last week I dropped $100 on a new Rossi single shot 20Ga at Gander Mtn... put up a review on bushcraftusa.com. Figured I might put it on here...
Rossi Single Shot 20Ga Shotgun(model# s201280bs)
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Specs
Action: Single shot/break action
Bore: 20 gauge modified choke
Chamber: 3"
Barrel: 28"
Overall: 43.25"
Weight: 5.25 lbs
Sight: Brass bead
Stock: Black synthetic
Finish: Blued
Initial Impressions
The first thing I noticed about this gun was the price... on sale(apparently quite often) at $99.99... the cheapskate in me perked up at the sight of that, and the price is what ultimately made me choose this gun over the H&R I had planned on buying ... the next thing I noticed, when the salesmen brought it out for me, was the weight... this sucker is light... felt about a 1/2 lb to a pound lighter than the H&R... as far as the action, it would be hard to find something simpler than a break open shotgun... easy to load, easy to inspect, easy to clean...they may have made some small enhancements over the years(like the transfer bar system, which I like) but at the core, it is the same simple system that has worked well for years... one of those "if it ain't broke" kind of things... the barrel is a bit longer than I like, but that can be addressed at a later date... one thing it lacked that it could have used is some sort of rear sighting aid to help line the bead up... it doesn't even have a channel in the back, just a very slight impression where they stamped the info into the barrel...
one thing that I didn't notice right away, and apparently the guys at gander weren't aware of either( because they gave me a free lock with the gun) was the nifty little Taurus Security System...
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its a little built in gun lock... a little stud on the hammer that you raise and lower with a key(a security pin allen wrench)... in the raised position, the hammer cannot be cocked, there for the gun cannot be fired... simple, yet effective...
Testing
this is the part that I had been waiting for all week... I mooched some 20 Ga shells(both shot and slugs) off my dad and went up back to fire the gun for the first time... the shot pattern was about what you might expect from a mod choked barrel
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(# 6 shot at 30 yards, target is 11"x14" foamcore... shot a little high)
shot was scattered fairly evenly across about a 3ft circle at 30 yards decent pattern for most small game and birds at moderate to close range... the recoil with shotshells was substantial, but far from being out of control
the thing that I had been agonizing over all week was how it would perform with slugs... the Rossi catalog says "WARNING: Do not use with Slugs. Designed for Shotshells only" on the single shot shotgun page... but after talking to several people who hunt with this gun I decided that was just Rossi's way of sayin "spend $130 more on one of our slug guns"... I ran some (12 total so far) Remington 5/8oz rifled slugs through her just to test that theory...
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( four shot grouping at 30 yards...)
didn't elmer fudd on me... no damage to the barrel, none to the receiver, gun handled it like a champ (fine print: legally speaking, I am not recommending you shoot slugs through a gun that the manufacturer recommends against, I am just saying that I did it myself and nothing bad happened to me... make of that what you will)...and as long as I don't flinch, it's fairly accurate, even with a lousy shot like me doing the shooting... with practice I could probably get quite good...
the only potential issue I see with slugs is the recoil... its the reason I flinched on that one shot... remember I said it is substantial with shotshells... with slugs I would estimate it is slamming your shoulder at least twice to three times as hard... not horrible if you can take it, but if recoil is an issue for you, this would not be the gun for you... it would be a great gun to teach someone to hold the gun tight though... they would only make that mistake once...
