[Nameless_Hobo]

I handled one of these the other day at Gander Mountain. It's a sweet pointing little gun, and I like the sights. It also doesn't have those ugly, cheap looking gold birds that every other shotgun now-days has.

Does anyone here have one? Does it hold up well? I think it'd work nice as a close-range deer gun and a general beater shotgun, yet, I'm concerned about how strongly a 300 dollar shotgun will be built.

[MCgunner]

How are stack barrels regulated? I would reckon they'd not overlap like side by sides? My close range deer guns are handguns, or I'll just shoot my 308, close or far. I can run the scope down to 2x or up to 10. But, that gun does look like a dandy trail gun for the outdoorsman, sights being a little better for slug work. Pretty versatile I'd think, and affordable. Shotguns are a lot more versatile as all around hunting/defense guns than rifles and for emergencies or trail use, I'll reach for the shotgun every time. Dinner ain't as hard to obtain with a scatter gun, what with birds and rabbits and squirrels out there for the eating, and a slug can do a number on ANYTHING with size out to maybe 100 yards if the gun is up to it. I don't know about the Stoeger for anything much over 50 yards with a foster slug. I'd have to sit down at a bench and let the gun prove it's worth to me, first. Not a rifled bore and I don't know about the barrel/sight regulation. But, at 50, even a bead sight is effective on my side by side. Personally, I'd rather have a bead/rib for bird hunting or rabbits, though, but the opens on that stoeger look rather quick to acquire at least.

[Big Az Al]

The Basic action is the same one produced a while back, and sold as Boito.

I can't knock all Brazialan guns. for a while Taurus was making good guns and really backing them up.

But then again there was Rossi, and the original Boito, and thier stuff was hit but mostly miss.

if they hold up to or past the first thousend shots they may have the metalurgy to last forever, in the past these models where just to soft to go much past two or three hundred shots.

[Oldnamvet]

I have a Stoeger Condor 20 gauge. It is a little clunky since they have the same receiver as the 12 gauge. I have about 2 or 3K rounds through it in the last few years. So far, so good. I would not expect it to last as a clays gun for very long but as a field gun it should last a long time. After all, how many shots a year do you shoot at game? Last year I only fired about 30 rounds. The rest were shot at clays. If you want an o/u that will stand up to lots of shots, you are going to have to put a lot more money on the table.

[ArmedBear]

I've known a few guys who shoot trap and hunt dove and quail with Stoeger Condors. The guns have served them well, no problems, thousands of rounds. And their trap scores suggest that the guns are regulated well.

Don't expect a Perazzi, but I'd buy one. Those Outback guns look like they'd be great carry guns for multipurpose use, like camping when you might in an unlikely scenario need bear defense, but more than likely will hunt small game or birds if you see any.

The CAS guys have some tweaks that will make Stoegers stand up to a LOT of abuse, also. They use SxS guns, though. I don't know if some parts are shared, though I'd guess that firing pins, etc. would be.

Considering that a Browning costs 4 times as much, the Stoeger is a good deal in ways that some other Brazilian guns aren't.:) Again, don't expect the inexpensive gun to be just like the Browning, but I think the Brazilian gun works really well for what it is.

[MCgunner]

I've had few problems with Rossi and none with Taurus. I don't look down my nose at Brazilian guns. I ain't going to talk Chinese, but Brazilian guns are decent. No way are they junky like some of the Chinese stuff.

300 rounds? If a shotgun didn't last more'n 300 rounds it'd get a reputation real quick and it wouldn't be a good one. They wouldn't be able to sell the POS after a year. Condors are popular.

Dang, only 30 rounds at game? I fired 3 1/2 boxes at doves in my first three days of the season last year, ROFLMAO! Little buggars don't fly straight like clays, so gimme a break! :D I did get three limits in three days, at least. That ain't bad, considering, is 36 birds out of about 90 rounds, about my average. But, then, that's what I'm about HUNTING! I ain't even gonna talk about my steel shot budget, it's depressing how much I spend on steel for duck hunting.

