Stoeger 2000: Good Gun or Complete Crap?

[Full-choke]

So I was looking at the Stoeger 2000 on the internet the other day and it looks like a good gun. I have been wanting a good 12 Gauge and it caught my eye.

Supposedly it uses Benelli's Inertia Driven Technology which definitely marks high on my list. I looked at Benelli's but the Stoeger is literally a third of the cost of them and uses the same design. I know they are probably made a little cheaper but I don't see anything wrong with them. I have had a Stoeger Condor 20 for 2 or 3 years now and I do just fine with it. That gun has broken hundreds of clays and dozens of pigeons and not a speck of issue with it.

So, in your opinion how good is the gun for the money. The guys at the gun shop tell me it is about the best for what I want to put in to one. They tell me that a lot, but it still seems like a solid gun. I know it does 2 3/4 and 3" and it comes with 5 choke tubes out of factory, seems like a pretty sweet deal to me.

[oletymer]

Auto loaders are the least reliable shotguns. Do youself a favor and get a good one. The Turkish and Chinese guns are a crap shoot as far as quality goes. You may get a good one and maybe not. Mossberg, Remington and Beretta have models that are fairly cheap and are better guns.

[famine]

I was just looking into getting a new shotgun and checked these out, the biggest downside of them is that while they use the same inertia mechanism as the benneli they do not come with the recoil reducer in the stock. I've talked to a few people and some have a problem with recoil while others don't. They are supposed to do fairly well with light 2 3/4 loads but are not 100% reliable. It's hard to get an semi-auto shotgun that will take all of the variety of loads in one length much less two with 100% reliability.

Just my $0.02
Famine

[ebutler462]

Crap!!

Bought one and soon it departed my hands. Try a new Mossberg 930 for the same money. Or buy a good used brand name in a gas operated gun, like a Remington 11-87, maybe.

Gas guns are fun guns. Those inertia operated guns kick worse than a mule. If it ain't fun to shoot, you won't enjoy it.

I got rid of that Stoeger. I dreaded to fire it it hurt so badly. You have to buy a recoil reducer (which doesn't help much) which will put your end price much higher than a brand new Mossberg 930. I don't have one but I have read some great reviews on the 930. I ran across a Remington 11-87 at a good price. Love it.

Please don't make the mistake of throwing your money at a chancey firearm when there are proven guns for around the same money.

[Full-choke]

Well, Recoil really isn't an issue. I own a 45-70 and I just purchased a .375 H&H bolt gun. I'm not too afraid of a 12 gauge in any manner, but it will affect my shot. I have shot several 1100 Rems and I like those. The Browning Gold that my stepdad owns is amazing, but way too expensive. What about Franchi? My brother seems to drool over them and he is an avid fowl hunter.

So what do you think on their guns?

[ebutler462]

I have two Franchi 48s, a 12 and a 20 gauge. Both are over 40 years old. They are fantastic. Never a problem.

I like to collect guns and thought about the 2000. It just ain't my kind of gun. Turkish crap. Why Benelli allows them to use their patents is beyond imagination. Rough finished parts and questionable reliability. It is not a fun gun to shoot even when it works.

I like the reviews of the Mossberg 930. May even buy one. Very soft in the recoil department and reliability is great. In fact, that will be my next buy.

[StoneyFF]

ebutler462,

You should do a little research... Beretta, Benelli, Stoeger, Franchi... all owned by Beretta... and according to several sources all of their barrels for all their shotguns are made in Turkey...

Your comment 'Turkish Crap' is misguided at best, and just plain mean at worst. The gun may be crap, but if it's crap, it's because it's crap, not because it's Turkish.

There is a difference in fit and finish between the Benelli, Franchi, and Stoeger (in that order) that is in rough proportion to their costs. If fit and finish is worth money to you, then by all means pay for it. But to call something that's a reasonably honest value for the price they charge crap because it doesn't have the fit and finish of a gun three times the price... that's not very fair, is it?

StoneyFF
{and we wonder why so the rest of the world holds the US in such contempt... perhaps it's the ignorant contempt we show toward them}

[BoneDigger]

Good gun.

Between my brother and I (and his sons) we have 5 Stoeger 2000s in various setups (wood, synthetic, different barrel lengths), and NONE of them has had any issues. They do kick fairly hard with 3" loads, but not too bad. Thgese guns get used hard, and have never had a hickup of any kind.

I'm a fan of the Stoeger 2000!

Todd

[Smitty in CT]

I have a 930, it has been very reliable and never jammed of failed to fire.

I have heard that with the 2000, you either love 'em or hate 'em..... do a search, the 930 is a great buy...

So good in fact....I've ordered another one....this time the SPX version!!

[ebutler462]

Stoney,

I respect your critique of my post. I can be wrong. Have been. Will be again. The 2000 I had was crap. I got rid of it right quick. The innards looked like they had been made by a drunk Turk with a dull file on a dark night. I was asked my opinion. I gave it from experience, not second hand info.

