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Old October 22, 2008, 11:00 PM   #1
sasquatch
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Any opinions on Stoeger Condor .410 O/U ?

I'm looking at a Stoeger Condor, and know absolutely nothing about them, except that the price seems right.

I plan on carrying it in my truck as a grouse gun.

Any input/opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
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Old October 23, 2008, 02:52 AM   #2
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I don't know much about O/U's OR 410's, but I'm sold on the Stoeger brand. Before long, someone will come along and tell us how awful we are for not spending 2K+ on a high-end brand- but I just can't afford one of those. So, I subscribe to the "dance with one ya brung" line of thought. My Stoeger Coach SxS was easy to break in, is solid (if not kinda heavy), shoots where I point it, nothing has fallen off yet, the critters I've shot with it are still dead to the best of my knowledge, and it does not object to riding around in my truck. As far as a working 'truck gun'- I'd rate it with a Stevens 311 and way, way, WAY above the Bakails. Go for it.
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Old October 24, 2008, 03:27 PM   #3
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Stoeger is a serviceable gun ( they are part of the Beretta / Benelli family ) - but in general, I think its fair to say they are designed and built to be the lower end of the price spectrum for Beretta / Benelli - and may or may not hold up or last as long as guns from their sister divisions.

I see a few Stoeger's around / if you're not putting 2,000 shells a month thru it I think they'll give you a reasonable life. I do not think a Stoger will stand up to long term target gun usage of 20,000 shells a year too long.

A .410 vs 28ga, 20ga or 12ga is just relative to what you want. In general, most companies use a 20ga receiver - and make their 28ga or .410's using basically the same receiver. I like a .410 in an O/U ( my personal preference in a .410 is a Browning Citori XS Skeet model - but that is because that gun fits me the best ). If this gun fits you / it should serve you pretty well.
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Old October 24, 2008, 04:25 PM   #4
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Thank you very much for your input. I seriously doubt the shotgun would see 2000 rounds in its lifetime.

I just want an O/U to carry in my truck for grouse. I am considering the .410 as well as the 20 ga., too.

I am also looking at a Remington Spartan.

As you can see, my goal is an inexpensive shotgun, not a Browning, Beretta, etc.
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Old October 24, 2008, 04:42 PM   #5
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I've not hunted grouse in your part of the country, but I grew up hunting them in Northern Minnesota many years back. At that time, I had a 20 gauge pump gun and it worked nicely on them. I'm not so sure I would have been as successful had I been shooting at them with a .410 (had one of those too but never used it on grouse). They exploded at your feet and were doing mach 1 by the time there were 15 feet out, I swear they were!

Just my 2 cents.
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Old October 24, 2008, 05:05 PM   #6
hogdogs
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The .410 ammo cost is going to offset your savings in short order... They are 10 bucks for run of the mill shells. I also wouldn't endorse the .410 unless that is the round you really want. The 20 is going to be an easier to use bird dropper.
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Old October 24, 2008, 05:48 PM   #7
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If I'm not mistaken, Remington's Spartans are Russian made and a number of them are the old Baikal's. I have persoonally seen the poor quality of those- screws not tightened down because either the screws are undersized or the taps used to make them are groossly over-sized.
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Old October 24, 2008, 06:36 PM   #8
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If you want a .410 that's where you should go. What Hogdogs says about the cost of shells is true - ( but that is why I reload .410 too ).

But these days, balistically, you can make a 12ga perform like a 20ga or even a 28ga ( by dropping down to loads with 7/8 oz or 3/4 oz of shot ). Remington Spartan - Stoeger are really similar quality guns / and it doesn't sound like you'd be sorry with either of them.

The question of what gague you want to use for grouse is different of course / and personally, I like a fast swinging 12ga ( or a 20 or a 28ga ) for grouse or quail ( especially quail ).
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Old October 24, 2008, 06:52 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigJimP
If you want a .410 that's where you should go.
+1
However, IMHO, you might not want to consider going after grouse with a .410-bore until you no longer find them challenging with a 20 or 28-ga. If you're not a well seasoned grouse getter, have you considered a Condor in 20 or 12-ga? For the same price you get the added benefit of screw-in chokes. I've held an NSSA AAA-class avg in the four-ten, but I wouldn't hunt grouse with one (Skeet targets are predictable). A .410-bore can quickly and easily become frustration's handmaiden.
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Old October 25, 2008, 08:07 PM   #10
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10-96 I have one of those russian remingtons, and have had no problems with it in the last 2+ years, yes the wood fit and metal finish are not up to collectable standards, the little gun shoots great, hits what I aim at, and allways goes bang. as allways you get what you pay for, but I only shoot a few boxes of shells a year and can't justify a $1000 safe queen for a plinker. will it hold up forever, who knows but if it does break, with no more than I have in it, I will feel better personlally than if I had spent way more money on a gun and had it break. While I have nothing against your high dollar doubles I can't personally justify one myself.
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Old October 25, 2008, 08:18 PM   #11
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Hillbille,
I'm glad your SG is a winner for you. I've just had a bad experience with a couple of their 12ga SxS's. I don't have an expensive anything in my collec... accumulation. My go-to SG's are a Stoeger and two Stevens (one of which is pushing 65yrs old).
I've always been innerested in the 28ga. Read somewhere that in considering powder load, shot load, diameter, and length- it is the most efficient (I think the article said "perfect") shotgun shell ever made. Glad to hear about your excellent squirrel trip- sounds like a ton of fun.

On the note of my safe queens- read my 2nd signature line thingy. I'm far from rich or having high dollar stuff.
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Last edited by 10-96; October 25, 2008 at 08:21 PM. Reason: misspelled the gentlemans' name... sorry.
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Old October 26, 2008, 01:12 AM   #12
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I do not know if you have checked here yet but its worth a call.
1-800-588-9500
Thats CDNN sports. They run a lot of specials on shotguns and you never know what they have. It changes daily. Give them a call and have their catalog sent out. Ask for the deal of the day also.
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Old October 26, 2008, 07:14 PM   #13
schutzen
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Stoeger O/U

My son and I both have Stoeger Condors. We bought them for the the resaon you stated. We wanted O/U's that we could take to the field and not cringe when we crossed a fence or crawled into a duck blind. We have had them for 3 years and run roughly 2000 round through per year. They are both still going strong.

I would buy the 20 ga rather than the .410 due to the cost of the shells. in our area .410's are 3X the cost of 20's.
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Old December 2, 2008, 10:09 PM   #14
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Please remember that Stoeger guns are made all around the world - Turkey, Brazil... Russian Baikals (Remington Spartans) are all made by one of well known gun factory - Izjevsk, Russia. I had Stoeger Uplander and gun went for repair, then for replacement and finaly I got money back. Also I have Baikal IZJ 27 Sporting with 30" bbls - it is not these BBB guns, but no problem at all.
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