Best economy sxs

[CZ 42]

What is the best, under $300, sxs that you can get? It has to be a working gun- scant stock, hammerless, no auto safety, with a nice forearm. I was thinking, there's not much I'd rather have for a HD gun or just for fun than a sawn off 12g with a well done handle, 18" barrel (or shortest legal), a laser or flashlight between the barrels, maybe a muzzlebrake, and loaded with low recoil slugs/shot. I've never seen it done, but could you fashion a lanyard loop on the end of the grip and slap on a one point sling? What do yall think?

[MCgunner]

Well, your "no auto safety" is gonna kill the deal, I reckon. I quite like the way my little Spartan shoots and I got it for 299. It was a dove slayer last season and I look forward to this one. I keep it in the bedroom for bedside duty when I'm not shooting birds with it.

It ain't a real pretty gun, but BY GAWD it's tough! It's a good shootin' gun and hell for stout. I'll give up some aesthetics for durability and usefulness in what I was looking for, a WORKING gun, not a beauty queen. It looks better, too, the longer you stare at it, LOL! But, with me, beauty is as beauty does.

Flashlight between the barrels? Wow, that duct tape is gonna mess up that pretty fore stock, don't ya think? Mine's a 20 gauge with 20" barrels. Do I have any volunteers to stand in front of a charge of number 3 buck? If I had one improvement I could make, it'd be selective ejectors. That would be nice. I love the instant choke selection of the double triggers. This is primarily an outdoor and hunting gun, after all.

[ArmedBear]

You probably want an auto safety, anyway. Tang safeties are really easy to switch off, and the auto safety makes shutting the gun safer.

[mtngunr]

The Baikals are dependable/rugged guns, but like most hammerless SxS's, cock on opening/loading, so you're dealing with a cocked/locked-or-unlocked double sitting in the corner for extended periods...and it has an auto safety.....folks in remote areas of countries with strict firearms laws, such as stations/ranches in Australia depend on Baikals.....they don't break....hence, don't need hard to get replacements

[Savage Shooter]

The stevens 311D SXS it cheap reliable and you can cut the barrel down to what ever you want it has a tang safety and good stout stock. I have two a 12 and 20. they Aren't pretty but they always go bang.:D

[Floppy_D]

I checked this post to see how long it took someone to say "Stevens 311". Not long. There's a reason.

[Virginian]

I have had excellent luck with a Baikal and a Stoeger Uplander, but I grew up with a Stevens 311 and they are great guns too.

[ltetmhs]

Stoeger Coach gun.
20 " barrel so you wouldn't have to cut it off. Screw in chokes, 3 in chamber.It does have an auto safety, but I agree with ArmedBear that that is probably a good thing. Stoegers are great guns. In my opinion the fit and finishis little better than Spartans, and BaikaL (but they are great guns). They are $329 (http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=31486). For a little bit more I believe you can get it with ejectors instead of extractors.
Good luck

[Milkmaster]

The Spartan is easy to to remove the auto safety link. The the safety still works, but is manual.

[CZ 42]

Why is it I can't seem to find any in 18"? Is there some weird law that pumps can be 18" but 20" is the shortest for SxS?

[KevininPa]

Spartan

[ArmedBear]

There's no law against an 18" barrel. However, with a 14" LOP, I'd guess that a barrel under 20" would lose all semblance of "pointability".

[Gary A]

Something I learned about the Spartan from reading the Beretta SilverHawk manual. It is how I keep my Spartan coach gun in ready. Insert two snap caps and drop the hammers. Remove the forearm. Open the barrels and replace snap caps with live shells. Re-attach and close the barrel. (It will not cock with the forearm not in place.) Replace the forearm. You now have a closed and uncocked shotgun with two live shells in the chambers. (I always double-check to make sure it is not cocked.) The Spartan has rebounding hammers so it seems safer to me than depending on the safety and cocked hammers, although the Spartan safety blocks both sears and triggers. Deploying the weapon requires a quick opening and closing of the action, faster than loading the gun. I store it muzzle down or sometimes on its side on a shelf. If there is a problem with this I am not aware of it and it seems to work for me. I don't believe this will work with a Stoeger for reasons I am not 100% on. Longer cocking levers, I think, and I don't believe the hammers are the rebounding type.

[ArmedBear]

Gary A, note that this will not work on a gun with ejectors, which would kick out the shells when you open it.

I believe some Spartans have had ejectors, but I'm not sure if any do at this point.

