I've been intrigued by this AK pattern magazine fed shotgun. With the latest Russian sanctions which may never end, it's kinda get one now or forget about it.

Ironically the advantage of being magazine fed with 5, 8, 10 round factory mags ( and aftermarket mags of unknown reliability) seem to also be its downside which is the limited number of available factory mags already in the country. This small number make them expensive, like $130 a pop expensive. Which means you could spend as much on magazines as you spend on the cost of the gun.

If anyone has handled or fired one of these, I'd love to have you share your experiences. I have a Saiga 410 so I'm not unfamiliar with the platform. The Vepr is basically an upgraded Saiga.

The model I'm looking at has a folding stock and enough US made parts to be compliant. I've heard that Russian law mandates a so called safety device which prohibits firing with the stock folded closed. I don't know if that is correct.

And if you have to ask why or for what purpose this firearm would fill, it's one of those "just because" you can and just because it's really cool. And I seem to collect shotguns. And I think a Vepr 12 with a SilencerCo Salvo 12 would be close to the ultimate in cool.

The go to for aftermarket mags: https://www.sgmtactical.com/pr...azines/vepr-shotgun/

They don't list the 10 rounders for some reason. The drum is bulky as Hell, but cycles beautifully !

Ive really like to have one. But may wait for the new Tavor shotgun to come out.

They are fantastic shotguns. I couldn't imagine any finer defensive weapon. Because of the short sight picture (say not a long comb like on an over under) they are not prime time for clays, but they will shoot clays. In fact, once you hit the clay you still have a shitload of rounds to break the clay pieces flying both directions again and again. SO MUCH FUN!

A lot of the complaints on them are people who are shooting underpowered ammo. The factory says don't do it but folks want them to cycle with the cheap ammo so that's most folks goal. I'll try and post a vid.

Can't get the embedment button to work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A_OhUUwjS4




Same guy with his Saiga. He favors the Vepr now I believe.


They have a regular forum for more info: http://www.vepr.org/viewforum....46596f28e60d4ce03580

Perhaps this is a dumb question, but how hard is it to find VEPR mags or VEPR-compatible mags? VEPR mags are now prohibited from importation as well.

quote:

Originally posted by Il Cattivo:
Perhaps this is a dumb question, but how hard is it to find VEPR mags or VEPR-compatible mags? VEPR mags are now prohibited from importation as well.

See my above post...

I needs one.

My favorite shotgun I have ever owned. I’d take it over my Benelli M4 if I had to choose.

I use SGM magazines with no issues. It will shoot lower powered stuff if you choose the right dram. Mine is a factory folder with upgraded handguard, puck, and trigger parts for 922r.
Mag dump, reload, mag dump can be done faster than I can reload a tube. It’s a fantastic firearm, a Vepr, and one of Molot’s finest. It’s a tank. Mine has a large brake. You store it with a full mag, with it locked open, and no shell in the chamber.

Carolina Shooters Supply has everything you could possibly want for it. My only regret is I didn’t buy two. I paid $999 for my factory folder and could have bought a 2nd one for $799.
Best defensive shotgun on the market.

I had a Siaga based 12 guage shotgun that was converted several years ago by Red Jacket firearms (before they had TV show). It would only cycle with full power ammo ( it was even finicky with that), had all the poor ergonomics of an AK pattern long gun (poor safety, sharp charging handle, sharp edges, poor sight picture with HK style iron sight). I took a shotgun class with it and found it to be unwieldly compared to a slim style shotgun like a FN SLP. i also found mag changes were cumbersome during the class because they were so large ( 10 rounders). I sold it and kept the FN SLP.

I give a big thumbs up to Anthony at evlutionz. He customized my Saiga 12 (pics are on his site) and his work is outstanding. He makes these shotguns super reliable with any ammo. Check out his youtube videos where he does 10 mag dumps.

quote:

Originally posted by Il Cattivo:
Perhaps this is a dumb question, but how hard is it to find VEPR mags or VEPR-compatible mags? VEPR mags are now prohibited from importation as well.

Not a dumb question at all. Both SGM and CSSpecs make good aftermarket mags. The SGM are plastic which had some early issues where shrinkage caused rounds to stock, that's been fixed. CSSPECS makes solid metal magazines for them. 8 and 10 rounders. Unfortunately, because of individual firearm variations, they sometimes need to be filed a bit to fit. $65 for a mag built like a tank is a reasonable price in my view. I have a bunch of the 8 rounders. Too many in fact, but they were the $38 blems and I went crazy:-). Bought some of the 25 round drums too. http://stores.csspecs.com/vepr...ound-steel-magazine/

One thing that has come out is that the variation of size on 12 ga shotgun shells can be radically different between brands. Some will work better than others in these guns.

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