Stoeger 12ga side by side shotgun. Any good?

G

GimmeBackMyBullets

Inactive
Hey boys,

My local big 5 stocks this side by side and I was wondering if it's any good.
It's a stoeger coach gun 12ga with a 20 inch barrel and double trigger. Usually goes on sale around $380 but reg price is $419. Wondered if this was a good price/ decent brand? Appreciate the help.


GBMB
 
Any good for what purpose? A coach gun is typically 20" barrels, so any form of wingshooting would be abysmal. They do OK for some cowboy stuff though. If you are expecting perfectly regulated barrels, great wood-to-metal fit, etc., that also isn't going to happen - Stoeger's rep is spotty at best in the QA/QC arena. That said, for some occasional use with regular loads, it should do OK. If you are talking about real heavy usage, especially with heavy loads, you might find ir breaking a little more frequently than desired.
 
Stoeger shotguns in general....if I was to rate their quality, durability, and fit and finish, etc....would be a 3 to a 5 -- out of 10 in my opinion.

Some of the Stoeger models are ok ...but you're looking at the low end of their product line.../ and coach guns in general, might have a purpose, or just be fun.../ but they're not good general purpose shotguns...and because they're real light, you'll get a lot of recoil.

In that price range....a good pump gun is probably a much better choice ( Rem 870's, Mossberg, Browning BPS, etc )..../ and there are a lot of very good used pump guns out there as well.
 
Thankyou BigJim and BigD. I really appreciate your input
I already own a moss 500 persuader and a rem 870. Was more or less looking for my first side by side to add to the collection but from your advice ill steer clear of this stoeger. If I purchase a side by side I want it to last a long time and it don't sound like this is it. Thanks again guys.

GBMB
 
Good, I just don't think a Stoeger coach gun is a long term gun ...but BigD can give you better advice than I can on SXS's in general ( I don't care for them compared to an O/U ) for a lot of reasons.

But he'll drop back in ...
 
Thankyou nickel plated

Tell you what that is alot better looking and better quality than the ol stoeger. But my only problem is it is definetly out of my price range. At least for now with Xmas coming up quick. Plus it's tough where I live to purchase online cause there's only one shop that will do transfers from online dealers. And they charge a ridiculous amount for that service. Last time I checked it was over $100 for background check and transfer fee :(

Anyways maybe if I win the lotto ill grab one. Haha. Thanks for the advice.

GBMB
 
Hmmm, yea it's a bit more than the Stoeger. But, I'm afraid a double barrel can only be made so cheap. Regulating the barrels to both shoot in the same place and making a hinge and lock that can take the abuse is an expensive task. The lower you go in price the better off you'd be just getting a pump action that won't suck.
Keep in mind though, the MSRP on Cimarron's site is higher than the street price you usually see. This thing is going for about $460 in my neck of the woods compared to the $575 Cimarron wants for it.

Anyway for future reference. If you ever need to buy something online, try Gallery of Gun's Gun Genie. You can search by zip code which shops in the area will take orders from Gallery of Guns. I'm sure you'll be able to find atleast a couple near you.

You go on GoG, pick the exact gun you like. Search shops in your area that work with GoG. And it will give you a list of each shop and the agreed upon price with all the shipping and fees included. So you can compare for the best price. Once you pick a shop just order then gun. GoG will send it to the shop and let you know when it's there so you can go pick it up.
No dealing with shops who get all annoyed at you for ordering online since they willingly signed up for it.
 
OK, let's talk about "collections" because they mean different things to different folks and that is not to say that one version is better than another - just different.

Mossberg 500s and Remington 870s are your basic American pump, no-frills, shotgun. Most folks have one or the other - if not both - because they are reliable even if they are not the best for any one use. They are cheap comparatively speaking, and they can do a decent job. When adding to a collection with those as the foundation, I would add a few others right off the top of my head - a Win 1897, a Win Model 12, the Browning A5 and one or more of the Remington autos like the 11 or 1100. Branching out to now including a SxS, I would seriously look (on a limited budget) for an LC Smith (older, not the Turkish one), possibly even a Parker and if you are really lucky - the AH Fox. Every gun mentioned above is American and worth a LOT more than a cheap Stoeger.

