Milkmaster
Member
Finally! My 14 yr old son James decided upon a Remington Spartan over and under shotgun in preference to a used 1100 semi for his trap shooting education! He and I attended a gun show last Saturday and found several nice used 1100's, but my son just wasn't in the mood for those. We visited the local sporting goods stores afterwards in search of the Spartan deals offered in the local newspaper. My son reasoned that it was HIS first NEW gun, much easier to clean than a gas operated machine, and what he thought looked good on him! 
Now for the Disclaimer…Since I actually funded the transaction, all future references in this review will be “OUR” shotgun. My guess is that many Dads all across America at some point share a joint ownership of a shotgun with a son or daughter. All of them should!
For those of you who aren't familiar with the Spartan, the weapon is a single trigger O&U shotgun imported from Russia by Remington. Three different grades are available. The one talked about here is the 12 gauge mid grade model with the nickeled receiver and 28 inch barrels. All Spartans come with chrome lined barrels according to their website. Ours came with 2 extra chokes (4 total) in the box, a choke wrench, and a separate plastic trigger locking device you can use if it suits your needs. The wood is a decent grade of walnut. My son and I ask to see several Spartans to look at the wood and make our best furniture choice. Disassembly and reassembly were easy and all parts fit together well.
We left the gun setup as it came in the box for this first shoot. The Russians make shotguns like they make tanks I think. The Spartan is extra stiff to break open and close, and the shell extractors/ejectors have very stiff springs. Most of the shells landed at least 10 feet behind you after being ejected. The experience prods me to wonder if the Russian missile makers left from the cold war are making shotguns nowadays! The ejectors/extractors are selectable by turning a screw ¼ turn on each side of the receiver. We have decided to use the extractor position in the future to eliminate retrieving spent hulls after each round of trap. Coincidently this also makes the break open and close a slight bit easier, but more on that later.
The weapon fired without fail each time the trigger was pulled. The recoil was definitely different than our pump gun. I compare the recoil to the difference between smokeless powder and black powder weapons. My pump gun recoil is more crisp and immediate like a modern rifle. This O&U is more like a gradual recoil process that was a bit easier on the shoulder like a black powder rifle. The bottom barrel fires first normally, but can be changed for those of humanity that have a need to be different. The Spartan pointed nicely and was comfortably weighted. My first impression was that all O&U shotguns were a bit bulky. I am so accustomed to a single barrel feel on my scatter guns. After a few rounds I was back in my comfort zone and happy again
My 14 year old son James is a smaller boy weighing in at about 110 pounds even though he is in full pubescent bloom at the moment and catching up quickly. The Spartan is all the weight and length he can handle at this point. The drop on the stock is a little more than he needs. We plan to put a cheek pad on it for proper fit and also because he wears braces on his teeth. Now, I never had braces on my teeth, but I can imagine the potential for pain. I also plan to add another sight bead toward the rear of the vented barrel to help him learn his pointing technique. I met a local high school trap coach who also uses the Spartan for several members of the team who want a lesser expensive O&U trap gun. He has experienced success using the local gunsmith to shorten the stiff extractor springs by a couple of coils to lessen the stiffness of breaking and closing the shotgun. One note I wanted to mention… All of the blued receiver model Spartans we looked at opened and closed much easier. My son insisted on the nickeled receiver model with the bird scene on the side. I don’t know if or why the nickeled receiver would have anything to do with the tight action on the gun. Maybe the extra thickness of the plating does this? However, all of the nickeled models we tried were more difficult to open and close.
I am glad my son made this choice. James was also given the opportunity to be proud when another gentleman at the range asked to shoot it and hit everything in the round and offered to buy it. My son declined the offer politely. Dad’s like to see their kids push their chest out in humble pride once in a while too! If you want to get into an O&U shotgun and still have diapers, braces, car insurance, college costs, or retirement to pay for, then the Spartan might be for you. The Spartan is not a multi thousand dollar O&U no doubt. What it amounts to is an inexpensive way to learn, own, and experience something different, functional, and durable in a shotgun. My hat off to Remington and the Russians too!
J Sartain
Murfreesboro, TN
Now for the Disclaimer…Since I actually funded the transaction, all future references in this review will be “OUR” shotgun. My guess is that many Dads all across America at some point share a joint ownership of a shotgun with a son or daughter. All of them should!For those of you who aren't familiar with the Spartan, the weapon is a single trigger O&U shotgun imported from Russia by Remington. Three different grades are available. The one talked about here is the 12 gauge mid grade model with the nickeled receiver and 28 inch barrels. All Spartans come with chrome lined barrels according to their website. Ours came with 2 extra chokes (4 total) in the box, a choke wrench, and a separate plastic trigger locking device you can use if it suits your needs. The wood is a decent grade of walnut. My son and I ask to see several Spartans to look at the wood and make our best furniture choice. Disassembly and reassembly were easy and all parts fit together well.
We left the gun setup as it came in the box for this first shoot. The Russians make shotguns like they make tanks I think. The Spartan is extra stiff to break open and close, and the shell extractors/ejectors have very stiff springs. Most of the shells landed at least 10 feet behind you after being ejected. The experience prods me to wonder if the Russian missile makers left from the cold war are making shotguns nowadays! The ejectors/extractors are selectable by turning a screw ¼ turn on each side of the receiver. We have decided to use the extractor position in the future to eliminate retrieving spent hulls after each round of trap. Coincidently this also makes the break open and close a slight bit easier, but more on that later.
The weapon fired without fail each time the trigger was pulled. The recoil was definitely different than our pump gun. I compare the recoil to the difference between smokeless powder and black powder weapons. My pump gun recoil is more crisp and immediate like a modern rifle. This O&U is more like a gradual recoil process that was a bit easier on the shoulder like a black powder rifle. The bottom barrel fires first normally, but can be changed for those of humanity that have a need to be different. The Spartan pointed nicely and was comfortably weighted. My first impression was that all O&U shotguns were a bit bulky. I am so accustomed to a single barrel feel on my scatter guns. After a few rounds I was back in my comfort zone and happy again
My 14 year old son James is a smaller boy weighing in at about 110 pounds even though he is in full pubescent bloom at the moment and catching up quickly. The Spartan is all the weight and length he can handle at this point. The drop on the stock is a little more than he needs. We plan to put a cheek pad on it for proper fit and also because he wears braces on his teeth. Now, I never had braces on my teeth, but I can imagine the potential for pain. I also plan to add another sight bead toward the rear of the vented barrel to help him learn his pointing technique. I met a local high school trap coach who also uses the Spartan for several members of the team who want a lesser expensive O&U trap gun. He has experienced success using the local gunsmith to shorten the stiff extractor springs by a couple of coils to lessen the stiffness of breaking and closing the shotgun. One note I wanted to mention… All of the blued receiver model Spartans we looked at opened and closed much easier. My son insisted on the nickeled receiver model with the bird scene on the side. I don’t know if or why the nickeled receiver would have anything to do with the tight action on the gun. Maybe the extra thickness of the plating does this? However, all of the nickeled models we tried were more difficult to open and close.
I am glad my son made this choice. James was also given the opportunity to be proud when another gentleman at the range asked to shoot it and hit everything in the round and offered to buy it. My son declined the offer politely. Dad’s like to see their kids push their chest out in humble pride once in a while too! If you want to get into an O&U shotgun and still have diapers, braces, car insurance, college costs, or retirement to pay for, then the Spartan might be for you. The Spartan is not a multi thousand dollar O&U no doubt. What it amounts to is an inexpensive way to learn, own, and experience something different, functional, and durable in a shotgun. My hat off to Remington and the Russians too!
J Sartain
Murfreesboro, TN
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