[ScottD]

Gents, Ive been looking for a 'fun', NY legal gun for some time now. The SKS is the closest Ive come, and even that is a gray area with our bullsit SAFE act. My criteria was 1) NY legal 2) easily obtained ammo, store bought and cheap and 3) under 600 bucks.

Enter the Century Catamount Fury. Its a Siaga clone, 12 ga, takes its own magazines (cheap and available) and has met mixed reviews. Heres my findings so far. The gun is robust, heavier than hell and feels like its about 9 feet long. The action feels like a typical AK, moderate effort to charge, gives a nice reassuring 'kachunk' when the bolt goes home. The trigger is a mushy pull, almost too light for what it is.....as if they are BEGGING the gun to be bump fired. I took it apart tonight, cleaned off the shipping oil, polished the rails with 400 grit for about 5 minutes and added some tacticool stuff. If this gun fires reliably, I may have just found the BEST bargain in NY. Ive read a few online reports of poor cycling, but they also complain of a extremely stiff action. I cycled the action about 100 times and with some CLP, it gives me the same feel as loading a PSL. I cant wait to vaporize some paper with this thing!
The gun came with 3 chokes, 2 five round magazines and a great cleaning kit. (seriously, when was the last time you were impressed with a cleaning kit. 3 rod sections, a beefy handle, patch eye, 12 ga brush and a choke tool)
I just had some arm surgery and expect Ill be able to shoot in maybe 4 weeks. Let me know if you want to meet me at the range and run this thing through its paces.

 

[rugman59]

I have a Saiga that I modified.It's easier to work on than I thought it would be. If that gun don't wanna cycle low brass, there's an easy fix on the Saiga forum. I just had to drill another small vent hole in my barrel under the gas block. It eats ANYTHING now!

I'm guessing you can't do any of the fun mods, like pistol grip, folding stock, under barrel grenade launcher, heat seeking mammary detector, etc.

Hope you get to have a lot of fun with it.

 

[ScottD]

I have a Saiga that I modified.It's easier to work on than I thought it would be. If that gun don't wanna cycle low brass, there's an easy fix on the Saiga forum. I just had to drill another small vent hole in my barrel under the gas block. It eats ANYTHING now!

I'm guessing you can't do any of the fun mods, like pistol grip, folding stock, under barrel grenade launcher, heat seeking mammary detector, etc.

Hope you get to have a lot of fun with it.

One of my goals was to shoot the lightest loads possible. Was is required to drill an extra vent hole?

Nope, no cool mods here in NY. Cripes, most major wholesalers have totally stopped shipping us anything. I was happy as hell just to get this. Tell me more about the gas block mod.....

 

[rugman59]

One of my goals was to shoot the lightest loads possible. Was is required to drill an extra vent hole?

I was a little spooked until I read the destructions about ten times.
I won't go into all the steps here, but yes. I drilled another hole. Mine came stock with two small holes. It now has three. The forum will tell you step by step.
One note from personal experience. Well, more than one ;

Use a good drill press vice or a mill.
Be darn sure you make an adequate center punch to avoid bit walking.
Start and FINISH with new drill bits for each hole. Far smaller burrs. In and out repeatedly. Over and over, etc. Use VERY LIGHT pressure breaking through. USE OIL.
Use a tiny, round diamond file to clean it out.
Insert the file at as sharp an angle as the hole will allow.
ONLY CUT ON PULLING THE FILE OUT!! Not on the IN stroke. That will bend the darn burrs against the bore. ( I learned that one making the vents on my Sterling. That's just a buttload of holes to de-burr!!)
Avoid running a patch in there until you're sure you got them all. Chasing those threads around in there SUCKS.
Finally, swab the bore and reassemble.
Swab once more and visually inspect bore.
Shoot the living crap out of it with the gas setting on low.

Just sit there with a satisfied grin for a while.


The Saiga forum alluded to the presumption that the amount and placement of vent holes at the factory was largely dependent on what day of the week it was made, and how much vodka was imbibed the night before manufacture.
Or during. LOL!
I lost my bookmarks when Craptop ll bit the dust. Waiting for the page to load now. Dum de dum, dum,,,,,,
Here ya go! http://forum.saiga-12.com/index.php?/forum/2-saiga-12/
There's TOO much good stuff in there.
Just ran across the pages on doing an SBS. Thanks, damnit! :tongue:

 

[panaceabeachbum]

the catamount is chinese?

 

[Shepard]

the catamount is chinese?

Yep, seems to be chinese.

