Which SXS would you buy?

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RetiredLawman

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Which SXS is the better, in your opinion?

1. Stevens 311

2. Stoeger Uplander

3. Spartan 210/220

If you could have only one, which would it be? I am getting ready to make a decision and need your input. It will be a SXS and it will be one of the 3 posted. I will not consider or be able to afford anything else. All 3 are available at my dealer. Of course, the 311 is used but in pretty good condition. The other 2 are new in box.

Thanks in advance for your guidance.
 
I have a Stevens 5100, The model prior to the 311. No flaws or fuctioning problems.I use it for cowboy action shooting. Never tried the other two. Lots of 311s out there. Go for it. Good luck, Bob
 
Nope, no Stevens for me. Not steel shot rated and no screw in choke tubes. I have a Spartan 220. I do a lot of waterfowling, in fact, the main thing I do with a shotgun. The 311 would be there with my old Sarasqueta collecting dust in the safe except for perhaps a dove hunt now and then.
 
I would favor the stevens 311. I have a 20 and a 12. I had choke tubes added to the 20. I had the chokes on the 12 reamed out to skeet and light modified. I shoot steel out of the 12. If I ruin the barrel (very unlikely), I am only out about $375 (gun + choke job).
 
I own a Savage/Fox BSE.similar to the Stevens.probably the best of the three...but the trigger feels like dog doo.........gun is chunky, heavy, etc....now an AyA OTOH, is a joy to shoot..it is balanced, triggers are perfect, POI, POA, DOH, DAC, LOP, etc. are all damn near perfect......there IS a MAJOR difference in cheap SXS and the more expensive ones....the difference is more apparent than comparing cheap and expensive O/U's, pumps or autos.......

but it all comes down to what you want it for and how it feels to you.....
 
Stoegers have been good for me. I have 4 uplanders: 12, 20 , 28, .410. The 12 and 20 have screw in chokes(winchester-mossberg style), so steel choke tubes are available. I have shot both the 12 and 20 a lot with steel shot for ducks, geese, and cranes. I also have used them for skeet and sporting clays, doves, quail, and turkey. I have had no problems at all.
 
SXS's need to fit properly more so than any other type - (while they ALL need to fit properly)...when you fire a SXS the recoil is not straight back like a single barrel, O/U or pump, but sideways and up. A SXS's barrels need to be regulated for proper convergance, the stock needs the proper cast "off" or "on", as well as the proper DAH, DAC, LOP and balance.....these things are generally NOT present in a bargain basement SXS

This is not to say you are wasting money or can't hit anything....rather your shooting experience will not be as fulfilling without the proper attention to these details.unfortunately, these make SXS expensive.....only you can determine if it is worth that extra expense

JMO
 
I had the chokes on the 12 reamed out to skeet and light modified. I shoot steel out of the 12. If I ruin the barrel (very unlikely), I am only out about $375 (gun + choke job).
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Well, that's 75 bucks more than I have in the Spartan. I'd worry about barrel separation with an old non-steel rated SxS. Good luck. I know I ain't riskin' my old Sarasqueta with steel. It's choked mod/full anyway. I was going to have it installed with chokes, but figured buying the Spartan was the more economical way to go and I'd have two SxSs that way.

SXS's need to fit properly more so than any other type - (while they ALL need to fit properly)...when you fire a SXS the recoil is not straight back like a single barrel, O/U or pump, but sideways and up. A SXS's barrels need to be regulated for proper convergance, the stock needs the proper cast "off" or "on", as well as the proper DAH, DAC, LOP and balance.....these things are generally NOT present in a bargain basement SXS

This is not to say you are wasting money or can't hit anything....rather your shooting experience will not be as fulfilling without the proper attention to these details.unfortunately, these make SXS expensive.....only you can determine if it is worth that extra expense

JMO
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Hmm, lessee, my wife and I are bringing in 35K a year until my SS kicks in and her state retirement in a few years. A custom fitted SxS can cost me a years salary. I spent 1% of that on the Spartan. Hmmmmm......