Opinions
All in all, this gun is well worth the $100 I spent on it... I have confidence that this gun(with practice) could take down any game animal NY has to offer, and do it legally... it isn't flashy, it doesn't have any bells and whistles, it isn't the sort of gun anyone will be jealous of ... but that is fine by me... I don't feel I need to compete with the Joneses( and anyhow, no matter how cool any gun I ever get is, I know my dad and uncle will have something cooler)... this little 20 Ga is a jack of all trades... it might not be designed to be the best at any one thing, but will get the job done, and that is what matters in the end
Pros
cheap
readily available
cheap
simple(practically bombproof) design
light weight
built in gun lock
easily broke down(no tools needed... thought that was a nice tough)
cheap
well thought out safety mechanism
effective with both slugs and shot
... did I mention cheap
Cons
Recoil (heavy with shot, bordering on harsh with slugs)
modified choke(effective range less than full)
no rear sighting aid, only front bead
not impressive to look at
Rossi Single Shot 20Ga Shotgun(model# s201280bs)
Specs
Action: Single shot/break action
Bore: 20 gauge modified choke
Chamber: 3"
Barrel: 28"
Overall: 43.25"
Weight: 5.25 lbs
Sight: Brass bead
Stock: Black synthetic
Finish: Blued
Initial Impressions
The first thing I noticed about this gun was the price... on sale(apparently quite often) at $99.99... the cheapskate in me perked up at the sight of that, and the price is what ultimately made me choose this gun over the H&R I had planned on buying ... the next thing I noticed, when the salesmen brought it out for me, was the weight... this sucker is light... felt about a 1/2 lb to a pound lighter than the H&R... as far as the action, it would be hard to find something simpler than a break open shotgun... easy to load, easy to inspect, easy to clean...they may have made some small enhancements over the years(like the transfer bar system, which I like) but at the core, it is the same simple system that has worked well for years... one of those "if it ain't broke" kind of things... the barrel is a bit longer than I like, but that can be addressed at a later date... one thing it lacked that it could have used is some sort of rear sighting aid to help line the bead up... it doesn't even have a channel in the back, just a very slight impression where they stamped the info into the barrel...
one thing that I didn't notice right away, and apparently the guys at gander weren't aware of either( because they gave me a free lock with the gun) was the nifty little Taurus Security System...
its a little built in gun lock... a little stud on the hammer that you raise and lower with a key(a security pin allen wrench)... in the raised position, the hammer cannot be cocked, there for the gun cannot be fired... simple, yet effective...
Testing
this is the part that I had been waiting for all week... I mooched some 20 Ga shells(both shot and slugs) off my dad and went up back to fire the gun for the first time... the shot pattern was about what you might expect from a mod choked barrel
(# 6 shot at 30 yards, target is 11"x14" foamcore... shot a little high)
shot was scattered fairly evenly across about a 3ft circle at 30 yards decent pattern for most small game and birds at moderate to close range... the recoil with shotshells was substantial, but far from being out of control
the thing that I had been agonizing over all week was how it would perform with slugs... the Rossi catalog says "WARNING: Do not use with Slugs. Designed for Shotshells only" on the single shot shotgun page... but after talking to several people who hunt with this gun I decided that was just Rossi's way of sayin "spend $130 more on one of our slug guns"... I ran some (12 total so far) Remington 5/8oz rifled slugs through her just to test that theory...
( four shot grouping at 30 yards...)
didn't elmer fudd on me... no damage to the barrel, none to the receiver, gun handled it like a champ (fine print: legally speaking, I am not recommending you shoot slugs through a gun that the manufacturer recommends against, I am just saying that I did it myself and nothing bad happened to me... make of that what you will)...and as long as I don't flinch, it's fairly accurate, even with a lousy shot like me doing the shooting... with practice I could probably get quite good...
the only potential issue I see with slugs is the recoil... its the reason I flinched on that one shot... remember I said it is substantial with shotshells... with slugs I would estimate it is slamming your shoulder at least twice to three times as hard... not horrible if you can take it, but if recoil is an issue for you, this would not be the gun for you... it would be a great gun to teach someone to hold the gun tight though... they would only make that mistake once...
Opinions
All in all, this gun is well worth the $100 I spent on it... I have confidence that this gun(with practice) could take down any game animal NY has to offer, and do it legally... it isn't flashy, it doesn't have any bells and whistles, it isn't the sort of gun anyone will be jealous of ... but that is fine by me... I don't feel I need to compete with the Joneses( and anyhow, no matter how cool any gun I ever get is, I know my dad and uncle will have something cooler)... this little 20 Ga is a jack of all trades... it might not be designed to be the best at any one thing, but will get the job done, and that is what matters in the end
Pros
cheap
readily available
cheap
simple(practically bombproof) design
light weight
built in gun lock
easily broke down(no tools needed... thought that was a nice tough)
cheap
well thought out safety mechanism
effective with both slugs and shot
... did I mention cheap
Cons
Recoil (heavy with shot, bordering on harsh with slugs)
modified choke(effective range less than full)
no rear sighting aid, only front bead
not impressive to look at
