I bought this Saiga 12 in stock import condition about 20 years ago from a dude in a van behind an IHOP. It's got all four gas ports drilled clean and angled the way they're supposed to be. Every few years I would pull it out of the safe and tinker with it a little bit more. A few years ago I went ahead and filed a Form 1 to chop the barrel. Bought the threading die and thread alignment tool but never got around to doing the work. Finally pulled it out the other day and decided to finish it off.
Cut the barrel to 12", threaded and crowned by hand. Left the gas system unmolested other than the TAC 47 auto gas plug and a Tromix gas puck. FCG & BHO upgrades, and tang cut off of the trunnion for ACE stock adapter installation. Tapco SAW grip and Galil handguard with Tromix mounting hardware. Ultimak top rail.
Looking forward to taking this bad boy out and putting it through its paces. It was running great before I chopped the barrel so fingers crossed that it will still run just as well.
Last edited by flcracker on Tue Sep 01, 2020 10:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
....and some rin up hill and down dale, knapping the chucky stanes to pieces wi' hammers, like sae mony road-makers run daft - they say it is to see how the warld was made! Saint Ronan's Well - Sir Walter Scott, Bart. (1824)
You are already at 4 gas ports now, what happens if she doesn't want to run your only option is to join them and make one large one.... which may have disastrous consequences of over gassing for the orig config, basically still not being enough
If that's the case, then it will go off to Tromix for a gas system modification and to have the barrel chopped to the length on my stamp (8"). Will be taking it to the range next week so I'll let you know.
....and some rin up hill and down dale, knapping the chucky stanes to pieces wi' hammers, like sae mony road-makers run daft - they say it is to see how the warld was made! Saint Ronan's Well - Sir Walter Scott, Bart. (1824)
Thank you for reminding me to make time to get to the range. Got caught up in vacation prep and then vacation itself but now back to normal. Stopped in at the range this morning.
It ran like a champ with an old box of Winchester Ranger "Law Enforcement Only" magnum 2-3/4" 00 buckshot (12 pellet load). Would fire & re-set trigger but not eject Fiocchi 2-3/4" 00 buckshot (9 pellet load). Would half-eject Winchester Super-X 2-3/4" 00 buckshot (9 pellet load).
I'll try several different other loads in it including some 3" shells and see if it settles on one that it likes that I can still find available in today's market. But first I'll try tweaking the adjustment screw on the auto plug. Just didn't have a screwdriver with me at the range today
....and some rin up hill and down dale, knapping the chucky stanes to pieces wi' hammers, like sae mony road-makers run daft - they say it is to see how the warld was made! Saint Ronan's Well - Sir Walter Scott, Bart. (1824)
