Stoeger reviews

[7075-T7]

Anybody have any personal reviews on a Stoger 12ga sxs? I was looking to get one, but for $400 I question if the quality is there.

[Tregs]

I have a Mossberg (Silver Reserve) O/U 12ga that I like a lot in the same $400-$500 price range. However, while on a dove hunt last september, it had some problems and a buddy of mine lended (lent?) me his new Stoeger O/U that he just bought on sale at Dick's Sporting Goods for $350. It was very nice, albeit a bit tight since it was new. but for $350, it was exceptional.
I know you're looking for a SXS, but if they do as well on the SxS as the O/U, i think you'll like it.

[TXAG_2010]

I have had only one experience with a Stoeger, so take this as you wish.

Last season I was hunting down in South Texas and I inquired about my uncle's shotgun that I had never seen before. He told me that it was a Stoeger (not sure what model), and that it used the same action as a Benelli for just a fraction of the cost. That seemed interesting to me, but he said that he has used it for years and not had any problems. Needless to say, the next day we came across a few birds and he took 2 shots and the second shot malfunctioned. I'm not sure what happened to the gun, as I was taking my second shot. Benellis are generally regarded as a reliable gun and I love mine, but if I don't feed it heavy loads it won't function reliably. This very well could have been the same problem with his.

Bottom line is that my uncle loves his Stoeger, and I have seen it malfunction on 50% of shots.

[TDDude]

Anybody have any personal reviews on a Stoger 12ga sxs? I was looking to get one, but for $400 I question if the quality is there.

Stoeger is owned by Beretta and for whatever you might think of Beretta's pistols, they make the finest shotguns on the market.

If it was me, I'd go for it.

[mr surveyor]

Five or six years ago, Stoeger was putting some real dogs on the market. They "looked" nice, but the lock-up was made from very inferior heat treated metals and the firing pins were brittle. That was about the same time the Bakail (Remington has cheapened their quality with Bakail in the last few years) shot guns were popular. They too had a lot of problems, and getting parts for a Bakail was not easy. Several of my sporting clay and bird hunting buddies bought into the Stoegers and Bakails for "back-up guns" during that time period, and not one of them are left among us. If you don't plan to shoot a normal outing of at least 100 rounds of clays, or possibly a case of shells in a weekend dove hunt, the Stoeger may hold up well. In my opinion, which isn't always worth much, the next step up in quality and economy is the CZ line of shotguns. The CZ's are made in Turkey by Huglu, and are pretty good guns, made from solid materials. Stoeger may have fixed their QC in the last few years, so you may be o.k. with one.


surv

[TXAG_2010]

Anybody have any personal reviews on a Stoger 12ga sxs? I was looking to get one, but for $400 I question if the quality is there.

Stoeger is owned by Beretta and for whatever you might think of Beretta's pistols, they make the finest shotguns on the market.

If it was me, I'd go for it.

That seemed interesting to me, as I knew they used the Benelli-based inertia system. I did a little research and found out that Stoeger is a subsidiary of Benelli, who was bought in 2000 by Beretta. You learn something new every day.

[7075-T7]

Five or six years ago, Stoeger was putting some real dogs on the market. They "looked" nice, but the lock-up was made from very inferior heat treated metals and the firing pins were brittle. That was about the same time the Bakail (Remington has cheapened their quality with Bakail in the last few years) shot guns were popular. They too had a lot of problems, and getting parts for a Bakail was not easy. Several of my sporting clay and bird hunting buddies bought into the Stoegers and Bakails for "back-up guns" during that time period, and not one of them are left among us. If you don't plan to shoot a normal outing of at least 100 rounds of clays, or possibly a case of shells in a weekend dove hunt, the Stoeger may hold up well. In my opinion, which isn't always worth much, the next step up in quality and economy is the CZ line of shotguns. The CZ's are made in Turkey by Huglu, and are pretty good guns, made from solid materials. Stoeger may have fixed their QC in the last few years, so you may be o.k. with one.


surv

I stumbled upon the CZ website for their sxs's, they looked pretty nice. I'm probably going to hold off on one for now, and hopefully I can convince the wife to get me a CZ for our anniversary

Thanks to all for the good info!

[mr surveyor]

I have always loved the classic look of SxS guns, and tried, and tried, and tried to make them work for me. I'm sure, given unlimited resources, I could find a perfect match for me, and have the stock professionally fitted, and maybe be able to properly handle it. I've have a couple of older Spanish made guns over the years, and had a CZ Ringneck 12 ga for about three years. It was a beautiful gun for it's price and class range, and very well made. Fit and finish were very good, and everyone could shoot it.... but me. A couple of years in a row I insisted on taking the CZ SxS out as my primary dove gun, knowing for sure I would eventually get the swing right. I never did. Ended up trading it for a Beretta Storm CX4 for a fun gun, and back to the old trusty Beretta AL2 for my primary dove gun. I still have an old Laurona SxS (in 20 ga) with 21 inch barrels made for "upland birding", and amazingly I can handle it pretty well, although it is NOT the best thing for dove hunts.

The CZ line is really pretty impressive, and I wouldn't turn down another, although I might opt for the double trigger (less expensive) model in a lighter weight 20 ga next time.

Another option for a SxS would be to browse a few pawn shops. You may be surprised at the number of very good quality older guns on the shelves in the $300 range. I picked up a very nice older Zabala (Spain) double gun for $275 several years ago.

Take your time and find a SxS that fits. Do a bit of research on the net for shotgun fitting before you buy. Good luck in your search.


surv