Open Shotgun: SLP w/Xrail, or Saiga

[Alaskapopo]

I just finished mine I have just under a grand into it. Not counting mags I have had them for years. I pre-ordered AGP 10 round mags before they hit the market.

The finger mag drop deal is not yet installed other than that it's done execpt for the choke I plan to run modified.

I hand fitted all 10 of my AGP mags for this gun.

JT Mag Well

Tromix trigger and trigger guard DYI kit

CSS quad rail system

A PK-01 red dot 1.5 moa

Trying to thing about what all else I have in this gun.

that CSS stock

I'm very proud of the way this gun came out. My 6th Saiga build.

Looks like you did a good job. Only issue I see is your optic height over the stock looks like getting a good cheek weld will be impossible. A typical AK problem unless you use a lower mount or a raised cheek rest on your stock.

Pat

[KentG]

FYI. Red Star firearms makes an adjustable single hook trigger that is great. I have one in mine and its setup with very little overtravel and the reset (what I hate most about the stock trigger) is about as little as it can be and still work. Better than my JP.

On a trigger gauge it weighs in at 2 pounds.

[Alaskapopo]

Used my Saiga yeasterday in a side match following a USPSA match. It runs great.

Here is a friend of mine who I let use it and he kicked my ass with it.

[Charles Bond]

Just back from Blue Ridge and I am starting to see much better Saigas. Here are the lessons learned to date:

1. If you have to start unloaded, a Saiga shines over the XRail. But if you install a chute on your XRail shotgun the difference is not great.

2. The Firebird guns appear to run as good or maybe better than the R and Rs.

3. If you set your Saiga mazagine release to drop with a light spring or without a method to lock it, your mag will drop while the gun is slung and someone needs to build a good magazine holder for those ultra long Saiga magazines.

4. On a mixed stage where you have preloaded the slugs mixed with the shot, if you miss and have to make up a shot, the XRail shines over the Saiga since you can slip in a slug or extra shot without a full reload where you need to retain the Saiga magazine.

5. XRail is supporting the sport with prizes and match attendance by putting out $300 certificates for the prize table. Now maybe some of the Saiga builders are too but if they are, I have not seen them.

6. Ralph Arredondo has the best scope mount I have seen for a Saiga by far. It is at http://www.arredondoaccessories.com/category.cfm?cid=1004,2008&PID=jk29i1334yuaxn&GID=.

7. If during a stage you drop a long Saiga mag, you have to go back and get it but the XRail does not loss rounds and if you drop one or two speed loaders you should be able to complete the stage.

8. Ammo quality is a big factor with the Saiga but not with the XRail.

9. If you use a FN or a Remington or a Bennelli or a Mossburg with an XRail, you do not have to buy a second shotgun to rob for parts like you do if you own a Saiga.

10. If you want an XRail you can have one in about a week and install it yourself. If you wait a tricked out Saiga, the wait appears to be getting longer.

[DocMedic]

Wow I haven't looked at this thread recently my bad , I ended up getting a Xrail for the SLP, and I got to say what a freaking blast it has been. No lie I took it to a gunsmith to change out the loading tubes on the FN so I could use it, but 200+ rounds later I have not had one MALF yet. I haven't installed a chute and elected to use the TWiNs system instead, I'm not sure if this will be change before Ironman but so far I have had no trouble loading the FN strong hand style(with glove). 23 rounds + FN SLP + Xrail = 12lbs.. Grow a pair its not really that heavy and the grand scheme of things. Although I'll be lugging it in Trooper everywhere I go

[Alaskapopo]

Just back from Blue Ridge and I am starting to see much better Saigas. Here are the lessons learned to date:

1. If you have to start unloaded, a Saiga shines over the XRail. But if you install a chute on your XRail shotgun the difference is not great.

2. The Firebird guns appear to run as good or maybe better than the R and Rs.

3. If you set your Saiga mazagine release to drop with a light spring or without a method to lock it, your mag will drop while the gun is slung and someone needs to build a good magazine holder for those ultra long Saiga magazines.

4. On a mixed stage where you have preloaded the slugs mixed with the shot, if you miss and have to make up a shot, the XRail shines over the Saiga since you can slip in a slug or extra shot without a full reload where you need to retain the Saiga magazine.

5. XRail is supporting the sport with prizes and match attendance by putting out $300 certificates for the prize table. Now maybe some of the Saiga builders are too but if they are, I have not seen them.

