geeze i hope this hasn't been posted here already, but i'll ask anyway:

does anyone have any experience with the Stoeger Uplander? It seemed like the way to go chambered in 28 gauge for quail. I've never had any experience with any shotgun gauge besides the 12 bore and i figured for @$300-$400US you can't go wrong...on the other hand, doing a little homework can save one a huge headache as well.

ps: if this has been covered, could you all please provide a link to the thread

Not the Uplander, but I have a Stoeger "Coach Gun" and I like it a lot. The inside of the barrels are perfectly straight with a mirror finish, it makes the bores of my other shotguns look like a Pigmy's bamboo blowgun.

The triggers and wood aren't as nice as the rest of the gun, and the checkering looks like they skipped the final detail step.

I haven't shot it yet, I bought it because I wanted a coach gun since I was a kid.

Curtis,

I have had an Uplander for several years now. Mine is in 16 gauge. For me it was a cheap way to still hunt with a SxS 16 gauge without hunting my 2 1/2" chambered Fox. My Uplander has 26" bbls choked IC and Mod. I have used it on dove, quail, rabbits, squirrels, and turkeys. It patterns better than the price should allow, and keeping in spirit with the low cost, I usually shoot reloads or remington game loads if they are on sale. I have consistantly limited out on doves, and never enough quail to limit with. I have also hunted ducks and geese, shooting steel shot through it (yes it's rated for steel). Oh, and I've even bagged a couple of noisesome crows with stout buckshot handloads from camp a couple of years back (long story, wouldn't stop squawking around our camp...).

The triggers are rough, the fit and finish aren't great and the wood work is not very pretty. The reciever on mine looks like a 12 with 16 gauge barrels on it, so there is an obvious break in the lines from barrels to reciever. But, the action locks up tight, still, after many thousands of rounds, some of which was pretty hot handloads, it continues to put game in my pouch, and it was under $400. I would prefer screw in chokes, and 28" barrels, but when I got mine they were not availible, don't know if that has changed or not.

Fox, Beretta, or Browning they are not, but if you are just looking for a cheap SxS field gun that you don't care if it gets scratched...it's not a bad deal.

Thanks for the info fellas, I appreciate it.

Big Bores, according to the 2002 catalog I have they now offer certain modles and gauges with fixed and certain modles and gauges with screw in chokes, ie, the uplander in 12 or 20 gauge is a screw in, the uplander special in 28 gauge is fixed.

Curtis;
I have the exact same gun that BigBores has, and I must basically say that I agree with everything he has to say. I bought my gun new, and the only difference I can see between his and mine is that the fit may have been a little better, and the blueing a little deeper (maybe they were paying attention the day they made mine ) At any rate, it sounds like we got the same guy in the woodshop. I got it for knocking about in the Michigan Grouse and woodcock woods, and an occasional duck hunt. It has served well, and I don't worry about getting it scratched or dinged. Funny thing is, it kills birds (clay and feathered) just as well as my friends Citori! Get one and enjoy!

Curtis:

I had an uplander in 12 ga. Worked fine and was a good field gun. The only problem I had with mine was with the firing pins. The metal was soft and they would wear down.

Curtis: I had one of the Uplanders in 28 gauge, as I had always wanted to fool with this gauge. The gun was nice and tight, and seemed reasonably well made for the price. Finish was what you would expect, with the trigger guard blued over milling marks, etc., a heavy finish on the wood, and not the greatest checkering. I never shot it enough for the action to loosen up a bit, but I am sure it would have. I had three beefs with the gun: first and foremost, it weighed more than seven pounds, which is not my idea of a proper 28, or even a proper 20 or 16. The stock wood appeared to be walnut, but it must have been incredibly dense. Second, even with that weight, I didn't feel any appreciable difference in handling or recoil from 20s I have owned, and had to ask myself what the point was in having a 28 on this particular "chassis." (A 28 on a 5 1/2-pound wand would be another matter entirely.) Finally, I found the gun was butt heavy and otherwise just didn't fit me all that well, which can be a problem when you order a shotgun sight unseen. I would also have preferred interchangeable chokes.

I have the Condor Supream version O/U. Great shotgun.

I wanted to post an important notice about my Stoeger. I noticed after cleaning it on two progressive days of dove hunting that a split has formed between the two pieces of barrel, the chamber area and main barrel are two pieces that are joined together. I have never noticed the split before, it is only on the right barrel, the one that gets used the most, due to being the front trigger and modified choke. Since noticing it Sunday while cleaning it, I again shot it Monday and the split is definately growing around the circumference of the barrel/chamber joint. As I sit here, I think I have owned this gun for 5 years, and easily put more than 5000 shells through it, most of which have been out of this barrel. Some of the loads have been max drams, but the majority have been light field loads. I will be contacting Stoeger and see what they say I can do, send it back, or whatever, as it is an import, I may or may not get anywhere with it. I mainly just wanted to let you guys know to be aware of it, since I did recommend it as a good value, I feel it necessary to add this follow up.

As an aside, I just bought a Remington 11-87 12 ga premier for $550 new, this for now will serve as my field gun until I decide what else to do.