Opinions on Stoeger

Buck_Slayer · 04-25-2006, 01:46 PM

I was just wondering what your opinions are on the Semi Auto Stoeger 12 guage. One of my friends just bought one, and it is looking like a good option compared to a SBE 2 considering price

700bdl870exp · 04-25-2006, 01:55 PM

they arent to bad but not all that grand to me atleast

oldelkhunter · 04-25-2006, 06:28 PM

Hopefully your not serious about comparing it with an SBE.Like everything in life you get what you pay for.lets just say it is a workmen grade semi-auto that works pretty well, design copied from the Benelli and worked on by Turkish gunsmiths. If you talk to 100 owners seems like 50 are happy 25 not happy at all and 25 with mixed feelings.

Doug S · 04-25-2006, 08:06 PM

A guy I hunt with has one and he is what I would term, low maintenance, not that he buys cheap all the time, he just doesn't take care of anything he owns. His Stoeger looks like heck already but it's still working. I looked his over and it's just a rough copy of the SBE and a 3" gun. They have trouble with the bolt handles falling off on some guns but they are reliable as far as the action goes. For half the cost of an SBE, it worth a chance but resale on it is going to be low down the road. I have an SBE that is about 6-8 years old and it is almostworth today what I paid then, atleast what I see similar ones going for when I see someone willing to part with one.

Doug

Buck_Slayer · 04-25-2006, 09:51 PM

I wasn't trying to compare it to the SBE, I was just saying for the price it is looking decent. both semi auto 12 gauges. I would love a Black Eagle, just can't see spending the 1400.

Buck_Slayer · 04-25-2006, 10:09 PM

Another thing is, when we were out shooting clays. His gun jammed like 3 times and that was only like 80 shots or so. I don't want to deal with that out in the field. It didnt really get jammed the empty just got stuck as it was ejecting...don't know if it was because of the light load or what.

oldelkhunter · 04-26-2006, 06:30 AM

Buck slayer going rate in my neck of the woods for a new SBE is about 1200-1400 depending on finish. There is a black SBE at Gander for sale at 899(last years model). I can get the Camo SBE for 895(this years model)

oldelkhunter · 04-26-2006, 06:32 AM

I would call it a dispoza gun and for the guy that is going to hunt Turkeys once a year or uses it occasionally for other things Ducks,Pheasants where a lot of shooting(doves) is not called for it should do fine.

BSTNFREEK · 04-26-2006, 03:49 PM

I own one of these guns, and if broken in properly, they dont jam. They do however require some money, and a sholderpad for breaking in. Stoeger says 3-4 boxes of mag class shells. I found that it takes about 200 magnums run through it before it will handle the low brass loads. I will however, chalenge anyone with a SBE to outshoot my Stoeger. The Stoeger is a top-notch gun, almost any hunter can afford,that had I not won it at a hunting banquet, I would have never given the gun a thought, but I tell ya what...that gun will out-shoot almost any gun in the woods!! I like the balance even better than the red label, or the citori. Of coarse I know that they are over/unders.....but they are high class guns, that I have shot, and dont like as much as my Stoeger.
another thing....cleaning...O MY GOD cleaning it is a 5 minute chore, 'bout as hard to clean as an 870, and I can do twice as good a job cleaning my stoeger in half the time as you can ANY gas operated system.

IMHO...I'd rather have 2 Stoegers, a case of high brass shells, and money to put in my gastank than 1 SBE.

Vapodog · 04-27-2006, 07:31 AM

I'd pass and look for a gun that works.

I agree....ya get what ya pay for......at least most of the time