CZ-USA Wingshooter Elite
I just got home from picking up my new CZ-USA Wingshooter Elite 12ga 28" shotgun. As soon as I left the gun store I headed straight for the trap club to shoot a couple rounds. When I opened the box and the carrying case, all the guys came around to see the new toy, and we were all impressed with what we found. The gun looks beautiful, the wood is amazing (for this price point), and it handles like a dream. I put it together, checked the tubes, and walked straight up for round-1. I broke 21 of 25, which is what I would normally do with the Benelli SBEII I've owned for more than 15 years. I let it cool off for a round and then took it out for a second, and wouldn't you know, I broke 21 of 25 again
Once I got home I figured I should take some photos so I could share with the crew here. I spent a LOT of time reading posts from this group before I decided to buy this particular gun, so thank you to all those who've shared input over the years. Special thanks to @IheartShotguns for his detailed review of this gun [ https://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewto ... 7&t=454967 ] and @cdb1097 for his multi-year reliability test showing that CZ makes a solid product [ https://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewto ... 7&t=189338 ]. I wanted to be able to put some karma points back into the system, so here goes...
When I opened the outer box at the club, most guys seemed happily surprised that the gun came with a hard plastic carrying case. This is my first over/under so I wasn't sure what to expect, but it feels like a pretty nice, lightweight case. You can tell they're made for several brands because there's a little circle in the center on both sides of the case, and on one side there was a CZ-USA emblem stuck on there. It looks nice enough, though, and it'll do the trick for what I need.
![Image]()
When I got into the carrying case, I found a nicely presented set. The barrel/forearm and the stock each come shipped inside of a blue "velvet" bag, and are then wrapped with bubble-wrap for shipping. For routine use, though, that royal blue color of the sleeves seems to demand attention and they're pleasing on the eyes.
![Image]()
After tearing through the layers, like a kid opening a favorite gift on Christmas morning, I found a beautiful piece of Turkish craftsmanship inside. The wood grain on the stock was way better than I expected and the engraving really makes it "pop" visually. As you'll hear from other folks, there's a plastic case for the choke tubes and choke wrench, which is a little weird because: A) it only holds four tubes, B) the wrench sits underneath the tubes, C) everything is loose in the case so the stuff moves around... but it's fine... it's the choke tubes.
![Image]()
I have to admit, I was keeping all fingers and toes crossed for some nice wood, but I bought it online so you never know what you're going to end up with. Luckily, in this case, the wood-gods were smiling down on me because it looks sah-wheet! If you look really close you can see some areas where the wood has tiny "pits" - sorry, I don't know the technical term - but it's only in a few spots. Maybe I'll refinish this stock at some point but for now it is a winner in my book.
![Image]()
The wood on the forearm is equally as nice and the checkering feels good on the hands. It took a few minutes - and a few helping hands from other shooters - to get the barrels on the receiver the first time, but after that it was a smooth operator. After shooting I did add some grease on the pins / hinge and also put a little oil on the choke tubes and cleaned the threads to make sure there weren't any metal shavings. When I was cleaning it after shooting, I also noticed that there was a sort of greasy film across the entire gun. I have to assume that it's done on purpose for protection during shipping, but who knows. Once I got a gun rag on it, the whole thing started to really shine.
![Image]()
And then the final product, all shined up and ready to break some clays! I might take it out duck hunting on opening day, too, just for fun. I'll report back with an update after my next outing either way. If anybody is considering this gun, please feel free to send questions and I'll answer the best I can.
![Image]()
PS - I looked up and down the internet for the best pricing and, in the process, stumbled across a great site called http://www.GunWatcher.com. I had just missed a sale on Buds Gun Shop for $800 and ended up getting it from another online retailer for $900 delivered. The best pricing I've seen lately has been in the $885 to $915 range, including shipping. Then you just need an FFL to perform the background check and transfer, and you're all set :wink:
I just got home from picking up my new CZ-USA Wingshooter Elite 12ga 28" shotgun. As soon as I left the gun store I headed straight for the trap club to shoot a couple rounds. When I opened the box and the carrying case, all the guys came around to see the new toy, and we were all impressed with what we found. The gun looks beautiful, the wood is amazing (for this price point), and it handles like a dream. I put it together, checked the tubes, and walked straight up for round-1. I broke 21 of 25, which is what I would normally do with the Benelli SBEII I've owned for more than 15 years. I let it cool off for a round and then took it out for a second, and wouldn't you know, I broke 21 of 25 again
Once I got home I figured I should take some photos so I could share with the crew here. I spent a LOT of time reading posts from this group before I decided to buy this particular gun, so thank you to all those who've shared input over the years. Special thanks to @IheartShotguns for his detailed review of this gun [ https://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewto ... 7&t=454967 ] and @cdb1097 for his multi-year reliability test showing that CZ makes a solid product [ https://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewto ... 7&t=189338 ]. I wanted to be able to put some karma points back into the system, so here goes...
When I opened the outer box at the club, most guys seemed happily surprised that the gun came with a hard plastic carrying case. This is my first over/under so I wasn't sure what to expect, but it feels like a pretty nice, lightweight case. You can tell they're made for several brands because there's a little circle in the center on both sides of the case, and on one side there was a CZ-USA emblem stuck on there. It looks nice enough, though, and it'll do the trick for what I need.
When I got into the carrying case, I found a nicely presented set. The barrel/forearm and the stock each come shipped inside of a blue "velvet" bag, and are then wrapped with bubble-wrap for shipping. For routine use, though, that royal blue color of the sleeves seems to demand attention and they're pleasing on the eyes.
After tearing through the layers, like a kid opening a favorite gift on Christmas morning, I found a beautiful piece of Turkish craftsmanship inside. The wood grain on the stock was way better than I expected and the engraving really makes it "pop" visually. As you'll hear from other folks, there's a plastic case for the choke tubes and choke wrench, which is a little weird because: A) it only holds four tubes, B) the wrench sits underneath the tubes, C) everything is loose in the case so the stuff moves around... but it's fine... it's the choke tubes.
I have to admit, I was keeping all fingers and toes crossed for some nice wood, but I bought it online so you never know what you're going to end up with. Luckily, in this case, the wood-gods were smiling down on me because it looks sah-wheet! If you look really close you can see some areas where the wood has tiny "pits" - sorry, I don't know the technical term - but it's only in a few spots. Maybe I'll refinish this stock at some point but for now it is a winner in my book.
The wood on the forearm is equally as nice and the checkering feels good on the hands. It took a few minutes - and a few helping hands from other shooters - to get the barrels on the receiver the first time, but after that it was a smooth operator. After shooting I did add some grease on the pins / hinge and also put a little oil on the choke tubes and cleaned the threads to make sure there weren't any metal shavings. When I was cleaning it after shooting, I also noticed that there was a sort of greasy film across the entire gun. I have to assume that it's done on purpose for protection during shipping, but who knows. Once I got a gun rag on it, the whole thing started to really shine.
And then the final product, all shined up and ready to break some clays! I might take it out duck hunting on opening day, too, just for fun. I'll report back with an update after my next outing either way. If anybody is considering this gun, please feel free to send questions and I'll answer the best I can.
PS - I looked up and down the internet for the best pricing and, in the process, stumbled across a great site called http://www.GunWatcher.com. I had just missed a sale on Buds Gun Shop for $800 and ended up getting it from another online retailer for $900 delivered. The best pricing I've seen lately has been in the $885 to $915 range, including shipping. Then you just need an FFL to perform the background check and transfer, and you're all set :wink:
