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Turkish made shotguns?

14K views 61 replies 22 participants last post by  oneounceload 
#1 ·
I have been looking at a lot of new shotguns. Used guns are slim pickings around here, so I am looking at brand new. I want a semi-auto brush beater. So far, most of them I am finding are made in Turkey.

How do you all feel about Turkish made firearms, shotguns, in particular?


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#2 ·
the world has changed. was a time when american guns and german or brit guns were best.
today, its a mass marketing theme. companies go anywhere they can get cheap labor.
take it from there.
turk guns.....didnt start out well. some say they are improving. but id prefer to own a gun with a reputation already.....and one with a good resale potential....already.
 
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#4 · (Edited)
Most Turkish guns are made to a price point. A US company will contact a Turkish maker, and contract for 20,000 semi-autos, o/u or sxs guns, that have to be sold at (for example) $500 US. The Turk has to make a profit, and the American has to import them and sell them at a profit for themselves. The guns are made so that they meet those sales specs. No way can they be high quality, hand-fitted, etc.
The higher the price goes, the better chance you have of getting a good gun.
One other consideration is warranty/parts availability. The Turk will not be liable for the warranty, the American importer will. If they go under, your warranty is not worth the paper it is printed on, and you have no recourse. Several companies have done this - Charles Daly comes to mind. They imported a lot of very low-grade Turk semi's, most of which broke. Few parts are available and Daly is out of business.
Turkey is quite capable of making world-class guns, also - but they won't sell at discount prices. The labor costs in Turkey are low, but highly skilled workers still demand a premium salary, most anywhere in the world.
With all that said, some of the better Turkish semi's are receiving very high marks on some independent reviews. Look for Randy Wakeman and Chuckhawks reviews. Randy rubs some people the wrong way but he calls them like he sees them, and he is not paid by gun companies to write reviews.
 
#6 ·
RKB has explained the Turkish situation exceptionally well.
As for the slim pickin's on used guns in your area... You might want to search some of the more reputable on line dealers and work through a local dealer on the transfer. I have owned 2 Turkish o/u guns and they served me well. I was able to sell them for just about what I paid for them. There are very few guns that you can recoup the initial cost.
 
#8 ·
I picked up a TriStar 20 ga O/U in a swap a few months back. I've found it to be well made and attractive enough that I'll take it most anywhere. After about 15 rounds of skeet it's working as advertised. While that's not a high enough round count for a review, a new "cheaper" gun working correctly out of the box is still a welcome surprise. At this point, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase another.
 
#9 ·
I have only one Turkish made shotgun. I won the gun , it's a Mossberg Silver reserve ll. I ran a box of shells when I got her on some trap. Gun worked great. I shoot a lot of trap , but I use a Remi 1100 comp that I love. Now I would like to start some sporting clays shooting again. I'm thinking of using the SR ll for that. Or I'm thinking of getting an auto for that, or just shoot the hell out the SR ll till it go's. Gun handles well. Should I trade it . Thank's
 
#10 ·
The Turks are where the Spanish were a few decades ago; that is, they can build anything from cheap crap to high end expensive guns (but still a lot less than than any other euro or USA maker)

I own the S&W Elite Gold SxS that was made by AKUS. It has a true trigger plate action (ala John Dickson or MacNaughton), engine turned internals, true bone and charcoal color case hardening. This company also made the true 7 pin sidelock that was sold by Kimber for a while. My S&W is now called the Dickinson and old by Cabela's.

Mine is fixed chokes of .009 and .016, a nice IC/M with double triggers, English grip, MANUAL safety (yippee!) and a splinter forearm - the classic SxS design. It will be getting a nice test near Thanksgiving at a Georgia quail plantation.
 
#12 · (Edited)
No stoeger

Before you spend money on a Stoeger. Don't!. Read up on them, They were always trouble gun's. Get a tristar or something else . Stoeger "s are not a good value. You will wast your money and they have no trade value. Please go with the Remi 11-87. Remi warranty is a lot better than stoeger. Plus there made here, Parts are easy to get and you can get aftermarket do, dad's for it.Don't think as the Remi as a second choice. Make it the 1 st choice and don't look back.
 
#17 ·
Before you spend money on a Stoeger. Don't!. Read up on them, They were always trouble gun's. Get a tristar or something else . Stoeger "s are not a good value. You will wast your money and they have no trade value. Please go with the Remi 11-87. Remi warranty is a lot better than stoeger. Plus there made here, Parts are easy to get and you can get aftermarket do, dad's for it.Don't think as the Remi as a second choice. Make it the 1 st choice and don't look back.
Problem is, with Remingtons, I am hearing that more often than not, they are not reliable these days. The Remington has a brass bead for a sight- I am looking for fiber optic, and do not want to put a magnet one or stick on one. It's also a lot heavier than other options.