Nope, it fits good enough. If it kicks to the side, I couldn't tell ya about it. Since it is a 20 gauge, it don't kick much, anyway, so would be hard to tell which side it kicks to. I never could tell with the Sarasqueta, either. But, then, I'm not a top skeet and trap shooter, just your average Joe bird hunter and I admit I'm not a top gun type with a shotgun. I managed about 3.5 shots per dove opening weekend last year with the Spartan, not much worse than I do with my proper fitting Winchester 1400 12 gauge. Seems to work if I do my part. And, I think I'd done better if I'd choked IC/Mod instead of IC/full. I did a few hunts with IC/Mod after that and seemed to shoot a little better. Full is just too much choke for dove hunting.
 
I looked at the Stoeger when considering what to buy for my dad, and I went with the Yildiz. It's a gorgeous gun and shoots superbly.

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Spr 210

Between me and my better half we own three Baikal shotguns a 16ga. SPR 210(mine) and two IZH43"s (the same gun as best as I can tell) a20 ga. (hers) and a 28 ga. (mine) We are very pleased with their performance. All three have had maybe 2000- 2500 rounds, each, put through them with no problems. Thats not a lot of shooting by some standards, but for some it's more than a lifetimes worth. Fit and finish are rather poor but what can you expect for under $300 NIB at the time of purchase. And they are scaled to gauge, which means a lot to me. I would give them all a thumbs up. Stevens 311 is a proven gun, I've known a few oldtimers who've owned them. I would never say the SPR is better. I have no experience with the Stoeger. I read an article about "barrel ringing" once. I don't know if that would really be a significant enough problem to bother anyone but an elitest. We prefer single selective triggers over double so I would say go with the SPR 210 :)

I don't care about regulated barrels or cast off or on. Or how many clays I can break in a row without a miss. I just like a gun I can pick up and shoot a limit of Doves with a box of shells or less. And with the three mentioned above, I can.
 
AGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

The abortion known as steel shot will never pass into my house. The day that regulation became law my decoys and calls went into the dumpster. Truely sad, because I enjoyed Duck hunting more than any other outdoor sport. I still say the management of Remchesterburg had as much to do with that one as the tree huggers.
I stand behind my fixed choke, double trigger 311, just like the one God shoots.
 
I grew up on a 311. Fine solid gun. I don't know that I would want to go throwing Hevi-Shot downrange with one.
I have a 20 ga. Stoeger now. Got it for SASS and then eye trouble nixed that. I have carried the Stoeger around shooting quail and doves just to get familiar with it and been pleasantly surprised at how well I can shoot with it. Not a featherweight, but seems solidly made and works well.
I have a 12 ga. Stevens 411 with extended and regular choke tubes that has been my main waterfowl gun for a few years now. Same gun as a Spartan really, made by Baikal. Very solidly made, handles well for the weight. Like the big trigger guard with gloves. Not one malfunction with the gun, auto ejectors and ice and mud to boot.
Look at them and handle them and decide for yourself. I think any of them would serve you well.
If you are going to chop the barrels a pox on you if you chop up an old Stevens or Fox.
 
Okie, steel has come a long way in the last 20 years. And there are some options out there better than lead if you can afford them. Hevi-Shot has introduced a line of ammo called Classic Doubles that is supposed to be safe for older firearms. I plan to try some in my 16 ga Model 12 this next duck season. I love the sport so much I would hunt 'em with sticks if that was all we could use. Dust off that 311 and dig the decoys out of the dump.:D
 
So I hear, but until I can kill 'em with lead I ain't playing. Whole thing pees me off so bad I could just spit. So know I just say "quack" everytime I drop a dove. Just as well, that old speckled dog don't like the water no how.

Not to mention, I just checked on that classic double price. $30 for 10 shells? If'n I could afford that I'd be shooting a Parker instead of a Stevens.
 
The Spartan. Baikal may not make the prettiest guns by they are hell for stout and suitable for modern ammmo including non-tox.

