like the pistol grip.

[WillBrink]

Q: seemed as good a place as any to ask. Never really gave the AK based shotgun a consideration.

Thought they were more in the realm of "tacti-cool" then legit tool per se. Seems you all are a fan of these AK based shot guns.

Seems I'm off base in my assumptions there. Is this a go to home defense gun for you? Just a cool gun in the collection? Other?

Learn me good sirs.

[plouffedaddy]

Q: seemed as good a place as any to ask. Never really gave the AK based shotgun a consideration.

Thought they were more in the realm of "tacti-cool" then legit tool per se. Seems you all are a fan of these AK based shot guns.

Seems I'm off base in my assumptions there. Is this a go to home defense gun for you? Just a cool gun in the collection? Other?

Learn me good sirs.

I've owned Saigas and thought along the same lines as you and kept a 870 by my bed; Saiga's in the safe. I'm still evaluating this gun but it's the first AK platform shotty that I'm even considering swapping the 870 out for. Still need a bunch more rounds through it, a light, and my 10 and 12 capacity mags before the switch will be made though...

[WillBrink]

I've owned Saigas and thought along the same lines as you and kept a 870 by my bed; Saiga's in the safe. I'm still evaluating this gun but it's the first AK platform shotty that I'm even considering swapping the 870 out for. Still need a bunch more rounds through it, a light, and my 10 and 12 capacity mags before the switch will be made though...

Thanx for the feedback. Surprised I have gotten so little on the Q.