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A number of
manufacturers in Bulgaria, China, Egypt, Hungary and Finland
have been offering semi-automatic sporterized versions of
AK-47 for the commercial market in recent years. Russian arms
makers are probably the first and exclusive developers of
smooth-bored fire arms based on a popular and well-fielded
system. International enthusiasts are familiar with the
“Saiga-410” and "Saiga-20" semi-auto shotguns in
ga. .410 and 20 manufactured and distributed by the IZHMASH
JSC - the home of the Kalashnikov weapon systems. The latest
development of a famous Design Bureau, which was founded in
1807, is a novel series of semiautomatic smooth-bored shotguns
in gauge 12.
“Saiga-12” has
been designed primarily for the Law Enforcement and Private
Security units. The gun comes in three main
sub-configurations: “Standard” - with the 580 mm long
barrel and a non-folding buttstock, “Standard Folding”
with the barrel 580 mm long and a folding stock, and
“Short” with the barrel 430 mm long, with the folding
buttstock derived from the AK74M. To special orders, the
factory can make barrels 330 and 680 mm long.
As seen from the
photos, there is a significant resemblance between the
“Saiga-12” and the AK rifles. Top (bolt) cover, fire-mode
selector, buttstock, pistol grip are the same. Although the
receiver looks very much the same, it has been considerably
modified. There are less rivets on the sides - the receiver
looks more civilian. When designers embarked upon the
“Saiga-12” project, they discovered that the overal
dimensions of receiver had to be enlarged since the dimensions
of both the barrel block and the bolt were substantially
larger than in all previous models. Gennadiy Nikonov, Chief
project engineer, says, his team spent many an hour looking
for a way how to retain original sizes of receiver. Finally,
after studying numerous variants, they found a very original
solution - the upper location of internal bolt carrier’s
guiding rail was changed. In the “Saiga-12” shotguns the
rail is located at the receiver? s bottom. The obtained free
space now is enough to accomodate a very substantial chunk of
the barrel extension, plus a huge bolt. As for the bolt
carrier and trigger mechanism, there are several important
alterations too. First, a portion of the right side of the rod
which connects bolt carrier with piston is milled out at an
angle to ensure trouble-free operation of the mechanism of
exraction of a larger shell. To match the size of shells, the
ejection opening in the right side of the top cover above
receiver is also made larger. A stamped steel-sheet sliding
shutter has been provided on the guiding rod of a return
spring to prevent excessive penetration of dust and other
unwanted foreign particles into receiver. Due to application
of heavy-duty types of cartridges and for the purpose of
enhancing proper locking of the top (bolt) cover to the
receiver, the protruding base lug of the return mechanism,
which also functions as a retainer of the top cover, has been
provided with an additional knob. Thus, to remove the top
cover proceed as follows: depress the knob and, holding it in
such a position, push the extending locking lug inside the
cover - the cover easily comes out from its recess. In
contrast to the original AK assault rifle, “Saiga-12” has
a gas relulator which could be placed in either position
“1” or position ”2” depending on the type of
ammunition - standard 70 mm, 73 mm or 76 mm Magnum shells. The
weapon can be effectivly operated with any of these types of
cartridges. The additional locking knob and the gas regulator
have been made due to the following considerations. It has
become a standard in the Russian small arms design school,
that the speed of recoil of bolt carrier should be 4 m/sec.
Such speed enables stabilty of reloading without the need for
a gas regulator. In the “Saiga-12” shotgun due to usage of
heavy-duty ammunition, the speed of recoil of the bolt carrier
is substantially greater. When firing Magnum loads, the gun
can generate the speed upto 8 and even 10 (!) m/sec. Under
such conditions, as the designers calaculated, the durability
of the gun may be decreased. With the gas regulator, the
recoil speed is reduced to a safe level. Further research on
the gas engine of the “Saiga-12” resulted in creating a
system which functions okey with 70, 73 and 76 mm long shells
without changing the position of gas regulator. So in reality
the regulator is required when it comes to utilization of high
velocity loads. More alterations were made in the the trigger
mechanism of the ”Saiga-12” by eliminating an auto-sear.
Hence, the selector functions only in two modes. The upper
position marked “S” is safety and the lower position
marked “F” is fire.
