AK style 12ga, i.e. Saiga and clones, more specifically the bullpup variants.
Anybody toy with these yet? I'm getting a Tristar Compact next week, and looking for someone who may know a little about these Saiga 12 clones. I've only seen 1 or 2 that didn't have bolt hold open lever, other than that, all most all of them are pretty similar.
Even if you have only worked on Saigas, I'd still love to hear what you know, as I can still adapt it to my gun.
What I "know" so far.
Almost all need a "break in period" of nothing but high brass, which is fine, I have a bunch of slugs and buckshot I would use to sight it in anyways. After that break in period, and adjusting the gas plug [more on that in a min], low brass will cycle mostly fine. Some low brass may not, but most people who have these run ghetto Walmart rounds, all depending on the brand of ammo and particular gun.
Gas plug: on a Saiga it has 2 slots, indicating two positions, high brass or low brass. Some of the clones, including mine, have 4 slots. I don't know until I get the gun, if the four slots mean 4 settings. There is also a self adjusting block you can buy that does just that, self adjust, and comes stock on some clones.
Mags: My gun, and most clones, come with 5 round mags. Mine can *accept* all Saiga mags. 5, 10, 12 mags are the most common. 12 looks too long. I bought 2 10 round promag mags, one in the gun and one reload *should* be sufficient for most HD scenarios.
Drums: All Saigas, and clones, and bullpups can accept drums 10, 12, 15, 20, 25, but the drums get in the way of operating the gun. 10, 12, maybe 15 can work, but most of the drums are unreliable or really expensive, or both. You can buy 2-3 10rd mags [promag] for the cost of a "good" drum, but have 30rds in 3 mags, compared to 10-15 rounds in a drum that may not let you operate, or aim the gun effectively.
Note: gun is cheap[$600], as well as the promag mags. I know ahead of time that their may be some issues with both, which is fine, I like tinkering with stuff, and have watched tons of vids, and read many articles about this gun and the other clones to get an idea of what to expect.
2nd note: almost all mags, no matter the gun, have to be modified [2 min job] in some small way. The reason always given, is that all AK's have loose tolerances, so all the mags are made to be the same, then filed a bit to fit a particular gun.
Main purpose of gun is for home defense, target shooting [25-50rds a week], and hunting if PA will ever let us use Semi-auto for large game.
The action, barrel, and gas system on these, is essentially the same as an AK, just scaled up a bit. The only "forward" control on the Tristar Compact, is the trigger. Yes, it is a shitty bullpup trigger, but I'm used to bullpup triggers which can be either heavy or mushy, or both. All of the other controls; safety, bolt hold open, mag release, and charging handle are all at the butt end of the gun [OG format].
This clone, Compact, looks like it could drop right into a Kushnapup kit[$250]. This is something I'm really considering. Looks to have better ergonomics, looks cooler IMO [not a necessity], and lighter, as well as a dedicated front grip.
There is more I'm likely forgetting, but I'm not hear to teach, I'm here to learn. Any info is appreciated, and if I'm wrong on anything so far, let me know plz.
