I bought a cheap Turkish Over/Under

[md2020]

So I picked up this about 6 year old Tristar over under sporting shotgun from a CalGuns seller who wasn't using it. It probably hadnt been fired in 5 years according to him.

Why did I buy it... because I was curious and it was cheap. I have a B-gun, but this is a spare buddy gun for trap/skeet/sporting clays. And it was only a few hundred bucks, so very little to lose. worst case scenario is that I have something to practice my gunsmithing skills.

Called Tristar and they said its a solid gun and they still have parts for it. I will order some firing pins and hammer springs just to practice replacing them.

Took it apart and it was bone dry. I mean very dry. It was very clunky. So I cleaned it and oiled it. Used a little furniture polish on the stock to clean it up a little. It loosened up and seemed much smoother.

Took it to the trap field today between conference calls to see if it actually worked, shot a few rounds and it went "bang" every single time I pulled the trigger.

Aesthetically, its not as nice as my browning. Nowhere close. But its not bad looking. The action doesn't open as smoothly and the trigger pull is noticeably heavier. Overall is it as nice as the other gun... not even. But its still a nice gun to shoot. But, I paid 1/6th the price of what I paid for the browning and it will probably only get shot a few hundred rounds a month tops. And its a loaner, so I won't be bothered if the person I loan it to (my niece) scratches it. I actually won't care much at all.

Let's see how it holds up...

[ceh383]

Nice spare gun, it's not a 725, but it should work well.
I had a CZ O/U, besides the fit and finish and trigger pull, the balance and swing dynamics are very different.
For the price, you can't go wrong.

[tacticalcity]

Tristars are inexpensive, but not exactly "cheap".

Turkish companies pride themselves on building good, sturdy, reliable products. I think that applies to Tristar. For self-defense I would prefer a brand or model with a long proven track record. But for sport shooting...I'd go with them.

In the past, Turkish companies tended to focus more on function than form. I'd say that too holds true for Tristar. But that is changing. The Turks are now getting a reputation for their emphasis on stunning design as well. Much the way you would associate something made in Italy or France for it's stunning good looks and fashionable design. The same now holds true in many industries where Turkish companies are making a name for themselves.

I am not fan of the politics there, or the current government. But they have some amazing potential to be a powerhouse for manufacturing.

Not gun related videos. But they prove my point. Turkish companies are taking, of all things, the Yachting industry by storm. An industry that until now has been dominated by Italian companies. And while a $10M yacht might not seem "cheap" or remotely relevant to this topic. These Turkish Super Yachts cost less than half of anything remotely similar made by their Italian or Spanish rivals. Just one example of what Turkish manufacturing is capable of.

[Imageview]

Looking forward to hearing updates. I think it's an excellent choice for your stated goals.

[smittty]

I believe it's made by yildiz or kofs and both are cnc made in iso9002 certified factories.

I know KOFS uses 7075 alloy for their receivers which is the same stuff that AR15 receivers are made from. They make the o/u shotguns for Stevens and ATI.

As long as they had pretty pieces of walnut for the stocks I wouldn't hesitate to buy one those guns!

[Jeepergeo]

I had bought my son a Stoeger Condor Supreme O/U 20 gauge for his 11th birthday, and that was 16 years ago. That gun has beautiful wood, deep bluing, has crushed thousands of clays, and taken pheasants, quail, and turkey. With my son behind the comb, he can outshoot most of the older guys with a lot more experience and multi-thousand dollar guns.

The country of origin is only part of the quality formula....design and quality control are hugely important factors.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Most people don't realize that the Turkish Gun Industry was originally set up by the Germans.

You no doubt have heard of "Turkish Mausers?"

Well, those Factories were built for Turkey to supply the German Army and their Allies between WW1 and 2 by German Engineers from Mauser.

They were also able to instill a German Work Ethic that has stuck until today. It was not a big stretch for them to expand their gun building capabilities to manufacture Italian Shotguns and various pistols as well as all manner of other firearms. All the Turkish guns I have seen were reliable, but not necessarily Beauty Queens.

When you are going to rely on a gun to save your life, do you really care what the wood looks like? They are definitely better than some of the cheaper American made guns out there which cast the same.

You probably got more than you paid for with that gun.

Randy

[whutsup40]

So I picked up this about 6 year old Tristar over under sporting shotgun from a CalGuns seller who wasn't using it. It probably hadnt been fired in 5 years according to him.

Why did I buy it... because I was curious and it was cheap. I have a B-gun, but this is a spare buddy gun for trap/skeet/sporting clays. And it was only a few hundred bucks, so very little to lose. worst case scenario is that I have something to practice my gunsmithing skills.

Called Tristar and they said its a solid gun and they still have parts for it. I will order some firing pins and hammer springs just to practice replacing them.

Took it apart and it was bone dry. I mean very dry. It was very clunky. So I cleaned it and oiled it. Used a little furniture polish on the stock to clean it up a little. It loosened up and seemed much smoother.

