Stoeger 2000 vs 3500

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I'm interested in any feedback about the stoeger 2000 or 3500. Im interested in buying a new semi auto and the price point for this semi works with my budget. My biggest worry is not cycling light loads. I plan on using the gun for trap and hunting. I'm not sure that I would use 3.5" shells at all so, would I need the 3500? From what I have read the 2000 has some "bugs" but maybe they have worked them out in the 3500. Any info would be great, Thanks.
 
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The minimum recomended load for both the 2000 and 3500 is 3 dram 1 1/.8 ounce.thats not a real light target load.so 7/8 or 1 ounce target loads probley wouldn't cycle reliably.
 
I had the M2000 and upgraded to the M3500 so that I could use 3.5" shells for waterfowel. The M2000 I had ran flawlessly with any factory load! I read that the original M2000's had some problems and you want to get one of the newer ones that has the orange fiber optic front bead instead of the white front bead (that is supposed to be an indicator on age and when they fixed the problems). The original smooth bore deer barrels (with white bead) are also supposed to suck!

I think that the M3500 is actually cheaper new than the M2000 right now. I got mine from Lebarron on sale for $677.00 which turned out to $805 after tax and shipping to Ontario from Quebec. I just checked and it is still for sale at that price under their "in-store and Web specials" section on the web site for the Advantage Max-4 cammo version with 28" barrel and 3.5" chamber (it says realtree max-4 but it is a typo).

With the included recoil reducer, the 3.5" shells don't really feel any different than the old M2000 using 3" shells. It also has a few improvements over the M2000 as well.

You will find that the Benelli inertia action very awesome and very clean to shoot. There isn't a gas system to get all munged up and everything just gets shot out of the barrel like a pump/bolt action. The take down is as simple as it gets! Even the bolt comes appart without any tools and is very easy to keep clean. I can see me having this gun for as long as I hunt, which will hopefully be the next 40-50 years.

I highly recommend one of these!

Ian
 
Like Smitsauce reported, the 2000 cycles flawlessly with any factory ammo......the only advantage of moving to a 3.5" chamber would be for some additional pellets at the cost of greater recoil and $$$$$ for the ammo. I will keep my 2000 until retirement as it has been the most reliable and easy to clean/maintain semi I have ever used. I would expect the same for the 3.5" model...............karl
 
i recently sold mine to move up to a 3500 havent done it yet not sure if i want a stoeger i want to try something different but i would buy another one if in a heartbeat nothing wrong with it once you break it in just like any firearm
 
I bought an M3500 a couple of months ago, after taking it home and totally dismantling it and giving it a proper cleaning and a little rem oil to lube went out to give it a try.

I first tried some light loads and it failed to cycle the second shot twice. I then put 9, 3" bb's and it has digested everything I have showed it since.

I'm really impressed for the price range.
 
I also have an m2000 with thousands of rounds through it. Never had a single hitch. I have the light load spring as well, but do not use it. I just leave the stock one in and it cycles it all.
 
I had an M2000 and before i had even fired a shot i cycled the action at least 200 times .. just practising drills etc ( i shortened it down to 16" and it was a tactical shotgun for me ) ..

it cycled flawlessly, even with the lightest crappest trap ammo i could find.. infact if i tapped the butt on the ground you could hear the action unlock and start to open ( not dangerously, just a tiny little metallic clink )

great shotgun, wish i never sold it


Cant see why you would need the 3500 .. i dont think ive ever needed 3.5" shells... and dont feed me that bullsh*t about goose shooting.. they go down easier than mallards, and mallards go down easy with 3"
 
Pellet count only makes the 3.5" fill in the pattern more than the 3". Denser patterns further out although anything really close and all you are left with is a puff of feathers!!! :)
 
What's the price range for a new model in Canadian dollars these days? (let's say m2000 - black synthetic)

Just picked one up second hand.

Thanks for the rave reviews, seems like I made a good choice!
 
Le Barron has the M2000 field and slug combo synthetic on sale right now for $649.94. Comes with a 28" vent rib and 24" smooth bore slug barrel with rifle sights.

That is a whole lot of gun for hardly anything brand new!!!! Additional slug barrels for most shotguns, other than Mossberg, are in and around $350-$450 for the barrel alone!

Ian
 
I went up to epps on Sunday to pick up my m2000 it seems to be a sold gun, we'll see how sold when I bring it to the range:p. I put a sims limbsaver recoil pad on it so hopefully it will help with the recoil of the inertia system. Great service at epps the cost of the gun was $499+ tax. Can't wait to get it to the range.
 
I never tried it but I read that some people have tried this cheap option to reduce recoil. Take off the butt pad and put 1 or 2 packing peanuts or something similar in the space where the optional recoil reducer would go then tape up a roll of pennies and put them in there with another packing peanut behind it to keep everything snug. Then put your butt pad back on and you are good to go. If the peanuts compress too much and it starts to rattle, just add more peanuts. Eventually it will be nice and tight.

They probably got a bad rap from enviornmentalists for their original Mercury filled recoil reducers. The new one that comes witht the M3500 is just a heavy metal cylinder that screws onto the back of the stock bolt underneath the butt pad. So the penny thing is just about the exact same as what they are supplying now but costing only "pennies" to install. :)

I can tell you that with the metal chunk installed in my new M3500, 3.5" shells don't feel any different to me than 3" ones while hunting!

Remember to put a couple of boxes of 3" shells through it first after giving it a good overall cleaning, including the bolt.

Cheers,

Ian
 
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