TEST AND EVALUATION OF THE SAIGA-12, KALASHNIKOVSHOTGUN
by
J.B. Hohlfeld
Several months ago, Aaron Zelman contacted me about ourdoing a detailed T&E
on one of the new Kalashnikov shotguns, which were beginningto enter the USA at
that time. Needless to say, I took advantageof Aaron's kind offer, and began
the necessary coordination with Mr. RichardBischoff of Kalashnikov USA, LTD
(561-337-3398).
Within a few weeks, Aaron's brand new SAIGA-12 shotgunarrived. Straight out of
the box you know that you are looking at sometype of Kalashnikov firearm, due
to the distinctive receiver profile, thecharging handle configuration, the
location/style of the magazine release,and the classic design of the safety
lever. As with all other Kalashnikovfirearms, the SAIGA-12 shotgun is built
around simplicity and mechanicaldurability for the real world.
Before I go into the mechanical aspects of the SAIGA-12,let's take a quick tour
of the finish and furniture. The receivercover, bolt carrier/bolt, appear to
have some type of phosphate finish, but notquite a true parkerized finish.
However, the barrel, gas tube,and receiver, do appear to have a true parkerized
finish, which is pretty durableand survived our testing quite well. The dull
black buttstock andforearm, appear to be a carbon-polymer plastic, with
functional checkering moldedinto the wrist area of the buttstock, and the side
panels of theforearm. The removable buttplate is also a carbon-polymer plastic,
with a smoothsurface on the shouldering face. The overall configurationof the
buttstock is similar to most commercial rifle or shotgun designs,versus some
type of tricked-up AK47 design. The "feel" of both the buttstockand
forearm is very good, with the length of pull on the buttstock beingquite
comfortable. If you happen to be a small framed, light weight shooter,I would
recommend the addition of a good Decelerator type recoil pad if youintend on
firing volume heavy loads, ie; 3-inch magnums. Thoughthe SAIGA-12 comes with
sling swivels, they aren't the greatest, and I wouldrecommend that you replace
them with a good set of the Q.D. type swivels.The SAIGA-12 also comes with a
sling, which is a wider version ofthe standard AK47 webb sling, with the
exception that the sling does not havean adjusting slider plate, ie; to change
the length of the sling, you eitherlet out or take in the leather straps on the
ends of the sling. Thoughlimited in it's adjustment range, the sling is quite
comfortable andworks well in the field.
The construction/function of the SAIGA-12 is essentiallythe same as it's AK47
cousin, with disassembly/assembly of the primarycomponents also mimicking the
AK47, ie; the top receiver cover, the recoilspring & guide rod, the bolt
carrier, and the bolt. Since theSAIGA-12 was designed to fire 12GA ammunition,
some parts are quite differentfrom it's AK47 cousin. An immediate and obvious
difference is the SAIGA-12'srecoil spring assembly. As you know, an AK's recoil
spring isone continuous spring, whereas, the SAIGA-12's recoil spring is
composed oftwo individual springs, which are separated in the middle by a
"floating"sheet metal "ejection port cover subassembly".
When you actually seethis particular part, it's function is obvious and makes
sense. Let's seehow well I can do with only a verbal description. Mechanically
the two recoilsprings appear to be made from the same type of wire stock, about
the samediameter, and approximately the same length. As previously stated,the
"floating" ejection port cover is made of stamped sheet metal,
whichhas been pressed into the same profile as the main body of the bolt
carrier,which normally acts in the capacity of ejection port cover. Theadded
"floating" cover rides directly behind the bolt carrier, but does
notcover the bolt carrier. Assembly wise, the two recoil springs and the
"floating"ejection port cover are all fitted onto the single recoil
spring guide rod,and move in unison during the rearward recoil cycle. The
obvious questionnow is: "Why the two recoil springs, and why the
"floating" ejection portcover"? The answer is so simple that you
miss it at first: (1)The bolt carrier is the same general dimension as a
standard AK bolt carrier.(2) The top receiver cover is also the same dimension
as a standard AK topreceiver cover. By merely modifying existing parts, the
Russian's savedmany ruble's by not having to completely retool for these
components.Needless to say, ejection of a fired 76mm (3-In Mag) shotgun case
through an ejectionport designed for a 39mm rifle case, is easier said than
done.Solution, enlarge the size of the ejection port in the top receiver cover
to accommodatethe much longer fired case. A good idea, which then createda
second problem. Due to the enlarged ejection port in the top receiver cover,you
now have a gaping "hole" of 1 1/2 -in by 1 1/4 -in directly behindthe
rear of the bolt carrier. Not a good thing to have on a self-loadingshotgun.
