LONG BOI BLUES

WE DO LOVE A GOOD AIRSOFT SHOTGUN AT AA, AND OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF ISSUES WE’VE NOT ONLY DEDICATED A RED CELL SLOT TO OUR OWN, BUT ALSO HAD A GOOD CLOSE LOOK AT THE LATEST OFFERINGS FROM A COUPLE OF THE MAIN MANUFACTURERS… BUT ONCE AGAIN DOUBLE BELL HAVE THROWN THEIR HAT INTO THE RING WITH THEIR TAKE ON THE VENERABLE SAIGA-12K SEMI-AUTO SHOTGUN… BUT DOES IT DELIVER? BILL GETS STUCK IN TO FIND OUT…

As most of you that follow AA will know I have a grave failing when it comes to airsoft shotguns… I love ‘em! I have a collection of different models that encompasses models from most of the “big airsoft names” and a few smaller outfits too, but in fairness most of them are of the spring/gas pump-variety, and most of them based around the classic “870”.

Although I couldn’t resist the AA-12 as the real deal is a piece of firearms history as well as a bigfuntimes airsoft platform (especially with the drum mag!) although I’ve tested many electric shotgun models I’ve largely shied away from adding more to the armoury. One model however did catch my attention, and again I’m following the OPFOR path here, was TM’s SAIGA, and undoubtedly the SBS “shorty” variant, but having spoken to Tama I know that there are unfortunately “issues” with the latter model, and at over UK£500 I’m not going to spend money to act as a BETA tester, even for TM!

However, the SAIGA does call out to me… Manufactured by Kalashnikov Concern (Izhmash), the SAIGA-12 is a shotgun patterned on my beloved AK platform.

Developed in the 1990s, these shotguns were initially designed for hunting (hunting WHAT exactly… you decide!) and “self-defence”. Manufactured in 12, 20, and 410 gauge, the SAIGA was largely based on the tried-and-brutally-tested Kalashnikov system… so dirty, dry, and abused, it would still rock along!

It’s said that the SAIGA became popular with certain LE units in America, but after the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014 the USA, along with the United Nations, claimed that the new government was illegal and illegitimate. The USA imposed economic sanctions on Kalashnikov Concern and numerous other Russian companies, these import sanctions intended to punish the Russia for its aggression and military intervention in both Ukraine and Crimea. With these sanctions in place, they effectively banned new SAIGA-12 and other Kalashnikov Concern products from import to American consumers.

Of course the “gun industry” responded to this open goal, and the import ban on AKs and SAIGAs let American manufacturers grab the “AK market” held for years by the Kalashnikov Concern.

Kalashnikov USA (in no way part or allied to Kalashnikov Concern in Russia) produced several AK-style rifles including the KS-12, a direct clone of the SAIGA… but of course the SAGA-12 had been sold in the USA pre-sanction so they are undoubtedly still in the inventory of both police departments and individuals.

From an airsoft OPFOR perspective, it’s the use of the SAIGA by certain military units that most interest me though, and although models like the pumpaction KS-23 have been around for years (and used by both military and police units), semi-autos have been seen in the wild more recently, especially the Molot Vepr 12 Gauge with the Russians, and allegedly the HATSAN BTS12 with the forces of Ukraine.

There’s a very interesting article on Forbes.com about how these are being deployed as “anti-drone platforms”; if you’re interested you can check out the full article here https://www.forbes.com/sites/ davidhambling/2024/05/09/shotguns-are-russias-lastdefense-against-drones !

Of course, given that the Russians are having to scurry around to keep their war-machine rolling, it’s more than likely that SAIGA-12s have been pulled in to carry out this role too, and as we do know that the SAIGA has been documented in the hands of Spetsnaz, and indeed shorter variants like the Taktika Mod 040 and 18.5 KS-K are well known to law enforcement units, it’s very likely that they’ve seen action in other “roles” recently too. This to me makes the SAIGA-12 the ideal airsoft OPFOR semi-auto shotgun of choice!

Spread Thin

So, with all this in mind, how does the SAIGA-12K from DOUBLE BELL stack up, and my answer to this question is both VERY well and not so well… As an airsoft AEG and a replica of the real it’s a fabulous piece of work, but as an airsoft shotgun perhaps not so much…

Why do I say this? It’s simple really, as the DOUBLE BELL SAIGA-12 is essentially an AEG in a shotgun costume. Whilst the TM gas SAIGA offers tri-shot functionality from three barrels that, in turn, offers a decent “shot spread”, the DOUBLE BELL is a singlebarrel AEG version that doesn’t, so what makes it a “shotgun” and not just another V3-driven “rifle”?

Again the simple answer is “nothing”, it’s a regular AEG that looks like a SAIGA-12, indeed VERY MUCH looks like a SAIGA-12, but ultimately is just a cool battery-driven rifle. So, I must hate it, right? Wrong! I actually love it, especially given its UK sub-£300 pricetag!

