In recognition of the brand’s 100th anniversary, Stoeger Industries introduces the M3000 Signature semi-auto shotgun
by Larry Case
Just to clear the air, I happen to like Stoeger shotguns. I have sat in more than a couple of flooded blinds and ditches clutching a Stoeger, watching the skyline for ducks and geese. I have also trudged a few miles on the upland scene doing the same thing, Stoeger shotgun in hand. I always appreciated how the gun went bang every time I slapped the trigger and how it eagerly stood up to the terrible conditions commonly found on waterfowl hunts. Mud, water, snow, and Labrador drool didn’t seem to faze the gun one bit.
One instance involved a Stoeger M3000 being dropped in the aforementioned flooded ditch we were hiding in. We poured out the water, shuffled the action a few times, reloaded, and resumed banging away at some resident Canada honkers.
I say all this for the critics out there who usually gnash their teeth any time a gun writer says anything good about a gun they are reviewing. Well, what are we supposed to do? We want to be honest, right? If we dislike a gun, the readers want us to say so; if we like a gun, shouldn’t we say that, too?
OK, I said what I said.
Some Stoeger History
Stoeger makes some great shotguns, and now a line of cool semi-auto pistols, but there may be some things about Stoeger you don’t know. Stoeger holds quite a place in history in the firearms world.
In the 1920s, an immigrant from Austria named Alexander F. Stoeger opened a mail order gun store in New York City. Stoeger’s catalog grew to be a book that featured guns available from all over the world. Mr. Stoeger’s book went on to become what we know today as the Shooter’s Bible.
Stoeger was a visionary and a shrewd entrepreneur. Soon, he was importing German Luger pistols (the only authorized importer at the time) and he imported Mauser actions from Germany. His early manufacturing ventures included making a slide, barrel, and magazine to convert Colt Government Model 1911 pistols into .22 Long Rifle caliber. Stoeger continued to grow, and by the 1990s the company was importing guns from Sako and IGA shotguns.
In 2000, Stoeger was purchased by the Beretta Holding Group and came under the direction of Benelli USA. (They import Benelli, Franchi, and Uberti firearms.) Turkish shotgun manufacturer Versan was making good semi-auto shotguns and Beretta acquired this company and changed the name to Stoeger. Beretta invested heavily in this factory and made a good thing better, and this is where the excellent Stoeger shotguns are coming from today.
Commemorating 100 Years
To celebrate this proud history — there aren’t many firearms companies that can say they have been around for a century — Stoeger has unveiled the Stoeger Model 3000 Signature shotgun. This shotgun is based on the Stoeger’s proven M3000 semi-auto chambered in 3-inch 12-gauge, and it pays homage to the 100th anniversary and legacy of fine guns and quality craftsmanship that have been an integral part of Stoeger’s firearm history since its founding in 1924. The Model 3000 Signature blends classic styling with the contemporary design and performance found across the Stoeger M3000 shotgun series. The M3000 Signature distinguishes itself with striking eye appeal and consideration to the tradition of fine sporting arms. (Remember I told you about the incident in the waterlogged ditch…these guns can take it.)
This is meant to be a showpiece shotgun, and it is. The receiver is satin-finished nickel and features a fleur-de-lis engraving in the spirit of European shotgun design. In a nod to conventional use, the receiver is drilled and tapped for optic mounting.
The M3000 Signature is an inertia-driven shotgun that provides extremely reliable cycling and clean operation. An enlarged and knurled bolt handle and bolt release ensures positive control in field environments, even when wearing gloves. The nickel receiver is accented by a polished blue 28-inch barrel. (We have talked here before about a longer barrel helping you make shots on leading birds and clays.) The barrel on the M3000 Signature sports a stepped rib and a fiber-optic front bead sight.
The receiver aesthetics are further complimented by black controls, bolt, trigger guard, and lifter.
This shotgun would not be complete without fancy Grade A walnut furniture, and that is exactly what Stoeger put on the M3000 Signature. The forend is slim, with expansive finger grooves and texturing for a comfortable hold. The checkering on the grip is aesthetically appealing and provides a good hold on the shotgun. Included is a drop and cast shim kit that allows the shooter to achieve a custom shotgun feel. The gun also comes with pre-installed sling swivel studs for carry convenience.
The magazine capacity is 4+1 and the shotgun ships with three chokes: Xtra Full, Modified, and Improved Cylinder.
On the Range
Stoeger semi-autos use the inertia-driven operating system Swede Crister Sjorgren developed in the early 1900s and Italian engineer Bruno Civolani later refined. This simple design includes a two-part bolt with a spring that compresses after the gun is fired and recoil sends the gun backward into your shoulder. Just after that pushback occurs, the bolt is released so the shotshell can eject. The bolt then returns forward and collects another shell, placing it into battery. Benelli and Franchi semi-autos utilize this same platform.
Shotgunners, especially duck and goose hunters, know how reliable the inertia driven shotgun is. There are waterfowl guys that would not go to the swamps and duck blinds with anything else. Gas operated shotguns will shoot softer, with less recoil than inertia guns, but they require a lot more attention to cleaning to stay running. Inertia guns don’t require near the cleaning that gas guns do. Most waterfowlers like this. I know I do. Who likes to clean guns, anyway?
Knowing all this, I went into range testing the Model 3000 Signature thinking there was no reason to really put it through the mill as far as firing a lot of rounds. I mean, this is a pretty, commemorative shotgun, right? Most shooters are probably going to get the gun to look at a lot and shoot it a little. But no, this is a Stoeger, an M3000, and these guns are workhorses in the field and shooters know them for their ruggedness and reliability. Pretty or not, this shotgun needed to pick up its end of the log. So, we went to the range with the M3000 Signature, a grimace on our face, and a bunch of shotgun shells.
We started with three rounds of trap, and I shot it as fast I could. I wasn’t really trying for any records or 25 straights. I just wanted to see the shotgun go boom, boom, boom. (The stepped rib was a real plus here.) The trap shooting was just a warmup. The M3000 Signature handled well, and as I have said before, a longer barrel — 28 inches on this gun — is a great help on moving targets. Being an inertia gun, there was some recoil to deal with; however, with the buttstock pad that Stoeger added to this gun, it took out a lot of the slam. This is a new pad for Stoeger shotguns, and it works.
After the trap rounds, I consented to shoot one round of skeet. I hate the game of skeet, mostly because I stink at it. I did a little better this time with the M3000 Signature after I went to the Improved Cylinder choke supplied with the gun. (Notice I said a little better.) After that, it was a matter of putting rounds through the gun to see for myself if the shotgun would hold up to multiple rounds shot quickly across several different ammo brands.
We may have succeeded in breaking my own record of different rounds used in a shotgun test. We shot Winchester, Federal, Fiocchi, Remington, Kent, Monarch, Estate, and a few more I wasn’t familiar with before we went to the range. My purpose, as always, was to show the shotgun could eat all these different brands with no problems feeding, firing, and ejecting. The M3000 Signature never hiccupped, and it handled the different loads, including some magnum duck and turkey loads and a few really ugly reloads so well it was almost boring.
To be honest, I’m not sure what else you would want a shotgun to do. We probably shot more rounds in two days than most shooters will in a year without the first glitch. When you add that the M3000 Signature is an absolutely beautiful shotgun, well, you couldn’t ask for more.
If you find a prettier engraved shotgun with gorgeous wood on it that is this dependable with a $799 MSRP, you need to go buy it…like today.
