- General: You will find that the parts used to assemble each
Saiga-12 varies greatly from gun to gun. Your gun may or may not
cycle the same ammo that works fine in your buddy’s gun. One gun
may cycle fine with the same ammo on gas setting 1, that requires
setting 2 in another gun. Many of the guns have mis-drilled gas
ports that do not line up with the gas block. If you have a Tromix
Saiga-12, the gas ports have been modified as required to allow
sufficient gas to the piston in order to cycle the action.
- Gas Adjustment: There is a gas regulator knob in the front of
the gas block, marked “1” and “2”. The “1” setting is
for heavy loads and the “2” setting is for light loads. To
adjust the setting, depress the small detent in the 7-o’clock
position and turn the regulator to either 1, or 2. Keep the
regulator screwed into the gas block as far as possible when
moving between selections, ie, screw it in completely and then
back it out to the desired setting. DO NOT FIRE YOUR GUN ON
SETTING NUMBER 2 WITH HEAVY LOADS! You will beat the back of the
dust cover in, until it is so short it will begin popping out of
the track in the front. I will no longer Warranty this condition
if you damage your gun in this manner. When switching to new ammo,
always put the regulator on #1 and test fire. If it does not
cycle, THEN put it on #2.
- Trigger Reset: If your trigger is failing to reset, it is most
likely due to one of the return spring legs falling off the
trigger during shipping. Remove the top cover and insure both
hammer spring legs are resting on top of the trigger bars.
- Ammunition: Most Saiga-12’s will cycle all 1-1/8oz ammunition.
I do not recommend firing any of the super light 1oz shells. The
very best cheap, light, birdshot ammo is Winchester AA, Super
Sport, or Super Handicap. It runs about $4.50 per box and cycles
Saiga’s like a champ. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FIRE WINCHESTER
“UNIVERSAL” AMMO SOLD AT WALMART. YOU WILL HAVE NOTHING BUT
PROBLEMS. Don’t call me if your gun does not work with this
ammo. Any high base heavy loads should work fine in all guns,
including buckshot, slugs, and steel shot waterfowl ammunition.
- Muzzle Brake: If you have a Tromix Shark brake installed on your
18” gun, you should experience about a 15% reduction in felt
recoil with only a slight increase in muzzle blast. If you have
the brake on an 8” SBS, the back blast will be substantial, and
when firing heavy magnum loads, the fire ball may be so severe
that it curls back over your forward hand. Burned hair may result.
Gloves are highly recommended.
- Cleaning: Depending on the type of ammunition you are firing,
your gas piston may get fouled to the point of malfunction after
200 rounds or 2,000 rounds. To clean, unscrew the gas regulator
completely and remove. Remove the top cover and bolt carrier
assembly. Using a long shaft, slide it through the gas tube from
the rear and knock out the gas piston (puck). Then thoroughly
clean inside the gas manifold, clean the piston, and reassemble.
- DO NOT INSTALL A RECOIL BUFFER IN YOUR SAIGA-12 SHOTGUN!!!!!
With a buffer in place, your bolt will barely get rearward far
enough to engage the ejector and the bolt will barely clear the
case head of the shell in the magazine before going back forward.
This will induce all sorts of problems, both feeding and ejecting.
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