If you truly want a more upscale "collectible" SxS, then I would start with the Spanish AyA, an older Beretta SilverHawk, or - what a good friend of mine collects - older English SxS guns from the 20s and 30s he finds on Rock Island Auctions.

From there you head down to the Browning BSS, Win model 23, the Parker reproduction, and even the Ugartechea

Heading down a notch - but still definitely shootable - would be a Savage/Fox BSE, or similar.

This list is not exclusive as there are many I am sure I omitted - these are the ones I am familiar with
 
I'm a cowboy shooter. The Stoeger coach gun is pretty popular; lots of the big retailers carry them so they are easy to find.

If I were in the market for an internal hammer coach gun I would pass over the Stoeger and get a Baikal. A friend of mine claims that they are made from recycled Russian T-62 tanks. They have a reputation for being very rugged. My friend shoots black powder shells and loves the chrome lined barrel.

Oh, and they are less expensive than the Stoeger. MSRP is just above $300.
 
I wish there was an inexpensive shotgun out there ( and cost is relative ) - where we could all form a consensus on - that its not bad for the money...but its really difficult / because of all the problems most of us see at the gun clubs with these guns...

Value is the key ...and the cowboy shooters I know, consider the Stoeger coach guns to be cheap and expendable / and yes there are a lot of them out there among those shooters.....they break, or at start of new season, junk it and buy another one....

and honestly, I think the Baikal is worse...based on what I've see out of the Baikals at my gun clubs - I don't think the Baikal is even worth its weight in scrap metal....
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Value is the key here....cheap is not value / what gun will give you some long term use and value ....over 10 yrs, 20yrs or more ....or for 5,000 shells...or 10,000 shells --- or 100,000 shells or more.../ its easy to say the consensus is that Beretta and Browning O/U's will meet or exceed that criteria and more / and both give you a lot of gun for the money(and I think that is a consensus - even on the entry level O/U's from them like the Browning Lightning series )....but if those are not in your budget ( $ 1,250 - $ 2,000 ) ....where do you go ???? .

On coach guns, I don't know...??

On O/U's....maybe an SKB if you can find one, maybe a Ruger, maybe a TriStar.../ but you sure can't tell by looking at them --- it comes down to the steel, the internals (springs,etc), and whether the barrels are regulated properly, quality of the lockup and barrel to receiver connection...

On SXS's...refer to some of BigD's posts...
-----------------
It just aggravates me to see guys spend their hard earned money on junk - and be disappointed --because they wanted a SXS or an O/U -- and didn't want to save and buy a Beretta or Browning, new or used...because those are really the only guns I know will meet your needs ...short and long term.
 
The Stoeger and Baikal coach guns are relatively inexpensive. They are often so stiff that they are well-nigh unusable out of the box (I am speaking from the prospective of a cowboy shooter who is trying to load, shoot, shuck, and reload a shotgun "on the clock").

You have to accept that the gun will need a $150 (ish) action job as part of the cost of ownership. That's half again the cost of a Baikal but it makes a WORLD of difference.

Too bad that all guns don't come out of the box hand fitted and tuned by old world craftsmen but that's reality.

If you are not shooting the gun in competition perhaps this is not a consideration. I am spoiled by having guns that run well and would not want a stiff, balky action even on a knock-around gun.
 
It's kind of funny that back in the days of the old west, a double barrel was the preferred gun of choice for most people, especially if they could only afford to get one gun to do everything from hunting food to defending the homestead, because a double barrel was simple, reliable, and cheap. There were plenty of basic, no frills, work horse shotguns that pretty much anyone with half decent employment could afford. Yet now, good luck finding a serviceable SxS for under a grand.

You figure with modern manufacturing techniques and automation, quality and functionality would improve while cost would drop. Guess not. With things like laser boresights and computerized machinery of every sort, does regulating two barrels to shoot together at a hundred yards really have to be that complicated and expensive of a task? As for a strong lock and hinge, single-barrel, break actions seem to have no problem with that for under $200. Why do doubles?
 
