stevens 350 vs Norinco HP9
- Thread starter Buster95
- Start date
The stevens Ithaca clone with the ghostring sights looked nice when I handled one in a store.....the 870 clone will have more aftermarket stuff.
Chinese quality is sometimes hit and miss......mostly hit. Just make sure you can handle and inspect or at least shop where they stand behind what they sell.
Chinese quality is sometimes hit and miss......mostly hit. Just make sure you can handle and inspect or at least shop where they stand behind what they sell.
I haven't handled the Stevens shotgun, but I own an HP9 with 18.5" barrel. The bead on mine is slightly off centre (almost unnoticeable). The HP9 will definately have a much wider selection of aftermarket goodies, as pretty much anything that fits an 870 will work. Stocks, side saddles, foreends, mag followers, etc.
One thing to note about the HP9 is that 870 barrels will not fit on the 18.5" model - they will on the others, but the 18.5" has a non-standard barrel lug location. If you're happy with the cylinder bore barrel and the length, that's no problem. But if you ever wanted to change barrels or use chokes, you may be in trouble - I don't think the HP9's barrel is thick enough at the muzzle to be threaded for chokes.
One thing to note about the HP9 is that 870 barrels will not fit on the 18.5" model - they will on the others, but the 18.5" has a non-standard barrel lug location. If you're happy with the cylinder bore barrel and the length, that's no problem. But if you ever wanted to change barrels or use chokes, you may be in trouble - I don't think the HP9's barrel is thick enough at the muzzle to be threaded for chokes.
Plastic retainer will need to be removed, which means you'll either want to check your mag tube extension often to ensure it's tight, use a rubber o-ring or loc-tite to keep it from loosening, or use a mag tube clamp to keep it from loosening. I like the mag tube clamp option because it also functions to protect the extension and mag tube if you ever drop your gun.
