Tell me about Stoeger shotguns

[Big Al]

The other day I went to Dick's Sporting Goods. There they had two identical autoloader shotguns in Advantage Timber HD camo. Same barrel, same stock, same reciever, same bolt, etc. One was a Stoeger and one was a Benelli M1. The Stoeger came with 5 choke tubes and the Benelli came with 3. Another Stoeger (over/under) looked identical to a Benelli over under also, and even came in a box marked Benelli. The Stoger autoloader was 429$, and the Benelli was 1299$. According to the clerk, the Stoeger is made by Benelli. Is this true? If so, I just may get me a M1 without the Benelli markings.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

No it is not true---the Stoeger is made in Turkey---the Benelli is made in Italy.

There are already Stoegers showing up on the used rack looking really ratty after just one years time being sold in that store----hardly anybody sells off a Benelli.

 

[Detritus]

Stoeger is NOT made by bennelli!!! the clerk is either misinformed, misunderstood what he was told, or due to KNOWING that these rumors are going round, trying to pull a slightly fast one.

Here's where the confusion is coming from... Stoeger and Bennelli are now both Owned by Barretta. this has lead to confusion. b/c now Berretta, Bennelli, Franchi, and Stoeger, (as well as Uberti, maker of some of the the better italian clones of 19th century american guns) are all under the aegis of BerrettaUSA here in the states. and this leads some to think that they're all the same guns now.


now to list what you saw.

Benelli ALL Italian made and a true "top fo the line" gun and some of the sticker price is paying for the rollmark. but still exceptional guns

Stoeger is stoeger industries, a US based firm. They are the folks who print the shooter's bible, and several other books for the shooting and hunting enthusiast. they are NOT a manufacturer, they are an IMPORTER. same folks who sold the "American Eagle" Lugers

the Auto is a Stoeger 2000, which is a Turkish made gun BASED on the Bennelli Autos, but NOT made to the same hig standards etc. a decent gun but not near the quality of a Benelli from what i've seen. think of them like a Norinco clone of the 870. (i've heard rumors, that the M-2000 was part of the deal for the merge with Barretta, but i do NOT know)

the Condor O/U is i think made by the brazilian firm that makes their SxS guns for them. the initals "IGA" keep coming to mind but i'm not sure if that;s the Maker or an older form of Stoeger (to Many who use the SxS gns in Cowboy matches the company is called "IGA stoeger")

the doubles are great guns, built like tanks and the SxS "coach guns" are much favored by those who shoot Cowboy Action. in this usage these guns get more put through them in a year than most would put through such a gun would anywhere else. and they STILL last for years without much trouble.

so if you want a shootable O/U try a condor out, as i said IIRC both styles of double are from the same brazilian firm, and i'd buy one of the "coach Guns" again in a hearbeat.

But i'd pass on the M-2000 i'm not to enthused about a look alike gun, if it was a gun truly made in a Bennelli factory but less fancy and cheaper "non vital parts" (tricky phrase/concept that) maybe, but not a turkish made knockoff. even at the "around $500 mark there are a heck of alot better guns out there.

 

[Ayrborn]

It is true that Stoeger is not made by Benelli. However, Stoeger is licenced to use Benelli's Inertia Based Action for their autoloaders, which makes it a great gun. Benelli's Super Black Eagle has the Inertia Based Action, which was what it was originaly designed to go in. Because the Stoeger M-2000 has this Benelli designed action it is a great gun to own. Un-like common gas-operated guns whose fore-ends conceal operating rods, pistons, O-rings, valves and other moving parts, the inertia system is entirely contained inside the receiver. The results? A trimmer fore-end, better balance, more reliable operation and the ability to fire everything from light field ammunition to the heaviest waterfowl loads without adjustments. And because propellant gas isn’t vented from the barrel, Inertia-Drive guns like the Model 2000 stay cleaner, even after hundreds of shots – even in the toughest conditions. My M-2000 after a short break in period (100 rounds) of 1oz loads now consistently fires 7/8 oz loads for rabbit and game birds without any problem. I have ran hundreds and hundreds of rounds through my Stoeger and it is still going strong.

Benelli's Super Black Eagle is a great gun and I would love to own one if I had the budget for it. For the time being the Stoeger Model 2000 is one of the best deals for the price. It is worth every penny.

 

[oletymer]

You saw a Benelli over under? I think you might want to look closer.

 

[das028]

Stoegor is not even close to a Benelli in quality. Period! And no, Stoegor is not made by Benelli, they just have the same Inertia based action.

By the way, Benelli does not make a O/U, at least the last time I checked.

 

[ArmedBear]

Stoegor is not even close to a Benelli in quality.

Gun Tests seemed to think it was a good deal for the money, while they rated the Franchi it was up against a "Don't Buy."

Don't expect what I think is the cheapest semiauto field gun on the market to have the same fit and finish as a "money is no object" Benelli. The design is REALLY similar, so the extra $1000 goes into the recoil absorber, and fit and finish.

I don't have a dog in this fight; give me gas operation. It doesn't bother me to clean my gun every few months, in return for a reasonable price and greatly reduced recoil.

 

[das028]

Armed bear,

The only thing that is similar is the action. Thats its. They are in totally different catogories. Have you handled bot? Have you used both in the field?

There not even freaking close! My Dad used thought the same way you did, about the extra money for fit and finish, but is sure did change is mind when the bolt handle fell of the first day in the field.

So I repeat, STOEGOR IS NOT EVEN CLOSE TO BENELLI IN QUALITY! PERIOD! Not even close to the franchi you metioned either.

I'll even take it a step further and say that the Stoegor 2000 is a total POS.

 

[ArmedBear]

Gun Tests' Stoeger was flawless, while their Franchi didn't eject reliably. Sounds like it's hit-or-miss with quality, whereas Benelli is more consistent.

That said, Benellis cost too much, other than the shoulder-smacking walnut models they're fugly, and I've heard some other interesting anecdotes, so I have no intention of buying one in the foreseeable future.

Like I said, I don't have a dog in this fight. No interest in "inertia-driven" semiautomatic shotguns here, especially for $1500. For that kind of cash or less, I can get an O/U, a Beretta 391 Extrema 2, a Remington 11-87 Premier, or a 105CTi, which I LOVE but which hasn't been field-proven for years like the Berettas or 1100-based Remingtons, so I'm inclined to wait on.

Stoeger's break-action guns are surprisingly good, and they're the only budget break-actions I'd even consider buying. However, I don't think they're made by the same people as the semiautos.

 

[Skywarp]

I own an M2 and have shot a 2000 atthe same time. The fit, finish and quality of the benelli gun just isnt there. It didnt fail butjust didnt feel as smooth in many aspects as the benelli. The trigger was grittier, the bolt sounded like it was grating on the chamber walls and it had this load spring noise to it that just inst there for the Benelli


Overall it wasnt too bad but I would probably clean it way more often than the benelli. My benelliis currently mowing through case #37 and hasonly been fully cleaned once....after case #20. I clean the chokes often but the rest of the gun is just a tank. Definately a choice fora high volume shooter. The weight issue is neglible witht he comfortech stock. Eats up quite a bit of the recoil.