budget over under

[pgoulding88]

I am looking to get an over under for upland hunting. I don't have a big budget for it, I have seen the Stoger Condor it felt like a decent gun that I would carry a field but what else is out there for under $700.

 

[Legionnaire]

Take a look at the CZ Upland. You should be able to find one new within your budget. For a little more, the CZ Redhead is also a fine gun.

 

[kudu]

I am going to also recommend the CZ imports, have heard they have some high round counts on many of their O/U's with no problems. I don't have any personal experience with the Stoegers, but do own a couple of the CZ's in SxS's.

 

[igotta40]

I have a Yildiz that I really like. They're from Turkey, sold at Academy, for around $400 and up.

 

[RPRNY]

If new, CZ over Stoeger every time. In fact, CZ makes the only budget o/u that won't cost more in the long run. If this is just going to be a field gun and not shoot thousands and thousands of clays a year, that's the way to go.

If you spend some time on Gunbroker, you can find an older Citori, Win 101, and even an SKB in the $750 - $900 range. It's a question of fit. Both the older Win 101 and the pre 725 Citori are by no means a universal fit. For bigger folks the Citoris seem to be fine, though I do not like them at all. The 101 has weird ergonomics. For smaller folks, the Italian guns seem to be a better fit. The CZ/Huglu guns seem to be a good in between. The Uplander is a good budget field gun. Guns made to the sub $700 price point will fail.

Here's a good example of a used older Citori, as an example, albeit 20ga:

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/620643526

And, free of charge, here's the buy of the day (nothing to do with me btw):

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/621124113

Fixed chokes Full/Mod. Mike Orlen can open those to IM/IC (what I would do) or, if there's enough barrel material, fit them for choke tubes ($50 per barrel to open, $55/barrel to fit for tubes). Solid Brescia action, decent Italian maker. Nice looking gun.

 

[wgp]

I have had great success with lightly-used SKB shotguns or the SKBs marketed by Ithaca, both in SxS and O/U. Seems to me they have usually run at prices within your budget, perhaps $500 to $600. I find that usually I'm very happy with good used examples of guns that, if new, would be above the budget.

 

[Kookla]

My dad had a stoeger over under- came with two sets of barrels 12 and 20. It fired when he needed it too, but eh... Neither of us cared for it, so he traded it in for something else. My dad is the kind of guy who doesn't trade in anything if that helps.

 

[Legionnaire]

Agree with others that second-hand gets you the best bang for the buck, especially if you know what you're buying.

 

[bannockburn]

I would look used first in an O/U. See lots of them at the local gun shows that are reasonably priced and a good buy for the money. If new then I'd look at the CZ shotguns.

 

[PapaG]

I bought a 95% Citori field gun, full and modified, 28" Sunday for $850. The deals are out there if you keep our eyes open. Not knocking the Condors, but they are very "entry" level and have little retained value later.

 

[RPRNY]

And another good one:

Winchester 101 (see above on ergonomics) 12 ga 28" choke tubed $825: http://www.gunbroker.com/item/622286943

 

[theboyscout]

I got a 12 gauge over under for 550 after tax and background at basspro. Stoger. Keep an eye on the flyers or join the mailing list. It goes on sale like 2 times a year

 

[cdb1]

I would very much like an O/U. My issue is that a good quality one is expensive to make. To do it right takes a fair amount of hand fitting plus the time consuming task of regulating the barrels. It cost much less to make a really good semi than it does a good O/U. A rule of thumb I've heard quite often is for a new one, decent quality starts at $1k. Don't know if that's necessarily true but I'm going to follow it. I'd own a semi-auto Stoeger, in fact I have, but I'd run from a Stoeger O/U or SxS, unless the primary use was killing snakes.

 

[PapaG]

No one at the two clubs I belong to was shooting a Stoeger their second year. I actually almost bought one that a guy wanted to get rid of so I could cut it down for a hd or truck gun but I already have an express for that.
They serve a purpose if they get someone shooting.