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#14 ·
You need to look at the Turk guns sold by CZ-USA. I have a Ringneck SXS that I bought over ten years back and it still shoots and operates like new after several thousand rounds thru it at skeet, sporting clays and bird hunting. That model is no longer made since they upgraded the gun but the new models are rated even better.
CZ offers O/U, SXS, and autoloaders in several gauges. Of course mine is a 16.
I also have a TriStar autoloader 12ga that I won in a DU Texas Hold-em tournament that is a copy of a Beretta and it swings and shoots well.
 
#15 ·
We bought Rem 11-87s for our 4-H club for field use in order to save the Rem 1100s for tournament shooting. Our 11-87s have a few thousand rounds in them (mostly because of clay target practice) and none have had any problems. The advantage of the Remington is that any shotgun gunsmith can cheaply fix nearly any problem in them cheaper than in a foreign made gun. And I have seen sales this year in sporting goods stores for the 11-87 for the hunting season. www.gunwatcher.com has new 12 & 20 gauge field models for $465.00 which includes shipping.
 
#20 ·
I have a few criteria here, and these are the Must-Have ones:
20 gauge
26” barrel
Semi-auto
Choke tubes
Synthetic stocks-all black, no camo
Fiber optic front sight (yes, I use it) possibly bright white dot
Under 7 pounds
Receiver not drilled for optic mounting points (like Franchi is)

The closer to $500 or so, the better. If I have to spend a little more, so be it.

If all else ABSOLUTELY fails, then I will get another pump, and get a Browning BPS. However, I really do not want that.




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#21 · (Edited)
Problem is, with Remingtons, I am hearing that more often than not, they are not reliable these days. The Remington has a brass bead for a sight- I am looking for fiber optic, and do not want to put a magnet one or stick on one. It's also a lot heavier than other options.
I will disagree about the fiber optic; you should never be using nay sight on a shotgun for moving targets; it isn't a rifle. Your eyes are the sights and work in conjunction with your hands to guide the muzzle where it needs to be.

You mention that the Remington is too heavy and then you talk about a Browning BPS; which generally is even heavier

Maybe you should be looking at older high-quality used guns that fall in your budget

Found this on an older thread from another site:

The "newer" SA-20's are supposedly improved even more that when they were first released.
1. Spring tension on the bolt release button reduced.
2. No longer have to push the bolt/elevator release to load the magazine, now it loads like the 930.
That post was dated in 2011, so maybe that is no longer an issue?
 
#22 ·
I will disagree about the fiber optic; you should never be using nay sight on a shotgun for moving targets; it isn't a rifle. Your eyes are the sights and work in conjunction with your hands to guide the muzzle where it needs to be.

You mention that the Remington is too heavy and then you talk about a Browning BPS; which generally is even heavier

Maybe you should be looking at older high-quality used guns that fall in your budget

Found this on an older thread from another site:

That post was dated in 2011, so maybe that is no longer an issue?
I was always taught to use the sight if I can. So I try and I like something I can see. At least a white bead.

As for the BPS, I just love everything about it, I have one in 12ga, and really like it.

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#25 ·
I am way up north. I have a Gander Outdoors and that's it for big stores. No time for traveling. Cabelas is four hours away. Sheels is about the same. I have stores close enough that will order up anything for me, however, I must pay in advance. So if I don't like it, I am still stuck with it.

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#29 ·
There are only a couple. I can count them on one hand, they know it, so they take advantage of it. They want people to buy from them, not just transfer it. It's almost as though they have a monopoly on stuff like that. I could drive a ways, and get the transfer for $20. But then I spend the money on gas, which would equal a local FFL transfer, no to mention the time spent.

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#33 ·
C&R stands for Curios & Relics. It is an easily obtained FFL license and it covers a number of shotguns, mostly older doubles, but also a number of pumps and semi-autos and older military arms. Do a google search, it will give all the details. I have a C&R license so that I can buy and sell directly for my shotgun collections.
 
#37 ·
In the FWIW category, I have a Stoeger Condor with 12 and 20 gauge barrels. Uses easy to get choke tubes and goes bang every time for the last 5K+ rounds. It's no beauty queen, just a well made, sturdy shotgun that can do everything I ask of it. Kind of like my grandpa's Remington double barrel hammer type shot gun. Killed ducks, geese and rabbits just fine without any bells or whistles. I expect it to last a long while.
 
#39 ·
I heard all of the above and was well aware of the potential pitfalls before purchasing a Weatherby SA-08 20 gauge. It has functioned flawlessly, with its performance paralleling the positive reviews on You Tube. I wouldn't hesitate to buy that same shotgun again.
 
#42 ·
I heard all the reservations many had about the reliability/durability of Turkish made shotguns. There is some reason for that, I suppose. After reading quite a few reviews, and despite the bad press given Turkish made shotguns, I purchased a Weatherby SA-08 Deluxe 20 gauge, and it has been one very nice shotgun. Fit and finish was/is excellent, and it doesn't jam, breaking target after target on the skeet field. I carried it hunting pheasants last fall, and every bird that I pulled up on ended in my bag. I'm not sure about the others, but I'd buy another Weatherby SA-08.
 
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