 

[ScottD]

I was a little spooked until I read the destructions about ten times.
I won't go into all the steps here, but yes. I drilled another hole. Mine came stock with two small holes. It now has three. The forum will tell you step by step.
One note from personal experience. Well, more than one ;

Use a good drill press vice or a mill.
Be darn sure you make an adequate center punch to avoid bit walking.
Start and FINISH with new drill bits for each hole. Far smaller burrs. In and out repeatedly. Over and over, etc. Use VERY LIGHT pressure breaking through. USE OIL.
Use a tiny, round diamond file to clean it out.
Insert the file at as sharp an angle as the hole will allow.
ONLY CUT ON PULLING THE FILE OUT!! Not on the IN stroke. That will bend the darn burrs against the bore. ( I learned that one making the vents on my Sterling. That's just a buttload of holes to de-burr!!)
Avoid running a patch in there until you're sure you got them all. Chasing those threads around in there SUCKS.
Finally, swab the bore and reassemble.
Swab once more and visually inspect bore.
Shoot the living crap out of it with the gas setting on low.

:

Im going to try and shoot it as is and hope for the best. Im REALLY hesitant to take apart and drill a brand new gun. I read the instructions and got a little turned off by all of it, but I REALLY wangt to shoot low brass out of this thing. Doesnt drilling an extra hole cause undue stress on the gas system? I read a post somewhere that a guys Catamount had a gas setting that was too large and was beating the hell out of the bolt and actually did some damage.

 

[rugman59]

Im going to try and shoot it as is and hope for the best. Im REALLY hesitant to take apart and drill a brand new gun. I read the instructions and got a little turned off by all of it, but I REALLY wangt to shoot low brass out of this thing. Doesnt drilling an extra hole cause undue stress on the gas system? I read a post somewhere that a guys Catamount had a gas setting that was too large and was beating the hell out of the bolt and actually did some damage.

Keep in mind that your new gun is in all likelyhood fine just the way it is. It has been mentioned by an established member in that forum that the majority of Saiga's are probably just fine right from the factory, judging by the numbers of non-complaining owners.

The cycling issues were largely caused by insufficient gas. Differing hole sizes, amounts of holes, and even different hole patterns were observed in many of the Saiga's by different owners. That's where the vodka presumption began. If yours cycles low brass good, great!

It's even possible the Chinese Catamount folks knew about this issue Saiga's were having and fixed it way ahead of production.
Don't fret until you fire it. It's probably fine as is.The Chinese are not overly fond of vodka, last time I checked. :rofl:
If it does have an issue, you at least know how to fix it now. It's easier than it sounds. If you do have a problem, open it up and post a good pic of the bared vents with hole measurements. We can go from there.
And you're right. Too much gas ain't good either.

 

[GWR1]

rugman SEZ: "....USE OIL...."

Yeah, what he sez. And lots and lots of it! Virtually puddle it. It will cut way faster, way easier, and more cleanly and any big box or local hardware would have the quality bit one needs -- if used properly!


Carry On!
Gary
><>

 

[ScottD]

Is there a good source for high quality drill bits, when I only need 2 or 3 of them? The only access I have are places like Home Depot and Lowes, and I manage to burn their bits out with a quickness. I dont want to go online and spend 58 dollars plus shipping for 1 bit......(Unless the top of the line box store drill bits are good enough and Im just beating the sheet out of my tools)

 

[Shepard]

Ton of high price tool companies out there but best selection at lower prices will likely be Use-enco.com.

 

[xdevildog]

You can also try mscdirect.com and travers.com. I use both regularly and they will do small lots.

 

[rugman59]

A local hardware store (not a big box type) should have decent single cobalt bits. They tend to be better brands. If bits are loose in a bin, pass on them. Probably gonna have dinged up cutting edges.


Don't run to the store until you know two things;

1. The shotgun don't cycle light loads.

2. How many, and what size are the existing holes after you get it apart.

Darn you guys, I'm leaning towards an SBS build and a suppressor now.
See what you did!?!??

 

[Shepard]

I was fondling an Intrepid Tactical Solutions AR based shotgun a couple days ago. So close. If they could have gotten it to cycle standard 12 gauge rounds it'd be my perfect SBS.

 

[rugman59]

I was fondling an Intrepid Tactical Solutions AR based shotgun a couple days ago. So close. If they could have gotten it to cycle standard 12 gauge rounds it'd be my perfect SBS.

Have you seen an Akdal MKA 1919 12 gauge? Standard ammo all the way home. It's not an upper. Just a complete AR type firearm.
I've handled a couple in gun stores. They seem OK to me. Maybe a bit 'plastic like' but what isn't these days.
I still wonder where they got the '1919' number from??
Sorry for the hijack.

 

[47lincsled]

dove gun!

This looks like the very thing I need to thin out these stinking ring neck doves, with my bad shoulders I just can't pump fast enough to knock more then one out of the air! Please get us a range update as soon as you can.

 

[rugman59]

This looks like the very thing I need to thin out these stinking ring neck doves, with my bad shoulders I just can't pump fast enough to knock more then one out of the air! Please get us a range update as soon as you can.

Get a 20 round drum and you can take out the whole flock.
That'll be a pretty big BBQ, though.

 

[Shepard]

Yep, the Akdal would certainly get it done and I really should pick one up. I was just lamenting about how close ITS came to exactly what I'd want.

 

[Outdoordave]

Bet the guys at the trap range would drop a load in their shorts of ya pulled THAT out!!! WOOOHOOO!!!! Always a backup shot!!!