Yesterday at the range day, I gave the new Stoeger 3000 pump shotgun a good try. Now, like many other shooters, I've watched the Turkish guns slowly improve over the past years. But not all Turkish guns are the same; like anything else, some may be good, some not so good, and sometimes some are plain weird.
In this particular case, I came away somewhat impressed with the feel of the gun, and it's lack of rattling and other usual downsides which we often expect from entry-level shotguns. So, after having a great time busting a lot of clays (free ammo, woohoo!) I was looking forward visiting the Stoeger booth to take a closer look at this shotgun.
There are actually two new models, the 3000 which I tried, and the 3500, good for 3.5 shells. My initial feeling about fit, ruggedness were confirmed. The dual bars are well fitted, very little freeplay. The feeling of solid locking feedback coming from the rotating bolt is reassuring. Length of pull for me felt a little long, but I am not a big felllow and this is a common reality for me with most shotguns.
So, all in all, this could prove to be a good option when looking at the Mossberg 500 and Remington 870 and other similar entry level pumps available in Canada.
Moving from Turkey to Italy now... I also looked at something which I'm less familiar with - Benelli shotguns. Their booth is clearly showcasing their new Super Black Eagle 3. I can't compare this new model with the previous Super Black Eagle 2, or with other semi-autos either for that matter, but I can appreciate quality when I see it - as in, the small details which, for folks who shot a lot, or hun in real challenging places and weather, will make a big difference.
Apparently, several details were improved from the previous model, the rotating bolt being one of them. I was particularly impressed with two features. One, the shape and size of both the stock wrist and the trigger guard, which are perfect if wearing gloves. Second, the shape of the take-down bolt. Might seem like a gimmick, but, it's not perfectly round, rather triangular in shape, and even with cold gloved hands, I'm willing to bet this would be easy to unscrew. Small detail, but it maybe something in the "why didn't I think about that before" category. The recess helping with feeding new shells is also a nice idea. (see the last picture).
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Originally Posted by Zedbra
