The bottom line: I like it! 
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There has been a lot of talk on this forum about the Viper G2 Bronze (very nice!) but no discussion of the Silver version. The Silver is a little cheaper than the Bronze, and does not have quite as nice wood. Personally, I like the looks of the Silver receiver.
I bought this gun from Bud's Gun Shop, and received it yesterday. Here is what it cost me:
Bud's Price $542
Shipping $25
Insurance $6
FFL Fee $22
Total out-the-door $595
My dealer is at the sporting clays range, so I picked it up Wednesday morning, which is when I usually shoot with my friends. By the time we did the paperwork, the guys were itching to go out and shoot, so I took it on the course right out of the box, no cleaning or lubing. 100+ shots, 3 brands of ammo, and it functioned perfectly!
My friends were impressed by the gun and the way I smashed targets with it, but some of them wouldn't admit it :lol: My score was down a little compared to what I might have done with my usual 12 ga , but mostly because I was getting used to the gun. I love light guns, but I have to admit this one might be a little too light for clays. Tristar claims it weighs 5.2 lb, but my kitchen scales say it is 5.8 lb. It feels great in my hands, but I had trouble swinging it smoothly. I may explore adding a little weight near the muzzle, to change moment of inertia without much change in total weight.
It came with 4 choke tubes, an extended Skt in the barrel and flush IC/M/F in a little box. I used some Briley extended Ber/Ben Mobilchoke tubes that I already had, instead of the factory tubes. It came with a chamber safety plug in the barrel (I had wondered if anyone made those for small gauges - obviously someone does, but I still don't know who). It also came with stock adjustment shims.
Someone commented that these guns look like the Beretta 300 series - well, maybe a little from the outside, but the action is very different. From what I have seen in owner's manuals on the internet, it is a duplicate of the Weatherby SA-08 28 gauge (but not the Weatherby 12 and 20 gauge, which are different). Aside from the finish, there are only a few tiny differences from the Weatherby, probably intended to save a few bucks in cost. I found it strange that the Weatherby manual shows a plastic magazine spring guide, while the Tristar manual does not: but when I took it apart, the Tristar has one just like the illustration for the Weatherby. The Tristar manual does not mention stock adjustment shims, which the Weatherby does, but they are present: one drop shim installed, and 3 more drop shims and a cast shim included. My conclusion is that the Tristar is a slightly cheaper version of the Weatherby, made in the same factory (Armsan, in Turkey).
BTW, the little box for choke tubes and accessories is peculiar. I must have looked in the box 5 times before I figured out there is a hidden compartment containing the choke tube wrench and 4 shims! :shock:
I'm happy with my Tristar!
There has been a lot of talk on this forum about the Viper G2 Bronze (very nice!) but no discussion of the Silver version. The Silver is a little cheaper than the Bronze, and does not have quite as nice wood. Personally, I like the looks of the Silver receiver.
I bought this gun from Bud's Gun Shop, and received it yesterday. Here is what it cost me:
Bud's Price $542
Shipping $25
Insurance $6
FFL Fee $22
Total out-the-door $595
My dealer is at the sporting clays range, so I picked it up Wednesday morning, which is when I usually shoot with my friends. By the time we did the paperwork, the guys were itching to go out and shoot, so I took it on the course right out of the box, no cleaning or lubing. 100+ shots, 3 brands of ammo, and it functioned perfectly!
My friends were impressed by the gun and the way I smashed targets with it, but some of them wouldn't admit it :lol: My score was down a little compared to what I might have done with my usual 12 ga , but mostly because I was getting used to the gun. I love light guns, but I have to admit this one might be a little too light for clays. Tristar claims it weighs 5.2 lb, but my kitchen scales say it is 5.8 lb. It feels great in my hands, but I had trouble swinging it smoothly. I may explore adding a little weight near the muzzle, to change moment of inertia without much change in total weight.
It came with 4 choke tubes, an extended Skt in the barrel and flush IC/M/F in a little box. I used some Briley extended Ber/Ben Mobilchoke tubes that I already had, instead of the factory tubes. It came with a chamber safety plug in the barrel (I had wondered if anyone made those for small gauges - obviously someone does, but I still don't know who). It also came with stock adjustment shims.
Someone commented that these guns look like the Beretta 300 series - well, maybe a little from the outside, but the action is very different. From what I have seen in owner's manuals on the internet, it is a duplicate of the Weatherby SA-08 28 gauge (but not the Weatherby 12 and 20 gauge, which are different). Aside from the finish, there are only a few tiny differences from the Weatherby, probably intended to save a few bucks in cost. I found it strange that the Weatherby manual shows a plastic magazine spring guide, while the Tristar manual does not: but when I took it apart, the Tristar has one just like the illustration for the Weatherby. The Tristar manual does not mention stock adjustment shims, which the Weatherby does, but they are present: one drop shim installed, and 3 more drop shims and a cast shim included. My conclusion is that the Tristar is a slightly cheaper version of the Weatherby, made in the same factory (Armsan, in Turkey).
BTW, the little box for choke tubes and accessories is peculiar. I must have looked in the box 5 times before I figured out there is a hidden compartment containing the choke tube wrench and 4 shims! :shock:
I'm happy with my Tristar!