Enter, the "floating" ejection port cover, a simple,yet ingenious
solution to a serious problem. (Note: The front recoilspring and the
"floating" ejection port cover, can be removed from the recoil
springguide rod. However, the rear recoil spring is "captured" onto
therecoil spring guide rod and cannot be removed with the use of basic tools).
Another difference between the SAIGA-12 and the AK, isthe addition of an
adjustable gas valve, which in my opinion should be onany self-loading shotgun.
On the SAIGA-12, the gas valve is locatedat the front of the gas tube, which is
very easy to access and is quite "userfriendly". By depressing a
spring-loaded detent you can quickly changefrom the #1 setting to the #2
setting, with the aid of a large coin.The #1 setting is used for 2 3/4-in
cartridges, while the #2 setting is usedfor heavier 3-in Mag cartridges. A
point to remember regarding the gasvalve adjusting drum assembly. When shifting
from #1 to #2, or vise-versa,DO NOT attempt to turn the drum assembly in a
complete 360 degree circle,as it is not designed to be rotated in such a
manner, IE; at leastour test shotgun was obviously not designed to be able to
do this. Aswith any gas system, remember to periodically oil the gas drum and
check itfor free movement from position to position.
Next, we need to go over the sights available for theSAIGA-12. With regard to
the factory "iron sights", both the front and rearsight are mounted
onto a rib, with is approximately 9-in long and 3/8-in wide.Unlike may shotgun
ribs, this on is made of steel, which means it can takeabuse in the field. The
rear of the rib is dove-tailed into the front receiverring, while the front of
the rib is attached to, and ends at, the forwardend of the gas tube. The front
sight is your typical brass beadtype, which is not protected and open to
damaging. The rear sightconsists of a vertical "ear" on each side of
the rib, which forms a SWAT style "express"-U- notch. Due to the
width of the rib and the short sighting radius,both the front and rear sight
are very easy to locate when doing "snap-shooting".Having worked with
many of Ashley Emerson's sighting systemsin the past, it would be very
interesting to see how well this shotgun couldperform if the front brass bead
were replaced with an Emerson ramped-bladefront sight. My bet is, that this
sight combination would greatly enhancethe SAIGA-12's accuracy potential quite
a bit. (NOTE: those interestedin having such a combination for their SAIGA-12,
or any other shotgun,should contact Ashley Outdoors, Inc., Ft. Worth TX phone
number 817-536-0136)With regard to adjusting the SAIGA-12's rear sight, it is
hammer and"brass-punch" adjustable for windage only. The front sight
hasan elevation wheel, which allows for limited adjustment, ie; the front sight
onAaron's shotgun allowed us a +2 to -2 clicks of elevation change.I should
also mention that the elevation wheel is "field adjustable", if
youhappen to be carrying a small jeweler's screwdriver, or something similar,so
that you can lift the spring clip detent, which indexes the elevation wheel.As
part of his overall package, Aaron had also ordered the SAIGA-12scope base and
a compact 4x by 28mm rifle scope. After checkingthe scope base with a magnet,
we determined that it was made from some typeof allow metal, with the exception
of it's NATO/STANAG type quick release/lockinglever. The left side of the
SAIGA-12's receiver has a 4-inch longdove-tail rail attached to it, which mates
with the slip-on lockingdove-tail of the scope base. During testing, the scope
base proved tobe located at the proper height in relation to shooter's natural
spot-weld locationon the buttstock. It also proved to be very durable and
appeared to indexto the same point after several dozen mount/dismount trials.
