Delta Arms Company specializes in converting
the AK-style IZHMASH-produced Saiga shotguns to run smoother,
handle better, and perform as an AK shotgun should. As imported
from Russia, the Saiga is a very good shotgun, but Delta takes
that basic firearm and makes it better-suited as a fighting
weapon. While the Saiga shotgun could certainly be used as a
sporting gun, and it is disguised that way for import reasons, I
have never seen one on a trap or skeet range, and would be
willing to bet that few if any are carried by wool-clad
gentlemen while hunting quail in the uplands over a pair of
well-bred bird dogs. The AK shotgun was built for fighting, and
Delta Arms Company puts the cojones back into the castrated
version of the Saiga that is imported into the US.
Delta can do just about anything to the Saiga
that the customer desires, but on their basic Entry shotgun,
they do everything that is needed to make the Saiga into a
rugged, reliable, and easy to use fighting weapon. Within its
range, nothing beats a well-tuned shotgun for social work. I don’t
know if it is still in their training manual, but the FBI once
trained their agents to, if facing multiple opponents armed with
handguns, sub-machine guns, and shotguns, always take out the
shotgun first, as the shotgunner is the one most likely to ruin
your day, and your life. A short, handy shotgun throwing a load
of buckshot or even heavy birdshot is devastating at close
range. Across the length of a typical room, a shotload will make
a fist-sized hole through flesh and bone, destroying everything
in its path. It is a widespread myth that you can just point a
shotgun in the general direction of the target and take out
everything in the vicinity. That is not true. The shotgun still
must be aimed correctly. However, what it does contact, it
destroys, within its range. A two-ounce load of shot is a heavy
payload, and much more than most any packable handgun can carry.
That is a full 875 grains of lead, compared to a typical 115 to
230 grain load of a conventional fighting handgun. The Delta
shotgun, with its ten-round magazine and another in the chamber,
packs 9675 grains of lead firing two-ounce loads. That is a full
one and three-eighths pounds of lead that can be unleashed upon
the target in about six seconds! That amount of firepower should
discourage even the most seasoned home invader.
Delta Arms Company fits the Saiga shotgun
with a correct AK-style pistol grip and buttstock. They contour
and polish the hammer for smoother function, while providing a
very smooth and easy-to-use trigger. The trigger pull on the
test weapon measured a butter-smooth pull of just under three
pounds. Perfect. The metal parts are Duracoated in a matte black
for durability and corrosion protection. Delta changes the gas
plug to an adjustable regulator type, to allow the use of a wide
variety of shotgun shells. I tried some very light target loads
in the test weapon, and they would not function reliably.
However, this is a fighting shotgun, and is not built for
powder-puff loads. Field loads, heavy waterfowl loads, steel
shot, slugs, and buckshot all performed flawlessly. The Saiga
will handle two and three-quarter or three-inch shotgun shells,
and the test weapon cycled reliably with shot loads weighing
from one and one-eighth to two ounces. The nineteen inch barrel
and thirty-eight inch overall length handled very well. The
DAC-12 weighs in at just over eight pounds with an empty
magazine in place, and feels pretty much like an AK-47 rifle in
use, until you pull the trigger. Then, you know that it packs a
much bigger punch than your typical AK. The recoil, however, is
straight back, and the buttstock does not slap the cheek at all.
The sights are robust and easy to use. The only thing that I do
not like about the DAC-12 is the safety, which is typical AK-47.
The lever is large and easily manipulated, but I never did warm
up to the AK safety lever, which is just a personal thing.
However, the safety does work as intended, and securely blocks
the trigger from movement.
As stated above, with good ammunition, the
DAC-12 Entry shotgun works flawlessly. It is a formidable
weapon, offing lots of firepower and much faster reloading than
with a tube-magazine shotgun. A spare loaded magazine can be
inserted almost as quickly as can a magazine in a semi-auto
pistol, getting the weapon back into the fight as quickly as
possible.
Delta Arms Company will sell you a new
customized Saiga shotgun, or will perform this custom work on
your own Saiga, if desired. The price for the upgrades or the
complete weapon is quite reasonable, and prices and
specifications can be found online at www.deltaarmsco.com.
Jeff Quinn
