“Saiga 410” - a simple smoothbore carbine for hunting

The Saiga-410 hunting carbine is one of the most popular domestically produced smooth-bore carbines. Its name directly indicates the caliber of cartridges used to fire the Saiga-410 rifle. .410 Magnum cartridges are suitable for hunting small and medium game, as well as birds. The Saiga-410 smoothbore carbine is based on the Kalashnikov assault rifle, so its design is extremely simple and reliable. As for the use of this weapon, the Saiga-410 can be used in wide temperature ranges, from -30 to +50 degrees Celsius.

Design and principle of operation of the Saiga-410 carbine

The design of the Saiga-410 carbine compares favorably with foreign analogues. The simple design, taken from the Kalashnikov combat assault rifle, does not cause trouble when disassembling, cleaning and operating the weapon. In the event of a breakdown, the 410 caliber Saiga can be easily repaired with your own hands.

The principle of operation of the carbine is based on the principle of automation. The cartridge is sent into the barrel due to the movement of the bolt frame and bolt, which occurs under the influence of the return spring. After chambering the cartridge into the barrel, the bolt turns and the barrel bore is locked.

After the trigger hits the firing pin, a shot occurs, and the shot itself occurs after the trigger is pressed. The force of the blow is given by the mainspring. After the shot, the cartridge case is automatically removed from the chamber using a reflector. Direct ejection of the cartridge case occurs under the influence of powder gases, which activate the bolt and bolt frame.

Before firing the next shot, the hammer is automatically cocked and captured by the sear. After the shutter reaches the rearmost position, it begins to move back. This is done under the influence of a return spring. When the bolt moves forward, the next cartridge is sent into the chamber. After returning the trigger to its original position, the hammer is released from the sear and engages with the hook, becoming cocked.

The Saiga-410 carbine is fed with cartridges from a box magazine. Magazines on the Saiga-410 come in 2, 4, 8 and 10 rounds. The most popular are the Saiga-410 magazines with 8 and 10 rounds.

The firing range of the Saiga-410 differs depending on the type of ammunition used. When shooting with shot, the striking distance does not exceed 25 meters, when shooting with a bullet – 50 meters. In general, a smooth barrel is not intended for long-range shooting. The characteristics of rifled weapons are much more effective when shooting at long distances.

A little about the features of smoothbore shotguns

Smoothbore guns for hunting come with a folding barrel, as well as solid single-barrel ones. Shotguns are very popular among hunting enthusiasts because they are low maintenance and quite easy to use. Moreover, the hunter can very quickly replace cartridges and continue shooting without wasting precious time. Particularly popular are double-barreled models, which allow you to quickly fire an aimed shot again in case of a miss.

The second type of smooth-bore weapon is a non-reclining single-barreled model, the design of which includes a magazine. Such guns necessarily have a mechanism that allows you to remove the cartridges and replace them with new cartridges. By using the energy of exhaust gases and manual force, this mechanism can be powered.

Such weapons are automatic, and in terms of rate of fire and weight they are ahead of double-barreled models. Shotguns of this type are designed to use the cartridges recommended by the manufacturer. The Saiga hunting rifle also belongs to single-barrel models.

Saiga-410 modifications and their characteristics

A special feature of the Saiga series carbines is the huge variety of different models. Saiga-410 also has many different modifications:

• Saiga-410 is the very first model in the line. It has a unified base for mounting optical sights. Has barrel replacement attachments included. It comes in both wood and flat, has a folding stock and a fire control handle, like the AK-74M;
• “Saiga -410K” differs from the “410C” modification by having a barrel shortened to 330 mm. In addition, this modification is equipped with a blocking device that blocks shooting when the stock is folded;
• "Saiga -410K" Spanish. 01 has a longer barrel than the Saiga -410K. Its appearance is almost completely identical to the AK-74M, although the characteristics differ;
• "Saiga-410K" isp. 02 is similar in appearance to the AKS-74. A simulator of a muzzle brake-compensator is installed at the end of the barrel;
• "Saiga -410K" Spanish. 03 and 04 copy the AK of the hundredth series.

Precautionary rules when handling Saiga-410

The Saiga-410 carbine is a safe weapon, provided that safety precautions are followed and the carbine is used correctly. In order to avoid troubles when operating the Saiga-410 carbine, you must follow a number of the following rules:

• Any weapon should always be treated as if it were loaded;
• You should never point a weapon (even an unloaded one) at people or pets;
• When you pick up a carbine for the first time (for example, for equipment or after long-term storage), you must make sure that there is no cartridge in the chamber. To do this, you need to pull back the bolt frame and carefully inspect the chamber and magazine;
• Before loading the carbine, you must inspect it for the presence of foreign objects in the barrel;
• If instead of a shot there is a misfire, then you need to wait three minutes, only after that you can open the shutter. Otherwise, personal injury may occur as the cartridge may detonate slowly. It is better to always use high-quality and dry ammunition, then the risk of misfire and prolonged firing will be minimized;
• The safety of the carbine must be constantly on, this is the only way to completely avoid the possibility of an accidental shot;
• The rifle must be stored in a safe, and the ammunition must be stored in a separate drawer in the safe. The safe itself must be inaccessible to children and unauthorized persons;
• You cannot use old cartridges that have expired for shooting, especially those that have external damage or traces of rust on the metal;
• If the cartridge is in the chamber, you should not install or dismantle choke tubes;
• You cannot use bullets for shooting that do not correspond in diameter to the diameter of the choke channel.

