Stoeger m3000

As long as you understand beforehand that its not a gun that is going to serve you well on a trap/skeet/sporting clays field for thousands of rounds and years to come. You are using a gun designed with the average hunter in mind shooting a box to half case of hunting loads per season for many years. Even if you shot a flat of ammo (250rds) each hunting season it would take 10 seasons to shoot as many rounds as the average clays shooter probably shoots in a single summer. Shoot what you have with an eye on upgrading later should you really enjoy smashing clays.
 
Meaning the gun won't handle the round count? Is there a gun for skeet/trap and hunting that you could suggest. Thanks
 
Most field guns are not designed to handle large volumes of shooting like target guns are. That having been said, their is no reason you can start off with your M3000 and upgrade a year or to down the road. Will your gun cycle 2 3/4Dr.Eq. 1 1/8oz loads reliably? A lot of us start with a field gun then upgrade down the road.
 
Beware the gun snobs! The only real problem with your Stoger is the price tag. If it cost more they would love it too! I've got one and it just plain works. More money for shells to practice!
 
Yes. Your gun is suitable. Just about any gun that will function with lighter target loads will work.

Get out and shoot it. Learn how the games are played and enjoy. You'll do better hunting with more practice and if the clay target bug hits you can decide whether you want another gun later.

I don't accept that all "field" guns won't be as durable as clay target guns. A Citori is a Citori regardless which guise it is in.

The Stoeger is a Turkish-made version of the Benelli inertia action which is the same action that is in the Benelli target guns. From what I've seen of the Stoegers they seem durable enough but just not as nicely finished as the more expensive Benellis.

Run what ya brung. Then decide IF you want something different. In the meantime break 'em all.
 
22short said:
Beware the gun snobs! The only real problem with your Stoger is the price tag. If it cost more they would love it too! I've got one and it just plain works. More money for shells to practice!
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Gun snobs? No! Experienced? Yes! I will guarantee you have never fired enough rounds to wear a gun to the point of having to have it completely rebuilt. I have twice! When I was younger and starting into the clay games I finished off an Ithica semi in one season! It was so loose by summers ended it sounded like a tin can full of screws when I would pick it up! I also had a Remington 1100 Tournament Trap that I gave to the Remington gunsmiths at the Grand American to rectify a continuing issue where every 500-1000 rounds it would snap the bolt fork. I had to always carry a spare as you never knew if it would fail in the middle of a shoot. Remington rebuilt that gun changing everything but the trigger assembly and bolt. I replaced the trigger with a Timney. Even after the rebuild the gun continued to snap bolt forks after about 3500 rounds. I have over 50,000 through my 101 to date without a malfunction or need of parts and my last Citori saw 20,000 rounds between me and my buddy who owned it before I did and I would bet it's still going strong a decade later. Let me know when you hit the 50,000 mark with your Stoeger and if it has not needed rebuilding or replacing I will concede and acknowledge to your calling me a gun snob.
 
^^Not that I disagree, but the OP should decide if he likes the games first before 100% commitment before moving beyond his Stoeger. If I had to guess, the OP doesn't have enough time to shoot enough to wear any gun out. We all start out thinking we will, but then you realize that even shooting 1/2 flat every weekend is tough.

Maybe it will be different when I retire. I hope so. I would love to try to wear a gun out.
C
 
I would rather go with a basic Remington 870 Express pump rather than the Stoeger M3000. I saw one disassembles itself after a shot on the firing line. Yes, it will probably go bang when you pull the trigger but overtime, it will likely break down as the parts are mass produced with a lower quality. I bought a Stoeger Condor O/U once because of the cheap price. When I patterned it, the bottom barrel was off so I have 2 different POI. I was lucky that I could return it and exchange for a Browning.
 
Cardamonfrost said:
^^Not that I disagree, but the OP should decide if he likes the games first before 100% commitment before moving beyond his Stoeger. If I had to guess, the OP doesn't have enough time to shoot enough to wear any gun out. We all start out thinking we will, but then you realize that even shooting 1/2 flat every weekend is tough.

Maybe it will be different when I retire. I hope so. I would love to try to wear a gun out.
C
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to find out if you enjoy shooting clay games start with a gun that fits you and comfortable to shoot , you will enjoy it much more. if you buy something higher end used, you can always get your money back out of it, if need be. just my .02
 
Agreed, abouth 1/4 of the members of my club, myself(the club secretary) included shoot a field gun of various makes. Alot of people don't shoot enough for a while to step into the target O/U price range right away. Telling the OP that he can shoot Skeet with his Stoeger is crazy he can, but eventually he will wear it out, by then he can decide what will replace it. Like any sport, best the best equipment you can afford and don't feel embrassed by it, not everybody can afford to walk into a gun shop and pick up a new K80 every couple of years.
 