 

[urbaneruralite]

The trouble with the less expensive O/Us is inconsistency. You can get a good one or maybe not. If you live near an Academy Sports, you can get a Yildiz. The warranty is that if there's an issue, you drop it off at the Academy gun counter. They send it to Briley to be fixed. You pick up the fixed gun at the same place you bought it. That's as good as it gets.

 

[pgoulding88]

Thank you everyone for your feedback I am glad I asked first instead of wasting the money!

 

[joed]

There is no experience like trying to buy a budget O/U. I don't know many that were successful at it either. I was talked into a Ruger Red Label but it too was a dismal failure. The problem with the failures is you're waiting months for the gun to be fixed and in many cases the problem is still there. And then there is the fact that you're paying for repairs. That Red Label cost me more then a used Browning.

I finally bit the shotshell and got a Browning.

 

[PapaG]

last post for me on this. I have three Brownings, a 1964 Superposed Lightning trap, a 2013 Citori Super light, and a 1979 Citori Field gun, the last two in 95% or better shape and the Lightning at 85. All bought in the last three years. Total outlay, $2700. None worth less than $1000.
You can find good guns for fair price.
In the last ten years I've bought 101s, Daleys, and other quality trap and skeeters guns to way under "book".

 

[Legionnaire]

Joed, sorry to hear about your Red Label. Mine has been flawless to date.

 

[joed]

Joed, sorry to hear about your Red Label. Mine has been flawless to date.

10 years ago when I got mine I said the same thing. Then I started getting light strikes that no one seems to be able to fix. Every time I take it in I end up waiting 2 months to get it back and it still gets light strikes. I the time I owned that shotgun I'd bet I put no more then 300 rounds through it.

I finally traded it and some money for a Browning Superposed. Buying a good O/U is a humbling experience.

 

[paulsj]

If you don't mind fixed choke gun the best bang for the buck will be old 300 series Savage made in Finland by Valmet. They are easy to tell apart from others because Petrick sliding mechanism is used for lock up.

 

[minutemen1776]

The 101 has weird ergonomics.

I'm curious about this comment. I'm not offended at all, just curious.

I bought a Winchester 101 about a year ago after searching high and low for a perfect fitting O/U. I had fallen in love with friend's older Browning Citori, and that drove me to find an O/U of my own. When I shouldered the current Citori, the feel was totally different from that of my friend's older one. After sizing up at least a dozen other options, it was the 101 that felt like the older Citori. I love the ergos, so much so that I bought it immediately and have enjoyed it immensely ever since.

 

[cdb1]

I just went to the Winchester website and looked at the stock dimensions for the 101. They have less DAC than just about any shotgun I've seen. That could account for the weird ergonomics.

The original 101's had a reputation as hard kickers as I recall which some people attributed to the stock design.

 

[Captcurt]

I had a CZ Redhead 28 ga that was pretty nice and a friend has a 20 ga. Canvasback that I may arm wrestle for. It has nice fiddle back wood. Another one that you might check out is the ATI Cavalry. I haven't shot them but for $500 they are nice. I sold a 20ga. to a guy in Arizona and he was happy with it. My only gripe with it is their finish. They could use a couple more coats.

 

[RPRNY]

I'm curious about this comment. I'm not offended at all, just curious.

I bought a Winchester 101 about a year ago after searching high and low for a perfect fitting O/U. I had fallen in love with friend's older Browning Citori, and that drove me to find an O/U of my own. When I shouldered the current Citori, the feel was totally different from that of my friend's older one. After sizing up at least a dozen other options, it was the 101 that felt like the older Citori. I love the ergos, so much so that I bought it immediately and have enjoyed it immensely ever since.

Not sure whether yours is old or new. The new 101 seems to have more conventional stock dimensions. The older ones not so much, but if it fits you, that's all that matters. Older 101 stocks just didn't fit many people well. I can't shoot a Citori. They give me cheek slap and kick hard. Great guns, they just don't fit me. My primary clays gun is a Cynergy. Lots of people appalled by their looks (and admittedly heavy triggers!) but it fits me brilliantly.