November 2023

Socom Tactical are looking forward to the arrival of the new TM Saiga 12 SBS which was announced at the recent Tokyo Marui Festival 2023:

Whilst players and retailers alike await the news of Tokyo Marui Saiga 12 restock, the Japanese giant has already teased us with a second offering of their GBB shotgun. This time around, the Saiga 12 is cut down to a compact, CQC-optimised length, on what is to be known as the SBS (Short-Barrel-Shotgun).

Decorated in furniture far more ‘tactical’ than the previous version, players will find themselves able to add-on their favourite accessories right from the get-go with the SBS. Beginning at the rear, a foldable buffer-tube features an adjustable stock as standard. If not to your tastes, this can be easily opted-out and replaced with any other folding stock designed for an AK receiver. Moving forward, the SBS bears the same side-mounting plate that came with the regular TM Saiga 12.

Unlike the first generation however, the new SBS comes with a railed upper handguard, should you prefer to mount your optics nearer the front of your gun, as well as side and lower rails for other useful accessories. The upper handguard is detachable, but please note it will not align correctly with any side-mounted rail. At the very end of the barrel sits a unique, brutal looking muzzle brake. Lastly, replacing the traditional AK pistol grip is a far more ergonomic one taken directly from an M16A2.

The differences between this up-to-date, tactical Saiga versus the traditional styling of the first variation is likely to divide players over which is better. Indoor players are bound to appreciate the SBS for its better suited ergonomics, but outdoor players will likely take the range advantage of the longer barrel version any day. One thing that players, retailers and probably Mother Teresa herself at this point are all ecstatic for, are those extended Saiga mags. Doubling the capacity of the short magazines’ measly 45 BB’s, these enormous things allow for a total of 30 pulls of the trigger per mag.

If you are like me, the proud owner of a Tokyo Marui Saiga 12K who has been caught by the magazine drought ever since, you will be feeling the same levels of relief as I, knowing that we will finally be able to pull the trigger more than 15 times in a single game.

That about sums up all the information given to us upon reveal of the Saiga SBS at Tokyo Marui Festival 2023. No release date was given, nor any further notice of a restock of the 12K. One final fact we can leave you with is the reality behind this badass overhauled Saiga: its real-life counterpart is an upgrade package developed by the American company Tromix, designed to do away with the internal shortcomings of the base gun and wrap it in gloriously tactical externals.

Socom Tactical