Stoeger Condor O/U

[Duffy]

Anyone have any experience with the Stoeger Condor O/U? I'm thinking of buying one, but have read comments both good and bad about their durabiliy, performance, etc. Anyone here have one? If so, what is your experience? Would you recommend it?

Thanks in advance.

[6.5s4ever]

Duffy, A club locally bought five of the Stoeger condors for use in the Youth Field Day Trapshoots and have had them for a little under a year and last report was they are falling apart they have had issues with three out of the five guns! FYI

[fabsroman]

Depends on what you intend on using the gun for. I wouldn't use a Stoeger for a clays gun if I was shooting a lot of clays. The Stoeger is great as a hunting o/u that you want to beat the heck out of and not cry when it gets scratched. Running thousands of rounds through a Stoeger is going to have it in pieces. I'm not speaking from personal experience because I have never owned one, but I have seen a friend of mine kill his in two years. He ended up trading it toward a Browning GTI, which was another mistake.

[Duffy]

So it wouldn't be a good clays gun? Hmm, that's what I was afraid of.

If that's the case, what would you folks recommend as far as a similarly-priced O/U for clays in a "beginner" status (e.g., <500 rounds per month)?

[Duffy]

I'll be using it virtually 100% for clays.

I've also heard of the CZ Mallard, another inexpensive O/U, though a little more than the Stoeger Condor. Anyone use this? Thoughts?

[6.5s4ever]

Duffy, CZ has had some trigger and firing pin issues, but are not bad for the money! They have a five year warranty on them so thats a plus. If I were looking for another over/ under right now I would find a 30" barreled Winchestser Supreme Sporting shotgun in 12ga. This is the best kept secret out there has the best of both Beretta and Brownings designs incorporated into it and is made in Belgium! An excellent gun and if you look real hard you can possibly find one for under $1000.00 on gunsamerica etc...They are well made and will last a lifetime no issues on these guns, Check them out! Roy

[6.5s4ever]

Duffy, I see you had said in a simalar price range , The Winchester may be a bit high. That being said next choice would be a DeHaan U1 O/U for $639.00 Get on his website and check them out . You have to order these guns online or by phone and have it sent to your closest FFL dealer. Check out his website at www.dhshotguns.com I think you will like what you see but call Mark DeHaan directly and ask any questions you want. He is a great guy and will help you any way he can!

[6.5s4ever]

Duffy, I just noticed the CZ Mallard has Double Triggers and for shooting Clays especially doubles I dont think you want that, a single trigger would be more advisable to have and wont hang you up!

[Duffy]

All good points, 6.5s4ever. Thank you for your comments. Not sure what I want to do yet. I don't know that I'll be running "thousands" of rounds through it in a year, but I want to get several years of good use out of it.

I mean no offense to anyone, but it seems to me that there are many who look down their nose at more inexpensive shotguns, though really, regardless of price, isn't it the fit, the shooter, and proper care and maintenance that are more the determining factors in what "works"? I'm not knocking those who are genuinely knowledgable about such things, but there would seem to be an elitist view in some which overrides objectivity. Stoeger, CZ, Khan, etc., all seem like good deals, and I can't imagine that all the factors above would not define their reliability or lack thereof just because of the brand names stamped on them. Forgive my naivete if I am in fact showing it. Just trying to get some good info, because even though the price is lower, it's still a significant purchase for me.

Thoughts?

OK, I'm done for now!

[tjwatty]

Duffy,
I hear from a lot of folks about the "looking down the nose" thing. I know it seems that way but in my particular case, it's a case of been there done that. I've owned several "cheap" guns and the reason it's been several is because they just don't last. I continually upgraded because the last one was always busted.
I stick by the saying "You get what you pay for." If you scrimp and save, buy a higher grade to begin with you'll be a lot happier in the long run.
God knows, I've bought a few that I had no business spending the money on but I still have them and have had no troubles. (except with the wife)
If your planning on shooting even a minimal amount of clays keep looking and find a nice Beretta or Browning have it adjusted to fit and you'll never be sorry.

[fabsroman]

Believe me, I don't look down my nose at anything other than my work. I drive a 1998 Taurus with 150,000 miles on it because it gets the job done. My first o/u was an entry level Citori, and it did not hold up very well to my shooting. Then, I was shooting about 1,000 rounds a week. I would shoot on Wednesday night and all day Saturday or Sunday depending if hunting season was in. For $100 more, I could have gotten a gun with chromed barrels.

I just bought the Browning figuring that it was a good enough gun. Well, it wasn't. I bought a field gun for clays and it was a disaster. After that, I bought a Beretta 682 Trap Combo and I am still using it. I have spent some money on guns over the years, but I haven't had any problems with them other than cosmetic stuff.

What would really suck is buying a Stoeger, starting to shoot really well with it, and then having it break every other weekend so that you cannot shoot or you have to shoot with a gun you are not used to. I would find that to be more frustrating than saving my money to buy the right gun.

