Great!
OK folks!
The Stevens did real well. I didn't mention in my original post that I had bought a Mossberg 88 a little while back that I have not shot until today. Mine was priced at about $199.99 which is why I was so tempted to buy another for a full $20 less (figured they would make great heavy use/truck guns that get neglected and rarely cleaned) however I ended up with the Stevens, and so far so good.
I took the Maverick 88 and the Stevens 320 up to the mountains today. I brought along 150 rounds of federal target loads, 50 Rio target loads (?) blue shells, 25 Winchester slugs, and another 32 rounds of reloaded bird shot shells that I bought at a garage sale many years back (they ended up being real heavy loads and it was a literal pain to get through all 32 of them). I also brought along 100 clays. I brought nothing back. Guns and gear aside of course.
I shot the 88 first, went through 25 rounds, hand throwing clays mostly, but I also practiced loading and just shooting the dirt. It did real well, it's a super light weight gun considering the aluminum receiver, short barrel and 5 shot mag tube, but the recoil pad was pretty soft and it was not bad to shoot.
Then I went through 25 rounds with the 320. It did real well too. I found it to be more difficult to shoulder consistently and in a hurry because of the pistol grip, but it was probably due to my unfamiliarity of the feel and angles than anything. Also I was wearing a shirt, a limbsaver strap on shoulder pad, another shirt, and a thin jacket... but I managed, and after going through every one of those rounds I thank God for that limbsaver pad!!! The recoil pad on the 320 was much firmer than the 88, but it was ok. I loved the sights on the 320 though, they made shooting the clays easy and made up for any trouble I had shouldering the gun.
After getting warmed up I was shooting 2 hand thrown clays at a time with no problem, and I moved on to 3 (a personal record) I was breaking 3 clays at a time with both shotguns more often than not. I made a few attempts at shooting 4 at once, but I only tried with the 88 because I felt more confident quickly shouldering that shotgun. I almost got the 4th one a couple times, but that record eludes me for now.
One thing that is interesting about the 320 is that the action opens upon recoil with each shot unless you are really pushing forward with your support hand. There were times that I felt like I needed to pull back to eject the empty shell so I could load another, only to find that it was already all the way back and I just needed to go forward. It was odd, and because of this there was a time that I went forward with the action thinking it had already come all the way back and I got a click and missed the clay because I had not gone back far enough to pick up the next round... This is obviously not an issue if you learn the gun and are more deliberate with your actions. When switching back to the 88 I messed up once too because I was just coming off the 320, so I short shucked the action on the 88 expecting it to already be back a ways. But with the 88 it would stay closed with each shot and it was fully up to me to rack it back and forward again for each shot.
I shot all of the slugs out of the 320, and when shooting the slugs it became a self ejecting shotgun!!! There was probably only 2 or 3 slugs that I needed to eject on my own out of the 25. As far as accuracy goes. I cant really say. I made a slight attempt at adjusting the sights because it seemed to be shooting low, but I gave up on the idea pretty quickly. I may take it to a range someday and shoot it off a bench to be sure it's sighted in.
The triggers on both guns were very nice! I prefer the 88 because of the angle and smooth face of the trigger it's self, also I like the feel of the break a bit better. The trigger on the 320 is real square and the angle almost requires the bottom of your trigger finger to slide along the top of the trigger guard, like if the trigger guard wasn't there the angle is such that your finger could almost slide off the bottom of the trigger. But the break on the 320 was fairly light and clean, and really the angle wasn't bad, just different.
Some of the concerns I was having about the Stevens 320 were related to reports of the action slide bars breaking loose from the forend because of cheap spot welding. But I did a little more research and found that the newer guns have been redesigned with more of a hook style attachment. It's hard to describe but I looked it over and it appears to be very solid and I'm not at all concerned that it will break.
There are a few internal parts on the 320 that may or may not break after a lot of hard use, but if they do they are all very easy to replace. I actually like the design of the gun and found it very easy to break down fully and reassemble. The only problem is that the trigger group can not be removed without taking off the pistol grip stock... Which just adds another pain in the butt step, otherwise it would be easier to disassemble and clean than the Maverick 88!
I would consider adding a straight stock to the 320 for ease of disassembly and familiarity and consistency when shouldering... Anyone have a straight stock they want to trade for a pistol grip stock?
This brings me to the "Action lock lever" or Slide/Action release. The Maverick 88 has a great big win in this area. Essentially they are both in the same spot, behind and to the left of the trigger guard. However because of the pistol grip on the Stevens 320 you cant access the release from a shooting position. I found the best way on the 320 was to roll the stock out from your shoulder so the left side of gun is facing you, and then use your right hand thumb to come up and press up the lever. This may not be an issue on the 320 if it had a straight stock, but I still feel like the Mossberg has a better design. They both have an 870 style cross bolt safety, and they both feel about the same, like plastic. The cross bolt safety on modern 870's feel MUCH better despite being made of plastic as well.
Well folks, I guess that's about everything I can think to say. For $220 out the door (Including Colorado's new $10 state fee!!!
) Plus 50 rounds of free buck shot I think I did real well. After disassembling, inspecting, cleaning, researching, and shooting the gun... the 320 has gained my confidence and appreciation.
But when it's all said and done, I still prefer the Maverick 88. After all, it's essentially a Mossberg 500 and you can get one for under $200 out the door!
One last thing... The sights on the 320 are still on! They didn't fall off or come loose. Thanks China
Another last thing.... After shooting so many rounds, I found that I appreciated the heat shield on the 320. There were a few times when I was handling the 88 that I noticed the barrel was pretty hot and I had to avoid touching it when loading or picking up or setting down the shotgun. That simply was not the case with the 320! So despite the added weight, I appreciated it's presence. And I guess it looks kinda "cool"
OK... one last thing, This is it, honest. I ran into a few people while shooting. They asked me what I paid for the Stevens 320. I asked them what they thought I paid. The first guy said "Probably $600-$700." the second guy said "I don't know, at least $400." .... I should have asked if they wanted to buy it
