Probably every experienced hunter or just a shooting lover has heard about the Saiga-9 hunting carbine 9x19 mm. He uses a very unusual cartridge for guns, but it is thanks to this that he receives a number of important advantages that are highly appreciated by connoisseurs. So it will be very useful to talk about its features, advantages and disadvantages in more detail.
Design
At first glance, the "Saiga-9" carbine 9x19 millimeters (in no case be confused with the "Saiga", which uses a powerful 9x53 mm cartridge when firing) generally looks more like a "Vepr". The same short barrel and Picatinny rail for mounting optics really make them look pretty similar.
In fact, in many respects the design and device "Saiga-9" received from the submachine gun "Bizon", used by special units in combat missions. In turn, the design of the "Bizon" was developed on the basis of the Kalashnikov assault rifle.
When shooting, the most common in the world is used9mm pistol cartridge. A huge number of pistols (Glock, Beretta, Zastava, W alter, Zig-Sauer) and submachine guns (OTs-22, Uzi, Agram, Daewoo) have been developed for it. But still, the creation of a carbine based on a pistol cartridge can be called a very bold and even risky step.
The weapon is equipped with a folding buttstock, which makes it more compact and easier to carry. However, you cannot shoot with a folded butt - the carbine is equipped with a special lock.
Destination
Although officially the weapon is called a hunting carbine, it is used extremely rarely in hunting. The reason for this was the 9x19 mm cartridge used. Yes, you can shoot them while hunting. But in general, it is completely unsuitable for this. When shooting at ducks or hares, the probability of hitting a target is quite small, after all, a bullet is not a shot that covers a rather large area due to dispersion.
However, the weapon is not suitable for larger prey either. The small weight of the bullet does not have a sufficient stopping effect, and it does not cause enough damage when it hits. Therefore, taking a carbine when going for a bear, elk or wild boar is also not a good idea.
Therefore, usually "Saiga-9" 9x19 millimeters is bought for shooting at shooting ranges and just self-defense. In this regard, he is really good. A massive pistol bullet inflicts serious wounds, causing pain to the attacker. But, unlike weapons 12and even a 20 caliber rarely kills him.
Key features
The weapon has a number of important advantages, thanks to which it receives mostly positive reviews.
One of the advantages is weak recoil. However, it is difficult to expect otherwise from a weapon using a pistol cartridge. This makes the carbine an excellent choice for beginners who are learning to shoot. Still, the powerful recoil from a 12-16 caliber weapon may well discourage the love of shooting, leaving a powerful bruise on the shoulder for several weeks and forever - the fear of a shot. So, it can be recommended for shooting women and teenagers.
Weak recoil provides good accuracy of fire. Still, due to the weak pistol cartridge and the decent weight of the weapon, each shot will not throw the barrel up, which has a positive effect on shooting accuracy.
The weapon design is also well done. Still, the Bizon submachine gun served as the base, the development of which the designers approached very seriously. It's nice that a person who is used to working with a Kalashnikov assault rifle (for example, in the army) can easily get used to the Saiga-9 carbine - the main components are almost exactly copied from army weapons.
Finally, in the basic version, the carbine is already equipped with a Picatinny rail, which has to be installed additionally on most Saiga rifles. This means that there is a certain scope for tuning - we will talk about it in more detail a little later.
Availabledisadvantages
Alas, any non-standard solution that brings important advantages inevitably brings disadvantages, which are very important to know about. However, they have already been mentioned.
Of course, first of all, this is a weak used cartridge. On the one hand, it provides good accuracy due to low recoil. But this also has a downside. A small amount of gunpowder leads to the fact that the force of the shot is rather small. Therefore, the use of a carbine for hunting becomes almost impossible. And the maximum combat distance here is not too great - much less than, for example, the "Saiga-12".
In general, the shortcomings can be considered exhausted. At least the technical ones. But also do not forget that the weapon is rifled. Therefore, it is as easy to acquire it as a smooth-bore one, it will not work in any way.
User reviews
When talking about the Saiga-9 9x19 hunting carbine, it would be useful to give feedback from experienced shooters so that the reader can get a more objective idea of this weapon.
In general, most owners agree that the rifle is highly reliable. Which is not surprising - after all, the legendary Kalashnikov assault rifle became his "grandfather". The weapon is unpretentious, withstands even a very careless attitude on the part of the owner, rare cleanings. The design is as simple and practical as possible - it is as easy as possible to study it even for a person who has never held a weapon in his hands before.
Negative reviews are quite rare. Not everyone likes simple stamped parts without traces of drawings and other aesthetics. But what can I say - this is a weapon, and quite practical. Therefore, beauty fades into the background here.
Some shooters are unhappy with the power of the weapon, but this was already mentioned above - a standard pistol cartridge allows you to get certain advantages, but you have to pay for this with some disadvantages.
Tuning options
Now it's worth briefly talking about the tuning of "Saiga-9" 9x19. Needless to say, they are quite extensive.
Of course, the very first thing that comes to mind is the possibility of installing various optics - mostly collimator sights. Thanks to them, you can significantly increase the accuracy of shooting. Moreover, the time spent on aiming is significantly reduced - there is a great opportunity to shoot almost offhand at a fairly large distance - about 40-60 meters.
If desired, you can also install a new muzzle brake compensator instead of the standard one. Thanks to this, shooting is additionally stabilized - powder gases, leaving the barrel, spread more evenly, which contributes to even less tossing of the weapon when fired.
Some owners install an underbarrel flashlight - also a good solution if it becomes necessary to shoot in the dark. This is especially true for security guards and owners of private houses, who buy weapons primarily forprotect yourself and your property.
How to buy it?
It is more difficult to buy a Saiga-9 carbine in our country than any smooth-bore weapon. After all, this is a rifled weapon. Therefore, according to the law, only people who have a certain experience in owning a smoothbore - at least 5 years can buy it. Usually there are no problems when obtaining a license - with the exception of cases when a person abuses alcohol or commits violations when storing or shooting an existing weapon.
So, if you are the owner of a smooth-bore weapon for 5 years (continuous experience is needed) or more, and also belong to the category of disciplined, responsible citizens, then there will probably be no problems obtaining a license and buying a Saiga-9 will arise.
Conclusion
This concludes our article. Now you know about the advantages and disadvantages of the Saiga-9 carbine. So, you can decide if this weapon suits you or is it better to give preference to another option.
