Any good magazine fed Shotguns?

[ATN082268]

Are there any good magazine fed (clip) Shotguns? I was thinking about picking one up but was concerned about their reliability. Thank you.

 

[spazzymcgee]

The Saiga shotguns come to mind.

 

[Liquidring]

I second the Saiga, I've 2, 12 gauges & a 410. The 12's both get the MD20 drums, along with the stick mags, the 410 gets a 30 round ProMag drum. They run like tops if I keep the gas plug clean.
Nothings more fun to sit out back with the crow call, the 410 with the drum and "machine gun" those noise makers when they come over the hill.

 

[MCgunner]

Hell, my Mossberg has a magazine it feeds from. I don't know any that feed from clips.

Now REMOVABLE magazine fed, Saiga is about it I'm thinkin'.

 

[TruthTellers]

Just the Saiga, they're the most proven and reliable ones around that you can buy. Other than that, the AA-12 is probably the best, but they're full auto only and illegal.

I use to see the appeal of mag fed shotguns, but with their limitations, I now think pump guns are better, cheaper, stronger, simpler, and tactical. About the only time I could see mag fed shotguns as great choices, is if they were used on shotguns with 12 inch or shorter barrels.

 

[USAF_Vet]

Black aces tactical. Pump action, magazine fed shotguns. Still fairly new, they started out offering a receiver replacement conversion you could do at home for Mossberg 500/ Mav 88, and Remington 870, but transitioned away from that to produce complete shotguns and "other firearms" (26"+ OAL smoothbore 12 gauge guns).

They can be as simple or tacticool as you want, as they are custom made to order. I've considered getting one, prices seem to be comparable to converted Saiga shotguns.

 

[rbernie]

Are there any good magazine fed (clip) Shotguns?

I'm assuming that you mean box magazine fed, as opposed to the tubular magazines standard on most repeating shotguns?

The Russian shotguns are about the only ones that I know of that use box magazines - most folk seem to like them, and some folk struggle with them. I had a couple, and sold them all to folk that valued them more than me.

Due to the size of the ammo, ten round box magazines make the gun awkward to carry in the hand, and by the time you get past 7-8 rounds of ammo in the gun it starts to handle like a soggy fence post anyway. I found that, for me, the Saiga was more useful for 'poke shooting' at relatively stationary targets on a square range than more dynamic work.

Some folk have cycling issues with the Saiga, since its gas system isn't all that sophisticated, but mine worked fine for most standard field loads and field (not low recoil) buck.

 

[jmorris]

Saiga shotguns run their best from the factory from what I have seen. I have seen "upgraded" saiga's take up lots of time in 3 gun matches. When they run they are the best thing since sliced bread.

The MKA 1919 is another detachable magazine fed shotgun but to me the felt recoil is much worse than with the Saiga.

 

[PJSprog]

I just picked up a Marlin model 55 a few weeks ago. It's a bolt action 12ga with a 2-round box magazine. I haven't shot it extensively, but the couple of magazines I went through functioned just fine. My father used one to hunt with back in the '50s & '60s, and he never mentioned any reliability issues.

Probably not what you're looking for, but ...

 

[MCgunner]

I use to see the appeal of mag fed shotguns, but with their limitations, I now think pump guns are better, cheaper, stronger, simpler, and tactical. About the only time I could see mag fed shotguns as great choices, is if they were used on shotguns with 12 inch or shorter barrels.

I could see one on helicopter hog hunts and, perhaps, against bear in Alaska. But, I'd rather have a pump in Alaska, would trust it more and it would likely be lighter to tote.

 

[jaguarxk120]

The "AA-12"

 

[TruthTellers]

Another con to mag fed shotguns is the magazines are always questionably reliable and usually quite expensive.

I believe the drums for the AA-12 are something like $250. The new Adaptive Tactical setup that Nutnfancy recently reviews has a 10 round drum that costs $130 I believe.

 

[justice06rr]

I use to see the appeal of mag fed shotguns, but with their limitations, I now think pump guns are better, cheaper, stronger, simpler, and tactical. About the only time I could see mag fed shotguns as great choices, is if they were used on shotguns with 12 inch or shorter barrels.

What limitations? It all depends on your point of use and training.

While I agree that most pump shotguns are cheap, simple to use, and mostly reliable, it does not mean they do not have their limits or downsides just the same. Short-stroking, limited capacity, and slower shots and reloads just name a few.

I've owned and shot a variety of shotguns including a Saiga12, Mossberg500, Rem870, Keltec KSG, along with some single-shot and double-barrel shotguns. There's nothing wrong with a semiauto Shotgun like the Saiga12 or VEPR12. They're just as strong and reliable as your typical pump action shotgun.

Box magazines are $40-50 depending where you buy; that is about the same price as a pistol magazine. Drum mags are more expensive for obvious reasons, but that goes for other drum mags for pistols and rifles.

My Saiga12 with a few modifications, 18" barrel, 10 and 12rd mags, and a folding stock is very reliable and easy to use. If you know how to operate a semiauto rifle (AK47 or AR15), they function just the same. With the folding stock and a red dot, it is compact and quite easy to manipulate/shoot.

For anyone looking for a semiauto Shotgun, the Saiga12 is a good option. The only real limitation I can see is they are not as common or available like your average Mossberg or Remington.