For instance, I am contemplating the purchase of an AR-10 and AR-15 right now. Problem is that the ones I am looking at are $1,500 and $2,500 respectively. The wife has already told me to buy them, but I am having a hard time swallowing the price tag. Granted, I could get something less expensive that would get the job done, but I have learned that I want to buy something that will last me decades, not years. I hope to get 10 years out of every car of mine, and am shooting for 20. Likewise, I want 30+ years out of my guns if they do not become outdated by technology.

Oh yeah, I also believe that you get what you pay for. My Taurus gets the job done because I use it to get from point A to B and to haul my dog, hunting equipment, and other stuff. However, if you want to pull 1 g on it, you are going to die.

If you are looking at shooting 500 rounds a month for the rest of your life, you might just be okay with a Stoeger.

Personally, I find nothing wrong with buying cheap guns, if they will do the task at hand. Just do not expect a less expensive gun to do the same thing as one that costs more.

[Duffy]

Well said, fabs and tj. Sounds like you've both been down this road before, and have the frustration to prove it. I'll keep shopping and saving.

Thanks. I'll let you know what I wind up with.

[6.5s4ever]

Hey Fabs come on now ! We know your Psychotic on Brownings because of a little galling on the hinge surfaces and some rust in the barrel. Truth be known you can still shoot that gun for the next 15 years and it will still break clays as well as it did when it first came out of the box! So it dont look quite as pretty BIG DEAL!!! it still works ! Hey tell you what Ill give you $500 dollars for it right now ! Better jump on this before I change my mind or better yet make Duffy happy and give him a deal he cant refuse on it! A little rust in the barrel and the guy goes ballistic! I dont know about you Lawyers Picky,Picky,Picky!!!!!!

[fabsroman]

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. It wasn't so much the rust in the barrels and the gaulling, as it was the customer service. Plus, the gun doesn't fit me as well as the Berettas do. For some reason, I like the longer length of pull even though I am shorter than most people. The Benelli SBE has a shorter length of pull than the Berettas, but it works out well with my cold weather hunting clothes. Tried to shoulder a fellow hunter's Beretta Extrema while goose hunting and it just felt really weird.

Yeah, the Browning can still break clays, if you throw them at me and I can use it as a bat. I did well with it in trap, and impressed quite a few guys shooting the P and K guns, but everything that happened to it happened in a single year.

Now, I truly love both of my Beretta Teknys, with the exception of cleaning them, so I have been tossing around the idea of getting the Benelli Sport II, but I cannot justify the expense since I shoot so well with the Teknyss. Kind of like buying the SBE II just because it looks nicer than my current SBE and for the "reduced" recoil. Instead of spending $1,400 on a new gun, I bought a $50 recoil reducer for the stock, and another recoil reducer that screws onto the magazine cap for when I am shooting slugs.

All kidding aside, the Citori still works, and aside from not fitting me, I hate having to clean it more than I hate having to clean my 391's. I hate having to scrub out the barrels every time I use it and I hate the way the receiver is made. The receiver has way too many little places that I need a Q-Tip to clean. The Beretta o/u's I can leave for weeks without having to clean them and I do not have to worry about them rusting. When I do clean them, the receiver merely takes a single wipe. Problem is that I don't use them much anymore because I like the autos I have. Might start using the 682 Gold E if I get a tube set for it, but haven't really used it since I bought the Teknyss.

The Citori is a good "friends" gun for when one of them needs/wants an o/u to shoot. My uncle always asks to shoot that gun because he doesn't have his own o/u.

The Citori is also good for other things. As mentioned above, it can be used as a bat. It can also be used as an oar or a pry bar. Might even try using it as a golf club.

[tjwatty]

we probably need ed to start another thread on this, but.
I was at the gun shop yesterday and he had at least 10 used Browning and Berretta trap and or skeet guns in stock. It seems that this time of year the trade ins on new and improved stuff is quite extensive.
Last year my best friend bought a Browning Golden Clays, (older model) with a full set of Briley tubes. 12ga gun with full length custom fit 20ga, 28ga. and .410 tubes with choke tubes and case for under $3,000. Now I know that's a lot of cash but that whole set new was probably over $7,000.
At the same time they had a Browning XS skeet (used) for $1,700. I paid $2,400 for the same gun. Last week one of the guys who trap shoots with us bought a Browning sporting clays 12 for $800, and the same guy who bought the Golden Clays found a field grade Citori for $800, still in the box with the original sales slip of $1,200 with it.
My point is, there are a lot of good used guns out there if one just doesn't get in a great big hurry.
The guy who runs our local bait and gun shop is the poster child for CHEAP and he has sold several of the foreign made guns to newcomers to our trap club. Most of who have come to realize that in the long run they didn't save what they thought.
I'm disabled and on a fixed income, (whatever my wife allows) I don't have a lot of disposable income to waste but I have found that the money I've spent on my Browning and Bennelli and yes even a Berretta was money well spent.
Don't settle, keep looking and one of those sweet deals will eventually come your way, I know I wish I would have had this advice when I was younger, I sure would have saved a lot of money back in the day.