After shooting, especially if the weapon is new, it must be carefully inspected for the presence of various cracks, and the barrel also for the presence of swelling. If such defects are discovered, use of the rifle should be stopped immediately to avoid accidents.

Choosing “Saiga”

The magazine capacity can be 5 or 8 rounds.
There are also two-cartridge magazines. Moreover, if you use unloading, you can take a sufficient number of magazines and loaded cartridges with you when hunting. Saiga has low recoil when firing due to its weight, as well as a good rate of fire. These qualities make the Saiga gun popular. The price of a weapon model with a short barrel will vary within 38 thousand rubles. The thickness of the barrel allows for prolonged shooting, and the presence of a pistol grip significantly improves the controllability of the gun. An interesting fact is that Saiga guns are being modernized and improved in a number of other countries. For example, the American company Tromix produces some improvements to the Saiga, which are clearly expressed in a very short barrel and a modernized flash suppressor. In addition, the carbine is equipped with an original rifle stock of the M4 model.

Preparing the Saiga-410 carbine for work

Before using the Saiga-410 carbine, you need to carry out a number of activities aimed at preparing the weapon for shooting:

• First you need to thoroughly wipe all metal parts of the carbine from excess grease and powder deposits;
• If an optical sight is installed on the carbine, it must be inspected for contamination;
• If plaque or dirt is found on the lenses, they must be carefully removed using a flannel cloth;
• After cleaning, the scope must be attached to the rifle.

The sight must be installed very tightly so that there is no rolling. Be sure to check the tightness of the sight bracket screws after installation. After all these manipulations, you can safely use the carabiner.

History of creation

The Saiga family of carbines originated back in the distant 70s of the last century. Then the IZHMASH plant was tasked with creating an AK-based gun for weaker cartridges. This is how a “cheap” carbine chambered for 5.6x39 mm cartridges was created.

The plant has been producing smooth-bore weapons since 1993. A group of seven weapons engineers (V. Tsypko, G.N. Nikonov, V. Abrahamyan, V. Afonin, A. Turkin, L. Ponomarev and V. Simonenko) was engaged in adapting military weapons to the needs of the population. At the initial stage, it was planned to use a carbine chambered for .410x76 mm R cartridges, the production of which was established at the Tula, Barnaul and Krasnodar factories. As a result, a self-loading rifle of the Saiga-410 type was created. In terms of ammunition energy, flatness and accuracy of fire, the carbine is almost comparable to the Stechkin APS pistol.

Saiga 410

How to shoot a Saiga-410 carbine

First you need to understand how the weapon's safety works. The fuse has two modes - “Protection” (fuse panel up) and “Fire” (fuse panel down).

Next, you need to figure out how loading and shooting occurs. To charge, you need to press a special latch and separate the carbine magazine. After this, it is loaded with cartridges and attached to the carbine. After attaching the magazine, you need to remove the weapon from the safety catch, pull the bolt back all the way and suddenly release it. After this procedure, the Saiga carbine will be ready to fire. All that remains is to find the target, aim and pull the trigger.

In order for the carbine to fire the next shot, you need to release the trigger and press it again. To unload the carbine you need:

• Put it on safety;
• Separate the magazine from the weapon;
• Remove the carabiner from the safety lock;
• Pull back the bolt and remove the cartridge from the chamber;
• After this, the shutter must be returned to the forward position;
• Pull the trigger;
• Place the fuse in the “Safety” position;
• Empty the carbine magazine of all cartridges and attach it to the weapon.

Only this algorithm of actions guarantees safety when handling the carbine.

Maintenance and care of the Saiga-410 carbine

Maintenance of the Saiga-410 carbine consists of a complete or partial disassembly procedure to inspect the carbine and clean and lubricate it after shooting. Most often, after shooting, a partial disassembly procedure is carried out. It includes the following actions:

• First you need to make sure that the carabiner is not loaded;
• After this, the magazine is separated, the safety is turned off and the chamber is inspected for the presence of a cartridge;
• The optical sight is removed (if equipped);
• Next, the receiver cover and the return mechanism of the carbine are separated;
• The bolt frame is separated along with the bolt;
• The gas tube and barrel lining are separated.

At this point, the partial disassembly procedure is considered complete.

