Stoeger Shotguns

[Arcey]

Howdy, folks.

Yanno, a pard of mine ‘n I were talkin’ Stoeger shotguns recently.  I own two.  A Coachgun bought used that I’ve been shootin’ a bunch o’er the last ten years come May ‘07.  It’s my primary shotgun.  Never been a problem with it.  Sayin’ an average of two shoots a month over that time period would be fair.

The other an Uplander that darned near looked new I picked up from an auction site.  Ain’t used this one that much.  I bought it as a back up and I also had a specific single purpose in mind for it too.  To this point its done well.  Includin’ a stage last Saturday of a minimum of 14 shells.  I shoot BP ‘n I thought the barrels were gonna melt.

Anyways.  I’ve seen two Coachguns, brand new, that doubled out of the box.  Heard of a single trigger Uplander that doubled as well.  And, some with manufacturer’s defects.

Intend to keep usin’ ‘em ‘til they puke.

Maybe it’s just blind luck I stumbled on the two I have but I’m happy with ‘em.  Then again, maybe I just don’t know any better.   'Course, the bad ones could be the exceptions.

Anyone with experience, good or bad, wantin’ ta make a comment just speak up.  Might help a new shooter, or an old one, make a decision.

[Tensleep]

Like most, I have heard both good and bad stories about Stoegers.

My experience with them is just one gun that was SO tight we liketa never got it slicked up.
The springs must have come off of a 6x6 rear axle.
Tha dern thing is gone and I am glad....

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Have a pair of the double trigger Uplanders, a 26( Mod., IC.), and a 28( full, mod.). Been used for years with no problems. Yes, they can be stiff, some to the point of having to use a knee to break them open. There's quite a few being used in this area and I've seen next to no problems with them. Only written knocks I've seen around the web are that the barrels regulation is somewhat iffy at times. Like anything else that's mass produced, there certainly can be some that can be considered lemons. If a poll were taken, I bet there would be thousands of these being used in CAS.............Buck

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[Major 2]

I had a NIB Coach Gun I bought in 2000. (Pre Ubreti/Beretta/Benelli import deal)
Issues were I had to de-burr the extractor bore to get it fully extend,  & polish the chambers with valve compound & bore mop to slick them up for Plastic hulls.
I polished the locking lugs & henge on the forestock to get it to open smoother & wider.

Beyond that, stout little 12 Gauge....Never did like the stained Brazilian Hardwood stock looks though.

I sold it for what I paid for it in 05 ...so no complaints.

[Lucky Irish Tom]

Had a Stoeger when I first started,  thing was a bear to break open and eject shells from, even after it had some work done to it.  Bruised my leg in one match opening.  Got rid of it and haven't looked back.  In Arcey's defense I've shot his and its like a totallly different shotgun from the one I had.

[Major E A Sterner]

I have 2 Stoegers that I have used since I started shooting this game. The first one is a 20 gauge that I got used in a trade. It was a good solid gun that never failed me. I still have it. The next one was a 12 gauge that I got from a pard who wanted to use a 97. It had been slicked up some, but wasn't as good as I would have prefered. so I did some of my own work to it and it has been a fine reliable shotgun, It has never failed me when I do my part. Now both of these guns are 7 to 12 years old and they may have been better made back then. Who knows. I wouldn't have any problem recommending a Stoeger  to a new shooter. But I would tell them to have a "Good" action job done on it before using it in a match.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

I have two, one truly great coach gun that's my wife's and one OK Uplander single-trigger that's mine (it took a lot of work and some intentional abuse to make it function without shooting both barrels at the same time). In all fairness, mine is really accurate and I don't miss with it. Had to go through three garbage guns to get to these two, though. In the search for the perfect shotgun I have a new Model 87. The Uplander will remain as my backup.

[litl rooster]

 Like others had said, the action was tight....Tight Help here from you pards at CasCity helped and its right now. I don't use it every match these days cuz of my persona but I wouldn't sell or trade it. I would even buy another if and when the time arizes. The chokes are good and shoots where I point it. $$$Backs well spent. I do know others who have had problems with theirs, the company I believed fixed them and have return them.

[Big John Denny]

The Coach Gun 12 GA is my main match shotgun. It opens smoothly and has never had a problem. Like Arcey, maybe I'm just lucky, but I'm glad I am, because I've never missed with my Stoger.

