Cheap Import Shotguns

[blackgunsdan]

Dam I forgot the Remington 887 Tactical too! I must be getting old!

 

[deen_ad]

The sad fact is the Mossberg Maverick 88 line is usually sold at or near the same price point as the china & turkish cheaper lines.
The Maverick guns are just as strong as the more expensive mossberg guns, the only real difference is the location of the safety

I sold my Maverick to a friend who traded it off. Seemed to be pretty good although I never shot it and I got it new.

Now all I have are Win 1300's, should probably sell a couple of them. I bought one with both a long and short barrel. Figured I could put the long barrel on if I ever went into Canada with our motorhome. But now I have a Coastal Mariner for rough service and I don't ever plan on going into Canada with the motorhome. Oh yes, the 1300 is one of only two pump action that are tested and OK'd to use the Aguila ½ size shells, the other is the KSG.

Personally the Maverick was about as low a priced gun that I would buy for any protection use.

 

[40calruler]

Yeah I remember when I bought my first Saiga 12 for $350.00! I thought that it was going to be a POS, but I shot hundreds of rounds of cheap ammo though it without any problems. I bought my son a Tri-Star semi-auto a few years ago when the Turkish shotguns first showed up on the market, he has put hundreds of rounds though his Tri-Star without a hitch. I have a Cobra pump that I haven't shot, and purchased a Tri-Star M3 copy (Pump/Auto.) So far it has worked without a hitch. I had a Mossberg 500 that broke the first time I took it hunting, the welds that connect the slide bars to the bolt broke. My son had an 870 that the slide controls would detach from the bolt by sliding out of the notches that were supposed to hold them in place. Seems like anything can break even US made. Just my 2 cents.
Here is a list of shotguns I have owned over the years.
Mossberg 500 Combo 12ga
Mossberg 590 12ga
Winchester 1300 12ga
SWD Street-Sweeper 12ga pre nfa
Remington 1100 20ga
Remington 1100 12ga (3 of these, tactical, hunter and modified tactical.)
Benelli Nova Tactical 12ga
Benelli M2 12ga (4 of these.)
Browning BPS 10ga
Saiga 410
Saiga 20
Saiga 12 (6 o7 of these.)
FN SLP 12ga (Burt has this one.)
Kel-Tec KSG 12ga (Hated it!)
Bailak Side by side 12ga
H & R Combo O/U 22LR-20ga
Tri-Star Cobra Pump 12ga
Tri-Star Benelli M3 copy 12ga
Smith & Wesson Governor 410/45
I don't think this makes me an expert, but I do know my shotguns.
+

I have the governor and it is truly one of my favorite shotguns. It is a mean HD gun with buckshot backed by 45lc or acp

 

[usagi]

my cheap *** mossberg has been many times more reliable than my expensive remington or browning.

nothing wrong with cheap imports. a friend got a lanber o/u and it's been a reliable clay crushing workhorse. fit+finish and materials are as good as any other o/u several times the price.

 

[Velzey]

So the Chinese made Stevens and Tri-Stars are nice to look at. Poor heat treating of bolts and locking lugs/blocks. Ive seen several crack already. The anodize is thin on the receivers, when I drill into it, its dead soft aluminum on the inside, that is barely able to be tapped without tearing the threads of ripping them clean out because the alum is so soft.

The cartridge stops are soft and do not hold their shape after awhile. Its ok tho you can but 870 parts and sometimes they will fit.

As for the Turkish made shotguns, I had to go to the ER one summer day and have parts of a shattered locking block removed from my lower right shin and top of my foot. With a standard load the bolt blew open and the locking block went downward. Poor heat treatment, made the block way to hard and brittle.

Allot of these companys will pop up make a bunch of shotguns and go outta biz, then reopen under a new name. Still made in Turkey tho.
Charles Daly has improted a bunch of them, under allot of different names, along with a few other companys.

