Looking for a cheap over/under... any suggestions?

eltorro

eltorro

CGN frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
142   0   0
Location
Out West
I'm mainly hunting with a 870 pump, but lately it has become apparently that everyone else uses a break-action... some of them Beretta, some cheaper. Seing how much they frown on the semi-auto guys, I gather I'm not lagging too far behind... Surest reason I can think of would be that they break their shotguns and all is safe.... not so with the chamber you don't see on a semi or pump....

I don't hunt much and since I'm here asking about the cheaper ones, I don't make the kind of money that would put me in the line for the next Connecticut series..

What are the ones I should be looking at? I'm biased towards O/U.
Baika, or TOZ , Stoeger? Any ballpark prices and stores would eb much appreciated also.... My eyes are on EE, but whae you do't know what.... they're sold before I get the photos...

Thank you!
 
Overunder

When it comes to over under shotguns I too did not care for them. Actually i still dont care for them much, I more of a rolling around in the muddy goose pits, mossberg 500 kindof guy. As a dealer I did not realy want to stock them because of their high price and I did not know the market well.

At a gun show I talked to a rep who was bringing in yildiz shotguns from Turkey (http://www.yildizshotgun.com/) I walked around the gun show to compare quality and found that the wood finish on these shotguns to be right on par with Berreta.

I started to stock a few of these guns and they have gone over really well, mainly because for their performance and apearence they are very nearly on par with Berretta. For a basic 12G 3" it will run you $699.00 (extractors), for the same gun with ejectors they run $799.00. Its worth taking a look at. You should take a look at the website. Ive also got one listed on my website, you can find it at this link http://www.frontiertaxidermy.com/html/centerfire_.html
 
Of the brands you've mentioned I think the Baikal would be the best of the three. I'd also suggest looking at the CZ o/u. I've handled and shot a couple. They are in the $1,000 range and are not bad for the price if your heart is set on a new gun.

But in the same range you can find a good used o/u. A fixed choke Winchester 101, Browning Citori or older Beretta can be had for around the $800-$1,000 price. If you can live with shorter barrels say around 26" then the price might be even lower as the trend particularly among clay target shooters is longer barrels.
 
Last edited:
I have to disagree with most everything posted so far.... Ain't shooting grand !!!!!
I have O/U, Autos and pumps. Shoot them all, and still think that the pump is the best hunting gun for the $ ever built.
I have several 870's, and the hunting models (VR field grade - NOT express) have been through all kinds of weather and abuse and never missed a lick.
While both Claybuster and Frontier 23 are correct in their comments re o/u and auto, I would really examine your motives for shopping.
If you are concerned about being frowned upon by others because you don't have an o/u, it is time to "trade up" on your hunting companions.
If you are concerned about not being intelligent enough to keep the action open and safe, It is time for your hunting companions to " trade up " on you!!:)
If however you just really want another shotgun, and you are attracted to o/u, you should try one, and if it feels right then go for it.
Used Citori is by far the best thing going. Reasonable price, good reputation and durable. Just be prepared to long for that 3rd shot at the stragglers over decoys.
Happy shopping
Thegunnut
 
I agree, it's not hard to find a used 'name' brand gun - Browning, Winchester, SKB, etc - for under a grand. Check out the local club and ask around.
 
thegunnut said:
I have to disagree with most everything posted so far.... Ain't shooting grand !!!!!
I have O/U, Autos and pumps. Shoot them all, and still think that the pump is the best hunting gun for the $ ever built.
Click to expand...
Your probably right about the pump gun being the best hunting shotgun ever built(if you are sitting in a duck blind). But in the field for upland hunting the double gun rules.
 
i can tell you about an incident with a Mossberg o/u(made in Turkey), while at the trap range we were shooting the breeze, and a fellow shooter was going to put his gun away(a turkish Mossy), so he dry fired it to relieve press. on firing pin spring, or some such, and we heard a ping, and something hit the tin roof above us...turns out it was part of the firing pin, we couldn't find it, the shooter ret'd. gun and bought a Win. SuperX2 and hasn't looked back(yet).
 
eltorro said:
I'm mainly hunting with a 870 pump, but lately it has become apparently that everyone else uses a break-action... some of them Beretta, some cheaper. Seing how much they frown on the semi-auto guys, I gather I'm not lagging too far behind... Surest reason I can think of would be that they break their shotguns and all is safe.... not so with the chamber you don't see on a semi or pump....

I don't hunt much and since I'm here asking about the cheaper ones, I don't make the kind of money that would put me in the line for the next Connecticut series..

What are the ones I should be looking at? I'm biased towards O/U.
Baika, or TOZ , Stoeger? Any ballpark prices and stores would eb much appreciated also.... My eyes are on EE, but whae you do't know what.... they're sold before I get the photos...

Thank you!
Click to expand...
I really don't understand you'r post. First you say you hunt alot with your 870 pump. Then totally decribe a scenario of clay shooting snobery. Then you say you don't hunt much. If you really want an O/U for shooting clays save your money. If you still want to shoot your pump gun use a piece of orange glow tape on your mag. tube to show your action is closed (or open) That should kill the saftey thing. Usually at some of the ranges i've been to lately it's the o/u guy's ya gotta watch for. There's been a couple of times I've had a locked o/u swung a little to close to my "special place".
 
His post is simple...

He hunts a bit wiht a 870, and uses it at the range, too.

He has encountered some gun snobs and wants to fit in, or just try out, a O/U -without breaking the bank.

Me, I'd tlel the snobs to #### off if I wanted to use a pumpo or semi...But if you just want a new gun, go for it.:dancingbanana:
 
Gatehouse said:
His post is simple...