A considerable
advantage of the construction of the “Saiga-12” universal
magazines is in their versatility in regard to the size of
shells. Conventional pump-actions are sensitive to the
cartridges of different lengths. Different length of the
shells loaded into a horizontal magazine in a
“head-to-tail” manner means irregularity of feeding stroke
which may lead to jamming. The “Saiga-12” vertical single
column magazine enables the capability of using ammunition of
the three sizes in a random combination. Capacity of black
fiber-reinforced polyamide magazines is “Standard” 5
rounds or “Special” 7 rounds. For experimental purposes
the factory devised and manufactured welded sheet-metal
magazines which hold upto 10 rounds. Based on the Kalashnikov
design principles, the “Saiga-12” has been constructed
with a tremendous reserve of strength. It withstands the most
brutal tests so as to ensure absolute safety for the users.
Table 1.
KINETIC
PARAMETERS OF SAIGA-12.
|
Length of
barrel |
Size of
shell |
Shot load |
V10 |
E10 |
|
580 mm |
12/70 |
33 g |
311 m/sec |
1,600 J |
|
580 mm |
12/73 |
53 g |
302 m/sec |
2,500 J |
|
430 mm |
12/70 |
33 g |
290 m/sec |
1,500 J |
|
430 mm |
12/73 |
53 g |
280 m/sec |
2,300 J |
As seen from the
above diagram, decreasing the length of barrel by 26 %, the
velocity loss is only 6.75 %, while the energy loss equals
6.25 % (shell size 12/70). Corresponding loss of values of the
above parameters in the case of 12/73 mm shells equals 7.28 %
and 8.0 %. Taking into account greater ergonomic comfort of
the weapon with shorter barrel, its portability, plus the
advantageous psychologic effect of such a configuration
produced on a criminal, the “Saiga-12K” with the barrel
430 mm long certainly makes an excellent service shotgun.
One of the
significant superiorities of semi-auto shotguns in comparison
to pump-action weapons is the operational rate of fire. Even a
shooter of an everage class, firing the “Saiga-12” can
“touch” a series of five targets in a bit more than three
seconds - a difficult task for any pump-action regardless of
the high skill of an operator. Yet, there is one and probably
the only instance when I should recommend a slide-action
shotgun rather than a semi-auto weapon. It is when you are
going to fire low-impulse rounds (the ones equiped with rubber
shot in an anti-mob preventive cartridge, for example) - the
energy parameters of these are insufficient to enable stable
cycle of auto-reloading . Of course, reloading of a semi-auto
shotgun in this case can be hand assisted by pulling the bolt
carrier handle. In all other cases, numerous objective tests
have proven that, “Saiga-12” is purely unbeatable.
Barrels of the
“Saiga-12” can be made either cylindric or with the full
choke of 0.1 mm.
Cylindric barrels may be optionally equiped with various
muzzle devises, such as: “paradox”, half-choke or full
choke. The gun works perfectly well with all brands and types
of ammunition.
Table 2.
ACCURACY
POTENTIAL OF THE SAIGA-12
(ambient temperature - 34° C; wind drift: 2.5 m/sec.; range:
35 m )
| Length
of shell |
Shot
size |
Hit
probability |
| |
|
full
choke |
cylinder |
| 76
mm |
Buck
Shot |
100
% |
92
% |
| 70
mm |
AAA |
73
% |
53
% |
| 70
mm |
1 |
70
% |
42
% |
| 70
mm |
3 |
69
% |
42
% |
| 70
mm |
5 |
67
% |
41
% |
| 70
mm |
6 |
65
% |
40
% |
As far as a
technique of firing slugs is concerned, cylindric barrels with
an assortment of muzzle attachments are best of all. A choked
barrel, however, is better if one uses cartridges loaded with
ball-type and sub-caliber slugs. Cylindric slugs with or
without obturation rings including Foster and Brenneke show
very acceptable results if fired from cylindric barrels
equiped with the “paradox” muzzle device. Last January, in
Western Urals in the bitter cold of - 34° C, we carried out a
research operation for the purpose of testing and evaluating
the “Saiga-12K” combat auto-loading shotguns with the
cylindric barrel 330 mm long, equiped with a full choke muzzle
device. Why this specific configuration was selected? It is
common knowledge, the shorter the barrel, the more dependable
the weapon is in terms of auto-loading reliability and its
accuracy of fire. In such weather oils and greases become
thicker and create additional friction for the gun mechanisms.
