VEPR 12 Opinions

[JDMIS300]

Hello everyone, interested in a VEPR 12 and wanted to get owners opinions of them. Seems as though most reviews are positive with small annoyances here and there. One of those reoccurring annoyances seem to be magazine cost and the fact that parts are not all that readily available. I know that there are chokes available for the VEPR, which is a huge plus as I enjoy shooting clay pigeons (trap and skeet). So what's everyone's overall opinion on the VEPR and what is everyone using them for? Thanks in advance.

[HKRick]

I had a VEPR 12 that I had to sell because I needed cash. It was a great gun. Magazines are expensive. When you first get it you have to clean it well, cycle the bolt a couple hundred times and operate the safety lever a lot. I bent my lever out just a little and it made it much easier to operate. Overall it shoots well and is very reliable. I am thinking of getting another one but am also considering the Mossberg 930 SPX because it's reportidly just as reliable, might not look as cool but I like the idea of not having to deal with the bullet button.

[DLA]

I have one. love it. amazing firearm. for skeet... I tried it and wouldn't recommend it. It's fairly heavy. http://www.carolinashooterssupply.com/Default.asp
has all the parts you need. I have the mini monster brake on mine. makes a big difference. also have the chaos quad rail which looks amazing on it. stock adapter with MOE stock, MOE foregrip and MOE pistol grip. Excellent gun. Very reliable. Will NOT cycle light load target/bird shot. FTE every time. The American made 10 round mags are sometimes difficult to insert into the magwell and lock up right away. The stock 5 round molot mag will insert and lock up nice and easy.
I get a ton of looks when I go to the range. Everyone wants to shoot it. Everyone thinks its a saiga. Everyone who has shot my Vepr said they just had to go out and buy one for themselves. My best friend bought one the same week after firing mine. Buy one. You won't regret it..

[FiveSeven]

Own one, probably one of the most fun shotgun to shoot. Well worth the money and then some.

[bigbully]

Birdshot runs pretty good in mine. I get a FTE now and again but defintely not every shot. I ran a lot of buck through mine first to break it in though.

[95t-100]

There are 3 VEPR 12 models, the earlier 1st version used a standard fixed stock so it's easy to change the stock if you want to (some stocks might need fitting for the thicker receiver). The 2nd version was a side folding stock (some have the stock welded open but can easily be made to fold) & the 3rd version looks like the folding stock version but is a fixed stock without the folding mechanism.

The 1st version is best if you want to change the stock but they are hard to find now. The 2nd version is more difficult to change the stock but there are some options available. The 3rd version stock can't be changed unless you do something custom or switch out the rear trunnion.

If you want to change the handguards, RPK lower handguards will work with some fitting, the upper handguard is a standard AKM handguard.

Factory mags are the best but are expensive. Csspecs mags are a little less expensive (they also do holiday sales), made of steel & are very nice. I have not tried SGM mags.

Most VEPR 12's will run quality birdshot, Federal 3 dram birdshot seems to work for most people out of the box (not Walmart Winchester), some may need the action polished up to run the cheaper ammo. Mine (even after polishing) doesn't always feed 3 dram ammo unless I use factory mags so I stick with 3.25+ dram to keep it reliable.

I have the 3rd version, so far I have just used mine as a range toy but I ordered a muzzle attachment that takes Remchokes so I can use the chokes I already have for my 870.

If you are considering buying a VEPR 12, I say go for it, it's an awesome shotgun!

Here are some pics. of mine, in the top pic. it has RPK handguards, a KVAR pistol grip & factory 10 round magazine, bottom pic. it has AKM upper handguard, KVAR pistol grip & Csspecs 8 round mag. The sling is an RPK padded sling. The muzzle brake is a CNC Warrior Russian style brake, the one I bought for chokes looks the same except the slots are flutes instead since it's threaded for chokes. I moved out of CA so I don't need a bullet button

[JDMIS300]

Awesome information everyone. Thank you. I have heard some very good things about the CSSPECS magazines, and I personally like that they are steel. I can assume that they are pretty hefty, they look gigantic in the pictures. I'm anxious to hear how the 870 chokes work in your VEPR. I like that that's an option for me. If those chokes worth without a hitch, I don't see why I couldn't shoot trap or skeet with them.