But as with any shotgun go to the store and play with them for a bit. Throw them to your shoulder, imagine yourself in the field with it and pick the one that feels the best to you.
 
disclaimer: I freely admit I'm a gun snob.

personally I'd save my money for a while longer. There are decent values in the $1000 range that would give you the experience of a nice SxS both new and used.

The russian guns are clubs. The barrels might be next to each other, but they aren't a side by side.
 
Thanks for the advice.

One more question, please.

Barrel regulation: With the experience you members have had, which brand has better POA. I understand we are talking economy, but that is all that I can handle now.

What say you?
 
My Russian gun shoots great and the barrels ARE side by side. I can't speak for all of 'em, but it takes birds about as far away as my single barrel repeaters do. It tosses a slug about 5" left at 50 with the right barrel, same to the right for the left barrel and dead on elevation. That's about normal in my experience with side by sides.

Okie, steel has come a long way in the last 20 years. And there are some options out there better than lead if you can afford them. Hevi-Shot has introduced a line of ammo called Classic Doubles that is supposed to be safe for older firearms. I plan to try some in my 16 ga Model 12 this next duck season. I love the sport so much I would hunt 'em with sticks if that was all we could use. Dust off that 311 and dig the decoys out of the dump.
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AMEN brother! How the HELL could I grow up on the Texas coast in the marsh and not love duck hunting? Impossible. I love the sport and don't really pay much attention to the tools I do it with so long as they shoot straight and hold up. If I have to go out there and throw rocks, I'll adapt. I'm poor, so hevi shot is only for the occasional goose hunt. Steel works fine over deeks for ducks.

I started duck hunting at age 14. I'm 55 now, so 41 years I've been doing it and I don't plan to stop until I'm in a wheel chair and I might find a way even then. :D I figure if someone is too pansy to get wet hunting or too cheap to buy a steel shot rated gun, hell, that just takes some of the pressure off and leaves more ducks for me.

I was even hunting 'em when about everyone else quit back 20 years ago when the hatch got low because of drought and they lowered the limit to three bird. One morning, I set up, birds everywhere, right at shooting time two blue wing teal flew in and crossed just as I fired and I knocked 'em both down. 5 minutes later, a widgeon few over and I popped him. Limited 25 minutes before sun up, was in the truck driving home as the sun rose. LOL! At that point, I began to wonder if getting up that early was worth it, but I kept hunting anyway because that's just who and what I am.
 
I started duck hunting at age 14. I'm 55 now, so 41 years I've been doing it and I don't plan to stop until I'm in a wheel chair
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MC,
Amen to your amen. I started at 10, I'm 52 now. we've probably hunted within earshot of each other. Mad Island, Guadalupe Delta, Rockport, Aransas Pass, to name a few. I've never used my 16 ga. SPR 210 for duck. Might try it sometime. I don't get into the technicalities of it all. If birds fall, I keep the gun if they don't, I sell it and get something else. Shooting clay bores me to tears quickly. (not trying to start anything with the clay shooters, just not my cup of tea)
 
I'm not generally a snob, I'm happy with my 9-year-old Jeep, and I'm always up for a deal. I don't have anything with gold birds on the sides. It's all about balance and feel, to me.

And I'm with Bozeman MT.

I've got a little old Ithaca SKB 20 Gauge 26" O/U for rough country quail hunting. Handles a lot more like a SxS should than any of the guns listed. Cost me $500 and it's a GREAT gun. The newer version can be had for a grand NIB if you look around.

http://www.skbshotguns.com or http://www.cdnn.com

CDNN has Winchester Select Fields for $899 brand new, and Weatherby Orions (SKB with a PoW stock) for $997. A Beretta White Onyx is a wonderful gun to swing, and it can be had for $1500 new.

Got a friend who inherited an old Sears, Roebuck SxS that I believe is really a Stevens. Gawd-awful! He's not, uh, a real connoisseur-type guy, though he has switched to decent beer lately. And even HE can't stand the thing. Feels like a 2x4. No, worse. His old 870 is a much better-handling gun.
 
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