With regardto Aaron's little Chicom scope, it was a non-starter, due to the
fact thatit was not compatible with the SAIGA-12's scope base, ie; the
distancebetween the front and rear ring on the scope base is about 1 1/4-inch,
and they are not adjustable on the base. Though we could mount theChicom scope
onto the base, because the scope was so short along themain tube axis, we could
not adjust it for proper eye relief, which meant that ourshooter's lost time
before each shot attempting to find the proper eye relief.As luck would have
it, our friend Bill Black, had just receiveda new ADCO Vantage #V-1
"red-dot" scope, which he needed to field test.For those who are not
familiar with red-dot scopes, they really are not "scopes"in the
normal sense. When using a red-dot, the shootermust keep both eyes open and
really does not look "through" the scope, but looks "at"the
scope with their shooting eye, while looking "at" their target
withtheir other eye. The brain then superimposes the red-dot onto the targetand
presto, you have a hit. Since the front tube of any red-dot systemdoes not
"flare" on the objective end, we could easily mount the ADCO
Vantage#V-1 scope through both scope base rings and get a good enough fit for
fieldtesting purposes. Using a bore-sight, as you would for any rifle, we
quicklyadjusted the red-dot for elevation/windage and got ready for the
range.(NOTE: In my experience, a good red-dot makes close in shooting
-100-meters or less - extremely easy for pretty much anyone. For
SWAToperations, where a lack of speed can kill, they are very fast for
targeting andprovide no telltale "signature" as to the shooter's
location).
Our normal testing procedure for shotguns begins witha check of the shotgun's
patterning capability. We were especiallyinterested in Aaron's SAIGA-12 since
it had come with a 22 3/4 -inch Full-Chokebarrel. Like it's AK47 cousin, the
5-round plastic magazine for the SAIGA-12goes into the receiver in a "rock
& lock" type motion. AsI found out during a preliminary check of the
shotgun, loading an empty magazineinto the shotgun is not problem, however,
when you attempt to lock ina full magazine it is a matter of luck if you can
successfully lock the magazineinto the receiver on the first try. What's the
problem? The bolt.When the bolt carrier is in the forward battery position, the
bolt is sittingat the top of the magazine well. With an AK47 magazine full of
smallrifle cartridges there is no problem locking a magazine into the rifle's
receiver.With a SAIGA-12 magazine full of large 12GA cartridges, the degree
ofdifficulty changes dramatically. As part of our field testing, I decidednot
to tell our shooter's about this problem, but merely observe whathappened, ie;
each shooter was shown how to mount an empty magazine intothe shotgun and then
shown how to load the magazine with cartridges.Mounting the full magazine into
the receiver was their problem. All of ourtest shooter's are advanced level
shooters/teachers; none of our shooters could successfully"rock &
lock" a full magazine on their first attempt. Duringall testing, I allowed
each shooter up to six tries before I showed them "thetrick". Since
you cannot lock the SAIGA-12's bolt to the rear, for loadingpurposes you must
pull the charging handle to the rear and hold it there,while you insert a full
magazine into the receiver. Once you do this,you can easily "rock &
lock" the magazine into place. For the hunter,this procedure presents no
problem and can be dealt with. However, for aPolice/Security Officer it would
go like this: The shooter must pull the charginghandle to the rear and keep it
there with their firing hand, while theytake out the empty magazine and put in
loaded magazine with their non-firinghand. This translates to the Officer being
"out of service" duringthis entire unloading and reloading process.
Obviously, the morean Officer practices, the better they will become at this
process, but I wouldhope that they also have solid "cover" available
during magazine changes.
It was now time for serious testing of Aaron's SAIGA-12.Once again, our friend
Bill Black came through for us bydonating two cases of Winchester 2 3/4 -inch
#8 Dove and Quail to the project, while R.O.C.donated a case of Federal 2
3/4-inch #1 Buck. We began the patterningprocess with the Dove and Quail loads,
while using the factory iron sights.At 7-meters we got a very tight 8-inch
pattern. At 14-meters, we gotan 8-inch to 10-inch pattern. At 20-meters, we got
an 18-inch pattern,and at 25-meters, we got a 23-inch to 25-inch pattern. We
also determinedthat the iron sights needed adjusting, since all of our patterns
were leftof center and low on the target. For pattering of the #1 Buck, we
changedto the ADCO red-dot sight, which we had previously zeroed for the
shotgun.We also changed our targets to full-sized Police silhouettes. (NOTE:To
better understand the test results, the reader should remember the following:A
2 3/4 -inch #1-Buck cartridge contains 16 balls, which are .30Calin diameter).
