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Saiga shotgun series
The Saiga shotgun series is a series of AK-derived civilian semi-automatic shotguns developed and manufactured by Izhmash (now known as Kalashnikov Concern). The Saiga is primarily manufactured in three different calibers: 12 gauge (Saiga 12 series), 20 gauge (Saiga 20 series), and .410 bore (Saiga .410 series).
Each of these three types of Saiga shotguns generally have three main variants:
- The unsuffixed base variant, with long barrel, fixed buttstock, and no pistol grip. This variant can also be manufactured with a quick-detachable buttstock and quick-detachable pistol grip.
- The S variant with long barrel, folding stock, and pistol grip.
- The K variant with short barrel, folding stock, and pistol grip. The civilian versions of the K variants are equipped with a trigger locking mechanism that prevents the trigger from being pulled when the stock is folded; this is because the Russian law prohibits shotguns with barrel lengths below 500 mm (20") and also overall lengths below 800 mm (32"), and the Saiga K variants go below the length limit when their stocks are folded, necessitating the safety block to follow Russian regulations. Police, military, and export variants of the K variants are not equipped with this mechanism.
Sporterized BATFE approved semi-auto versions of the Saiga shotgun are available for sale to civilians in the United States.
Specifications
(1994 - Present)
- Type: Shotgun
- Caliber: 12 gauge (Saiga-12), 20 gauge (Saiga-20), .410 (Saiga .410)
- Operation: Gas operated, rotating bolt
- Barrel Length: 580 mm (22.8") (Saiga 12/12S); 430 mm (16.9") (Saiga 12K)
- Overall Length: 1145 mm (45.1") (Saiga 12); 1060/820 mm (41.7/32.3") (Saiga 12S, stock open/folded); 910/670 mm (35.8/26.4") (Saiga 12K, stock open/folded)
- Weight: 3.6 kg (7.9 lbs) (Saiga 12/12S); 3.5 kg (7.7 lbs) (Saiga 12K)
The Saiga shotgun series have been featured in the following video games and television series:
Saiga 12
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Notation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russia 88 | Neo-Nazi | 12K | 2009 | |
| Gamer | Terry Crews | Hackman | with removed buttstock, 10 inch barrel, and 20-round drum magazine | 2009 |
| The Expendables | Terry Crews | Hale Caesar | with removed buttstock, 10 inch barrel, and 20-round drum magazine | 2010 |
| Gun (2010) | 50 Cent | Rich Taylor | Saiga 12K Converted to fully auto | 2010 |
| Drive Angry | Billy Burke | Jonah King | Fully Automatic with removed buttstock, 10 inch barrel, and 20-round drum magazine | 2011 |
| Contraband | Gonzalo's thugs | with buttstock, 10-inch barrel and 20-round straight magazines | 2012 | |
| The Baytown Outlaws | Zoe Bell | Rose | 20-round drum magazine, short barrel, no flash hider | 2012 |
| The Baytown Outlaws | Daniel Cudmore | Lincoln | 20-round drum magazine, short barrel, no flash hider | 2012 |
| The Avengers | Loki's thugs | Saiga-12K | 2012 | |
| Osombie | Whiskey | 2012 | ||
| The Last Stand | Cartel gunmen | with removed buttstock, 10-inch barrel, Aimpoint sight and 20-round drum magazine | 2013 |
Television
| Show Title / Episode | Actor | Character | Notation | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burn Notice/Center of the Storm | With 10 inch barrel, AN/PEQ-2 IR designator, EOTech red dot sight, and 20-round drum magazine | 2009 | ||
| Deadliest Warrior/Green Berets vs Spetsnaz | 2009 | |||
| The Walking Dead - Season 7 | Unknown | Savior Member | fitted with a Magpul stock & handguard; The Well" (S7E02) | 2016 |
| Unknown | Savior Member | "Service" (S7E04) | ||
| Norman Reedus | Daryl Dixon | "Service" (S7E04) | ||
| Unknown | Savior Member | "Service" (S7E04) | ||
| Arrow - Season 5 | with 10-rounded magazine; seen in gunstore; "Vigilante" (S5E07) | 2016-2017 | ||
| The Walking Dead - Season 8 | Unknown | Savior Member | "Mercy" (S8E01) | 2017 |
| Territory | Konstantin Itunin | Kalina | 2020 | |
| Evgeni Mundum | Six-Fingered |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tactical Ops: Assault on Terror | "AS-12" | 2002 | ||
| Battlefield 2 | S12K | Sight rib, skeletonized stock | 2005 | |
| Project Reality | S12K | Sight rib, skeletonized stock | 2005 | |
| Rainbow Six: Vegas | Saiga 12K, cut weapon | 2006 | ||
| Alliance of Valiant Arms | Skeletonized stock, AK-style sights, wood handguard & pistol grip | 2007 | ||
| Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 | Saiga 12K, cut weapon | 2008 | ||
