American-made Saiga and Vepr Alternative: Firebird Precision TAC12A1….

TAC12 and MKA1919 side-by-side

2, 5, and 10 round magazines are available for hunting and defense, and up to 18-round box magazines for 3-gun competition. With lower spring pressure than Saiga magazines, TAC12 mags are much easier to load. Recoil is similar to Vepr 12, which is to say, not worth noticing. The gun is optimized for lower recoil ammunition, from promotional birdshot up to regular loads, but magnum ammunition is not recommended due to increased wear on the gas piston.

IDTS “foe” before the ten-shot course of fire.

Magazine release, safety, and bolt stop all mirror AR-15 controls. Charging handles mirror HK G3 (front left) and AK/Sig550 (right). Stocks can be specified in a variety of lengths and styles.

Five rounds of buck, five rounds of slug. Distance: 12 yards.

If you don’t have a MKA1919 to convert, Firebird makes all-new TAC12A1 that looks the same but incorporates two AR-15-style take-down pins for even quicker filed-stripping. The guns aren’t cheap at $1,900, but that’s about what a Vepr 12 customized for sports shooting would cost all said and done. And where else would you find a ten-shot 12ga shotgun that even sub-100 pound five-foot teenage girls can shoot comfortably and run efficiently?

TAC12 in capable hands.