Your best recommendation for an inexpensive SxS in 12 or 20?

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This is hotly debated in the SASS forums. I think you should go there to read the comments of those doing what you want to do. Many say they won’t hold up to what you are doing.
 
That is a good price for that gun. Durable? SASS involves a lot of shooting. My own experience is with the .410 and a much lower shot count.
 
Want to pick up a shotgun that I may use for cowboy shooting. Also, I do not currently own a shotgun. Have been offered a decent looking Stoeger Coach in 20 gauge for $250.

Any thoughts to share with me?
I would jump on it. I have one in 12ga and has gone above all expectations. A lot of ammo shells fired throughout the years. Thinking now about a 20ga as well.
 
Blinka make a solid Shotgun Kinda like the Ruger Sp101 of shotguns built like a Tank
but I think i would grab the Stoeger for $250 Bux
 
I put a lot of rounds through a Stoeger 12 ga. in cowboy action matches. It eventually shot loose and the action would open when the first barrel fired.
 
For more money but still a value gun the CZ Bobwhite G2 has been an awesome shotgun. I picked one up before last hunting season and have loved it! Great traditional shotgun with a modern action.
Macchina, you really got me with your original post! I've been longing for a 20 gauge SXS for a long time - ever since I borrowed my wife's grandfather's 20 gauge Savage Fox some 40+ years ago. I got real excited when I saw that Savage was reintroducing the Fox as an A grade.....that is until I saw the price...YIKES! I ordered my new CZ Bobwhite day before yesterday and I am soooooo stoked to be getting it! I can't wait!!!
 
Check your local pawn shops, mine have dozens of SXSs.

That said, my personal preference is for the "modern"(hammerless) style, because
it's less likely to snag on things.
 
YIKES! I ordered my new CZ Bobwhite day before yesterday and I am soooooo stoked to be getting it! I can't wait!!!
They are a very nice looking gun. Hope you will let us know how you like it.
 
For hammer guns I would recommend Rossi coach guns. I have them in both 20ga and 12ga. I believe they are the best sub $500 hammer coach gun, definitely far superior to the cheap Chinese coach guns which I have had many problems with. Often clean ones sell for $400 to $500 on Gunbroker but if you travel the gun shows and used gun racks you can get them for $250 to $300. Mine are both minty and I paid less than $300 each.

I don't have much experience with with higher end external hammer coach guns but I do have a CZ Hammer Classic. It is a 12ga with 30" barrels with 3" chambers and modern replaceable choke tubes. Not a coach gun but I'm guessing the quality would be comparable to the CZ hammer coach guns.

As for hammerless guns I have had many Stevens 311s over the years and I would not recommend them. I shoot my guns a lot and had problems with every single one of them having pins backing out after repeated firing. They are a basic, fairly solid, inexpensive ($200 to $400) double but I wouldn't recommend them if you do a lot of shooting. One of them that I had eventually cracked the stock behind the tang.

As for the Stoeger guns they are a mixed bag. I have friends that love them but my only personal experience was with a single trigger Uplander that would double fire 7 in 10 times. I sold it and haven't looked back since. Maybe the double trigger guns are better.

I would recommend the CZ Bobwhite, I have one in 12ga and have used it extensively. It has an English style stock which I prefer. You can find a nice used one around $500 but these are full length guns and may not be what you are looking for.

Hope this helps.
 
Yeah, I've REALLY LIKED mine. I hope you do too!
Probably my favorite gun purchase of the decade.

The G2 version really improves the gun you are getting. The original Bobwhite was nice but had flat springs that were prone to breaking. The G2 really modernized the action and put in coil springs and a really cool trigger/hammer mechanism. No idea on long term durability but it's been a great gun for a few boxes of shells so far and a couple weeks in the woods.

The finish on them is black chrome, not a blued finish. It looks exactly like a dark deep bluing job (really nice) but has been extremely tough in my usage so far.
The wood checkering is deep (laser cut, not pressed) and can be a bit more fragile than I would like. I have already lost a few of the checkers however I am carrying this gun through dense forests.
The action would benefit from a deep cleaning after a bit of use, there was certainly some factory grime still in there. I really greased mine up after cleaning and don't plan on doing it again for years.
I also stoned the edges of the front and rear of the barrels. It is SHARP from the factory, I got lightly cut once and could see really slicing myself in the field during a reload. I took off maybe .002" of steel around the whole edge and it was worlds better.

Note that the shells JUST clear the action with the barrel open. A round of skeet and I was used to fully opening it but if you shoot both barrels at a rabbit and need to quickly reload you can find yourself pulling on a shell that is hitting the breech face.
 
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