[Sharpdogs]

I want one! I have been looking for a new shotgun, something to bust clays and double as home defense shotgun. I was originally looking at the coach models but I do not have an over and under. Plus I like the sights on the gun. Here is the review from G&A:

http://www.gunsandammomag.com/long_guns/stoeger_072507/

[Deer Hunter]

I love my stoeger coach gun. They are great guns and are built to last.

[chris in va]

I saw one for the first time at GM. I could be wrong, but I didn't notice any chokes in the barrel?

[Nematocyst]

This thread has been inactive for over a year and a half. I found it doing search on Stoeger Condor Outback.

I found the Stoeger pages on it today. I've been looking at their coach guns for a while,
but thinking now that a Condor Outback (http://www.stoegerindustries.com/firearms/condor-outback.tpl) may be more what I'm interested in.

Reading some reviews about it now.

So, thought I'd bump this one and see what the current word on THR street is.

Nem

[rantingredneck]

I just handled one the other day myself. seemed like a nice gun. My father in law has a Condor I and has had it for five or six years. Probably 6 or 700 rounds through it, mostly dove hunting, but has served him well. I've shot it over a dove field a couple times and it handled well. These outbacks are basically built on the same action I think just with shorter barrels.

[coltm]

I have a standard condor and love it only had it for three months though but it's a great shooting gun i bust alot of clays wiht it obably got 1500 rounds through it and no problems yet still havent actually taken it apart and cleaned it yet just run swab through it every time after i shoot.

[Nematocyst]

I spent some time last night reading (the late) Bob Brister's Shotguns: The Art and the Science (http://www.amazon.com/Shotgunning-Art-Science-Bob-Brister/dp/0832918407).

Genius book. Dated perhaps, but still relevant. Basic concepts of shotgunning - all of them - brilliantly described.

I read the chapters on optimal gauge (addresses the question, does size matter? {short answer: yes}; I'm leaning towards a 20 ga for this one); shot strings (last chapter, interestingly enough) and double barrel shotguns, comparing OU v SxS.

I was most interested in the latter: O/U v SxS. Still sitting on the fence about that part.

So, I've posted a couple of Stoeger options onto my desktop so I can think about them a bit more.

Yeah, I have no doubt there are better shotguns out there, but I'm reading mostly good stuff about the Stoegers. They seem decent guns for their price point. Certainly not the top of the line, but minimalist, no frills, decent serviceable utility guns for camp and trail, which is just what I'm seeking. I'm not planning to be an expert shotgunner or trap/skeet person. I'm looking for a good utility shotgun to complement my tool kit of lever guns and wheelguns.

I think I'd be hard pressed to do better than one of these though I am open to suggestions. I found the CZ SxS, but it's more than I want to pay for this gun, and has a longer barrel than I want. I've taken a look at the current Remington offering on their web page, but have yet to read any reviews.

{Trying to post a picture of the Stoegers, but there's a server glitch preventing it right now. Will try again later ...}

[Nematocyst]

{Trying to post a picture of the Stoegers, but there's a server glitch preventing it right now. Will try again later ...}http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=73242&stc=1&d=1203418699

[DAdams]

When the new Gander Mountain Store opened outside Knoxville and the Grand Opening was grand...they were practically giving Stoeger Coach guns away. I picked one up, looked at it and thought it was quite nice, but knew nothing of them at the time. They were selling for $229 and had a passle of them. Wished I would have made the buy, they haven't had the selection nor the price since.

Nem, that would be a quandry, sxs or o/u. That side by side felt really nice.

What do they go for these days?

[Nematocyst]

Hey DA.

Wow. They let revolver guys into the shotgun room? :rolleyes: :neener:

Oh, yeah, they let me in. :D

Nem, that would be a quandry, sxs or o/u. That side by side felt really nice.I'm doing lots of reading comparing the two technologies.

Brister, mentioned above, favored the O/U. Says they're more accurate than the SxS. That's probably a matter of debate.