At 7-meters, all 16 balls were inside the 9-ring.At 14-meters, 11 balls were in
the 9-ring, with 5 balls in the 8-ring. At 20-meters,3 balls were in the
9-ring, 4 balls were in the 8-ring, and all otherballs in the 7-ring. At
25-meters, the pattern was still quite respectable,ie; 4 balls in the 9-ring, 4
balls in the 8-ring, 4 balls in the 7 ring,and all other balls off target. Our
normal shotgun procedure wouldalso include firing rifled-slugs to determine
point accuracy potential.However, due to Aaron's SAIGA-12 having a Full-Choke
barrel this was out of thequestion, ie; firing slugs out of a Full-Choke barrel
is asking for the endof the barrel to split, which it eventually will.
After a few weeks of conducting our normal field trainingroutine, we were able
to turn our attention back to Aaron's SAIGA-12.Now that patterning was
completed, it was time to get out the bowling pinsand let our shooter's have
fun. The only guidance given to the shooter'swas that they vary their distance
from the bowling pins, vary their rate of fire,and vary their firing positions.
As is our standard operatingprocedure, we would begin initial field testing
with the light Dove & Quailloads, due to the fact that any self loading
shotgun, which can effectivelydigest light field loads, will normally exhibit
zero problems when firingthe much heavier Buck or Slug loads. Around
250-rounds, we started toencounter fired cases hanging up in the ejection port.
Though these wereeasily cleared, by 275-rounds it had become a persistent
problem, so westopped this test phase at that point. Like it's AK47 cousin,
cleaningthe SAIGA-12 is very simple and straightforward, with no surprises.
About oneweek later we were able to move into the first "volume rapid
fire" phase.Like our initial test, we were using the Dove & Quail
loads, but we would notbe allowing the shotgun any "cool down" time
between shooters, ie; 350-roundswould be fired through the shotgun on an almost
continuous basis. Thoughwe did encounter a few ejection problems, there was a
noticeable increase inthe SAIGA-12's performance level, which indicated to us
that Aaron'sSAIGA-12 had needed a "break-in" period to smooth out the
various mechanisms.Another week and cleaning later, we were able to take
Aaron's shotgunback out to the range to continue the volume rapid fire testing
for another300-rounds of the Federal #1-Buck fired in a continuous rapid fire
sequence.As often occurs in our New Mexico end of the Rocky Mountains, the
weathertook a radical turn on this particular day, and my students were
giventhe privilege of helping me conduct the test during a downpour of rainand
sleet, with an ambient temperature of 32-degrees. Much to everyone'ssurprise,
the SAIGA-12 digested all 100-rounds of #1-Buck without anymalfunctions. For a
self-loading shotgun drenched in freezing rain and sleet,this is no easy task,
ie; at one point, the rain was so heavy that wehad to make sure to pour the
water out of the magazine and shotgun beforecommencing fire. Very impressive
test.
Bottom line, can we recommend the SAIGA-12 shotgun forcivilian use? Our only
real reservation with the SAIGA-12, had been thefact that it was available as a
Full-Choke barrel only, which meant thatit would have been useless for hunter's
restricted to slug loads.However, after a final phone conversation with
Kalashnikov, USA on this date (10DEC98),we can give their SAIGA-12 a THUMBS UP,
ie; I was told that afterJan 1999, they would be offering the SAIGA-12 as a
19-inch barrel shotgun, witha Poly-Choke system on it. They also told me that
the new shotgunswould have a modification made to the bottom of the bolt, so
that there shouldbe no further magazine "rock & lock" problems
when using 2 3/4-inch cartridges.
With regard to the SAIGA-12 for Police/SWAT usage, priorto today's conversation
with Kalashnikov, USA, we had had seriousreservations about it's Police
application. However, after talkingwith Steve, of Kalashnikov, USA, most of our
thoughts will be incorporated into theirnew Police models: (1) Barrel length of
about 11-inches, with an internal/externalchangeable choke system. (2) Exchange
the "fixed" buttstock fora side-folding buttstock. (3) Increase the
magazine capacity todo away with "stress" magazine changes. (4) Add
some type of red-dotsighting system, ie; they are taking a hard look at one of
the "heads-up" typesighting systems now.