 

[donovanjdouglas]

So the Chinese made Stevens and Tri-Stars are nice to look at. Poor heat treating of bolts and locking lugs/blocks. Ive seen several crack already. The anodize is thin on the receivers, when I drill into it, its dead soft aluminum on the inside, that is barely able to be tapped without tearing the threads of ripping them clean out because the alum is so soft.

As for the Turkish made shotguns, I had to go to the ER one summer day and have parts of a shattered locking block removed from my lower right shin and top of my foot. With a standard load the bolt blew open and the locking block went downward. .

So either my Chinese or Turkish shotgun will have absolutely no problems my entire life, or they will implode and embed themselves into my flesh. My follow up questions would be, how many documented cases of catastrophic failure do these weapons have, and have American shotguns ever done something similar? I try to remember that firearms manufacturers are still businesses, and factory flaws seem to occur in all products either due to random chance, willful negligence, human error, or machine or computer miscalculation (my speculation). I guess what I'm asking is, is there a greater risk of problems in cheaper foreign firearms, and are those risks greater than American made or more expensive equivalents? It's as much a technical as a philosophical debate. Thanks for your input so far.

 

[2Wheels4Ever]

I would still rather pay $100 more and get a cheap rem or mossy over a cheap knock off.

 

[donovanjdouglas]

I would still rather pay $100 more and get a cheap rem or mossy over a cheap knock off.

I lean that way too. Funds pending.

 

[Ttuck]

I bought a stevens 320 with the fiber optic sight for 189 at fishermans a while back. I put a easy 100 rounds through it and it had no issues. I sold it to my brother in law because I still do trust and prefer my Mossberg 500 for HD but he shoots with me and he has yet to have an issue with a shotgun that was under 200 out the door and holds 5+1. Not a bad deal as far as my experience showed.

I bought one a bit over a year ago and the very first trip out some rod got bent somehow and now it won't eject shells out of the magazine. I called them up and the guy on the other end said that's a common problem. Along with the welds that hold the forend on the gun itself snapping, Which is known issue as well. If you google "stevens 320 problems" You get a ton of results of people saying theirs have broken in a similar manner. Also they are made in China, So it most definitely isn't a step up from Chinese shotguns.

 

[1990Turbo]

I bought my wife a Hatsan Escort youth size tactical 20ga pump a couple yearts ago. She hasnt fired it much but it really seems like a decent shotgun for the money. Decent fit and finish and works how it should. I would buy another Escort.

 

[SVT-ROY]

My 590 mossburg has 3500 rounds run through it with out a single problem. It eats all ammo very well. Slugs are dead-nuts on. I would stake my life on it any day. Have seen lots of brands used in 3-gun and cheap=unreliable. Have noticed semi-auto Remingtons jamb now and then and benelli semi's picky with shot 8. Lots of shotguns sound awsome on paper or in a brochure but run them hard and you get to see what their worth. The military and LEO's have spent lots of time and money sorting out this subject.

I had a 590SP, I cracked the pistol grip shooting 3" express loads, then the slide was locking up and was hardly functional. Hate the safe placement, but funny enough I now run a Moss 590 that is so reliable I trust it 100% with any ammo dirty or clean. Every manufacturer has good and bad everything, just some more of than the other. A cheapo shotgun , if one can only afford that, we'll it beats a rock right?

 

[salmonriverjohn]

+1 for the Maverick. I have some pretty nice shotguns, don't feel the need to list them all here, but when I head out in the back yard for a grouse hunt or a clay bust I find my self holding one of these more than I do the many other, much more expensive units. They have proven (to me at least) to be rock solid reliable.

 

[FAST ED]

Forgot the Mossberg 930!

I have many friends that own and shoot for 3-gun the 930 JM pro 22" and 24". Very well made and rock solid performance. Shoots very fast. Its at the top of my want list!

 

[40calruler]

I bought one a bit over a year ago and the very first trip out some rod got bent somehow and now it won't eject shells out of the magazine. I called them up and the guy on the other end said that's a common problem. Along with the welds that hold the forend on the gun itself snapping, Which is known issue as well. If you google "stevens 320 problems" You get a ton of results of people saying theirs have broken in a similar manner. Also they are made in China, So it most definitely isn't a step up from Chinese shotguns.