There's a lot to be said for ejectors on a defensive gun, since reloads are a good deal faster.

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

The answer is that there are NONE under $300 new. Question answered.

But if you're talking used, yep, Stevens 311, Baikal/Spartan, or Yildiz. But good luck finding a Spartan or Yildiz used. That leaves Stevens 311.

http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/shotguns/SPR_models/SPR210_side-by-side_specs.asp

http://www.yildizshotgun.com/ecifte.html


P.S. On a tangential subject, I have this gun in 20 ga and love it - got it for less than $750 new:
http://www.impactguns.com/store/80670306111.html

Wow - glad I got it when I did - looks like CZ quit importing it:
http://www.cz-usa.com/products_shotguns.php
:(

[Steve Pearson]

So, what is an "auto safety"?

[ltetmhs]

It means that the safety automatically engages when you open the action.

[MAKster]

You can buy the Interstate Arms sxs with exposed hammers for under $300. It's made by Norinco.

[Gary A]

Armed Bear, you're correct in that. My Spartans have extractors. The idea came from the Beretta manual suggesting their preferred method for storing a Silver Hawk with the hammers down. I realize the difference of status and quality between the two guns :) but the method works the same on either. Not so good if one's need for "deployment" were to wake from a deep sleep needing to grab a shotgun but otherwise seems to work fine given being awake and at least some smidgen of warning. (Note: I am not arguing such an arrangement as being the optimum self defense but it's at least as fast or faster than cocking two hammers on a hammered double and does allow faster reloading than a hammered double due to its self-cocking upon reloading.)

I would love a coach gun with ejectors. An ejector is what makes the H&R/NEF single-shots viable in the eyes of many.

Edited to add: With the forearm off, wouldn't the ejectors not eject? Doesn't the Silver Hawk allow for either ejection or extraction? I don't have doubles with ejectors so I can't refute what you said, but I'm wondering if it might not work on a ejector gun also. Not sure. Anyway, it works on the Spartan and apparently on the Silver Hawk. Only difference being instead of leaving the chamber empty with the hammer down, I'm leaving it loaded with the rebounding hammer down.

[KevininPa]

You can learn to do the CAS reload with the Spartans. Once you have it down it really is rather speedy. And not that hard to do.

[paintballdude902]

http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=102999846

made by rossi and has no tang safety
20 inch barrel and it has exposed hammers

heres a century
http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=103502351
buy it now is 275

here is one that will only cost u 200 but its got long barrels
http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=103099415


i think this is just about what you want
http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=102627603

[Mat, not doormat]

It's pretty easy to disable the auto part of an auto safety on a stoeger. With stock off, cut the tip off the rod that engages the safety slider.

As far as how fast a double can be, I can get four shots off in 3.20, starting with the gun empty and shells in my belt.

[Kentucky Kernel]

I recently bought the Stoeger Coach Silverado. Looks nice, shoots great.

[TX1911fan]

Yildiz from Academy is close to that price, but not under it. I think they are $450.

[riverdog]

Stevens 311 -- just found for myself that hadn't been cut down. 30" barrels, Full/Mod fixed chokes.

[ocharry]

Gary A,,,,i think what ArmedBear is talking about is

when you drop the hammers and take the forearm off,,,, open the gun,,, and the put your shells in,,, put the forearm back on,,,,,when you open the gun to re cock the hammers the ejectors will kick out the shells

on the guns with extractors and double triggers,,,,if you open the gun and hold the triggers down and close the gun the hammers will not set on the sear,,,,so you will get a hammer down and not need to take the forearm off,,,i do this on my cowboy guns when they are stored,,,,but my guns do not have shells in the chamber,,, i don't see why it would not work with shells in the chamber

you might try it out side the first time

hope this little trick works for you,,,,it always has for me

ocharry

[Gary A]

ocharry - this is why forums are so great. You explained it and I went AHA. So simple and yes I'm sure that's what ArmedBear was saying. I just didn't see it. Of course, he and you are right. Thanks.

you might try it out side the first time

LOL, no doubt I would.

[MCgunner]

They haven't made the Stevens in quite a while.

Hmm, I need to get some snap caps, I guess. :D Or, I could make a pair with a couple of spent rounds, a decapper, and some shoe goo.

[NCsmitty]

Stoeger coach guns are well made and durable.
Here's a link:
http://www.stoegerindustries.com/firearms/stoeger_coach_guns.php

Another link to a dealer & prices:
http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/default.php?cPath=9935_13769_6207_6225

NCsmitty