He hunts a bit wiht a 870, and uses it at the range, too.

He has encountered some gun snobs and wants to fit in, or just try out, a O/U -without breaking the bank.

Me, I'd tlel the snobs to f**k off if I wanted to use a pumpo or semi...But if you just want a new gun, go for it.:dancingbanana:
Click to expand...
What's a pumpo?
 
One of the benefits of a breaking gun is the ability to tell from a distance that it is open and safe. Another is the comparative ease to unload if you are crossing an obstacle. Walking through heavy cover last fall I slipped and fell into a hidden hole and without even knowning it had hit the top latch and opened the gun before I hit the ground.

That's why I like using a breaking gun when hunting upland not because someone thinks I should have one or that there is any greater safety risk with a pump or semi. When shooting from a fixed position or ground blind I am equally happy to use a semi or pump but that's my choice, not one forced on me.

I see guys waving semi-autos around at the club far too often and it IS more difficult to tell whether the action is open. Pumps are easier to tell by looking at the forend. But when I see a closed double going toward me I am moving out of the way at a rapid pace and setting up to have a few short sharp words with the gun's owner. I also pay a little closer attention to where my barrel is pointed when I'm shooting a semi or pump at the club. I don't have to as much with an o/u because the gun is closed only when it's in the rack or I'm shooting. The most frequent problem with an o/u is guys who wave a closed gun around as they bring it off the rack.
 
Thank you for the advice, gentlemen!
I do not think that they would exclude me just because of the shotgun, on contraire... I've seen held back remarks about what they are using in my presence, just so they don't make me feel bad. One had a Krieghoff and another an AYA (or something like that). Very fine gentlemen.

While I had people that turned from the skeet line with the shotgun unopened (they did that while pointing the bbl @ my precious), I have to admit that it gives me a greater comfort when I see a broken shotgun as oposed to looking for a locked back bolt...

I trust some of them, as I see they know how to handle a firearm, but that trust (speaking of me) has to be earned. They hunt and shoot together for many years. The new guys are always closer watched. A little snobysm? maybe, but among them. The never made me feel unwellcomed and coached me whenever I asked. .

Last winter, while rabbt hunting, I fell on the ice. Like a... :redface: I had the 870 in my hand and I've seen the ones my bbl was pointing trying to clear. I felt embarrased, as most of them had theirs opened and ...

I don't shoot much (less than 500 a year) so it really doesn't make sense to buy something fancy, and I don't want to sell my pump just yet.
Thanks for all the help again... looking for used ones so far... no more chinese products for me:dancingbanana:
 
Claybuster said:
One of the benefits of a breaking gun is the ability to tell from a distance that it is open and safe.
Click to expand...

I second that! It it is very relaxing to see or show a 'broken' gun while chatting with another hunter, shooter, civilian, game officer etc. In the field and on the skeet range!

Don't recommend hunting with a semi when you are constantly on the move (upland hunting). A double is much cooler and let you unload without click-clack-click-click, dropped shells etc.

A semi is fine for waterfowl off blind.

My 2cents
 
I own Stoegers, Baikals and Browning O\U's and while the Brownings are definetly nice handing guns, the Baikal's are good value for the $$, at half the price of the Citori's. They are well built and very functional, no problems yet.

However, I also shoot semi's and pumps at the skeet club and hunting, and I find that I shoot the same with all, actually a little better with the semi:) , mostly because it is heavier. If you want an O\U, buy one. But don't buy it just to "fit in".
 
Stoeger Condor Combo

I have a Stoeger Condor Combo O/U. It is my second shotgun, other is a Mossberg Maverick 88 (defender wannabe). The combo comes with a 12 guage barrel, and shorter 20 guage barrel. It is a decent gun of decent quality. It was under $700 dollars so the quality reflects the price. But I sure do love the simplicity and beauty of the O/U. And it is a decent shooter as well.
 
I have a cheaper O/U fs that has fixed chokes and 1 mark on the stock(very small wood chip) and one blemish on the barrel. Boito of Brazil It has 28" barrels and some weights in the stock to give it great balance/swing. I never get out to shoot clays or hunt so if your looking to save money give me a PM with your e-mail and I'll send some pics ect. I do like the break actions for their reliability and ease of use/safety, but am more of a semi/pump type myself.
 
I've seen a couple of used Lanbars with fixed full/modified tubes going for the 200-275 range at Tradeex.ca. Most of the guns listed had some rust spots or pitting on the barrels, though I saw one in very good condition rust free at $275. I probably would have bought it myself had I not already purchased a few rifles this past month. They still have a bunch of S/Ss and O/Us that haven't been listed on the website yet, so if you keep checking it regularly they might have what you are looking for. The Lanbar's are of Spanish manufacture.

On a similar vein, if you are open to using a S/S, used Stevens 311 shotguns are regularly available for about $200 up, and have been noted by a number of gun writers as having a quality of workmanship comparable to guns triple their cost new when they were in production. I haven't shot mine yet, but it was a nice find at $200. Its only drawback to me is the full/modified choke, which is a bit tighter than I'd prefer.

BTW, while I will probably keep using my Mossberg 835 pump for waterfowling and the odd upland shoot for years to come, I also enjoy using my S/S 20 ga for upland game and can appreciate the practical and aesthetic appeals of hunting with double-barrelled guns, especially for upland game. I don't think that we should be dismissing people who feel that way as gun snobs, lacking any clear evidence of such an attitude. Actually, in this day and age any attempt at refinement is an all too rare thing in our culture and probably a thing to encourage, rather than accusing people of snobbery.

Best of Luck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom