Interesting New Budget Turk

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DocRock

DocRock

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We frequently get the question, in several variations, "what's the best budget o/u I can buy?". It almost always moves to rancor as there are those who believe that a decent shotgun can be sold NIB for $500. It cannot.



Read a review in "Sports Afield" and looked it up on the interweb. https://atafirearms.com/sporter/

The ATA SuperSport, imported by an outfit called Foxtrot Lima. The company is run by a longtime industry stalwart (Frank?) Lombardi so not some fly-by-night outfit operating under a shell company in Turkish Cyprus. But that's all I could glean from the review about the importer.

The review of the SuperSport itself seemed pretty honest. Looks like a good copy of a solid low profile Brescia/Beretta design made of quality materials but with concessions - matte, presumably nitrided, barrels and receiver for example, in other words a good, if older, design well executed with a modern look and Beretta multichoke threads. Adjustable comb and 30" or 32" barrels as options. Review said retail was $950 for basic.

SP-Supersport-Sporter.png

I haven't seen one in the wild or at a shop, but the website suggests a fair amount of retailers. Two year warranty which isn't great...but for $950.

The website offers field and sporting guns - I suspect all the exact same action - some side-plated and offered with the ornate heavy engraving typical of the Turks and very reminiscent of some of Mark DeHaan's nicer Huglu imports.

In any event, I can't recommend the gun never having actually seen one, but I would certainly encourage those looking for a budget o/u to investigate these guns as they look promising.
 
My friend bought one of these - he was raving about how the barrels were made in the same factory as the Beretta ones or something, so it was basically a low-cost Beretta. It didn't seem like a bad gun to be honest, quite well made, however after sending it back a few times due to it refusing to open after firing, he now owns a Beretta 690 which he is much happier with.
 
Redruff said:
My friend bought one of these - he was raving about how the barrels were made in the same factory as the Beretta ones or something, so it was basically a low-cost Beretta. It didn't seem like a bad gun to be honest, quite well made, however after sending it back a few times due to it refusing to open after firing, he now owns a Beretta 690 which he is much happier with.
Click to expand...


Well, that is telling.
 
At this moment, the Turkish lira, which had been in the toilet, is slowly recovering. Therefore the time to buy might be sooner rather than later.
 
Interesting. Although I'd want to hear some feedback from owners. Three years ago this month I was in the market for something like that to use for sporting clays. Was looking at a lot of possibilities and wound up getting a lightly used 12 ga. Browning Citori that was traded in at a LGS on a 28 ga. gun due to its former owner getting old and having shoulder problems. For something like an O/U shotgun it's not uncommon to come across a good pre-owned one that can be had for a lot less than new. Lots of shotgunners are getting older and that can be good for the used shotgun market.
 
You can get a Weatherby Orion with 30" ported barrels and an adjustable comb for just under $850 from Buds.

We bought 3 of them for ourselves and 3 for loaners a couple of years ago, and with well over 100,000 rounds later between the 6 guns, there has not been one single issue or complaint with any of these guns!

We also use them for duck and goose hunting, since we do a lot of pass shooting in the areas where we hunt, and of course we reload our own steel shot loads.

Best O/U guns we have found for less than $900!

We don't shoot with gloves on, so I had all the triggers reworked down to 3.4 pounds, and that made them even better.

Wood to metal fit is as good as any Beretta you will ever lay your hands on, and the bluing on the barrels is a dark high luster bluing, almost black, and the wood finish is just what you expect from a Weatherby, even though these Turkish guns.

I own several Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I Sporting Mosel with 32" barrels, and while a super gun in their own right, I have no qualms about picking up the Weatherby when heading out the door for a day of clay busting or the duck blinds or goose fields, but I do the same with the Beretta, and have no complaints about it either. Well, except that it is well over twice the cost of the Weatherby.
 
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