S & W Elite Gold SxS

B

beretta boy

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I was quite impressed with a Smith & Wesson I saw last fall when I was in Maine. A new model ... "Elite Gold" , 20 gauge SxS.

It had most everything I liked going for it ... Rounded, scalloped edged, trigger plate box lock action, nicely hand-engraved (about 25 percent coverage, "English" scroll ) bone-charcoal colour case hardened receiver, ripple-free rust-blued 28" fixed-choke, I.Cyl/Mod. barrels, chambered for 3" (not that it's one of my criteria) AA Turkish walnut straight stock with 24 lpi hand checkering, checkered butt, very shootable dimensions, 6 3/4 lbs, yadda yadda, yadda .... but alas, a "fugly" single trigger.

S & W apparently "listen" ....

Same straight-stocked gun now available with double triggers.
Pretty much what many think a classic upland gun to be.
S& W SKU 822804

Pretty sure I need one ..... :D
 
beretta boy said:
I was quite impressed with a Smith & Wesson I saw last fall when I was in Maine. A new model ... "Elite Gold" , 20 gauge SxS.

It had most everything I liked going for it ... Rounded, scalloped edged, trigger plate box lock action, nicely hand-engraved (about 25 percent coverage, "English" scroll ) bone-charcoal colour case hardened receiver, ripple-free rust-blued 28" fixed-choke, I.Cyl/Mod. barrels, chambered for 3" (not that it's one of my criteria) AA Turkish walnut straight stock with 24 lpi hand checkering, checkered butt, very shootable dimensions, 6 3/4 lbs, yadda yadda, yadda .... but alas, a "fugly" single trigger.

S & W apparently "listen" ....

Same straight-stocked gun now available with double triggers.
Pretty much what many think a classic upland gun to be.
S& W SKU 822804

Pretty sure I need one ..... :D
Click to expand...

Does look nice. Wonder what one would cost at a Canadian dealer...

http://www.smith-wesson.com/wcsstore/SmWesson/upload/other/2008_Catalog_PartI.pdf
 
straightshooter said:
Does look nice. Wonder what one would cost at a Canadian dealer...
Click to expand...

The one I briefly inspected (at Epps) some months previously has a price tag of $2385......finish is very superior + lighter 3 inch chambered barrels - when compared to a CZ.....but then I would have liked to have had a glimpse at the iternals to really justify dropping over $2k over a Turkish made shotgun.
 
I don't want to break up the love-in but, i would be very careful about spending over 2k on a turkish sxs, we've had trouble with some(o/u's) and it seems to me that one could find one made in Eu. or USA/Br. for a little more or a used one! I have exp. with some of the lower priced Italian guns like Zoli and consider them superior. I resently handled a Bernardelli, and it was the "bees knees' though i don't know much about them and I am assuming that they are made in Italy. This is just my opinion(except for shop returns)!
 
beretta boy said:
Figured as much ... :p

.... and how did you know very well ???
( without looking at the insides, that is )
Click to expand...

As a matter of fact I did, starting with a Toyota Corona and a Datsun 120Y ages ago :)

Kidding aside - I am as much attracted to the S&W sxs (read DT models) as you are but somehow can't yet bring myself to spend an amount equivalent to a 686 SP (for example)....I realize that I am comparing an sxs to an o/u, however, one would have expected a very close comparison in terms of even the external finish and that (to me) just wasn't there. How they have finished the internals still remain to be validated.

My question (to myself only) - how much am I gaining by upgrading to an S&W from a CZ or would it be prudent to explore further into used English, Spanish etc via willing to spend a bit more?

I hope you, SS or Sharptail will buy one and provide us with a detailed review :D :D

On second thoughts, now if they had a 28ga.......
 
I haven't put one of these guns into my hands yet but am looking forward to give one a closer look now that they are coming with double triggers.

S&W's approach to Turkey interests me too. Instead of rebadging someone else's guns like CZ they bought a gun operation and claim to be running it to their standards. From what I've read in the reviews I'm not overwhelmed with a gun that apparently comes with 6 to 10 lbs trigger pulls but that can be fixed.
 
Well, its is a nice LOOKING gun...I looked into them a bit awhile back but was put off by the single trigger too. I went ahead and decided on a Lion Country Ugartechea sidelock instead.
 
I don't think you can make a blanket condemnation of Turkish guns. The Turks are filling the role that the Spanish occupied a generation ago. They build guns to set price points for export. If the gun is cheap then no doubt they didn't put the same time and effort into building it. It also depends on who is importing the gun and whether they will stand behind the product.

Ugartechea is good example. Years ago they put out some pretty poor guns that didn't cost much. But LCS and Aspen Outfitting went to Spain and worked out agreements with Ugartechea for better quality guns, paid better and charged a higer price for them. Parker Hale did the same and a Parker Hale sxs made by Ugartechea is a definitely made to a higher standard than guns made for other importers at the time.

The S&W sxs might be worth the asking price but I'm not likely to be the one to find out. I'll let others do that for me.
 
No more than you could blanket some American made SxS's from the past
( no, they weren't all "classics", some were cheap crap indeed ) nor some
of the Belgian guns either .... we all know some were gems, and some were real junk. Low-end Faustis and Marocchis at bargain basement import prices were no bargain either.

I wouldn't pretend to try & second guess firms like Remington & Winchester
( or whoever's pulling their strings these days ) vis-a-vis their current import arms ... but I just can't believe S & W would invest what they did and put their name on a load of horse patutties,. let alone cycling their management staff over there continuosly to watch engineering and quality control. !

In the end run, we won't really know if they're any good or not until someone (other than a gun for hire writer/hack) puts one through the ringer.

I've looked at Hatfields, CZ's, Yildiz & a bunch of other stuff at that end of the scale ... but for me, no thanks. The S & W represents another level ( but still well below the better Spanish makers ) that MAY well be a
viable alternative to a restored American classic or a new higher grade SxS for something in and around the price of a decent O/U like the 686 Beretta or Citori. If it is, I'm in !!! And will still lust after better more expensive stuff too.

:D
 
beretta boy said:
In the end run, we won't really know if they're any good or not until someone (other than a gun for hire writer/hack) puts one through the ringer.
Click to expand...
Is that the sound of you volunteering? ;)

My recollection is that Bruce Buck did a review of them in Shooting Sportsman. Buck is a step above the usual gun rag author. He said positive things but did mention heavy trigger pulls.
 
Apparently S & W designed and built a whole new facility to make these guns in Turkey. Using Turkish labour.
 
Yes, read (and re-read) Bruce Buck's article ( SS Sept/Oct '07) and a few others since... plus had a long conversation with a S&W staffer who had previuosly done a turn overseas at their new O/U and S/S facility. Nothing he said that really wasn't covered in Burk's article. He was about to take the SxS I originally looked at last fall with him, up into northern Maine for a week of grouse & woodcock hunting. ( I was a little envious, but had a truck full of fly rods & waders headed back up to the Ausable ) The particular gun I examined had what I considered to be very acceptable trigger pulls ... not at all heavy or otherwise objectionable in any way.

Yeah, I just may "volunteer" ... I'm short a 20 ga. covert beater at the moment ...

We'll see what turns up :D
 
dilly said:
Well, its is a nice LOOKING gun...I looked into them a bit awhile back but was put off by the single trigger too. I went ahead and decided on a Lion Country Ugartechea sidelock instead.
Click to expand...

Post some pics of the ugartechea and what does it take to get it into canada? Cost?
 
I don't have it yet. I will post pics when its in. I went through Questar for the importation and their fees are $295.00. This is my first time doing this...so far so good.
 
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