doublegunshop.com - home Forums Thread Like Summary - Inexpensive New TriStar SxS

I've been assisting a hunting partner in acquiring a new inexpensive Turkish 20 gauge boxlock side-by-side shotgun. Bristol is the model, and TriStar Arms is the maker (or at least the American trade name). It comes with choke tubes, 28" blued barrels, and a pistol grip checkered Turkish walnut stock. He plans to use it for upland bird hunting. None of the large gun dealers in St. Louis (Cabela's, Bass Pro, Academy, etc.) have this gun in stock. So, one has to make the purchase WITHOUT handling the shotgun. It is unclear what warranty is offered. Price is about $825.

We have had a difficult time with this purchase, using various on-line services. Several companies that advertise this TriStar shotgun, are actually out-of-stock. It has proven difficult to find and acquire. It may be lowest price new SxS being advertised. I think we now have one on the way...

When it arrives, and we shoot it, we'll then post our opinion. There have been several good test write-ups, so we shall see.

A good friend has been shooting informal skeet and doves with a TriStar TT-15 .410 for the past year. He wanted a cheap .410 OU and that is what he got. The trigger pulls are heavier than the gun itself. The ejectors work on their own schedule and are poorly timed. The gun becomes difficult to open as it heats up during a round of skeet. He hasn't checked the barrels' point of impact and is probably afraid to find out. He still likes the gun beyond its warts, which probably speaks more to cognitive dissonance than the gun itself. TriStar has its repair shop nearby and they are popular with new shooters at the local gun clubs. They tend develop issues when frequently used on targets: triggers, ejectors, weak hammer strikes, firing pins, etc. Another friend used a TriStar for informal trap league and that gun seemed to have a different problem each week. Used ones around here go for pennies on the dollar., if they go at all.