IncendiaryGunner
Master
Things that I have come to learn about the VEPR 12:
You will notice that if you put anything in the front section of the dust cover rail, it seems to feed less reliably.
I have also seen a friend's VEPR 12 that did not cycle nearly as reliably as mine out of the box, and after looking his over and making a slight modification that greatly improved his action, I believe both issues are related to the same thing...
If your VEPR 12 is one of the few that seems to have issues cycling, I would inspect the bolt carrier for wear. Note that if the top of the bolt carrier shows signs of wear, also inspect the FRONT RIVET HOLDING THE DUST COVER RAIL. Nothing should actually be coming in contact with the dust cover rivets, so if it is not the factory black, it is being contacted (most likely by the bolt carrier). On my buddy's VEPR 12, the top of his bolt carrier and the front rail rivet both showed signs of wear from where the parts were contacting. I simply used a dremel and removed some material from the front rivet inside the dust cover, and his seemed to start cycling as intended.
Also, it is rumored that some of the original SMG magazines did not have high enough tension on the springs, which is why early SMG magazines may not reliably function the bolt hold open.
So, mount your optics to the rear of the dust cover rail (or more forward with a sight replcaement/handguard rail), if the front rail rivet/bolt carrier shows signs of contact remove some material, use good magazines with 1200FPS or greater rounds, and I would expect that alone to get your VEPR 12 to cycle how it should.
I did not get unlucky, and mine has cycled whatever I throw at it >=1200FPS out of the box. I added a JTE performance guide rod, and while it does slightly feel smoother, I think all one really must do to get it to cycle as intended is ensure that nothing is catching as the bolt carrier moves rearward.
I have yet to see one that had any greater cycling issues than this, IE: gas ports had to be modified like is common for Saiga variants.
You will notice that if you put anything in the front section of the dust cover rail, it seems to feed less reliably.
I have also seen a friend's VEPR 12 that did not cycle nearly as reliably as mine out of the box, and after looking his over and making a slight modification that greatly improved his action, I believe both issues are related to the same thing...
If your VEPR 12 is one of the few that seems to have issues cycling, I would inspect the bolt carrier for wear. Note that if the top of the bolt carrier shows signs of wear, also inspect the FRONT RIVET HOLDING THE DUST COVER RAIL. Nothing should actually be coming in contact with the dust cover rivets, so if it is not the factory black, it is being contacted (most likely by the bolt carrier). On my buddy's VEPR 12, the top of his bolt carrier and the front rail rivet both showed signs of wear from where the parts were contacting. I simply used a dremel and removed some material from the front rivet inside the dust cover, and his seemed to start cycling as intended.
Also, it is rumored that some of the original SMG magazines did not have high enough tension on the springs, which is why early SMG magazines may not reliably function the bolt hold open.
So, mount your optics to the rear of the dust cover rail (or more forward with a sight replcaement/handguard rail), if the front rail rivet/bolt carrier shows signs of contact remove some material, use good magazines with 1200FPS or greater rounds, and I would expect that alone to get your VEPR 12 to cycle how it should.
I did not get unlucky, and mine has cycled whatever I throw at it >=1200FPS out of the box. I added a JTE performance guide rod, and while it does slightly feel smoother, I think all one really must do to get it to cycle as intended is ensure that nothing is catching as the bolt carrier moves rearward.
I have yet to see one that had any greater cycling issues than this, IE: gas ports had to be modified like is common for Saiga variants.
