# Stoeger STF 3000



## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

Greetings:

I bought a Rossi 20 single / .22 combo for my daugther to work into for duck hunting. To date she's OK with the .22 but we've not shot the 20 gauge. Issues are as follows:

1. It's a hammer gun, I hate hammer guns, I don't feel like I can teach her on a gun that I don't like.
2. It weighs about 3#. Anything that's going to kill a goose out of that gun is going to kick my 75# kid out of her blind, out of the spread, and probably into the next field. She is tough, but I don't want to pay to straighten her teeth only to have them pounded loose.

Thinking about what happened with Sean has really driven point #1 home.

I'm looking at a Stoeger 3000 for her. It's an O/U (she's a lefty), we can load only one barrel until she proves herself, and the safety kicks back to safe every time you open and close the gun. Also it's heavier so it should not kick so bad.

Question I have:

do I get her a youth model with the 22" barrels and the 13" stock, or do I get the full sized model with the 26" barrels and just make a stock for her to use until she grows into it? Note, carving a stock is no big deal for me - done it before, and she really wants to put camo flames on it regardless so I don't have to make it pretty

Will 26" barrels on a short stock be too front heavy? Don't have a lot of experience with O/U's.

Daughter is currently 4'6" and growing like a weed. 

Thanks all.


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## grousedog (Oct 21, 2002)

I bought my son a CZ brand O/U in 28 gauge to start hunting last year, as I had the same misgivings as you regarding single shot hammer guns. CZ didn't make a youth model in 28 gauge, so I bought a full-sized gun with 26 inch barrels and cut several inches off the stock. It still balances fine. I saved the cutoff to glue back on later figuring that I could refinish the stock and it will still be fine for hunting. It's not as if it started off as a collectors item.

Based on our experience, I highly recommend the 28 gauge over a 20 gauge to start. The gun is lighter and the recoil is much less. I had him shoot a 20 autoloader and a 20 O/U and although he could shoot them effectively, I could see that he was having trouble with the weight of the gun. That may not be as much of an issue in the duck blind, but I could see fatigue becoming a factor when hunting grouse and pheasants.

In any event, 28 gauge loads in #6 hevishot have worked just fine to kill both geese and ducks over decoys. The other thing I did was buy a used 28 gauge MEC reloader and taught my son how to reload his target shells. I found a light recoil load with 5/8 oz of shot that works fine at both trap and skeet and he can shoot them all day without flinching.

This is likely the last year for the 28 in its current configuration given how fast he is growing, but I plan on keeping it around after I find a used 20 gauge double for him to use next.


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## Mike L (Sep 8, 2003)

IMO I think "Any" double will/would be to heavy for her. Two barrels versus one ? I think, if I were in your shoes I'd trade the one you bought and don't like anyway, for a youth model 20ga. Break her in on that gun, one that fits her. Then you could sell it when she out grows it as there are guys looking for youth models all of the time.
That way she gets a gun that fits her, doesn't kick the heck out of her, and you don't loose much/any money to accomplish yours and her goals.

Well ? I did a little research and found the Stoeger double weighs in at 6.8oz and Youth model semi's are around the 6.2 lbs in weight. So the Stoeger might not be too heavy for her. Take her with you and find out ? I'd still get rid of the Rossi either way.


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## Burksee (Jan 15, 2003)

My daughter is of simular build as yours and although she's just been shooting skeet she handles a 20 gauge 870 youth model just fine. I was going to have the stock altered and have a better pad put on but she said she's fine with the one that's on it now. I may change it to out as she get a littler older and longer. Being a lefty might present some challenges for finding a youth model gun.


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

Thanks guys. Keep the ideas coming.

A BPS 20 would be just great, but if I had one of those my old Mossberg 20 would never get picked up again.....


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## duckbuster2 (Aug 14, 2008)

Find a 1100 20ga. LT load 1 shell at a time , get good at it load it up great gun.


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## Branta (Feb 6, 2002)

the last part of your post is where my head is at right now.

I'd probably look at a 20 auto from a major mfg for one economical reason; the value of growing up with your gun.

what mods/alterations you do to help them out now, will be the hinderance later in poor gun fit, so why not get something that can be continually (and cheaply) updated?

a quick example would be a youth model rem 11-87. auto gun for less felt recoil, short LOP, 21" barrel and good balance. a nice starter gun for $5-600).

as she grows older, it's NOTHING to get a replacement stock for it (they're everywhere, right off the shelf) and/or a new barrel in 24, 26, 28"...
the "gun" never changes - it's the same frame; just different stock/barrel lengths.