For the same money you can buy a decent gun. Again I recommend something on the order of the 930 new or a Remington 1100 0r 11-87 used. These are tried and true guns. And I might add a lot more fun to shoot than the Benelli clone, the 2000.

It matters not where it is churned out, the 2000 is not a gun that I want or I would have kept the one I bought and gave every chance. It ain't worth it to toss your money and take a chance on one of those Turkish clunkers when more out of the box reliability can be had for around the same money.

[Ruger4570]

What you can afford is what you can afford. I own Berretas 390's in fact along with a couple of Rem 1100's and 11-87's, that isn't counting the Brownings and Rizzini's. All I can say is, not many have a complaint about Berretas and Remingtons as far as semi auto's go. I suspect there is a reason. I have been shooting 1100's since the 70's and never, never had a problem. I shoot easily 15,000 or more rounds a year in Trap, Skeet and SC's. I just stick with proven guns.

[Full-choke]

Well, through a series of talks with the actual owner of the local gun shop whom I trust very much, I settled with the I-12. I wasn't going to do anything so soon but he was selling the gun for a friend who lost his job and needed the money to pay bills. I got a really good deal on it and even though it is only slighty used. The got shot 40 rounds through it and it never even got the choke tube switched. The factory warranty and box all came with it...just too good of a deal to pass up.

The guy said he owns both a Benelli and I Franchi and he likes the Franchi better, so I will be happy.

-Ryan

[ebutler462]

Full Choke,

Put a Polychoke II on the end of the barrel and you will have a gun for all seasons and reasons. Best thing ever made for shooters that use their guns for a variety of shooting. No more screw-ins to fumble with.

Check them out. Every gun I own has one. Wouldn't be without it.

[Barber2678]

Full Choke,

Put a Polychoke II on the end of the barrel and you will have a gun for all seasons and reasons. Best thing ever made for shooters that use their guns for a variety of shooting. No more screw-ins to fumble with.

Check them out. Every gun I own has one. Wouldn't be without it.

I thought they stopped making those around the time the dinosaurs died!

I like the screw-ins and I think most people would/do. I haven't seen any factory guns with adjustable chokes on them lately, all tubes.

[Full-choke]

Well, before I go get any kind of choke tubes, I'll see how it shoots first. My brother is getting a poly choke for his gun, I'll see how he likes it before I make the purchase. The only choke investment I will make right now is something for my Stoeger Conder 20 ga, it needs a set.

So, anyone got any ideas on that. I'd like a set for shooting trap/skeet, probably extended if possible.

-Ryan

[ebutler462]

Barber,

For convenience, I will take a Poly II. They are the modern version of the dinosaur. All my guns except the O/Us have them. They do the same job as the screw-ins. Problem was that some shooters didn't like the looks of them. This kind of thought still lingers. The gun makers wanted the buyers of their products to have versatility so they came up with the screw-in idea.

In 1973, I sent all my guns to Polychoke and had the Deluxe Poly put on them. I have been a happy camper ever since. Now that Polychoke has streamlined their product for the screw-in barrels, the Poly II, all my screw-ins have been tossed and Poly IIs in their place. Really it's all about looks. You either like their looks or you don't. They work and they work extremely well. They are really popular in my part of the world.

[Ruger4570]

Poly chokes do indeed work, one of my shooting buddies has one on his Ithaca Model 37. They can be adjusted much quicker than the screw in type chokes, another plus. The downside to Poly Chokes is that most are a permanent installation and unfortunatly nowadays, reduce the value of a shotgun.
They were pretty popular in the 50's and 60's but their popularity disappeared as screw-ins became the way to go. Kinda like my Browning Grade VI skeet gun with 26" barrels. It just isn't "THE" length to have. Regardles of whether I can outshoot people with 28" and 30" skeet guns, even the occasional 32" guys. So the value of my Skeet gun has been reduced because of "perception" not "performance"

[ebutler462]

Ruger4570,

The Poly II is a screw-in. It replaces the individual screw-ins. Just screw it in and it is ready. The old Polychokes that were installed on fixed choke barrels were soldered on.

You can get the Ploychoke II at Gander Mtn or Brownells. It is a simple do-it-yourself installation if your barrel is threaded for the screw-ins. Save your factory chokes for when you might want to sell or trade your gun.

[wolverine350]

For the money i would opt for the Mossberg 930, reviews are nothing but fantistic on the 930, they handle well and point well and are a great gun for the money

[thinktwice]

Everyone say's buy "Made in USA". I am willing to bet 65% of the people making that statement don't even drive a vehicle made in the United States!!

[Smitty in CT]

Wow... a 6-1/2 year old thread...

My Mossberg 930's are still going strong....

And, yes I drive a US car, a Toyota Siena, made in Indiana, with more than 90% North American part content... (a Ford Mustang on the other hand is made in Canada, with less than 60% "North American content)