Izhmash Saiga-12

Izhmash Saiga-12 Story

Russian company Izhmash makes the mighty Saiga-12, a semi-automatic, fireable combat shotgun that has gained high respect for its lethality and reliability since its introduction in the 1990s. It comes in several variants, fires a variety of ammo types, calibers and magazines, and can be used in any climate.

Since the Izhmash company already has experience producing Kalashnikov guns, it is not surprising to see similarities in design and parts between the Kalashnikov and the Saiga-12.

The appearance of the Saiga-12 base is no different from that of the Kalashnikov AK-47. In fact, the fuselage looks basically the same, with a recognizable lever safety on the right, and the shooting action comes straight from the legendary AK-47. The pistol grip is mounted behind the trigger guard and square detachable magazine. Like the AK-47, the Saiga-12 uses a low barrel with a gas duct mounted above it. Surrounding hand guards protect the user from touching the hot air pipes.

The shotgun system also comes from the same assembly line that produces the AK-74M and AK-100 series Kalashnikov rifles and is marked with a red Izhmash triangle with an upward arrow. Saiga-12 can be made with traditional solid stock (Saiga-12), retractable tubular stock or collapsible skeleton stock (Saiga-12S, Saiga-12K, Saiga-12S EXP-01) to improve Portability, while others carry a traditional hunting rifle stock with an integrated pistol grip.

For obvious reasons, the system also features a larger ammunition extraction hole for spent cartridges along the right side of the fuselage. The overall finish is a matte black powder with a slightly textured finish.

Saiga-12 is marked as a 12 caliber self-loading smoothbore shotgun. Saiga-12 can fire 2, 5, 8, 10 or 12 rounds from a detachable magazine. Additionally, this can be replaced with a 20-round ammunition drum. Saiga-12 is available in .30-06, 7.62x39mm, .308 Winchester, 9x53R, 5.6x39mm and .223 Remington calibers and 20 and .410 shot gauges.

The ignition process is gas powered and has a rotating bolt. The gas system can be adjusted according to the type of ammunition used. Barrel options include lengths up to 24 inches and threaded/unthreaded styles.

A disadvantage of the ignition system is that there is no locking mechanism after the last cartridge is fired, resulting in a more complicated reloading process.

In action, as far as 12 gauge shotguns are concerned, the relatively light Saiga-12 is favored for its suppressed recoil. Considering the force required to fire a 12-gauge shotgun round, this is no small feat, and the Saiga-12 is also a semi-automatic weapon (as opposed to a manual pump action), which allows the user to use each pull of the trigger without further action.

As one might guess, the impact of this semi-automatic action on accuracy and recoil relief diminishes over time. Still, the Saiga-12 is a disappointment for a combat weapon designed to be fired at targets within 50 meters or in confined spaces.

While traditional iron sights are standard, for increased accuracy, an optional rear sight blade is available which can be used against stationary and moving targets considering terrain height and lateral resistance. A Russian-pattern mount is also mounted on the left side of the fuselage, ready to receive optics.

The accuracy of the Saiga-12 is well known and proven, and its fast and reliable cycling action (known as one of the fastest pumps on the planet!) makes it equal or better than traditional and well-regarded pumps s level. Action shotgun.

The foregrip is also optional, as are the various types of muzzle brakes.

Saiga-12 appears in military and civilian hunting models (mainly professional and sport game hunting) as well as civilian home defense models, each with different magazine types and (to some extent) stock styles. As you might expect, the military version offers more value for money.

Many U.S. states and the rest of the world ban semi-automatic shotguns because they have so much in common with traditional assault weapons in terms of range and lethality.

The Russian Spetnaz special forces group is a primary user of the fabulous Saiga-12 series.

Izhmash Saiga-12 Specification

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