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saiga 12 with tube magazine

3314 Views 21 Replies 1 Participant Last post by  ShotgunPro, 
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Has anyone ever, or heard of, modified the saiga 12 to have a conventional tube magazine (like on a remmington 1100, mossberg 930, etc) instead of the detachable mags? Also, does anyone have an idea of where I could send a sporterized saiga 12 to be converted as described?

I ask because the saiga 12 is a fantastic shotgun but can`t be easily used for hunting, skeet, etc. After all, who wants to constantly reload 2 round magazines while hunting when its much easier to just pop a few rounds into a conventional tube mag.
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Meaty,

You may consider the cost of such a conversion. With the Saiga 12 running much more expensive than the other Saigas, adding the cost of such a custom conversion would put it in the realm of other semi-auto shotguns. You could find something like a Winchester Super X3 for around the cost of what I figure a one-off conversion like that would run, if not less. A purpose-built hunting or clays shotgun is going to perform much better for those purposes.

Plus, you're taking away the essence of what the Saiga 12 is - a very reliable, mag fed 12 Gauge AK-47. I can't imagine there would be much market for that.
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There is no need to send it anywhere for a standard pistol grip conversion.

If you know which end of a screwdriver does the work, you can do it yourself with common household tools.
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he's asking if a Siaga can be modified to be a tube fed shotgun rather then a magazine fed shotgun....nothing about pistol grip conversion.

I don't believe a tube fed Saiga12 would be possible with the Ak pattern design of the the shotgun.

who's dog are you always quoting again? Pavlov's?
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Polymerhead said:
Meaty,

You may consider the cost of such a conversion. With the Saiga 12 running much more expensive than the other Saigas, adding the cost of such a custom conversion would put it in the realm of other semi-auto shotguns. You could find something like a Winchester Super X3 for around the cost of what I figure a one-off conversion like that would run, if not less. A purpose-built hunting or clays shotgun is going to perform much better for those purposes.

Plus, you're taking away the essence of what the Saiga 12 is - a very reliable, mag fed 12 Gauge AK-47. I can't imagine there would be much market for that.
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Certainly a valid point. And you`re probably right that a shotgun designed for skeet or hunting would likely be more effective than the saiga 12 in that role. I have a mossberg 930 now and I`m trying to justify a saiga 12 purchase. Unfortunatley, if its not practical for the things I typically use a shotgun for (I don`t often find myself splatering zombie brains all over the wall while running through half lit rooms) I probably won`t get one.
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I've heard of people shooting skeet with Saiga 12s and it seems to work fine for that. But it's a battle shotgun designed for Zombie destruction. Not a hunting shotgun. You could hunt deer with it though. In my state anyway.
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meaty said:
I have a mossberg 930 now and I`m trying to justify a saiga 12 purchase. Unfortunatley, if its not practical for the things I typically use a shotgun for (I don`t often find myself splatering zombie brains all over the wall while running through half lit rooms) I probably won`t get one.
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I hear that. Being practical sucks. I just sold off an over/under to buy a SX3 for no other reason than the fact that I needed a good duck gun. Since the SX3 can easily hold its own on the clays courses and pull double duty in the duck blind, I went with it.
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meaty said:
Has anyone ever, or heard of, modified the saiga 12 to have a conventional tube magazine (like on a remmington 1100, mossberg 930, etc) instead of the detachable mags? Also, does anyone have an idea of where I could send a sporterized saiga 12 to be converted as described?

I ask because the saiga 12 is a fantastic shotgun but can`t be easily used for hunting, skeet, etc. After all, who wants to constantly reload 2 round magazines while hunting when its much easier to just pop a few rounds into a conventional tube mag.
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Why not just have a bunch of spare 2-round mags? Load 'em before you head out into the field...

Problem solved!
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lol...that sounds impratical.

I'd say get a Remmy of some sort where you can throw on a shorter barrel and magazine extensions on it when needed.

or get a 5 shot Model 500.

A Saiga, while you CAN do it, isn't something I'd wanna use in a duckblind.
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Cuda66 said:
Why not just have a bunch of spare 2-round mags? Load 'em before you head out into the field...

