TPJ, I like the Stevens guns for their reliability and because I don't mind getting them wet on a bad day. However, they seem to me to be built on just two frame sizes; the 12's seem to be built on a frame that is unneccesarily big and all of them handle like a 2x4, whereas the 16, the 20 and the .410 all seem to be made on the same frame. That frame is just too big for the smaller guages. Only the 16ga seems "right" to me. If you can find an older gun made in the forties or fifties, you'll be surprized at how good the walnut stocks can look.
All said, there are many better guns, but not many of them sell in the $250 to $450 range that Stevens 311's do...Geo
