SxS Shotguns
- Thread starter VonFireball
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Burt Blade
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- Apr 29, 2004
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I have been using a 20" 12 guage Stoeger Coachgun for nine years of Cowboy Action Shooting matches. It has been utterly reliable. The action was a bit rough when I first started using it, but it smoothed out after a hundred rounds or so They come with fixed improved cylnder and modified chokes. Handy, sturdy,and reliable.
My other CAS gun is a Rossi, 28" 12 guage, with external hammers. If you can find a used Rossi in good shape, grab it. They are good guns.
Baikal is another frequently seen coachgun brand.
Once you get the hang of the technique, two-at-a-time reloads are pretty darn fast.
BTW, avoid heavy 3" magnum loads in Coachguns. They work, and the Stoger is proofed for them, but they will definitely let your shoulder know you set them off. "Tactical" buckshot loads work quite well in mine. They are more than "enough" for practical aplications.
Slugs are iffy, as the gun will almost certainly shoot to two different points of impact unless you find exactly the right load, and that will only work at one distance. (That is the nature of doubles.) Your best bet is to shoot the slug out of the more open choke (right barrel on the Stoeger Coachgun) and learn to hit with that barrel. Again, I would suggest avoiding "magnum" slugs. A 3" Federal slug will not be pleasant unless you really like that sort of thing.
My other CAS gun is a Rossi, 28" 12 guage, with external hammers. If you can find a used Rossi in good shape, grab it. They are good guns.
Baikal is another frequently seen coachgun brand.
Once you get the hang of the technique, two-at-a-time reloads are pretty darn fast.
BTW, avoid heavy 3" magnum loads in Coachguns. They work, and the Stoger is proofed for them, but they will definitely let your shoulder know you set them off. "Tactical" buckshot loads work quite well in mine. They are more than "enough" for practical aplications.
Slugs are iffy, as the gun will almost certainly shoot to two different points of impact unless you find exactly the right load, and that will only work at one distance. (That is the nature of doubles.) Your best bet is to shoot the slug out of the more open choke (right barrel on the Stoeger Coachgun) and learn to hit with that barrel. Again, I would suggest avoiding "magnum" slugs. A 3" Federal slug will not be pleasant unless you really like that sort of thing.
VonFireball, the Stoeger is a very popular CAS shotgun. But it requires considerable slicking up. It is stiff and balky out of the box. It would take forever for use to smooth it out. Of course a good smith can take care of that problem, but I am assuming you don't want to send a new gun to a smith. Smoothness might not be important in a HD shotgun but it is important to me. A second problem is that factory/ Stoeger support is not good. Since Stoegers is under new ownership that may have changed. It wasn't possible to buy parts heretofore. That also probably wouldn't be a concern for someone who doesn't use the gun very hard. Third, the gun just has no style or grace. This is just my opinion and taste. And last, design and worknmanship are mediocre. But the gun is dependable. It will go boom when you pull the triggers. If you want a relatively inexpensive hammerless SxS the Stoeger is a reasonable choice. Also look at the Spartan offered by Remington. It has the same virtues and vices.
The TTN shotgun is a Colt designed shotgun that is truly well built. It is not as elegant as the original but it is extremely strong. It will come to you quite slick out of the box. TTN offers great support if it is ever needed. A picture is worth a 1000 words:
The TTN shotgun is a Colt designed shotgun that is truly well built. It is not as elegant as the original but it is extremely strong. It will come to you quite slick out of the box. TTN offers great support if it is ever needed. A picture is worth a 1000 words:
I dont think the external hammers models are any safer than a cocked internal hammer. These guns don't have firing pin blocks so if the TTN fell on its side while the hammers were uncocked it's possible the force could cause the hammers to hit the firing pins.
Makster, not so. Hammer SxS's have rebounding hammers so that doesn't happen. Otherwise, a hammered SxS would indeed be a widowmaker. For example the Colt Single action revolver does not have a viable hammer safety. Consequently it is necessary to keep the hammer down on an empty chamber. But you are quite safe with the hammered SxS.
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