[Tony Two Crows]

I have two Stoegers as well...Coach and Uplander.  They both shoot great right out of the box.  I prefer the coach because it's easier to open and better balanced...looks more authentic/period to me too.
My only objection was the "plastic" finish on the Coach.  A Birchwood-Casey refinish kit later and it's a thing of beauty.

I shoot lefty so it was a little more difficult for me to open from the south than the north.  Brownells sells a spring kit to loosen up the opening action and I ground down the rod that automatically turns on the safety every time I break it open.  It's now a manual safety and works fine as the only use for this is on the firing line.  The Uplander makes a fine "Homeland Security" device as is.  Oh yeah, it's my match backup as well.

[Wil O.]

I bought a Stoeger SxS from a dealer.  It was new,  but had a scratched up stock,  so I got it cheap.   I took it apart to clean up the factory greases and a few bits of metal left over from manufacturing.
I re-lubed,  and that's all.
It was just a bit stiff at first,  but after the first 8 or so matches,  it smoother up
to satisfactory.  It drops open with just a shake,  not on its own when I push the lever.
That is good enough for me.
I have not polished the chambers,  but I think I will.
I make sure the chambers are clean and dry before a match,  and the hulls usually drop out.
One minor issue.........but can be important............
the firing pin bushings can and do come loose.  If one unscrews far enough  the action will not close.  I make sure they are tight before each match,  and I am fine.
I think they are a good value for the money.

[Buffalo Dog]

I had a Stoeger Supreme Coach gun that worked fine after polishung the heck out of everything.  One trick I learned is that you can improve the hard opening issue by taking off the plate on the back of the fore grip and removing the wood by sanding carefully.  This is much easier than sanding and polishing the steel parts where the barrels rotate.  Using this method my barrel would drop when you pushed the lever and you could close it by just flipping the barrels up.  I wanted a hammered double for BP shooting and bought a TTN which is just as stiff to start but did not require any polishing of the chambers.  The TTN is much heavier than the Stoeger but because of the Colt design which has a tab between the barrels that sticks out about 1/4" I can load a shoot it faster than the Stoeger.  The tab seem to keep the shells seperated making it faster for me to load.  One problem I have seen on 3 Stoegers is the lug breaking on the bottom of the barrel this seems to be the weak point for Stoeger as I have heard of several others besides the ones I say.  One pard contacted Stoeger and they would replace the whole gun but not just the, barrel the other 2 were older guns and did not contact Stoeger.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Another pro Stoeger fan, here.

I just traded my Coachgun for a Tula 12 ga. hammered double, but I have Nothing but good to say 'bout the Stoeger.  Smokeyless or BP - it didn't matter.  It was stiff, but bearable.  I did some minor internal polishing, and polished the chamber some, but left the spring intact. I'll bet it still works fine a hunnert years from now.  And it'll STILL be stiff.  And the junglewood stock still won't look all that great. 

But it'll work!

[Capt. Augustus]

Buffalo Dog,
When you say you sanded the wood under the forearm, could you gve a clue as to where you sanded it?  I've got a new 20 gage and other than being stiff to oen, I'm happy.

[Surly Bob]

I bought a used Stoeger Silverado from a pard in Michigan when I first got into CAS shooting about 4 years ago.  He must have just used it in a match because it was really dirty.  I cleaned it up but it didn't want to fire on one cylinder.  Once I got the fireing pins out, and cleaned it up, it worked really nice.  You can open and clear the gun with one hand while reaching for shells with the other. 
Since my wife and daughter started shooting, this SXS gets triple duty at shoots....me shooting BP, and the girls shooting featherweights.  Had some misfires during the first year the girls used it.  Turns out, the locking lug spring was a little too weak from the action job and the gun was actually coming open on the first shot, causing a misfire on the second shot when the firing pin didn't hit the primer dead center.  I put in a reduced spring kit that I bought on the Dillon Precision web site and all was fixed forever.  Of course, once I had to shoot one of my hot magnum loads through it for fun and ended up cracking the forearm.  The forearms are known to have that problem.  A Stoeger rep said all I have to do is send it in but I glued it myself and it seems to hold up just fine.  One of the best guns I've ever owned, I'll never sell or trade it off.  Very dependable.