On the other hand, the energy of loads under negative
temperatures is always lower due to a greater heat loss. By
exposing the weapon and ammunition to extremely cold
temperatures, on the one hand, and by shortening the barrel,
on the other hand, we created the most adverse operational
conditions. So, if the weapon withstands such tests, it will
be just perfect under normal conditions. Comming back to
winter tests mentioned above, firing was done both in the
closed premises and in the open air. In the shooting gallery,
under the temperature of - 20° C, the following parameters
were checked: R100 factor, hit probability and penetration
capability. In the open air tests, we concentrated on checking
reliability of auto-loading and functionability of the
shotgun. All shooting was done by the author of this feature.
So, the information obtained during this operation comes to
the readers first-hand. Outside environmental conditions were
excellent for a serious test: - 34° C, good visibility, wind
drift about 1.5 to 2.0 m/sec. The following results were
obtained.
The
“Saiga-12K” fired 5 rounds equiped with the Russian
“Polev” sub-caliber lead slug. The operator was in a
seated position at a bench rest. Firing groups of five shots
at a distance of 50 meters, the everage compactness of hits
was 220 mm.
Firing in a
standing position from the shoulder without additional support
at a distance of 35 meters, excellent groups were made with:
(a) Buck shot 100 %; (b) shot size AAA - 71 %.
Assuming that the
overal dimensions of a “breast” target are within 500 x
500 (size of the “head” is 250 x 250 mm), the above groups
demonstrated by the “Saiga-12K” are more than just
acceptable.
To determine
penetration capability of the shotgun, the following types of
targets were used: (a) a wooden cube of 500 x 500 x 300 mm;
(b) steel plates attached tos wooden shield: (b1) 500 x 500 x
2.5 mm; (b2) 500 x 500 x 2.0 mm and (b3) 500 x 500 x 1.5 mm.
Brass and lead 33
g. slugs (shell size 12/70 mm) were fired at a wooden cube at
the disctance of 50 meters. The brass slug made a clear-cut
entrace and penetrated 270 mm. The lead 33 g. “Polev” slug
made an entrance 4 mm wider than the diameter of projectile
and penetrated 200 mm.
The lead 33 g.
“Polev” slug fired at a 2.5 mm thick steel plate at the
range of 50 m made a crater about 35 mm deep and 100 mm of
diameter, but did not pierce the plate. Translating this into
the words of reality, if such a shot is fired at a live target
(a terrorist, for example) in a life vest, the impact may
crush the chest bones and knock a body out, throwing it far
back. Fired at the plate of 2.0 mm, a similar slug made a
complete perforation. The remaining portion of the slug went
into the wooden shield and came to a rest at the mark of 50
mm.
Firing Buck Shot
at the distance of 35 meters, 50% of projectiles pierced a 1.5
mm steel plate and penetrated the wooden shield by 20 mm.
Special attention was paid to how the gun will react to
different types of material of shells. I loaded various
combinations of paper, plastic and metal shells. Firing
several 5 round magazines one after another with the utmost
rate I could achieve (less than 2 seconds per magazine), the
weapon never interrupted its operation when I didn? t want it
to.
Generally
speaking, we found the “Saiga-12” shotgun a well built,
very effective and a comfortable weapon. Construction of
sights makes aiming easy and accurate. The front sight
consisting of a brass bead and the rear sight of an open
U-notch type are attached to a serrated rib which extends from
the top cover to the gas regulator. By turning the screw with
a miniature flywheel the front sight can be zeroed for
elevation. The rear sight is adjustable for windage zero - the
original, clever construction I have never seen before.
Accuracy of
operational fire as well as hit probability can be enhanced by
using an optic scope which attaches to a standard AK mount
located on the left side of receiver.
SAIGA-12C.
Bolt carrier with bolt.
Bolt carrier’s extension is milled off
at an angle to allow trouble-free
ejection of empty shells.
|
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IZHMASH
has the following denomination for the “Saiga-12” series:
-
(a) basic
“Saiga-12” features a non-folding stock and a barrel
580/680 mm long;
-
(b)
“Saiga-12C” has a retractable stock, pistol grip and
a barrel 580/680 mm long;
-
(c)
“Saiga-12K” has a folding stock, pistol grip and a
barrel 430 mm long.