| 7.62 High Calibre | 2008 | |||
| Battlefield: Bad Company | "S20K" | Sight rib, skeletonized stock | 2008 | |
| Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots | Sight rib | 2008 | ||
| ArmA II | Sight rib | 2009 | ||
| SOCOM: US Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3 | S-12K | 2010 | ||
| Battlefield: Bad Company 2 | "Saiga 20K Semi" | Sight rib, skeletonized stock | 2010 | |
| Battlefield Play4Free | "S12K" | Sight rib, skeletonized stock, tan pistol grip, handguard, and magazine | 2011 | |
| Breach | w/ front sight, wooden handguard and AKS-74U-style skeleton stock | 2011 | ||
| War Inc. Battlezone | 2011 | |||
| Battlefield 3 | Saiga 12K | Sight rib, skeletonized stock | Camouflaged (Single player only), 5+1 & 10+1 Capacity | 2011 |
| Ghost Recon: Future Soldier | Saiga 12 | Saiga-12K w/ various attachments | 2012 | |
| Call of Duty: Black Ops II | S12 | Saiga 12K w/ RIS rails, custom stock, and extremely large standoff muzzle brake | 2012 | |
| State of Decay | "Russian 12K" | 2013 | ||
| Metro: Last Light | Saiga | w/ various upgrades | 2013 | |
| Splinter Cell: Blacklist | "SASG-12" | Saiga-12K w/ various attachments | 2013 | |
| Payday 2 | "IZHMA 12G" | Saiga-12K w/ various upgrades | 2013 | |
| Watch_Dogs | "RSG-12" | Saiga-12K w/ various attachments | 2014 | |
| Contract Wars | Saiga-12S | 2014 | ||
| Grand Theft Auto V | "Heavy Shotgun" | Saiga-12K w/ flashlight, angled grip, suppressor and extended magazine | Uses slugs; added in "Last Team Standing Update" DLC | 2014 |
| World of Guns: Gun Disassembly | Saiga 12K 030 | Aimpoint sight, recoil pad 6G15U for GP-25, Insight M3 flashlight, laser sight, FAB Defense grip | Saiga 12K 030 | 2014 |
| Survarium | Saiga-12S | 2015 | ||
| Call of Duty Online | "GPAS-12" | 2015 | ||
| Rainbow Six: Siege | SASG-12 | 2015 | ||
| Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades | 2016 | |||
| Escape from Tarkov | Saiga 12ga ver. 10 12/76 shotgun | Muzzle brakes, Hexagon and Salvo 12 suppressors, any AK grip, sight rail mount for rear sight, MTU002 and Bravo-12 handguards, 5, 10-round box and 20-round drum mags, dovetail mount, Zenit RP-1 | Has a special variant: Saiga 12 NERFGUN | 2016 |
| The Division | 2016 | |||
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered | "Kamchatka-12" | Optional red dot sight or foregrip | Added in update; converted to full-auto, heavily customized | 2017 |
| Playerunknown's Battlegrounds | S12K | Can be fitted with several sights, muzzle devices and magazines | 2017 | |
| The Division 2 | SASG-12 | 2019 | ||
| Ghost Recon Breakpoint | 2019 |
Saiga 20
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fara | Seen in the gun shop, 20K | 1998 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat Arms | Version available w/ camo paint | 2004 |
Saiga .410
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fara | Seen in the gun shop, 410K and 410S | 1998 | ||
| 999 | Tolepbergen Baisakalov | Oscar | 410K-01 | 2010 |
| Kamila Ermekova | Linda | |||
| Mujaheddin | ||||
| Oscar's friend | ||||
| Dark World (Tyomnyy mir) | Maksim Pleshko | Demon | 410K-04 | 2010 |
| Demons | ||||
| Suicides (Samoubiytsy) | SOBR member | 410K-04, scopped | 2012 |
Television
| Title | Actor | Character | Notation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Sword | Roman Kurtsyn | Konstantin Orlov | Saiga-410K-01 | 2009 |
Showtime Saiga-12
The unique custom Saiga-12 shotgun originates from the 2002 film Showtime, built by gunsmiths Larry Zanoff and Jim Boland. It was later prominently featured in the Firefly TV series, as major character Jayne Cobb's favorite gun "Vera".
Movies
| Title | Actor | Character | Notation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Showtime | Pedro Damian | Cesar Vargas | 2002 | |
| Showtime | Mos Def | Lazy Boy | 2002 |
Television
| Show Title / Episode | Actor | Character | Notation | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firefly | Adam Baldwin | Jayne Cobb | 2002 |
Kushnapup
The Kushnapup is an aftermarket synthetic stock made by Kushnapup LLC (based in Utah) for Saiga shotguns and rifles (as well as similar weapons like the Catamount Fury), which converts the gun into a bullpup configuration. The Kushnapup can be used on all common Saiga calibers.
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ghost Recon: Phantoms | KSP-12 | w/ various attachments | 2014 |
See Also
- Izhevsk Machinebuilding Plant - A list of all firearms manufactured by Izhmash.