It’s actually a very well put together AEG, and it certainly appeals to me in its overall simplicity. Internally it’s got a reinforced V3 gearbox with a quick spring change system, and this means you could easily pop in a MOSFET if you so desired. There are reinforced steel gears with an 18:1 ratio, mounted on 8mm bearings, which means it’s smooth in operation. The piston is equipped with metal teeth and works with a Type 1 piston head, and this gives solid compression via a reinforced polymer hop-up chamber, with an old-skool slider adjustment. Nothing world-changing here, just robust, workman-like parts and components that will ensure continued skirmish operation for a good while, and all of it’s pretty darn easy to work on.

SAIGA DOES CALL OUT TO ME… MANUFACTURED BY KALASHNIKOV CONCERN (IZHMASH) THE SAIGA-12 IS A SHOTGUN PATTERNED ON MY BELOVED AK PLATFORM; DEVELOPED IN THE 1990S, THESE SHOTGUNS WERE INITIALLY DESIGNED FOR HUNTING (HUNTING WHAT EXACTLY… YOU DECIDE!) AND “SELF-DEFENCE””

“THE USA IMPOSED ECONOMIC SANCTIONS ON KALASHNIKOV CONCERN AND NUMEROUS OTHER RUSSIAN COMPANIES, THESE IMPORT SANCTIONS INTENDED TO PUNISH THE RUSSIA FOR ITS AGGRESSION AND MILITARY INTERVENTION IN BOTH UKRAINE AND CRIMEA”

Inside then everything is pretty tidy if not overly exciting, but to me it’s the external replication that makes the DOUBLE BELL SAIGA an interesting beast, and thoroughly worthy of consideration! Put together using a mix of steel, alloy and high-grade polymer, it’s an AEG I can see standing up to all manner of abuse in-game. The chunky outer barrel that conceals a sizeable 475mm supported inner certainly looks the part, and as you move back the high-grade polymer handguard looks equally cool, with an inset diamond check pattern replicating the look and feel of “the hunter” well.

Up top things are simple again, with a straightforward “bead and notch” sighting arrangement, with the front bead being of a brass finish, and this can be adjusted for elevation. For those used to any form of AK-platform, the receivers and operating interface will be all too familiar, and this again is another reason why I like the SAIGA; in reality the only thing that’s different from any other AK AEG out there is a frankly huge 300 BB hi-cap that comes as part of the deal that simulates the real 12 gauge version, but here DOUBLE BELL have been quite clever in that the magwell itself is sized to accommodate a regular AK mag, and in the box with the SAIGA was a steel AK/AKM midcap to go with the larger version! The fire selector with a thumb-rest is pure AK, with up being safe, midway full-auto, and all the way down semi, so again your “manual of arms” will be just the same as with your standard rifle or carbine.

Moving to the rear though is where things get interesting again, as the SAIGA has a neat side-folding stock, which again is high-grade polymer. Like you’d find for instance on an AK-105 it is of fixed length but can be folded to the left by depressing the usual button found on the left side of the receiver above the standard AK pistol grip. Once folded the stock is very securely held in place and to re-deploy it you need to press the button found on the butt plate; this unlocks the stock from the receiver and lets you swing it back into place. The stock also has a sling swivel that means you can run a two-pointer from this to the corresponding swivel on the handguard.

Downrange

With that big old 300 BB magazine filled to the brim

DOES THE SAIGA-12K FROM DOUBLE BELL STACK UP, AND MY ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION IS BOTH VERY WELL AND NOT SO WELL… AS AN AIRSOFT AEG AND A REPLICA OF THE REAL IT’S A FABULOUS PIECE OF WORK, BUT AS AN AIRSOFT SHOTGUN PERHAPS NOT SO MUCH…”

Then of course it was time to set the tore it to shreds in quick time, especially believe that it WILL suit most. It’s a replication of something that I love in “the real”, and one which most definitely has its place in firearms lore… for that reason alone I would buy one, and have a great deal of fun using it!

For more information on the SAIGA-12K, the rest of the extensive DOUBLE BELL range please do pay a visit to www.iwholesales.biz and my thanks as always go to them for supplying the test sample. AA

OPFOR-themed “shotgun” to your genuinely built like a tank! Although get, a proper “shotgun spread” from could see and out “MIL” platform for their airsoft adventures, and well, I actually

ACTUALLY A VERY WELL PUT TOGETHER AEG, AND IT CERTAINLY APPEALS TO ME IN ITS OVERALL SIMPLICITY. INTERNALLY IT’S GOT A REINFORCED V3 GEARBOX WITH A QUICK SPRING CHANGE SYSTEM, AND THIS MEANS YOU COULD EASILY POP IN A MOSFET IF YOU SO DESIRED. ”