6. Ralph Arredondo has the best scope mount I have seen for a Saiga by far. It is at http://www.arredondoaccessories.com/category.cfm?cid=1004,2008&PID=jk29i1334yuaxn&GID=.

7. If during a stage you drop a long Saiga mag, you have to go back and get it but the XRail does not loss rounds and if you drop one or two speed loaders you should be able to complete the stage.

8. Ammo quality is a big factor with the Saiga but not with the XRail.

9. If you use a FN or a Remington or a Bennelli or a Mossburg with an XRail, you do not have to buy a second shotgun to rob for parts like you do if you own a Saiga.

10. If you want an XRail you can have one in about a week and install it yourself. If you wait a tricked out Saiga, the wait appears to be getting longer.

#1. With the X rail if you start unloaded there is no easy way to load it full. you can get 8 or 10 depending on your guns original capacity but loading past that is best done at the loading table not on the clock.

#3. The Arredondo coupler is the best method and more mags can be retained by the belt clips that R&R makes. I have not had an issue with them coming off my belt.

#4 is mitigated by the magazine coupler system from Arrendo. Have slugs in one mag shot in the other and swtich back and forth as needed.

#5 Rob from R&R has hosted his own matches with tons of money on the prize table.

#7. Again just use the coupler or reload from your belt.

I admit I am a Saiga fan boy. But I also respect the X rail two of my buddies have them. The biggest advantage I see it as having is the ablility to single load slugs and they start out with more rounds than I do. I could never get that 20 round mag from R&R to work for me so I use the 12 rounders. Last year at a three gun match I hosted a friend of mine with an Xrail discovered another disadvantage to that system that cost him big. I designed a stage where you shot 8 steel targets with shot and then moved and engaged 9 slug targests. My friend got lucky and was able to hit more than 1 target with 1 shell it When he moved to the slug area he could not load the the slugs into the tube because the Xrail had advanced to the next tube that was full. Another disadvantage to the Xrail is its very front heavy and the balance of the gun changes as you shoot it. That is not the case with the Saiga.

He had to shoot a few rounds into the berm in order to make room in the magazine. Here is my friends X rail from yeasterdays stage.

Pat

Edited May 3, 2011 by Alaskapopo

[SinistralRifleman]

Since I'll be shooting Trooper this year at Ironman...

For the past 3 years the people who have won trooper were using Saigas. In 2010 the top 3 in trooper were using Saigas.

[DocMedic]

[TonyH]

if he had an xrail he wouldnt have wasted 2 seconds doing a reload... think about that for a min

Or he would have zeroed the stage cuz his Xrail didn't work.....

OR, I think I won that stage with an X-rail lol......

[Topmaul]

I just finished mine I have just under a grand into it. Not counting mags I have had them for years. I pre-ordered AGP 10 round mags before they hit the market.

The finger mag drop deal is not yet installed other than that it's done execpt for the choke I plan to run modified.

I hand fitted all 10 of my AGP mags for this gun.

JT Mag Well

Tromix trigger and trigger guard DYI kit

CSS quad rail system

A PK-01 red dot 1.5 moa

Trying to thing about what all else I have in this gun.

that CSS stock

I'm very proud of the way this gun came out. My 6th Saiga build.

Looks like you did a good job. Only issue I see is your optic height over the stock looks like getting a good cheek weld will be impossible. A typical AK problem unless you use a lower mount or a raised cheek rest on your stock.

Pat

Pat, I agree the optic is too high and I'm getting a cheek rest, the cool thing about this is I can use the irons if I need to as a back up. I want the optic lower but the only way I can figure to do that is to mount it forward on the barrel so as to give me a co-witness almost. I'm going off to buy a Delta Point for my other S-12.

[Alaskapopo]

Saw two Xrails have problems in my match this last Sunday forcing the shooters to manually rotate the magazine tubes. Not that my Saiga has never given me issues. It has but the Xrail is not without its problems either.

Pat

[ncopenshooter]

Not trying to be a jerk, but what do Mike V and Jerry use, since they have a couple of wins?

[ken hebert]

1100's IIRC, although Jerry is probably now using a 930.

[ncopenshooter]

My point was that they do pretty well with standard guns and Tec-Loaders. Mike uses a VERY old Benelli.

[MarkCO]

1100's IIRC, although Jerry is probably now using a 930.

Jerry is shooting a 930, Voight a Benelli.

[ken hebert]

hey what can i say, i dont run in those circles. just catch the odd pic every so often.