stoeger verses stevens 311?

[rickk]

I already have a couple of 12g sxs, but for some reason I was thinking I need at least one more.

I tried to buy one from "Dick's Sporting Goods" In W. Springfield, Ma.

I was holding it in my hand in fact. Plopped down my CCW permit and a credit card. "Our computer is down, come back tomorrow.

That was yesterday. I went back today and was told "there is no one in the store that can do a gun transaction today, come back tomorrow".

"Dick's" .. yer a dick.

Anyway, I realized there is a really big gun show coming up in two weeks right near me.

Now, I live in the same town that Savage Arms is located in, and two towns over from where the original Stevens plant was, so there are more than average numbers of old Stevens 311's around here. A good used one should go around here  for about the same price as a new Stoeger.

I have more than one need for this particular gun. I was originally thinking 20 inches but could tolerate up to 26 inches. I plan on putting both BP brass cased loads thru it as well as modern 00 buck. I guess it needs to be able to play on weekends and work during the week around the farm (hence my initial thought that 20 " would be convenient) .

I am not intimate with either gun. Does anyone have any opinions on which is better rugged-wise?

Rick

[rebsr52339]

Rickk, I own 3 mod 311s and one Stoger 12ga SxS w/18" bbls. First the Stoger. I love this gun for the Cowboy shooting I do. I found out you cannot use the Winchester low-wall Aluminum base shells as they tend to stick(swell up) in the chambers and the head spacing is tighter with them, and the gun has a hard time breaking open. I use low wall brass and they slip out just fine with no help. I also have tried, and they function well, is the Federal low wall Al base from WalMart .
  The model 311s I have are real work horses. I have one at 18 1/4" bbls (my first shotgun in 1957) which has been worked to allow the bbls to remain full open to more efficiently dump out the shells. I have one with 24" bbls and the problem is not so bad. My other is a 30" and it works well. All function well with all ammo except the Winchester Al base ammo. All the guns work well with Brass base shells. Hope this helps.

Dick

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Please don't cut up a perfectly good shotgun!   I know there are lots of 311s about, but for every stroke of the hacksaw there is one fewer.

Buy a Bar keeps gun if you want one.  BTW my best match results were with long barrels and tight chokes.  I never had a problem with moving a regular length gun about.  There should be a nice upland gun available in your area, 26" bbls w/open chokes.

IMHO, Sawdoffs are a fad with no redeeming benefits.

[rickk]

No plans on sawing anything up at all. The 311 came in various barrel lengths. I'll look around for something 26 or shorter and a gun show this weekend. I live only a few miles from where they were made, so there should be no shortages of selection in this area.

I still have not ruled out the Stoeger either. An FFL friend is trying to locate a source of the Stainless steel receiver, blued barrel version for me. It has screw in chokes, and comes with a thick rubber pad already installed.

I am off to the gun show in a few minutes to see what is out there for used 311's, and if none can be found, I will probably go the Stoeger route.

Dick, I am all set up to reload brass hulls, and was generally planning on going that route. I just got my hands on the new Lee O-framed press with the removable bushing that accepts the bigger RCBS dies, and I have both the cowboy RCBS dies (for brass hulls) and the regular RCBS shotshell dies (for paper or plastic). I have a roll crimper tool for my drill press as well if I decide on plastic. I'll pay attention to the plastic hullls you mentioned if I use them.

Thanks to both of you for the advice!

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

The essential tools for reloading brass hulls are;

A plastic hammer
A depriming punch
A piece of copper plumbing about 4 inches long.

[Major 2]

I'd have choice word or two DICK's myself... Computers Down  " come back tomorrow "   You got a pencil & form and phone don't you ?, so get busy, do your job and do the math  ! it's a cash patron you're wanting send away 

"there is no one in the store that can do a gun transaction today, come back tomorrow".  why the hell are you in Business 
Yeah Right.... I would not be going back tomorrow...or ever

My first SXS for CAS was  the Fox 311 it was "as long as I needed it loaner" I bought a Stoeger abuot 3 shoots later (not wanting to take advantage of the gift horse )

Both are serviceable and will suit you for CAS.... My Pard uses an old Cresent Arms SXS with 26" and has only the L main spring break ( more old gun, heavier than normal use issue than a flaw.... IMO )


However for myself...these days I use my TTn Mule Hammer SXS

[rickk]

I just came back from the gun show. It sucked...

The dealers were complaining that no one was buying, but they had crazy prices on everything so that sorta makes sense.

I saw one well used Stoeger (the super basic model) there for $300 bucks. When they can be had for 25 bucks more new, welll - that is a stupid price.

There were a few Stevens 311's there with $700+ prices on them, which is also a stupid price in my mind.

So, I swung by a local dealer, who just happens to sell Stoegers. He didn't have the model I wanted in stock (coach, SS receiver, blue barrel, single trigger, screw in chokes)), but he ordered it and it will be in by next Friday he thinks. $400 bucks ($470 MSRP) seemed like a good price.

Sir Charles, I reload 37mm stuff with tools you are talking about, and it works well. I made a custom primer punch and a seating punch on my wood lathe for doing it basically the way you are talking about. I seat the 209 primers in the 37 mm cases with a big C clamp, which just seems nicer than using a plastic hammer.

In this case however, I stumbled across the RCBS 12 gauge dies really cheap and the LEE "Classic Cast Press" was only 75 bucks brand new. With the two sets combined, I can reload paper, plastic, or brass, resize if needed, and do roll or star crimp, and I also got a quart of waterglass for doing the brass cases using the classic method.

I thought my 4 other presses needed another friend on the bench anyway