With regard to the ADCO Vantage #V-1 red-dot sight, consideringthat it went
through the majority of the field testing, to includethe freezing downpour, and
still continues to function, we give it a THUMBSUP. Once again, Japan has made
a good product, which people can easily afford.(NOTE: The diameter of the
red-dot field tested is a fixed 3-MOA at100-yds,ie; the red-dot will obscure
approximately 3-inches of your target.For further info contact: ADCO
International; 781-935-1799)
AFTER MARKET PARTS... Aaron Zelman was kept abreast of our findings
throughoutall phases of testing his SAIGA-12. It was decided that
uponcompletion of our field testing, Aaron would order several after-market
replacementparts, which are available for the AK47 , and which might lend
themselvesto the SAIGA-12. The company Aaron contacted was, Flash Distributing
Companyof Montrose, Co. (970-249-0302). The parts we were interested intrying
were: (1) Bolt Lock. (2) Extended Magazine Release.
The bolt lock consisted of replacement AK type safetylever, which has had a
square notch cut into the top surface of the lever.When the AK charging handle
is pulled to the rear, the safety lever is pushedupward until it
"captures" the charging handle in the square notchof the safety
lever. In fairness to Flash Distributing I should make it clearthat we did not
attempt to install these parts into a standard AK47 typefirearm. Having stated
the above, I can now tell you that installationof the safety lever into a SAIGA
shotgun is best reserved for a certifiedgunsmith. In brief, the safety lever
requi -fitting just to get itthrough the SAIGA's right side receiver wall. Once
that was accomplished,the selector bar had to be fitted to the disconnect frame
assembly.After that, the selector bar had to be fitted to the disconnect's sear
pawland trigger, assuring that the SAIGA would function upon firing, but also
when thesafety lever was placed into the "safe" position. Due to all
ofthe disassembly/assembly and fitting which was required, the above process
took approximately3-hours from start to finish. Bearing in mind that theaverage
gunsmith charges about $40.00 per hour, need I say more?
With regard to the replacement extended magazine release;here again it may be a
simple process on an AK47, but it would have requiredmajor modification to fit
the part into the SAIGA-12'smagazine release lever housing. Bottomline, we put
the original factorymagazine release lever back into Aaron's shotgun.
SAFETY TIP: All shooter's who own a self-loadingrifle, should be keenly aware
of how their firearm functions, and mostimportantly what is a "safe"
condition and what is not. After installing theBolt Lock safety lever into
Aaron's SAIGA-12 shotgun, I decided to give it the "droptest".
Example: The charging handle is pulled to the rear until the boltcarrier could
be locked into the open position. The firearm is thenheld in a vertical
position, which is approximately 5 inches form the floor,butt down, with the
magazine out and the chamber clear. Fromthis position, the firearm is allowed
to drop vertically to the floor. Thetest is simple: Will the bolt carrier stay
locked upon impact, or will the impactcause the bolt lock to disengage, thereby
allowing the bolt carrier to slamforward? I tested the new bolt lock system on
Aaron's SAIGA-12 ten times,and the bolt carrier slammed forward each time. Does
this mean thatthe bolt lock didn't work? Actually no, since most bolt
"hold open" systems willnot pass the "drop test", ie;
AR15's are notorious for slamming closed froma "locked" position when
they are bumped/jarred. Bottomline, thinksafety at all times.
Our thanks to: T.D.Adams, SSGT P.A.Warren (USMC), MAJ L.A. Lucero (NMSDF).
J.B.Hohlfeld, Instructor, Ranger Outreach Center
Ranger Outreach Center is an international school forPolice/Security personnel,
or individuals who require real world firearmstraining. For information on
classes offered: write to R.O.C.,P O Box 1164, Pecos, NM 87552-1164, or fax
505.757.8456.
Mr. Bill Black is a Double-Distinguished shooter for theUSN, and owner of Santa
Fe Gunsmithing. Bill specializes in combat/target pistols and rifles. For
information contact Santa Fe Gunsmithing, 509 Airport Rd, Santa Fe,NM 87505, or
phone 505.438.4174.
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