It is like anything. I got one that has worked well through likely 600 rounds now and others get one that fail on the first round. Same with Taurus as I got a 4 inch tracker a few years ago and my cousin liked it so he got one. Mine had over 1k at that point and he shot one round and the chamber locked up completely and had to go back. They fixed it and it was a good gun after that but with all guns you are taking a chance especially when you go for a cheaper model like the stevens. At 189 I figured it was worth a shot and so far it has been worth 5-600 shots and still going strong. My brother loves it but as I said I still just prefer my Mossberg as if something does break there are so many parts out there and it has yet to show any sign of anything but a reliable bad a%$ shotgun.

 

[40calruler]

I had a 590SP, I cracked the pistol grip shooting 3" express loads, then the slide was locking up and was hardly functional. Hate the safe placement, but funny enough I now run a Moss 590 that is so reliable I trust it 100% with any ammo dirty or clean. Every manufacturer has good and bad everything, just some more of than the other. A cheapo shotgun , if one can only afford that, we'll it beats a rock right?

I have to say your post makes a good point as I do not shoot many 3 inch shells. Some but I rarely do when out shooting. I keep it loaded with 3"buck shot at home but other than putting a few through it to be sure it functioned alright I stick to light loads for plinking fun.

 

[Ligito]

Yeah I remember when I bought my first Saiga 12 for $350.00! I thought that it was going to be a POS, but I shot hundreds of rounds of cheap ammo though it without any problems. I bought my son a Tri-Star semi-auto a few years ago when the Turkish shotguns first showed up on the market, he has put hundreds of rounds though his Tri-Star without a hitch. I have a Cobra pump that I haven't shot, and purchased a Tri-Star M3 copy (Pump/Auto.) So far it has worked without a hitch. I had a Mossberg 500 that broke the first time I took it hunting, the welds that connect the slide bars to the bolt broke. My son had an 870 that the slide controls would detach from the bolt by sliding out of the notches that were supposed to hold them in place. Seems like anything can break even US made. Just my 2 cents.
Here is a list of shotguns I have owned over the years.
Mossberg 500 Combo 12ga
Mossberg 590 12ga
Winchester 1300 12ga
SWD Street-Sweeper 12ga pre nfa
Remington 1100 20ga
Remington 1100 12ga (3 of these, tactical, hunter and modified tactical.)
Benelli Nova Tactical 12ga
Benelli M2 12ga (4 of these.)
Browning BPS 10ga
Saiga 410
Saiga 20
Saiga 12 (6 o7 of these.)
FN SLP 12ga (Burt has this one.)
Kel-Tec KSG 12ga (Hated it!)
Bailak Side by side 12ga
H & R Combo O/U 22LR-20ga
Tri-Star Cobra Pump 12ga
Tri-Star Benelli M3 copy 12ga
Smith & Wesson Governor 410/45
I don't think this makes me an expert, but I do know my shotguns.
+

Baikal?

 

[donovanjdouglas]

You fellas make some good points. Basically what I'm hearing is nothing is perfect, and you get what you pay for. Personally, if I have the funds, I prefer to pay more initially for a product that will last longer, otherwise you may have problems or may need to replace the product sooner than expected. I really appreciate the input.

 

[mrblond]

You fellas make some good points. Basically what I'm hearing is nothing is perfect, and you get what you pay for. Personally, if I have the funds, I prefer to pay more initially for a product that will last longer, otherwise you may have problems or may need to replace the product sooner than expected. I really appreciate the input.

thats my opinion. If i could spend 400$ on a Turkish shotgun, or 1400 on a Benilli, i'll trust my life to the Benilli.

 

[Toyotamike]

I have a charles daly 18" HD, turkish, pump shotgun. It came with one of the feed latches installed incorrectly so it would double feed. Other than that it's been a good gun.

 

[tac]

Buy cheap, buy twice.

tac