[Dirty Dawg]

I recently traded a MOP gentleman's folder for this little OU at my local gun show. I didn't know anything about the brand but it was unused and the price was right so I brought it home. That evening, I did some research on THR and was a little conflicted-- it seems some love theses guns (Great for the money!) while others hate 'em (Made in China!) Rather than worry about it, I figured I just wait and draw my own conclusions on the range.

Now, I should say that I haven't shot trap in oh, maybe 10 years. I used to shoot quite frequently but since my kids were born, it seems there's never enough daylight to get to the range. The good news is, thanks to the Boy Scouts, my son is showing great interest in shooting sports so now I have a good excuse to disappear on Saturday morning. And so it was, with a fair amount of trepidation, I shouldered my new gun under the watchful gaze of my son and father-in-law, neither of whom had ever seen me shoot trap, and gave the command to "pull!"

Throwing singles, I proceeded to knock down 21 of my first 25 clays. Looking over my shoulder, my boy was all smiles and my father-in-law had an all-knowing look about him, as if he knew I was making an impression on my son that might last a life time. Needless to say, I was more than pleased with the accuracy of this shotgun. It felt light and quick in my hands and I acquired the target easily every time. The only difficulty I encountered during our morning at the range was as I put more rounds through the shotgun, say about 20 consecutive, it became hard to break. Also, the thumb lever set a little to the right but lockup was tight, too tight I guess once it got hot.

This day on the range, I brought the Condor, an 870 and a Beretta 390 in 12ga. The Condor was easily the most fun to shoot and my accuracy was much better with the Condor as well. But I don't believe this gun would ever make it through a round of sporting clays as I suspect the action would seize up half way through the round. Still, on your typical dove hunt, where it handles a box of shells or so, I think it would more than hold it's own and earn bonus points-- in downed birds-- for accuracy.

If any of you more experienced shooters have suggestions that might relieve the overheating problem, I'd sure like to hear from you.

[Pete409]

The gun needs to be broken in. Remove the forend piece and then remove the barrels from the action. Thoroughly clean the gun. Then lubricate (preferably with grease) the pivot points where metal slides on metal. Especially be sure to lubricate the hinge pin (or trunions as the case may be) and the curved rear portion of the forend metal where it contacts the front edge of the receiver.

Continue to clean and lubricate like this after every shooting session.

In addition, it is probably a good idea to remove the buttstock and clean the trigger works with a good solvent. Then lubricate lightly with oil and reassemble. The trigger works on a new gun often has metal shavings and wood chips in there from the manufacturing process. After the initial cleaning, it shouldn't be necessary to clean the trigger works more than about once per year or every 8,000 rounds whichever comes first.

[pbrktrt]

i've owned the same gun for a couple of years. it is made in Brazil, not China. i would recommend removing the buttstock & giving a thorough cleaning & lube. it will loosen with shooting. i've shot quite a few rounds at sc & hunting. it's a great little gun for the money.

[RalphJ]

My son and I bought a 12 guage Condor a couple of weeks ago. Our thumb lever is also aligned to the right. We put over 300 rounds through it last Friday and Saturday at a sporting clays course. We shared the gun so our shots probably came in closer sequence. We had no problems. At times our gun is a little difficult to break open, but it seems to be loosening up.

[Pete409]

The opening lever SHOULD be to the right of center when the gun is new. As the locking system wears in, the lever will gradually move toward the center, but that should take many thousands of rounds.

[Dirty Dawg]

Thanks for all the info guys. I did take it down and grease the contact points. I didn't clean the trigger works as I'm not real certain how to get into it. I'll take a closer look, it can't be too difficult.

My bad on the China reference, I knew the gun was made in Brazil, just had a little brain fart.

Sounds like I need to shoot this gun more to break it in, something I'll have no problem doing. I wonder how many shots it'll take to get that lever centered? I can't wait to find out.

[NCsmitty]

I know a few people on this site wonder why you do not spend $1500 on a quality Beretta. The truth is that Stoeger is owned by Beretta who also owns Benelli. The manufacturng technology and quality has filtered down and the Condor is quite a bargain. They are now a well made and reliable budget O/U. Some of the older Stoegers made in Turkey did have some issues but the guns made in Brazil are worthy of a serious look. I have a 410 and wish that they offered a 28 in the Condor line but that's only available in their SXS line.
Enjoy your 20 Dirty Dawg, it's a keeper.

NCsmitty

[Fish Miner]

I just picked up a Stoeger .410 SxS that I can't wait to shoot (from a member here on THR- Thnx). Dang T.S. Fayhas made it a little too wet to go out and shoot- so when we dry off I will be giving this gun a try. I like the feel and fit, it is a very basic gun, but I kind of like the simplicity. Lets you know it is a shooter not a looker.

[Pete409]

DD,

You get to the trigger works by removing the recoil pad. This is usually done with a Phillips screwdriver. There will be two tiny slits in the end of the pad to insert the tip of the screwdriver. Use a drop or two of oil on the screwdriver tip to make it slide easier into the rubber pad.

Then you will need either a socket wrench about 12" long, or a large straight tipped screwdriver to remove the stock bolt.

Once the stock bolt is out, just wiggle the stock up and down slightly as you pull rearward on it. It should slide off without too much difficulty.

Clean and lube the innards and then reassemble. Usually the stock bolt takes about 8 to 10 foot-pounds of torque to tighten it securely. I doubt that you could overtighten it with a screwdriver, but you could with a wrench. You don't want the stock bolt TOO tight nor too loose.

[rrssn672]

Hi All, Just wanted to say hi. All of your input on the condor was much appreciated. I just picked up a 20 gauge W/26" barrels and can not wait to give it a try. I have a 13 yo son who will be crazy about taking this thing into the feild. I purchased it for $259.99 and after the $50.00 rebate will have a total of $209.99 into it. Small price to pay to spend some great time with my son. I will let you know how she shoots.

[Wheeler]

I noticed on their website that they have a competition gun with a set of choke tubes. Does anyone know if these guns take the Beretta tubes or are they a proprietary setup?

Wheeler

[distra]

I purchased a Condor 12/20 competition combo last year. It is a rough gun compared to my Brownings. The price was right, but quality is not so good. I had to send my back to Benelli, which their CS is not so good either, to fix consistant light strikes. I received it from Benelli after a week and first round at the range FTF. :fire: Needless to say I was a little unhappy. I ended up fixing it myself by polishing all internal firing mechanism parts and trimming the firing pin return spring by one coil. Has not FTF since. I don't shoot it as much as my Brownings, but it is an OK shotgun. You get what you pay for in shotguns. Buyer beware Benelli treats Stoeger as the red headed stepchild and I was not impressed with their customer service.