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

And the autoloader will eat up some of the recoil of those 1 1/8 oz. 3" 20 ga loads for her.


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## lewy149 (Apr 19, 2007)

My little sister killed a bunch with a youth 870 but she was "tough" tom boy girl. The wife thinks my auto 12 kicks less than the youth 870 in 20 for what it's worth. I still shoot at a Youth 870 the best.


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

Remingtons are out; I'll never own a gun with the safety behind the trigger.

Also being a lefty, it's going to be harder to find an auto.

Still have a case of 2 3/4" #4 steel that I use every now and then that I'm sitting on, which are oddly effective. No 1 1/8 ounce at first, we'll just work the birds in tight. No big deal as I shoot a 20 more often than not.


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## Critter (Mar 3, 2006)

Far Beyond Driven said:


> Remingtons are out; I'll never own a gun with the safety behind the trigger.


Ok I'll bite, why?


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## Branta (Feb 6, 2002)

everyone has their reasons, but maybe I can dispell one myth for you about lefties and right handed guns.

no, the shells "flying by" will not bother her one bit. if she sees them... she's not looking downrange effectively (and she's made some involuntary muscles in her eye lids... voluntary! kudos!!). I'd argue there's certain advantages for a lefty shooting a righthanded gun; namely, clearing a jam or misfire. the gun never comes off the shoulder.

that, and most field/hunting shotguns have zero cast to them, so it's nothing for a lefty to shoot effectively.

never owned a Lefty gun and I'm as lefty as they come. (I can't even walk leading off with my right foot!  )


your advantage in a party hunt would be to have her on the extreme right side of your blind, rig next to you. she'll cover that side more effectively than most right handed shooters with her range of motion.


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## Smallmouth Chaser (May 17, 2009)

I started both my daughters with a Mosserburg SA 20. I bought the adult size and found out that a 835 stock will fit it fine and can be cut and fitted with a limb saver. 

I run a skeet league for the middle school kids where I teach and have had kids run a lot of shells through various brands of youth shot guns. The one thing that I see is with youth guns is how short and heavy the barrels are. I personally like the longer barrel that I went with on the SA 20, I went with a 26 inch barrel and it is lighter than the 21 inch on the 500 or 870 and seems to swing better and have a nicer sight plain. Also if the kids is sitting on a chair and puts the gun on the but of the gun on the ground the barrel can not fit under their chin like the real short barrels. No one ever thinks about it but watch a kid sitting in the blind some time.

The sa 20 is much lighter than either the 870 youth or a model 500 youth (the 500 does have the thumb safety and may help with your left handed issue). The SA 20 will not help with the left handed issue but it has proven to be a reliable, light, low recoil gun for my girls to learn with. 

Once they are old enough to shoot adult guns I will buy each of them their own pump and I have a nice little grouse gun.

Good luck, I like hearing about all of the girls getting into hunting.


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## lewy149 (Apr 19, 2007)

Critter said:


> Ok I'll bite, why?


Same here??


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## jonesy16 (Sep 19, 2011)

My first gun was a New England Firearms single shot 20gauge that I won at a DU banquet. I killed 6 ducks with it the first time out when I was 12. Wasn't to heavy, the recoil wasn't bad and it swung very nicely. Still use it today and will probably pass it down to my kids.


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## Duckman Racing (Oct 11, 2004)

Check out the Baikal MP18. I just bought one in .410 for my step-daughter to try out. (then she went and broke her wrist, so she hasnt been able to try it yet.)

It is a single shot, but unlike the Rossi, and HK singles, it does not have a hammer. I had the same thoughts as you on hammer guns, and that is why I went with the Baikal. I think the .410 was less than $100 with shippping from Cheaperthandirt.com, and they make a 20 gauge version as well.


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

Is thte Baikal the same as the Spartan singles that Remington imports (imported?)

Just don't like the safety behind the trigger - doesn't seem natural to me. It's probably safer as you can't flip the safety and get the trigger in one movement, but to me it just doesn't seem to work, especially with gloves.

Actually, I don't even really like the safety in front of the trigger either like on my 390. Can't they all be on top?


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