Saiga 12 Problems

S

Sphawley

New member
I bought a brand new Saiga 12 the other day from a very popular reliable shop. So today I took it out to test it out at a local indoor range, therefore we had to use rifled slugs. It was a heavy round from Federal with a muzzle velocity @ 1300. We proceded to put around 80 rounds through it. The gun seemed to perform very well.

When I got it home I proceeded to clean it as normal. The barrel appeared very dirty, compared to my Benelli shooting the same box of shells. I cleaned the barrel as usual yet it still apprered dirty. To my dismay the barrel looked fouled...

This is down near the chamber and looks likes its damaged for about the first four inches. None of the other guns barrels were damaged...Did I do something wrong? Just want to ask around before I attempt to take the gun back...
 
Possibly, I have never seen fouling in person...just read about it so I am making a guess here...but it is just above the chamber in the barrel.

This can't be normal...what could have gone wrong?
 
You put 80 slugs through your shotgun and you're wigging out because... the barrel is dirty?!?!:p

Have you ever put 80 slugs through your Benelli in one sitting for comparison? Also, I believe Benelli uses chrome-lined barrels, which resist crud-stickage a bit.

Unless there is something more going on here that you haven't specified, I would break out the shotgun rod, brushes, mop, and hardcore solvent, then quit worrying. I have a Saiga 12, yes it gets dirty too, it still runs like a top many years in.:)
 
Okay maybe dirty was the wrong word....

I cleaned the barrel very well lots of barrel brushes and cleaner, one thing that I did notice while cleaning the receiver was small flakes of metal possibly from the barrel? It is a brand new gun, so that might be it but looking at the barrel is what worries me a little...
 
I'm not sure that there is much to worry about here. A picture to show the areas of concern may be helpful.

The Saiga will get really dirty by the nature of the operating system. If you didn't take out the gas plug and clean the piston, and chamber you'll still have debris that falls back into the chamber out of the gas ports.

Some guns will have some pretty good burrs where the gas ports are drilled into the barrel. They will smooth out with some time and some shooting, but can also be a source for fouling.
 
If the gun functioned properly, shot reasonably accurately, and the barrel isn't bulged, I'd not worry about it. Sounds like the metal parts are wearing in.

It's a Saiga. It ain't a Purdey & Sons. It's crude, finished in a mediocre manner, and you're generally doing well if the gas ports are there at all. But when it works, it works.
 
Might you be looking at the gas ports by mistake--I have seen this problem mentioned before.

-Cheers
 
Thanks for all the suggestions guys, I'm still kinda unfamilar with the saiga platform and I think im gonna take it by a local store that specializes in this today.

I will let you know how it goes!!!
 
It's most likely fowling. I have a POS Rem 870 Supermag (all Supermags have super long forcing cones, think 4") that I put 13 win 1oz slugs through. The barrel is incredibly fowled, I've cleaned just the barrel portion for an hour with hopps and it still looks really bad around the forcing cone. I blame the machine marks that are in the barrel for grabbing lead and whatever else. I put 30 slugs and 10 Buck through my Benelli Montefeltro that were a bit hotter (1800fps 1oz for the slugs, 1300fps for the Buck) and the fowling wasn't near as bad, I was still getting sheets of lead though. I suppose slugs and buck are just hard on bores.
 
Rugerismisticness,

Is the POS version of the Rem. 870 Supermag a new model:confused:?

Just kidding--I know what you mean and it really can pi$$ you off as the quality control of companies has significantly deteriorated in this generation. It really is hit and miss anymore. As our parents always allude to, they just don't make things like they used to.

-Cheers
 
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