You figure with modern manufacturing techniques and automation, quality and functionality would improve while cost would drop. Guess not. With things like laser boresights and computerized machinery of every sort, does regulating two barrels to shoot together at a hundred yards really have to be that complicated and expensive of a task? As for a strong lock and hinge, single-barrel, break actions seem to have no problem with that for under $200. Why do doubles?
Click to expand...

Because you have TWO barrels and you have to regulate them and that takes SKILLED LABOR and that isn't cheap. To have one that doesn't handle like a jack stand handle, means making the barrels thin and perfectly concentric - THAT takes SKILLED LABOR and that isn't cheap. Add a custom stock made of good wood properly cast with dimensions to match and that takes SKILLED LABOR and that isn't cheap.

Starting to see a pattern?...;)
 
Ha!

I'd pass over the soviet guns ......
Click to expand...
Soviet guns? Somebody is old fashioned.
Made me smile.
I have a Baikal IZH-43 that I bought just after they started appearing in the States and just after a review of "inexpensive" SXSs by American Rifleman. The Baikal was rated a "best buy" for price and utility at the time. So I bought one.
It was VERY stiff out of the box.
I still have it. It works just fine. I occasionally shoot 16 yard Trap with it....not ideal for that. I shoot maybe 20-22/25 using that gun (am not a real great Trap shot).
Pete
 
I bought a 20ga Stoger Uplander at a hock shop with all intentions of ,aking it a shortened H/D gun but the thing was so well finished and shot so well that I couldn't cut it and bought a 12 ga pump for the project!
The little double trigger Stoger (the model to get) seems to be the best they make. I have read of troubles with the single trigger models. I do not know what the troubles were but the word is don't buy the single trigger!
Far as the Coach gun goes it's very popular in CAS wvwnts and I have never seen one misfire. It is a very popular choice throughout the sport! Price wise it's a BARGAN when found on sale! As far as regulated barrels on the Coach I can't say but my Uplander is right-on!!!
I had a Savage 311 before and though it was a more expensive gun, I could never shoot it worth a damn! I think tht was all due to stock fit on me and not the gun. Still I sold it for $100 and said good riddance!
Onthe other hand this Stoger is a great gun and I will never part with it!
I would rate the Uplander a good GP gun for all reasons and would depend on it securely!
HTH,
ZVP
 
Double barrels were the gun in the old West because decent repeaters hadn't been invented yet. The Winchester lever action was too complicated and cumbersome to make much of a dent, but when the pumps appeared they quickly took over as the most popular shotguns because they were cheap and they worked.
 
i dont know why people bad mouth the 311, mine is a .410 that my grandpaw bought when my dad was little, dad hunted with it as a kid and growing up and its been mine since i was 10 yrs old ,im 42 now and i let my boys take it hunting with them and i plan on giving it to one of my grandkids one day, i have put hundreds of boxes of shells through this thing in my lifetime plus all the shooting that dad and papa done with it and it has never had a problem of any kind, no it not beautiful and elegant but it has killed a few truck loads of small game and several more loads of bottles and other targets over the last 65 years, i dont think you could ask for more than that in any shotgun, i love my old 311 :cool:
 
Woa Y'all

Based on a fantastic partership with my 20ga Stoger Uplander!
The double trigger guns are trouble-free,
I understand,difficultys occour with the more complex mechanical action...
so, just buy a double trigger gun.
I did.
My Uplander is a more Premium Grade and has a choice finish and machine checkering and a flat nickled Watertable/Recoil Shroud Nice touches to a good fitted straight English stock. It fits my aged 6'2" frame like a glove! Your eye naturally falls on the Rib and down to the Bead.
The weight is low obviouslly, when compared to a more cpmplex linkages, etc, that add weight to a pump or self-loader. The doubles in any Gauge weight depends on barrel/forend group, that's it. If ya can't take a little recoil boost then break out your rimfire! They're hust Shotguns, not Elephant Guns! Believe me, there really isnt any great kick increase.
So actually, you CAN get value and a darn good shootin gun! Shop wisely, with a little reserch om this computer thing, and you can pick the "good" Stoger!

BPDave
 
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