Sometimes, I like the concept and even the look of the O/U better, but the SxS just looks ... interesting. And they're so classic ...

Funny thing, I've handled both SxS and O/U in the past, but not a Stoeger. I'd want to see one of each ideally, to check out fit, balance, etc.

What do they go for these days?Good question. I haven't even begun to price them yet, since the purchase is still a ways off. (Got to scope the 336 first ...).

I'm guessing a little less than $300 for the SxS, a bit more for the O/U.

Nem

[Dave McCracken]

Nem, I'm the last one to ask, since I rarely meet a shotgun a do not like. but...

Take your time. Handle a few and even shoot them if possible. Start with light loads.

Both kinds are major fun. I prefer an O/U for clays, but have shot plenty of friends' SxS at the range and done well.

For plain fun, either will work well.

[Nematocyst]

Dave, thanks as always for your advice.

I agree with you about taking time (you know me well enough to know I favor that approach)
and handling them first. Balance and fit are so important.

I hear you on the light loads. I'm really leaning towards 20 ga for this one. I think it'll meet my needs.

We'll just see how that SxS v I/O shakes out ...

[ArmedBear]

The Outback is an interesting piece. It's not a swinger, anyway, so I might lean towards the O/U because it's easier to grab than the SxS.

Stoeger O/U's hold up better than they should for the price. They're probably the only cheap O/U I'd even consider buying. I know people who use them for clay shooting and hunting, thousands of rounds without a problem. That's probably a lot more than will ever go through the Outback.

They make me think of a Brazilian Scarface, for some reason. If I got one, I'd probably be compelled to refer to it as "my little friend."

[Nematocyst]

Bear, thanks for that. Very interesting and thought provoking for me.

They make me think of a Brazilian Scarface, for some reason.Since you brought it up, I'll confess, me too.

I hadn't thought specifically about Scarface, but the Outback definitely has that kind of ... um, ambiance about it.

It's not a swinger, anyway, so I might lean towards the O/U because it's easier to grab than the SxS.OK, pardon my denseness here ...

By "swinger", I'm guessing you mean as in trap/skeet, right?

And I'm very curious to see how the two feel fore-end wise. I'm using a little logic to imagine that the SxS has a much wider fore end (that must extend under both barrels) than the O/U. (Yes, I've handled both kinds, but it's been years, maybe even decades; I don't remember those kind of details.)

Still, the fore end on that Outback looks huge. I'm sure there's some optical illusion going on there.

That will be a very relevant detail for me: my hands are on the small side of average (actually, longish but skinny fingers). I usually prefer smaller fore ends. I love those on my 1894C and 39A for example. (And the 39A is a new one, so has a more narrow fore end than older ones.)

[ArmedBear]

By "swinger" I did mean as in trap and skeet.:)

The Stoeger SxS has a pretty hefty "beavertail" foreend. It's pretty wide, as it extends well past each barrel, laterally.

The O/U foreend is probably like an 870, give or take a bit, but square.

I find an O/U, especially a 20, is pretty easy to carry one-handed without getting my sweat all over the barrels. It's just more "grabbable" to me. YMMV

Now YMMV has always made me think of Hebrew, even though I don't know any Hebrew and never did.

[DAdams]

As much as I am enamoured with SxS and O/U...(When I was 25 I wanted a Belgian Citori so bad I could taste it) Doc Holiday and most recently Peter Fonda in 3:10 To Yuma come to mind.

I spent 5 years during the mid 70s in Southwestern Idaho and Eastern Oregon "swinging" on everything that flew. I hunted with guys who had the money to shoot anything they wanted. Wing shooting and game was so bountiful and prolific it could actually involve the thrill and skill required for triples (pheasants flushing from sugar beets).

Bar none, no one (except trap/skeet) shot what I would call in the handgun world the equivalent of the two shot, short barrel derringer.

Single shot, double shot, triple bolt, pump, semi-auto. I have all of the them with the exception of a double. I'll equate this in the handgun world to the same, single shot, double, revolver (pump), and semi.