For the
European commercial market IZHMASH constructed another
modification of the gun, which looks more
"civilian":
- the fire-mode
selector lever has been changed for a button-type safety,
located at the rear of the trigger guard;
- the
"pro-military" multi-rivetted receiver is made
smoother;
- the gun has no
pistol grip;
- the buttstock
is not folding at any times.
The stock of any
"Saiga-12" shotgun can be made from both plastic or
wood.
It should be
noted, that the “Saiga-12K” deactivates as soon as the
buttstock is collapsed. Deactivation is achieved by locking
both the bolt group and the trigger mechanism. The device
works each time the stock is folded depressing a knob located
on the left side of receiver. To unlock the mechanism - just
extend the buttstock and bring the weapon to its full size!
Such a feature is provided to meet the Russian National Gun
Regulations.
Table 3.
SPECIFICATIONS
OF THE “SAIGA-12” SHOTGUNS
| Modification: |
Saiga-12 |
Saiga-12
C |
Saiga-12
K |
| Weight,
empty and wthout magazine, kg |
3,8 |
3,6 |
3,5 |
| Îveral
length, mm *) |
1145 |
1060 |
910 |
| Length,
with buttstock folded, mm |
- |
820 |
670 |
| Length,
with detachable pistol grip, mm |
930 |
- |
- |
| Length
of barrel, mm |
580/680 |
580/680 |
430 |
| Magazine
capacity, rds |
5
& 7 |
5
& 7 |
5
& 7 |
| Weight
of magazine, empty, kg: |
|
|
|
|
- 5-rd
version: |
0,175 |
- |
- |
|
- 7-rd
version: |
0,235 |
- |
- |
| Length
of magazinie, mm: |
|
|
|
|
- 5-rd
version: |
165 |
- |
- |
|
- 7-rd
version: |
229 |
- |
- |
| Optimal
range of fire, ě: |
|
|
|
|
- shot: |
35
- 70 |
35
- 70 |
35
- 70 |
|
- slug: |
50
- 100 |
50
- 100 |
50
- 100 |
| Sights: |
The front
sight consisting of a brass bead and the rear sight of
an open U-notch type are attached to a serrated rib. By
turning the screw with a miniature flywheel the front
sights can be adjusted for elevation zero. The rear open
U-notch type sight is adjustable for windage zero. |
| Finish: |
Black
phosphate, with lacquer coating. |
| Furniture: |
Black
fiberglass-reinforced polyamide handguard, pistol grip
and buttstock. |
| Accessories: |
Sling,
carrying pouch, cleaning kit included.
Optical sights and night-vision devices - optional. |
| T
& E summery: |
A well
built, reliable, very effective and a comfortable
weapon. |
| Status: |
Currently in
production. |
Note:
Overall length of the “Saiga-12” and ”Saiga-12C”
weapons with 680 mm long barrels equals 1,245 and 1,160 mm
respectively.
STANDARD
OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES
All modification
of “Saiga-12” have the following operational procedures.
The operator
should shift the selector into the lower position marked
“F” to bring the weapon into firing mode. By pulling the
extending side handle of the bolt carrier all the way back,
the hammer is cocked and retained by the sear. Driven back to
its initial position by the return spring, the bolt strips the
first round from the magazine and rams it further into
chamber. Turning on its axis, the bolt comes with its two lugs
into recesses in the barrel extension and locks the barrel.
The weapon is ready to fire. To deliver a shot, pull the
trigger. The trigger extension pushes the sear and releases
the hammer. The hammer, driven by the multiple-strand
steel-wire main spring pivots on its axis and hits the
striker. After a shot is fired, a portion of combustion gas
escapes from the barrel into gas chamber through the opening
in the barrel side. The piston receives an impulse and pushes
the bolt carrier towards rear untill pressure drops to a safe
level. The slot on the inner side of receiver turns the bolt
to the right, the bolt releasing its two locking lugs from
recesses in the barrel block. The bolt carrier travels on, the
empty shell is extracted and then ejected from the receiver.
While the bolt group keeps on moving, the single-strand
steel-wire return spring is compressed generating a return
impulse. The hammer again rolls down and engages with the
sear. As soon as the carrier slams the rear wall of the
receiver, driven by the return spring, the bolt carrier
commences its forward motion. The whole cycle is repeated. All
these procedures take place in a fraction of a second. |