22short said:
Beware the gun snobs! The only real problem with your Stoger is the price tag. If it cost more they would love it too! I've got one and it just plain works. More money for shells to practice!
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the spank said:
Gun snobs? No! Experienced? Yes! I will guarantee you have never fired enough rounds to wear a gun to the point of having to have it completely rebuilt. I have twice! When I was younger and starting into the clay games I finished off an Ithica semi in one season! It was so loose by summers ended it sounded like a tin can full of screws when I would pick it up! I also had a Remington 1100 Tournament Trap that I gave to the Remington gunsmiths at the Grand American to rectify a continuing issue where every 500-1000 rounds it would snap the bolt fork. I had to always carry a spare as you never knew if it would fail in the middle of a shoot. Remington rebuilt that gun changing everything but the trigger assembly and bolt. I replaced the trigger with a Timney. Even after the rebuild the gun continued to snap bolt forks after about 3500 rounds. I have over 50,000 through my 101 to date without a malfunction or need of parts and my last Citori saw 20,000 rounds between me and my buddy who owned it before I did and I would bet it's still going strong a decade later. Let me know when you hit the 50,000 mark with your Stoeger and if it has not needed rebuilding or replacing I will concede and acknowledge to your calling me a gun snob.
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I always chuckle to myself when I see posts where someone gets their panties in a knot after being told their mid priced gun will not stand up to the riggers of high volume shooting by someone with experince of high volume shooting . I am in no way suggesting that the OP run out and buy a high price target gun befor they are even sure that they are going like the clay shooting sports . so yes his stoger is a good starting point only because he already owns it .to think that the gun is going to last a life time at a rate of even a modest 1000 to 2000 rounds a year is fool hearty . I have seen a couple of mid priced gun that were used for clays and by the time they had three years (6000 rounds +/-) of shooting on them they were not any thing more than a few spare parts.
 
Nothing wrong with an entry auto loader to see if you like the game and to learn on. I had a Mossy 930 and it served me VERY well before eventually moving on to an O/U.
Close to 10K through it before I sold it out for parts. Never really had a major problem, a few small parts broke, all easy fixes.

Was worth every penny and let me put the money into ammo and practice, which is 100X more important than any gun will ever be.

To the OP, that would be my suggestion, a Mossy 930.
Have fun
 
Close to 10K through it before I sold it out for parts. Never really had a major problem, a few small parts broke, all easy fixes.
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I wouldn't recommend any shotgun that suffered multiple broken parts with less than 10,000 rounds through it. Any decent shotgun should go well over 10,000 rounds with no broken parts. Easy fix or not, it shouldn't happen, and every breakdown leaves you without the use of the gun until you locate the parts and fix it.
 
I think that most of the previous posters are on the same page. I think that we are looking to save you a lot of money and time. Your current gun will serve as a starting point for shooting clay targets. If you decide that you like shooting clays, then start looking for a dedicated clays gun sooner than later. Try everything that you can lay your hands on with the intent of finding something that stands out for comfort and fit. Used target guns can be great value, like a used car. They need to be in good condition. Remember, everything mechanical can and will break with use. Keep it maintained and you can shoot it for many years and then sell it for at least what you paid for it. I would suggest that you look at O/U Brownings and Berettas, if you decide to stay in the game. Also, a common saying in regards to target shotguns is that "You haven't bought your last gun yet.".

You also need to consider the volume of shells that you will shoot. If you like clays games, then you also need to be mindful that the amount you shoot will increase over time. Hopefully, as you get older, you will have more disposable income and more time to shoot. I know many older guys that have told me that they should have bought an expensive target shotgun many years ago and that that would have been the cheaper / most effective way to go ... in the long run.
 
I was not trying to discourage the OP from going out and getting involved in shooting clays. In fact I would encourage him to do so. I was just pointing out not to be discouraged if the gun he currently has does not meet the expectations of high volume shooting.
 
spank, i agree with what you said just like everybody else also said... a stoeger is an ok hunting gun and casual clay gun. they can put food on the table and smile on your face at the range but it's about it!
 
The advise that I was given by many more experienced shooters when I researched and asked was to get a "B" gun for high volume shooting. Beretta, Browning or Benelli. I think that this was good advise. My first o/u was a Stoeger Condor. After the 2nd time out, the stock was cracked right behind the tang. And that was probably after 200 rounds.
 
Didn't Tom Knapp's super 90 run something like 400000 rounds before he donated it ? Just mentioning this as it seems reliability is only equated to o/u but a good semi will run a long time. Your Stoeger should hang in fine until you buy the next one and then the one after that and............
 
flange said:
Didn't Tom Knapp's super 90 run something like 400000 rounds before he donated it ? Just mentioning this as it seems reliability is only equated to o/u but a good semi will run a long time. Your Stoeger should hang in fine until you buy the next one and then the one after that and............
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Could be but how many parts were replaced in that run? I know of 1100s that have run well into the 6 figures but only after many spare parts were installed along the way.
 
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