I know given the scenario for home and personal defense (no more wing shooting) I'm not reaching for the double. I'm going for the pump with its multiple rounds and something I know will work since I have put thousands of rounds through it.

Nem. Better put "pump" back with the "levers and wheels". ;)

I didn't say I don't want one but I don't know what I would do with it except hang it over the fireplace with the .50 Hawken.

I don't mean to be critical just having some fun with your analytical angst. :neener:

http://www.stoegerindustries.com/firearms/coach.tpl

They just reek of history.

[DAdams]

Looks like an OU, (kind of :D).

8 rounds, 3 inch, 6.5 lbs, tapped for a scope, sling ready and immune to termites; $400.
FN Herstal. Welcome to the 21st Century,

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v237/dmadams/17625.jpg

[Nematocyst]

Nem. Better put "pump" back with the "levers and wheels".Gee, I don't know, DA.

Just something about a 2 barrel that fits better with "lever and wheels".

:D

[Nematocyst]

Will someone please explain
why the Outback has one trigger,
while the coach gun has two?

What's the difference in the technology?

I'm trying to picture what's different in that receiver.

[Nematocyst]

Looks like an OU, (kind of :D).BTW, I agree with that part.

I see an 870P fore end,
but wood under a shorter barrel.
(Actually, longer barrel but far less receiver.)

And, since you don't have to pump it,
it doesn't pinch if the web between
your thumb and first finger
gets caught in the rear of "pump" space.

(Say, "ouch". :eek:)

You got two rnds on a switchable choke:
one for close in (mod), one for distance (full).

And revolver is there if a dangerous one gets past mod ... :scrutiny:

[Dave McCracken]

Nem, some doubles have two triggers, one for each barrel. On a SxS the front trigger usually fires the right barrel, though exceptions occur. Few O/Us have double triggers in this country. When they do, the front trigger fires the bottom barrel.

Others have one. A so called "selective" trigger will fire them in the order you choose. There's some kind of switch or button to choose with. On my Beretta, it's built into the safety slide.

A non selective single trigger will always fire one first then the other. Usually this is the bottom barrel on an O/U and the right barrel on a SxS.

Double triggers allow an instant choice of choke and load. This is handy when hunting. Single triggers are considered tops at clays.

Which is better? Your pick....

[ArmedBear]

There's another factor.

There are two kinds of single triggers: mechanical and inertia.

A mechanical trigger will fire one barrel, then the other, even if the gun is unloaded and all you get are "clicks". An intertia trigger requires the recoil of the first round to switch barrels (you can also force a switch on an empty gun by slamming the butt against something -- this is how you test the thing with snap caps).

With a selective inertia trigger, you can use the barrel selector to fire the remaining barrel after a dud. With a mechanical trigger, you just pull it again.

For a defensive gun, this distinction matters. A little, anyway.

[Nematocyst]

Dave and Bear,

Informative and interesting. Thanks.

[kd7nqb]

alright I am going to resurrect this thread again. These guns look pretty sweet for the occasional clay shooter or a house gun. Some of the reviews mention that it would be a decent close range deer gun. Never really thought of that option but hey why not.

[MCgunner]

I don't think it'll do anything my coach gun won't do and I prefer the bead/rib on the coach gun and the double triggers for hunting, which is the primary thing I use it for, though it's quite the multi purpose gun.

[Nematocyst]

Beware the resurrected shotgun thread. :scrutiny:

Unless it's about an unusual shotgun, which this one is.

These days, I'm more likely to shoot 0 buck from my .30-30 (http://thehighroad.us/showpost.php?p=4682452&postcount=1794).

Still, I have a fondness for the Condor. May own one yet.

[speedsix]

My brother has had a Condor for a few years and shot trap and skeet with it. It has held up just fine so far. I don't see any issues with it.

I checked out a Coach gun from Stoeger at Dick's and an Outback at GM. I thought I wanted the SXS but there is something about the Outback that is calling to me. I think it is because I have never really seen an O/U Coach gun and I like strange things.