Stevens 555? Grouse Gun

I recently won a mossberg silver reserve 2 (another Turkish gun) . I always heard the trash talk about cheap shotguns but ive shot a crap load through that one just trying to get it to fail and it's been solid. Everything from skeet to 3 inch 1 1/4 slugs. Still going. The barrels shoot pretty close 50/50 too. I think it a fine hunting shotgun. Sample size of one.

The bad. Controls are clunky. Mainly the selector/ safety. Trigger sucks. Not even good for a shotgun. Break down is pretty dang hard compared to the other 50 or so shotguns ive used. Even for a cock on opening gun. The whole gun feels like it's scaled up 15/20% bigger than it should be. Beretta nor Browning it is not, in the handing dept. Nor fit/ finish.
Good hunting gun though I think

I imagine the 555 is similar.

crestoncowboy said:

Good hunting gun though I think

Click to expand...

As opposed to what? If a shotgun has "clunky" controls, a poor trigger and terrible handling qualities, what makes it a "good hunting gun"; again, as opposed to what?

SwampWolf said:

as opposed to what?

Click to expand...

I said it was a good hunting shotgun. As opposed to a skeet or trap gun. It's heavy for a double. No doubt. But it feels lighter than all but a couple of my pump or semi shotguns. (1400 winchester is probably lighter but it's also junk too) The trigger isn't as good as my benelli nor Beretta guns but it's usable. It's heavy no doubt but usable. If it were in a rifle I'd throw it away. Lol I wouldn't want to shoot 200 rounds with it for skeet or trap but for 20 or so squirrel or birds. It's plenty good. I said it didn't handle or swing like a Beretta or citori much less an expensive gun. Still feels a heck of a lot better than an 870, nova or 500. And 100x better than most semi autos or an 835 or similar. And people hunt with those every single day. And I don't care to leave the bottom barrel loaded with 3 inch 1 1/4 ounce slugs. If it breaks. Meh. But they haven't killed it yet. Ill use it a while then park it in my safe for the kids someday. I prefer my old shotguns. Sentimental value I think. I took my flite king squirrel hunting with the kids this week.

As far as the controls they are fine for my use. If you plan on switching barrels on the fly much then it would probably be a deal breaker. I do not though. I leave it on over. It doesn't have the frustrating automatic safety that a few of my other double guns have. My biggest complaint would be the notchy way you have to go back to safety and slide over to U or O and back off safe. Wont go diagonal and has to be perfect. I told a friend of mine that it reminds me of a gated shifter on a manual transmission.... Good idea until you own one. It may get better with use but I'll never know. I just don't use it. Back and forward to safe it's fine. Same place and feel as any mossberg.

I just thought it relevant since they are both generally put in the same category of cheap O/U shotguns.

crestoncowboy said:

I recently won a mossberg silver reserve 2 (another Turkish gun) . I always heard the trash talk about cheap shotguns but ive shot a crap load through that one just trying to get it to fail and it's been solid. Everything from skeet to 3 inch 1 1/4 slugs. Still going. The barrels shoot pretty close 50/50 too. I think it a fine hunting shotgun. Sample size of one.

The bad. Controls are clunky. Mainly the selector/ safety. Trigger sucks. Not even good for a shotgun. Break down is pretty dang hard compared to the other 50 or so shotguns ive used. Even for a cock on opening gun. The whole gun feels like it's scaled up 15/20% bigger than it should be. Beretta nor Browning it is not, in the handing dept. Nor fit/ finish.
Good hunting gun though I think

I imagine the 555 is similar.

Click to expand...

I have friends that own both. One bought his for pheasant (12 ga. 555) , the other for an all around gun, including Trap. (Silver Reserve) The 555 kicks the snot out of it's owner, a guy who already has a flinching problem from trying to shoot Trap with a Winchester 101 for years. His regular Trap gun is now a Browning 725. He flinches less with that. The Mossberg owner shoots on my team, and bought it from another guy on our team who won it at the annual meeting. To his credit he shoots it better than I'd expect him to, his average stayed about 18 going from a Winchester 1300 to the O/U. He had problems with the selector, resulting in a lot of 'click' after calling pull. I had a chance to shoot another league members Silver Reserve Sporting, which he'd had an adjustable comb installed on. It was still light, (for a Trap gun) and had a heavy, gritty trigger. I shot a 20 with it, and 24's with his Kreighoff Kx6S. Not impressed with the Mossberg.

Either is an acceptable hunting gun for the guy who goes a couple times a year, and maybe shoots a round of Trap, Skeet, or Sporting Clays as warm up for hunting.

entropy said:

Either is an acceptable hunting gun for the guy who goes a couple times a year, and maybe shoots a round of Trap, Skeet, or Sporting Clays as warm up for hunting.

Click to expand...

Agreed completely.
People get all mad when the silver reserve/ cz/stoeger/ savage/ stevens are mentioned. And I certainly never compared them to a Cesar Guerini or Krieghoff. I wouldn't even compare them to a Browning or skb. But they are a good hunting gun for 300-400 bucks. At a trap shoot you would have one of, if not the, sorriest gun on the line most likely. But in the hunting fields or woods? If people still use bolt action shotguns or the horrible Stevens 124c (or my least liked shotgun of all time... the 140/1400 winchester) then it's silly to argue that those budget O/U aren't a serviceable hunting gun.

I took my 3/9 and 11 year olds squirrel hunting twice this week. I took an 1898 marlin one day and a flite king the other. On opening day I carried a supermatic with a Higgins dial a duck.

The silver reserve is a better hunting gun than those I think

Truth be told, I've been looking at the 28 ga. 555 for the same thing.