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SxS single trigger shotgun


Cutthroat Cody

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I switched to a CZ Sharptail a year ago after wearing out some Stoegers.  I love the CZ.  Stoegers are used by many and are satisfactory for CAS.  Borrow some at a local match and see what you prefer.  Someone might have an SKB, a BSS or a Baikal you can try too.  These are used too.

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How competitive are you?  Browning BSS and SKB Model 100s and 200s show up remarkably often in the gun carts of those who finish at the top of the rankings.  They are fast and reliable shotguns in spite of the fact that they have been out of production for decades.  And because they are in demand, they are expensive; $1000 to $1500 is the usual ballpark.

 

There are other brands used in competition of course.  Stoeger, Baikal, Huglu, TTN, CZ are a few.  You will hear accolades and horror stories about each brand. Considerably less expensive than the SKB or Browning.

 

Then there are the older classic guns, like the Fox Sterlingworth, Lefever, L.C. Smith, Stevens 311/Fox B-ST.  Fun to shoot certainly, but slower to load in most cases.  And less expensive as well.

 

So there really is not a shortage of shotguns.  The main thing you need to decide is do you want to invest in a double that may help reduce your total time?  If your ranking does not matter to you, then the brand of shotgun doesn't matter either.

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The CZ Sharptail is a beautiful shotgun but I don't know anyone who works on them or how well they hold up to the rigors of SASS.  I hope they end up being a currently produced replacement for the SKB's which are getting harder to find.  They are in the price range of a good used SKB 100.  

 

I've used a Stoeger and a Bakail SxS for several years.  They work alright for what they are.  I sold the Bakail and I still have the Stoeger.  Now, I use two SKB 100's and I haven't found anything any better

 

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Long Hunter recently got in some CZ Sharptails.  Do not know if all are sold or not.  I ordered one from him and it shipped today.  I got my first from him back in January.   He had to wait for this shipment to send me my second one.   Only additional thing I had done to it is to narrow the extractor.  So far I have about 1,500 rounds through mine and love it.  I do shoot a little high with it so I aim at the feet.  I have sold my three SKBs and by next Tuesday own 3 Sharptails and am not looking back as I love the CZ.  The second one I got I bought from an individual and am going to have a gunsmith friend slick it up.  I did order spring for it from  SBGW.  Out of the box they are unreal stiff but the one I already have with Long Hunter's action job is sweet.   I had big time issues with the stocks cracking on the SKBs.  

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2 hours ago, Dream Chaser, SASS #79316 said:

Long Hunter recently got in some CZ Sharptails.  Do not know if all are sold or not.  I ordered one from him and it shipped today.  I got my first from him back in January.   He had to wait for this shipment to send me my second one.   Only additional thing I had done to it is to narrow the extractor.  So far I have about 1,500 rounds through mine and love it.  I do shoot a little high with it so I aim at the feet.  I have sold my three SKBs and by next Tuesday own 3 Sharptails and am not looking back as I love the CZ.  The second one I got I bought from an individual and am going to have a gunsmith friend slick it up.  I did order spring for it from  SBGW.  Out of the box they are unreal stiff but the one I already have with Long Hunter's action job is sweet.   I had big time issues with the stocks cracking on the SKBs.  

I’m just getting into CAS and I found a CZ Sharptail that I had slicked up.  Great little gun but it is very stiff out of the box.  The only thing that is still a little stiff is the cocking springs.  The smith I used took off a coil but said that as the much as could be done while making sure it would still fire reliably.  My understanding was that the SBGW springs were not the same as the cocking springs.  Did your springs lighten up on over time?

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“Lever and sear tuning springs” is what the package says and my smith is pretty busy till end of May so I will get it to him then.  Long Hunter will tell you that even after he tunes one, the gun will be a bit stiff till you shoot it a bunch and I found that true.  I have no idea what he uses for springs.  Works out two of mine are from Long Hunter and the third is not so my buddy will work on it.  At this point my first one is perfect in my eyes and I will not have my second Long Hunter one till at least Monday.

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I have a CZ I got from long hunter and my only complaint is he should have thinned the extractor at the top.  I will probably do that myself.  I have since found an SKB 100 that went to Fast Eddie and it is absolutely awesome!  After thinning the extractor the CZ will be very similar to the SKB.

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The cz with SBGW springs makes a big difference in the lever but not so noticeable in sear. Taking one coil off of cocking springs helped a bunch but I think I can take another coil off without problems as primers are hit very hard still. Also needed alot of deburring which is easy to do. The only issue having is with single trigger. Will fire one barrel only set one way and fire both barrels set the other way.

