Smith & Wesson 20ga. SxS

B

beretta boy

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Just back from Maine - L.L. Bean's, where I bumped into a Smith & Wesson rep with the new S & W "Elite Gold" (Turkish made) side by side.

The gun he had with him was a regular Grade I production gun (not a proto-type) ... 20 gauge, 3" chamber, 28" bbls. choked(fixed) Imp. Cyl./ Modified.
This gun was a straight "English" stocked version with 24 L.P.I. hand checkering on at least "AA Grade" Turkish Walnut. It is a rounded action
trigger plate with a nicely scroll engraved charcoal colour-case hardened receiver, scalloped at the back edge. Wood to metal fit was exceptional.
The case colours are nice muted grey-blues like high grade English "Bests" and the rust blueing on the barrels is really a well done deep blue black. This particular gun was a single trigger, but apparently two trigger models will be available.

All in all, a really nice Upland gun for about $ 2300 US. IMHO, a much nicer and better built SxS than the CZ or DeHaan's and in appearance, very similar to an AyA 4/53 Deluxe ... for less $. Much impressed - love to put one in the cabinet ...
 
i've only seen pictures. read about it in NRA's american hunter magazine. looked great.turkish walnut is what james purdy & sons uses on a lot of their sxs's and o/u's. smith and wesson made a very nice semi auto and pump shotguns in the early 70's. nice looking guns but never really caught on. like you i'd love to put one in the babinet to.
 
Some weeks ago, I looked at the specimen that Epps has in stock and wasn't too impressed to be candid. No doubt, the sxs has superior wood and quality finish.

However, for something in that price range ($2350) the overall build quality and finish wasn't (at least to me) at par in comparison to a Beretta 686 build/finish quality. Moreover, IMO, S&W further distorted the profile with that awful single trigger :), mid bead and the white front bead.

A $1500-1700 tag for that sxs may have been more justified, IMHO.

The way I felt, a CZ Bobwhite 20ga, if better finished/polished and with lighter bbls, proper splinter fore end etc would have been a better proposition even if that cost somewhere around $1.5K
 
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Took a quick look at it on the S&W website and it looks not too bad but hard to judge from a description and what you can see from the picture. On a SxS, especially on an english or straight stock SxS, I prefer the 'look' of sidelocks. And from the picture, the price tag seems a little high.
I see some of their other grades have a Prince Of Wales model designation and I wonder if they have a no frills plain jane model called a 'Camilla'? :p
 
About the same price as what the rbl was first offered at.
Anyone got an idea who is making them in Turkey?
There's one o/u in the catalogue with really nice cc hardening.
 
SW_Shotgun_SideBySide.jpg

sw.jpg

http://www.rrarms.com/catalog.php?prod=G822801 at 1982$us
 
Not a bad looking field grade gun and I am a fan of the straight stock. I've semi retired my straight stock english SxS and just use it on upland birds, especially Ruff Grouse, on sunny days.:D I picked up an older Ruger Red Label 20ga. OU for other weather conditions.;) Thanks for the pic's ArnoldB.
 
Ahsan Ahmed said:
The way I felt, a CZ Bobwhite 20ga, if better finished/polished and with lighter bbls, proper splinter fore end etc would have been a better proposition even if that cost somewhere around $1.5K
Click to expand...

HMMM!!
better finish
better polish
lighter bbls
proper fore end
more etc's
Doesn't sound like a CZ anymore:D

Since the CZ isn't any of those things yet, I'll take a serious look at the S and W eh!
 
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S & W opened their own plant in Turkey ... apparently a regular rotation
of S&W's US quality control/operations employees coming & going on a regular basis to ensure production standards.

... and I'd be delighted to find a 28" straight-stocked 20 ga. Parker, Fox or Mod 21 in good condition for the same kind of dough as the S & W. Just wondering .... where is this "overflow of high quality SxS's" located ???
 
Covey Ridge said:
HMMM!!
better finish
better polish
lighter bbls
proper fore end
more etc's
Doesn't sound like a CZ anymore:D

Since the CZ isn't any of those things yet, I'll take a serious look at the S and W eh!
Click to expand...

Given a specific price point, I don't see any reason why Huglu can't manufacture a quality sxs somewhere under $2k.

Majority of complains that I've read about (and I've read a LOT) points to internals not being finished at an acceptable standard i.e. heavy triggers, broken firing pins, single select trigger issues etc.....not rocket science in this day to improve upon! Simultaneously, those same guns are also reported (by yet other users) as not at all having such issues despite a lot of use. This is simply a QC issue, IMO.

Other features, such as perhaps somewhat lighter bbls etc may incur a higher cost but not that it ought to take that to a price point of S&W ($2394 at Epps :) ) keeping in view that CZs are plain/no frills hunting tools, nothing more.

As for the S&W product, sure quality is plainly visible, materials used are higher quality (exactly how high?), better finish (exactly how much better?) round action/lighter 3 inch bbls etc - then again, when I compared the end-to-end finish of the firearm (with a similar priced firearm - i.e. a Beretta 686.....I do own a few of those too), the S&W simply failed to impress me to a point of acquiring one :)

At this time, I am trying to find a review I came across a month or so ago that also complained about the particular S&W that had heavy trigger.

I do hope that the new S&W turns out to be a minimum quality standard hunting sxs given the fact that we do not have any as such, at least as new product offers within that price range - exception being Marlin which I didn't like either.....FABARM, haven't had an opportunity to inspect one yet but that would likely be the best among the lot in that price range.

In the meantime, despite the big time sucker that I'm for sxs, think it would be prudent on my part to go spend that amount of dough on a 28ga 686 that I've been contemplating upon for a while now :D
 
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Ahsan Ahmed said:
Majority of complains that I've read about (and I've read a LOT) points to internals not being finished at an acceptable standard i.e. heavy triggers, broken firing pins, single select trigger issues etc.....not rocket science in this day to improve upon! NOT ROCKET SCIENCE, BUT IT DOES COST!

As for the S&W product, sure quality is plainly visible, materials used are higher quality
Click to expand...

AND THIS COSTS AS WELL
 
Martin said:
Why buying a new SxS for over 2000USD? It is an overflow of older high quality SxS shotguns available for much less!
Click to expand...

Please give us an example of older high quality available for much less! I am always in the market for getting a good deal for what I pay.

It is my opinion that there are so many foreign made gun being imported, because there is NOT much available out there?

Not like I have always wanted a gun made in Turkey:D and speaking of turkey, Happy Thanksgiving to those celebrating the Canadian Holiday:)
 
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