Remington Peerless 12ga. O/U

[Tiny in Ohio]

Good morning all,
My buddy and his son and I were at the local gun shop last night, and they have a Remington Peerless 12ga. O/U for sale. It has the 26" tubes, and I would rate it at 90-92%. There is some bluing wear on the receiver, where it looks as if the previous owner carried it open breech over his arm, other than that it looks good. The bluing on the barrel is real good, action does not fall open, and the bores are in excellent shape. I would say the previous owner took care of the gun, but enjoyed it while he owned it. Reminds me of a few my grandfather had.

I have two questions, first is can we still get longer tubes for when the boy gets older. He is getting into trap shooting with us, and the gun fits him well now. He is 11 years old, and weighs 200 lbs. He is a bruiser! But when my buddy and I shoulder the gun, we would like longer tubes. And second, I understand this gun was a limited 8 year or so run. I know this does not make it a collectable, but what would a fair market price be? $650, $700? I told him this is a gun he could pass down to his son when that time comes.

Also, my buddy is considering trading an older Winchester 1300 in, as it has not been out of the gun cabinet in years. I would not trade in a Winchester, as getting another one could prove costly down the road. But he is more of a Remington guy, so to him it is no big deal. And since he has just acquired a new Spartan 310S O/U, and is shooting well with it, he sees no need for a pump.

Any and all advice is appreciated. I value the thoughts of my fellow THR'ers and will pass all information along. We did put the Peerless in layaway last night, but he has 90 days to pay it off. The boy will be paying the entire bill, so it will most likely take that long to earn all the money. Thanks for reading all this rambling, but I felt talkative this morning.

Tiny

 

[Hawk]

The reviews of the Peerless here and at TFL pretty much convinced me I didn't want one.

Here's one dating from 2000: TFL

And one in response to my specific questions: THR

The SP3 worked out well. Took until this year to finally start shooting it enough to need a reloader to keep it fed.

Based on the first thread I'd guess extra barrels are going to be tough.

 

[sm]

Hawk - I just had to click them links...

...gee willikers! How time flies when you are having fun! My how some folks are as hard-headed and get worse as time goes on...that 'sm" feller, I swear!

 

[Hawk]

So long as we're recollectin', was that really me venting about lumpy patterns?

..grumble.. ..grumble.. I still think that stuff was older than the hills and had probably clotted up - the guy I bought it from was the same shop that had the Blue Magics I picked up last year.

And give your curmudgeonly self a pat on the back: though we'll never know for sure, I'd bet a donut that I'd have abandoned the hobby had I started with that Peerless.

 

[ArmedBear]

Tiny-

I'd stay away from the gun. I've never owned one, but I can confirm that the feedback you read is not just from a single shooter with a lemon. The Peerless was a flop in the marketplace for good reason, apparently.

It has no collector value.

A MUCH older 3200 in that condition will run you $1500+. The 3200 isn't a collectible gun, really, either. It's a trapshooter's favorite, and people like it enough to pay brand-new prices for 25-year-old ones.

If he must have an O/U, consider a CZ or, for some more cash, a basic SKB or Weatherby. You should be able to get a nice new CZ for a tad over $700, or a base model SKB or Weatherby for $1000. SKB's are flawless guns.

Also, a really well-made and pretty Remington trap gun, like an 870 Classic Trap, can be had for under $700 brand new. Pumps remain the best bang for your buck. I picked up an old but good BT-99 for $600 a few weeks ago, with a 34" barrel. Great trap gun, and with great resale value -- unless I rust it out I can get my $600 back at will. Both guns will shoot essentially forever, at most with few cheap parts that wear out and need to be replaced (with readily-available new parts -- Peerless parts are not as easy to find).

 

[MNgoldenbear]

Have one, same configuration. I don't shoot it a lot, so I don't know how it would handle high-volume shooting. Never really had a problem with it, but its use, as intended from the start for me, has been as an upland gun. Even if he's 11, if he goes 200#, I'd think the 26" tubes are too short to encourage a smooth, deliberate swing, and would instead lead to him "poking" at targets.