Problem solved!
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Honestly I thought about that, but given the cost of 2 round mags and the extra weight, fumbling, etc, it wouldn`t be more practical or cost effective than a tube fed shotgun.

Sigh.....well maybe I`ll win the lotto one day and not have to worry about making rational purchases. Until then, no saiga for me.
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Whats wrong with the 930? I am very happy with mine. I have the SPX version, but, I sent the barrel to have it threaded for chokes. I use mine for 3 gun and USPSA matches. You can buy other barrels for it to suit your needs.
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I seen a converted Saiga the other day with a 12 round mag. That thing was beautiful. The only thing that stopped me was the fact that I just moved to TX two days ago and with a $1300 price tag. My wife would probably shoot me with it.
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are there any conversion websites for the saigs-12

from the most part all are dedicated to converting the rifles

or is the conversion process the same?
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cromags said:
are there any conversion websites for the saigs-12

from the most part all are dedicated to converting the rifles

or is the conversion process the same?
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All the same, except for the shotguns, there are less steps necessary.
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mongovb said:
Whats wrong with the 930? I am very happy with mine. I have the SPX version, but, I sent the barrel to have it threaded for chokes. I use mine for 3 gun and USPSA matches. You can buy other barrels for it to suit your needs.
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there`s nothing wrong with the 930, I enjoy mine quite a bit. I actually bought the field/security combo so it came with a 18 inch and 26 inch barrell for $399. the 26 inch barrell has chokes I just love the saiga platform. I have two AKs and the simplicity is outstanding.
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I have shot trap, and will be shooting skeet and sporting clays with my Saiga 12. I haven't converted it, and don't intend to, because I want the option of being able to switch it back to its stock configuration. As for swapping mags, I plan on purchasing two round mags from this supplier:

Saiga 12 Gauge Shotgun 2rd Magazine

I figure I will probably need three, and will just have to load them while I wait my turn (I don't hunt, so can't help you there,) A loaded box magazine will take less time to load into a shotgun than feeding two rounds into a tube mag.)

I consider the cost to be another expense for an accessory that I need for the sake of adaptability. Hell, I bought a MD Arms 20 Round Drum, and I am not going to be able to use that in its full capactiy.

Considering the cost I paid for my Saiga and its capabilities, I am still ahead of the game or at least on par versus buying a tube fed gun with the same reliability.
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does anyone have an idea of who could convert the saiga 12 to tube fed? I guess I should check out prices, feasibility of conversion, etc, before completely walking away from this idea.
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meaty said:
does anyone have an idea of who could convert the saiga 12 to tube fed? I guess I should check out prices, feasibility of conversion, etc, before completely walking away from this idea.
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You're looking at a case of spending tens of thousands of dollars, just to say you did it.

It's simply not feasible unless you've got lots and lots and lots of money.

. . . but hey, maybe Tony Rumore might take an interest in this project. He owns Tromix and has fiddled around here and there.
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meaty said:
does anyone have an idea of who could convert the saiga 12 to tube fed? I guess I should check out prices, feasibility of conversion, etc, before completely walking away from this idea.
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As for feasibility, I doubt you will find someone who will be willing to do the work of convert it for a price that would be otherwise make it more feasible to just buy a tube fed autoloader.

I'm sure it's do-able; just really not practical. You would need to extend the bottom of the receiver to accomodate some sort of a feed ramp which pivots upward to load the tube while holding in a position to feed the shell into the chamber (which would have to be custom made,) like on other tube fed autoloaders (because the saiga 12's magazine doubles as the feed ramp.) You would also need to custom fit the tube magazine under the barrel, which would, in turn, require the customization/fabrication of a new forend.

Of course the real trick is not the fabrication. It would be to get all this to actually function properly and not get in the way of ejecting the fired shell.

And as I envision it, the addition of a tube magazine slapped on the bottom of the gun, along with additional material on the receiver to accomodate the feed ramp systen, would make it really blocky, heavier, and aesthetically hideous.

That all said, I would love to see it done; because it would definitely fall under the category of "I did it because I could."
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All the info you need...and too much :)

cromags said:
are there any conversion websites for the saigs-12

from the most part all are dedicated to converting the rifles

or is the conversion process the same?
Click to expand...
forum.Saiga-12.com

Beentown
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