Took it to the trap field today between conference calls to see if it actually worked, shot a few rounds and it went "bang" every single time I pulled the trigger.

Aesthetically, its not as nice as my browning. Nowhere close. But its not bad looking. The action doesn't open as smoothly and the trigger pull is noticeably heavier. Overall is it as nice as the other gun... not even. But its still a nice gun to shoot. But, I paid 1/6th the price of what I paid for the browning and it will probably only get shot a few hundred rounds a month tops. And its a loaner, so I won't be bothered if the person I loan it to (my niece) scratches it. I actually won't care much at all.

Let's see how it holds up...

I have one in 16 gauge it shoots well and never any problems with it, I shoot it for skeet sometimes.

[slamfire1]

The Ottoman Turks were making firearms and cannons before there was such a thing as Germany

Ottoman Mining and Metal Working in the Balkans: Its Impact on Fire-Arms Technology of Southeast Europe



Wootz is an amazing steel

Ottoman Shamshir

The Turks designed the Kilij, an amazing cutting sword. There are very few one handed swords that will do this:





The current Turkish service rifle is a very clever blending of features.



The Turks don't need Germans or German technology to make firearms. They were smart enough to buy the absolute best bolt action rifles of the period, that is the full developed Mauser rifles. Whereas the US used the Krag, and then developed the M1903 Springfield, which in every point of departure from a M98, is inferior to the M98 in reliability, function, and safety.

Turks are building good shotguns and if they are priced cheap, get them while you can. They will get more expensive.

[Sir Toast]

Tristars are inexpensive, but not exactly "cheap".

I agree whole heartedly. I had a 32" Tristar and I shot lights out on the trap range with it. Never broke. Put thousands of rounds down the tube. Get some nice aftermarket choke tubes and you'll be surprised at how well it shoots.

Mine had really nice wood too.

[BOBGBA]

Glad you guys all have had good experiences.

My experience with a new Tristar was less than stellar. It must have just been a lemon.

Al little more than halfway into it's first box of shells, on skeet station 7, both barrels fired at the same time.

So, I sent it back to Tristar, on their dime.

When it returned, after shooting the bottom barrel, it would not shoot the top barrel.
However, if you shot the top barrel first, it would allow you to then shoot the bottom barrel.

Back to Tristar it went, again on their dime.

It took 3 tries to get it right.

Although this type of experience can happen with any manufacturer, I won't be giving them another chance.

[tacticalcity]

Glad you guys all have had good experiences.

My experience with a new Tristar was less than stellar. It must have just been a lemon.

Al little more than halfway into it's first box of shells, on skeet station 7, both barrels fired at the same time.

So, I sent it back to Tristar, on their dime.

When it returned, after shooting the bottom barrel, it would not shoot the top barrel.
However, if you shot the top barrel first, it would allow you to then shoot the bottom barrel.

Back to Tristar it went, again on their dime.

It took 3 tries to get it right.

Although this type of experience can happen with any manufacturer, I won't be giving them another chance.

I hate it when this stuff happens. I don't have a lot of patience for it. That said, at least they stood by the product and you and fixed it. Not all companies do that. Some will stick you with the shipping bill. Or swap it out for a less expensive product (Zev did that to me after making me wait a year for the model I bought to come back into stock. I had hoped the model they sent would grow on me. Hasn't).

[BOBGBA]

I hate it when this stuff happens. I don't have a lot of patience for it. That said, at least they stood by the product and you and fixed it. Not all companies do that. Some will stick you with the shipping bill. Or swap it out for a less expensive product (Zev did that to me after making me wait a year for the model I bought to come back into stock. I had hoped the model they sent would grow on me. Hasn't).

Thanks. I am glad they took care of it. I shot a couple of rounds of skeet with it, to make sure it was working, then I got rid of it.

As far as Turkish guns go, I am considering (not that I need another shotgun) a CZ Bobwhite G2 SxS in 20 or 28 gauge...

[whutsup40]

I have 4 C.Z shotguns my oldest is a canvasback with 30 thousand plus rounds I have been blessed so far! They all shoot well and no issues so far.

[md2020]

Glad you guys all have had good experiences.

My experience with a new Tristar was less than stellar. It must have just been a lemon.

Al little more than halfway into it's first box of shells, on skeet station 7, both barrels fired at the same time.

So, I sent it back to Tristar, on their dime.

When it returned, after shooting the bottom barrel, it would not shoot the top barrel.
However, if you shot the top barrel first, it would allow you to then shoot the bottom barrel.

Back to Tristar it went, again on their dime.

It took 3 tries to get it right.

Although this type of experience can happen with any manufacturer, I won't be giving them another chance.

These are the turkish shotgun stories I heard about more than the stories about than the success stories. Your experience is valid and I understand your reservations about them.

I paid a few months ago to have a firing pin and mainspring replaced in my browning (that wasn't supposed to ever have problems ). I was getting light strikes on the lower barrel and I didn't know how to deal with it myself. In the future, I will know because I will practice my maintenance skills with this gun. its a bonus if it actually shoots.

That's worth the $375 I paid.