The advice offered so far sounds good. My first time out to a trap range (as an adult, with an 870 field gun) I had the good (?*) fortune to run into a very kind older gentleman who tried to get me broken in to trap and encourage me. After I'd shot a couple rounds with the 870, he handed me his gun and let me shoot it. I don't remember the brand, but it was a nice single-barrel trap gun -- felt like it was breaking targets by itself! Go with a decent dedicated trap gun if that's your game. He'll shoot better and be more enthused about refining his shooting, rather than struggling with a short field gun.

*I question whether it was good fortune, as this completely spoiled me forever. I've never had a gun that shot like that one, and don't shoot enough clays to justify buying one -- but I'll never forget the feel: see target, slap trigger, target is dust. Now THAT was FUN!

 

[45auto]

Remington should have brought the 3200 back into production IMHO. They could sell them in the $2500 range with some modifications I believe.

Now, they are importing Italian and Russian shotguns.
Although the Italian one looks pretty good.

 

[Tiny in Ohio]

Thank you all for your feedback. It looks as if this is a deal best left to some other shooter. Timmy already has a .410 single shot, and a scoped 10/22, so this would not be his first gun. But I see no need to buy a gun that will not be around in 20 years. Seems for $600 he could get a better gun, maybe even a new 310 Sporting like his father. I did pass all the comments on to my buddy, so he has some information to base his decision on. Again, thanks to all for your input, hopefully it avoided a costly mistake for a young man.

 

[LUGNUTZ426]

I HAVE A PEERLESS FOR 12 YEARS. HAVE SHOT OVER 10,000. ONLY HAD A MINOR PROBLEM WITH A STICKY TOP FIRING PIN WHICH WAS CURED WITH SOME BRAKEKLEEN AND REM OIL. SAW THE THREAD ABOVE. THE LEVER
POSITION IS ADJUSTABLE IF IT GETS OFF CENTER. (WITH ALLEN KEY) INSIDE RECEIVER.

I ALSO HAVE A REMINGTON 332. GREAT GUN. TEX PRO SUPPLY HAS THEM ON SALE FOR $999.!!! I PAID 1200. I WOULD BUY A NEW 332 FOR 999 BEFORE A USED ANYTHING FOR 700.

DICKS SPORTING GOODS HAD STOEGER CONDOR O/U 12 OR 20 GAGE ON SALE
LSAT WEEK FOR $299. BOUGHT A 20 GA FOR MY SON. SHOOTS NICE
DECENT QUALITY. NOT TOO FANCY.... TAKE A LOOK AT ONE OF THOSE
12GA CONDORS IN 28 INCH BEFORE YOU BUY ANYTHING!

 

[LUGNUTZ426]

PS ...PEERLESS PARTS ARE STILL AVAILABLE FROM REMINGTON.

 

[SShooterZ]

LUGNUTZ426, no need to YELL in your posts! LOL

I WOULD BUY A NEW 332 FOR 999 BEFORE A USED ANYTHING FOR 700.

And I would venture to guess that you would need to repair that 332 before a used Browing Citori for example if each had the same number of shells put through it at any given time. Just my thoughts...

 

[Tiny in Ohio]

Well, a quick update. Timmy got his report card, and he will be getting no shotgun, new, used, free, or whatever. Dang shame, but buddy cannot reward bad grades. So the deal is 100% off for now. We will see what the last 9 weeks brings, and go from there. Thanks again for all feedback.

Tiny

 

[brianbigdogsmith]

I have owened a peerless for over 15 years and have use it for both field and course shooting and have had no problen with it i have shot many straights with in both skeet and trap and have shoot in the high 40 in sporting clays . I have heard people have problems with the loose forarm but that is the only a small thing . You cant do anything about some people turn the set screw under the forarm but that messes up the firing of the second barrel and is not a way to fix it the peerless only ran for 9 years the one i own is a 4000 sn and has the dogs on the side plates this only ran for 4 years then they got cheep and just put remington on the side plates remingntion will not do any repairs on the gun they send them to out. But parts are still avilible and any gun smith will work on them . I have always liked my peerless when i bought mine their were $899. New i paid $750. Used and now in 2010 i have seen them at gaunder mountain for $900. To 850. Not bad .