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At least in my eyes, the most important thing about a CAS SXS is that it fully opens up without having to hold it open to load and unload shells.  The empty shells need to come out easily as well, but this can be improved by honing the chambers if needed.  It was also important to me that there not be the center locking lug sticking out between the chambers like my first Stevens SXS, as this lug just go in the way for me.  I may be an odd bird on this one, but I also personally prefer a double trigger, but the single trigger models are now very popular.  I tried a single trigger for a while, but sold it after just one season, because I kept pulling on the trigger guard for the second shot.  Anyway, there are different types of single triggers and some need significant recoil to reset the trigger for the second shot and I much prefer the reliability of a double, mechanical trigger on my SXS.  Otherwise, there is a huge range of prices and models out there to choose from both new and used, but most will need some sort of work to be a good cowboy action shotgun.  I personally ended up with a Russian Biakal with double triggers that I cut down to 20" barrels.  It was stiff as a board out of the box and I had to install some custom cocking levers (not sure if they are still available or not) to get it to fully open up.  Otherwise, it's pretty much stock and is capable of being quite fast as well as very durable, I've literally shot the crap out of this shotgun with both smokeless and black powder and it's gone bang every time!  Frankly, it's probably the best bang for the bucks of any of my CAS firearms.

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The transition will cost you some beer! I shoot an SKB 100 from Johnny Meadows that you can try out next time I’m at a match to see if you like them.

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20 hours ago, J-BAR #18287 said:

How competitive are you?  Browning BSS and SKB Model 100s and 200s show up remarkably often in the gun carts of those who finish at the top of the rankings.  They are fast and reliable shotguns in spite of the fact that they have been out of production for decades.  And because they are in demand, they are expensive; $1000 to $1500 is the usual ballpark.

 

There are other brands used in competition of course.  Stoeger, Baikal, Huglu, TTN, CZ are a few.  You will hear accolades and horror stories about each brand. Considerably less expensive than the SKB or Browning.

 

Then there are the older classic guns, like the Fox Sterlingworth, Lefever, L.C. Smith, Stevens 311/Fox B-ST.  Fun to shoot certainly, but slower to load in most cases.  And less expensive as well.

 

So there really is not a shortage of shotguns.  The main thing you need to decide is do you want to invest in a double that may help reduce your total time?  If your ranking does not matter to you, then the brand of shotgun doesn't matter either.

Even us middle of the pack shooters benefit from moving up to the SKBs and Brownings.  I cut 5 seconds from my average time when I switched from a Stoeger to a Fast Eddie SKB200.  For me, it was well worth the investment.

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I am new to the sport and really need a shotgun as well.  I hope to follow this posting and see what is available.  I am certainly hoping to not spend $1000-1500 on a SXS shotgun as well, I can't even put into words how objectionable that is to me.

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1 hour ago, Chacón said:

I am new to the sport and really need a shotgun as well.  I hope to follow this posting and see what is available.  I am certainly hoping to not spend $1000-1500 on a SXS shotgun as well, I can't even put into words how objectionable that is to me.

I was like you.  I couldn't see spending that kind of money on a SxS shotgun.  I got by for years with a semi-tuned up Stoeger.  Then a friend loaned me a Fast Eddie tuned SKB to use for a match.  There is a big difference.   It took some looking, but I found an unmolested SKB at a local gun shop and had Fast Eddie do his magic.  I've shaved 3-5 seconds off my stage times with the SKB.  I now have two of them.  

 

If you're just starting out and dollars are tight, I'd recommend going with a Stoeger SxS.  It will work fine and last you for years.  Later on, if you decided you want to up your game, you can check into a tuned SKB.

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2 hours ago, Chacón said:

I am new to the sport and really need a shotgun as well.  I hope to follow this posting and see what is available.  I am certainly hoping to not spend $1000-1500 on a SXS shotgun as well, I can't even put into words how objectionable that is to me.

I can understand that.  When Ozark Belle and I started 8 years ago, we went down the same path as Badlands Bob, Stoeger SxSs that I tuned myself. For most of the first season we shared guns, choosing to invest over time in Ruger SASS pistols and Codymatic 1873 rifles.  By year two we each had a set of guns.  It's only be over that last year that we chose to upgrade the shotguns from our original Stoegers to Fast Eddie SKBs.  

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On 4/28/2021 at 1:29 PM, Cutthroat Cody said:

Been shooting a '97 for years and looking to move to the SxS. What suggestions can I get about where to get one most suited for CAS?

For the money you can't beat a stoeger, this gun will out perform most of us cowboys

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22 hours ago, cajun bandit said:

For the money you can't beat a stoeger, this gun will out perform most of us cowboys

+1. I'm on my third year with a single trigger Stoeger which I slicked up and it runs great and been 100% reliable. 

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Does anybody here happen to own the Pioneer model? I all but drooled when I first saw it but sadly it isn't in production anymore. Come to think of it, a lot of external hammer coach guns are gone; Century Arms SPM 12, Rossi The Overlander, Pioneer Arms..

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Manufacturers bailed largely because only Classic Cowboy category requires the generally slower external-hammer side-by-side shotgun.  Pioneer was PREMIUM priced.  Hammered guns can be used in any other SASS category, but most folks don't do that for very long.

 

good luck, GJ

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If your new to the game get a Stoeger, or if you can find it a good used SG. Later on you could always find another SG for either a backup or main match gun, no sense in starting with a high dollar one IMHO.  

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