Why Saiga 20S is so highly rated

Based on the technical characteristics, this weapon has earned a priority position in comparison with similar weapons. Among these differences are the following:

• the shutter mechanism works almost flawlessly;
• Shooting with shot and bullets is equally effective;
• The size of hunting magazines is two, five and eight cartridges to choose from;
• it is possible to quickly replace the handle and butt;
• has a good sight;
• compared to the previous series, it is light in weight;
• the carbine has great power - it is capable of shooting through a three-millimeter sheet of metal with buckshot;
• has a high working resource and service life;
• simple design and easy maintenance.

In addition, hunting game of all sizes with cartridges with seventy and seventy-six millimeter casings is possible - all this is possible with the Saiga 20C weapon, the manufacturer of which also made sure that the carbine can be used even in extreme weather conditions.

The main differences between the AK-100 prototype and the carbine are:

• fundamentally different design of gas pistons;
• in a gun the bolt frame serves as a transmission mechanism, and in an assault rifle it serves as a piston;
• the carbine bolt is divided in two: one part is movable, the other is not, which is caused by the power of the cartridges;
• a hunting weapon has a larger sear than an automatic weapon - this will not allow it to be converted into an automatic weapon.

According to reviews from hunters, the Saiga 20S, in addition to these main ones, has several more insignificant differences from the AK-100 in the operation of some mechanism components.

Cleaning and lubricating the Saiga-410 carbine

The Saiga-410 hunting smoothbore rifle is cleaned using cleaning accessories that are included with the rifle. Cleaning must be done immediately after shooting; in extreme cases, the period should not exceed 24 hours. Otherwise, you will have to carry out cleaning with partial or complete disassembly of the carbine. In winter, the rifle should be cleaned at room temperature. Before winter cleaning, the rifle should be allowed to reach room temperature.

For cleaning, tow or rags are most often used, after making sure that they are clean and do not contain various solid particles that can scratch the bore. The cleaning procedure follows the following algorithm:

• First you need to lubricate the barrel bore, chamber and choke tubes with a brush;
• After this, you need to wipe off all the oil with a wipe on which a rag is wrapped;
• This procedure should be repeated about 10 times until there are no traces of soot left in the barrel bore;
• After this, all parts that have been cleaned should be lubricated with clean oil.

In order for the weapon to function normally, after firing 50 shots, it is necessary to clean not only the channels from carbon deposits, but also the gas tube, the gas chamber, and remove carbon deposits from the bolt frame and the bolt itself.

Preservation and storage of the Saiga-410 smoothbore carbine

In order for a hunting weapon to remain operational for many years, it must always be thoroughly cleaned and lubricated with gun oil. Moreover, you should not follow the saying that you can’t spoil porridge with butter. Gun lubricant should only coat the rifle in a thin layer.

The carbine should be stored in a special room or a designated corner, away from heating devices and in a dry place. The surrounding air should not contain various aggressive impurities. To ensure that the mainspring does not lose its properties, the trigger of the carbine must be released during storage.

When using a carbine, you need to keep at least an approximate record of shots, since the firing pin spring is designed for 1,000 shots. If you ignore its replacement, a spontaneous discharge may occur.

Practical hunting with Saiga-410, reviews from hunters

Hunting with the Saiga-410 carbine is quite popular among domestic hunters, although many prefer a more serious caliber. "Saiga-410" is chosen by those hunters who do not have outstanding physical characteristics, or those who hunt only birds and small animals. It is during such a hunt that all the positive qualities of this carbine appear:

• Ease;
• Minimum recoil after firing;
• Reliability of automation, which is copied from the famous Kalashnikov assault rifle;
• A large amount of ammunition in the magazine, which allows you to fire up to 10 shots in a row. This gives a great chance to “get” wounded animals.

Like most models of domestic weapons, the Saiga-410 carbine, while generally reliable, is often characterized by poor build quality. With minimal plumbing skills, these problems can be corrected in a few evenings. In addition, for the entire line of Saiga carbines, many “tuning” elements are produced, both factory-made and home-made.

The Saiga-410 hunting rifle is an excellent solution for a hunter who does not plan to hunt game larger than roe deer. Hunting larger game with this rifle can be dangerous.

Shooting quality

When operated in accordance with the technical conditions, the manufacturer guarantees uninterrupted operation of the weapon’s mechanisms for one and a half years or two thousand shots. Requirements include maintaining a temperature range from minus thirty to plus fifty degrees Celsius.

In fact, “Saiga 20C”, reviews from hunters confidently claim, can withstand up to five thousand and sometimes up to nine thousand shots without loss of quality and efficiency.

The gun's automatic operation works perfectly in any weather conditions and with the use of cartridges from any manufacturer, and is highly reliable in any climate. Even after firing a large number of shots, the weapon practically does not misfire.

According to the passport, the weapon is intended for hunting birds, medium and small animals. There may not be enough power to kill larger prey.

The shooting accuracy is forty percent, which is good for this caliber, the accuracy is excellent and does not depend on the type of charge - bullet or shot. Shooting with a bullet is effective at a distance of up to fifty meters (some hunters claim up to a hundred), and with a shot up to thirty-five.

In good weather, the carbine allows you to fire up to five aimed shots within four seconds. Not every competitor of this weapon shows such indicators.