I'm looking at the third and latest version with the fixed stock that mimics the folding version.

[thegreatcow]

Echoing the quality of the vepr. It's a great out of the box shotgun that handles well and feeds darn near any variety of rounds, much more readily than a Saiga. Aftermarket parts are a bit on the rare side, but Carolina Shooter's supply linked earlier will carry darn near everything for them.

It is heavy that is true, but it makes firing the higher powered loads that much more easy to handle. You won't regret the purchase.

[caliboy]

I just got mine a couple weeks ago so I can't say anything about how it shoots but I can say its built like a tank! Thing is solid and I can't wait to take it to the range next weekend. I've added a CSS GK01 brake and a tromix bolt on charging knob. As someone mentioned in a earlier post, the safety lever is pretty damn tight initially and requires some breaking in. Will post update after shooting it. For now, heres some pics.

[JDMIS300]

Placed my order for a VEPR 12. Thank you everybody for the friendly persuasion .

[EMR]

You're gonna love it! They're a ton of fun for a range toy. Mine only has ~ 100 down the pipe. It functions perfectly with 00shot. It still hangs up on 3dram birdshot. I still need to break it in more. I'm just not a fan of the cheek rest. It tends to move around too much when I'm shooting.

[81turbota]

I love my VEPR12 and I'm sure you will too!

My observations-

Good:
Well, pretty much 99% of it.
The hinged dust cover is very nice

Bad (all minor):
Safety is very tight as mentioned

The cheek rest is too high, requiring you to get really low to aim through the iron sights

Cycle all ammo? Psh, not my V12. Anything other than high brass 1200+ FPS stuff will short stroke it. I have ~400 rounds of 00 and slugs through mine so it may need more to loosen up.

The Winchester Super-X slugs leaded the barrel up very quickly, Remington slugs seemed much easier on the leading

SGM magazines SUCK!

Also, of no fault of the shotgun it jingled my tru-glo red dot in a matter of 30 slugs.

[Jes]

Own one, probably one of the most fun shotgun to shoot. Well worth the money and then some.

That.


I generally use mine for trash compacting and general destructinon of stuff. There's nothing like a Vepr 12 mag dump.
Only mods I did was polish the FCG like in this thread...

http://vepr.org/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=841

...polished the rails, and polished the bottom of the BCG.

Follow this ammo guide...

http://vepr.org/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=3345

With the above done my Vepr 12 runs flawlessly, even with the "crappy" SGM mags and the Federal bulk pack ammo you can get at Walmart. A matter of fact, all I use is SGM mags since I think the 10 round Molot mags are WAY over priced.
All in all, great gun and brings a smile to all those that shoot it.

[LBDamned]

OMG!!! Those death machines would destroy every rainbow in the sky, every unicorn on the planet, and make every liberal cry like a baby... Those menacing creations of evil MUST be banned! No citizens needs such evil!












Sweet guns!!!


...

[bubbapug1]

I have a Vepr 12 and saiga 12. Similar but different, like a jeep (Vepr) and a old Isuzu (saiga).

The Vepr has bolt hold back when empty, and is heavier construction. The magazine insertion is easier and more definitive, just like an AK

The saiga required I drill out the gas ports, has no auto bolt hold back, and feels pretty light. Kicks less than an O/u however.

Both do well at trap but don't fit me super well.

Are they better than a KSG? In California no, in a free state, yes, but the Vepr is a much better choice except as a field gun, where its lighter weight would be appreciated. However, you can't hunt upland game or ducks with a 10 round magazine.

For three gun a Vepr might be nice, but again, not in California.