Stoger Condor Youth ?

[Vermonter]

I am considering a stoger youth gun mainly because it is shorter overall than the other 20 ga models. I would use this mostly for upland bird hunting and possibly to walk up ducks in the creek bottoms.

My question is simply this. Are these worth anything or should I not even bother?

I would go with something nicer if there were a huge difference between say a $400 gun and a $800 gun but after that I am not spending 3 zeros on a shotgun. In that range I would go with an autoloader.

Regards, Vermonter

[BigD_in_FL]

If you know someone with one, you really should try one before you buy, especially with duck loads.

Personally, I would opt for the semi over this. There really isn't a way that "good" and "cheap SxS or O/U" go together. Can you possibly get one that works - most of the time - sure, not every single one is junk. The question becomes which ones are? The one YOU buy, or the next guy? Double guns need barrel regulation, and that means hand labor which is expensive,
$800 will get you a lightly used nice semi from a variety of makers.
You can look at CDNN to see if they have any of their Lanber O/Us that were running about 800 or more.

I find it ironic that you won't spend "three zeros" on a SxS but you'd get a semi for that..... If you are going there, look at the Beretta A400

[BigJimP]

Shop the used gun stores in your area...and I think you'll find the values of the Stoegers in general...are very low....especially compared to similar models from other mfg's ....like Benelli, Beretta, Browning or Winchester.

When it comes to Stoegers guns....you might get 2 or 3 out of 10 that will be serviceable...but you can't tell by looking at them.

In shotguns you get what you pay for....its not just cosmetics...its in the quality of the springs, the quality of the steel, the machining ....

In gas operated semi-autos Beretta and Browning/Winchester have a solid linie of guns. In the Inertia operated semi-autos Benelli has some solid guns. In the O/U market ...Browning and Beretta both give you a lot of gun for the money.

I think you'll be way better off with a gas operated semi-auto from either Beretta or Browning/Winchester - either new or used.

[Orphanedcowboy]

I bought one for the daughter, she hated it. It was barrel heavy even with the 22" barrels, we never could get it to have a neutral balance. I added a really soft pad and she complained even with 2 3/4" duck loads.

It never failed to function and no one was ever going to claim it out of the rack, ugly as sin.

[erob3]

I realize you stated you were looking at a 20 Ga but this is to follow up on BigDin's suggestions of a Lanber shotgun. Scroll down about half way to the middle of the page.

http://www.cherrys.com/newgunspecials.htm