Turkish vs Europian & American made shotguns

balazona

New member
Hi,
How you guys compare Turkish made shotgun with Europian and American made shotguns?
Mossberg,Weatheby and few other American and Europion manufacturers import shotguns from Turkey and sale them under thier Flag.
 
Personally i prefer to buy American made. there are a number of reasons why. I'm supporting the US economy, it was made here, the manufacture is here, and I can proudly say i have an American made gun.

Thats not to say that i don't own guns from other countries. I certainly have ones from elsewhere, but i like the ones made here best. Where the gun was made does not determine how well is was made. Some of the best shotguns in the world come from Germany and England as well as a few other countries.


Its really just personal opinion. I would prefer an American made gun, but i would EASILY buy from another country if they made a product that i really wanted, i.e. Benelli and Beretta make fine guns that i would not hesitate to buy. I would even pick them over Remington and that is due to the fact that the quality is a little better. again, its just depends on what you like/want.
 
Ok, I'll play ....

There aren't many american made shotguns anymore ...assembled maybe ...but american made - with american made parts, sadly, is becoming rare.

I guess it depends on what your measuring scale is ? For me the scales are determined as follows - by action type / I will say these guns are above average / not high end( call them an 8 out of 10):

1. Pump Guns- Browning BPS and Rem 870 Wingmaster ( not the Express,etc)

2. O/U -Browning & Beretta(field guns, target guns, etc-each have a level ..)

3. Semi-Autos - Beretta or Rem 1100 gas guns / Benelli inertia guns

In general, I think the Turkish made guns are below average / when compared to all 3 categories above. But its not a black and white issue / there is lots of grey areas ....but I'd put most Turkish made guns, based on what I see today between a 3 and a 5 on my scale.

Browning and Winchester are part of the same corp now ( FN ) - and mostly made by Miroku in Japan ......and I'll put them at an 8.

The Italian made guns - Beretta Intl ( Beretta, Benelli, Franchi, Stoeger ) .... I'll give Beretta and Benelli an 8 / Franchi a 6 or 7 / Stoeger a
5. Perazzi I'll give a 9 ....

German made .... Blaser I'll give a 9 / Krieghoff a 10...

American made .... Kolar I'd give a 10 ( but I think there are some German components in his guns / not sure ). Lujtic I'd give them a 9 ....

Russian made - Baikal ... I'd give them a 2 ...

Its only my opinion / based on the 25 or so shotguns that I own ( and in full disclosure / they are mostly Browning and Benelli - because they fit me / and they have held up to the test of time ) .....as well as what I see at the gun clubs I frequent, sporting clays shoots, registered Trap and Skeet shoots ....

Regardless of where a gun is made / often, I think you get what you pay for. Its not all about fancy wood. Sometimes it is fit and finish / but its also in the quality of the steel, springs, etc ... Too many shops sell virtually 100% based on price / especially the big box stores...with very little knowledge of bird hunting or clay target shooting.

I was in Cabelas on Tue / asked to see a nice Browning Trap gun for about $3,000 ( that I don't need ...) and the sales guy doesn't know me from anyone else ....and he says, sure its a nice gun / but he says he'd never pay that much for any gun ....and Cabelas bills itself as a "high end" sporting goods opeation. I didn't buy it .....I have 5 or 6 Browning Trap guns already ....just hanging out / looking ....but even they sell based on price vs .... "How much Trap do you shoot?", What is your dedicated Trap gun now ?, How long have you been shooting Trap ....or any number of 20 other things that might have helped him decide if I was a serious buyer for that gun / or even another more expensive Trap gun ...like a Krieghoff KX-5 or maybe a Lujtic ....
 
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I think Jim is being generous with Baikal.....:D

Turkey just isn't there yet with their mfg. QA/QC procedures. They SHOULD be, but I'm not seeing it, and neither are a lot of other folks.

If you're looking for a cheap gun for a little hunting and maybe a round of skeet now and again, they might do an OK job. If you're into serious clays or hunting, especially with heavy loads, I believe you'll be disappointed.
 
The Winchester XSP (aka 1300) is made in Turkey as is a fine gun. Well made and priced right. Fastest pump action made anywhere.
 
jmortimer .......why the heck do you think Browning would let Winchester make that gun in Turkey ?? Any ideas ?? I checked the Win site and I can't find any reference to it being made in Turkey ( maybe they aren't that proud of it ??).

( what the heck will FN Corp / Browning being doing next ...under their Browning divison or the Win division ......).....
 
The New Ithaca Gun Company is US made, (but the review I read of their gun was disappointing)
Tony Galazan's CSMC is doing well, but his guns do not seem to be the type or in the realm of most shooters here.

There are a few small-time custom makers, but I won't count them.

IF I was going to buy a new shotgun and it had to be a quality American-made one, I'd be going to CT and seeing what type of Model 21, Fox, RBL, or Galazan he had. Of course, I will be needing that winning Powerball ticket.........

Otherwise, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, and UK guns all garner my attention and are moreso in my price range of less than a car....... :D
 
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