Stoeger M3000 Scattergun?

[louu]

Hey allowed

I just wanted to give you guys a one-year review of the Stoeger M3000 put together for me by Tom (openclassterror) over at MOA Precision. I bought the package from MOA immediately after last year's MGM Ironman. It's seen six matches, including the 2014 Hard As Hell where it helped me win the limited division, and the recent MGM Ironman, where it helped me eek out 4th in the same. I have sprinted 100 yards on several occasions to hand it to other people who had a gun go down, and I have had it go down myself and had others do the same for me. So, here it goes.

The build is as follows...

12+1 capacity as part of the MOA package:

Perfect. It lets me drop in a quad load after the buzzer when it makes sense, or simply load more when I'm coming into a position where it will help. Having to plug to eight in the tube for 3GN matches really changes the load plan, and makes me miss the extra space.

MOA oversized bolt release, safety, and charging handle:

I really like the safety and charging handle, but I found the front edge of the bolt release to be a bit sharp, and it scratched my palm when I drug in a shell from the match saver. I replaced it with a penny. Most people love the MOA knob though, so don't toss it unless you need to.

Trigger job:

I didn't think much of a trigger job on a shotgun, but my brother bought an M3000 recently, and after trying his stock trigger I'm convinced that it's worth it. I recently saw that the trigger stop screw on the back of the trigger guard was gone, and I have no idea when it parted company, so I guess I don't notice it too much.

Lifter:

I had the lifter welded by a friend, and it helped for loading twins, but I don't think it makes a difference for quads.

Loading Port:

I had Tom leave the port stock, and I picked at it over the course of the winter to get it where I wanted. Then I messed with it more when I switched to quad loading. I squaded with Tom and his son at MGM, and when I looked at his CNC job, it is basically identical to where I ended up, but looks nicer. I should have had him do it in the first place.

Other stuff:

I put a stripe of paint on the rise in the vent rib to act as a rear sight, and it works great for slugs. Tom's work polishing the outside of the magazine tube let's the gun run some pretty light loads, but I eventually ended up shooting 1200fps 1 1/8 shot anyway just to keep things simple.

Reliability and Malfunctions...

For the first couple matches and about a case of shells worth of practice shooting, the gun ran without a problem.

At Hard As Hell, near the end of the match, it developed an issue that bit me during a stage. I made it through the rest of the match, called Tom for some ideas, pulled the trigger out, and figured out that the set screw which adjusts the disconnector had backed off 1/99th of a turn and the disconnector was not releasing the hammer. This was fixed with a little Locktite and re-adjusting the screw which can be reached from the under-side of the trigger without even taking it out of the gun. I now check the disconnector before each match, which is very easy to do. The lesson here... check your screws and use lots of Locktite.

During practice a few hundred round later I developed an extraction problem. I replaced the extractor and spring with Benelli M2 parts, and it ran like a sewing machine again. The lesson here... parts wear out. Replace them with good ones when they do, and have spares ready.

At this past Ironman, after several more matches and many thousands of rounds of live fire and in dry fire loading practice, the magazine spring compressed enough to let the gun hold 12 15/16th shells instead of just 12. This let me top off the gun a little too aggressively once and get the extra shell far enough into the tube that the lifter came half way up and caught it. Tom showed me how to make a short plug for the end of the tube so the 13th shell would only go half-way in the way it was supposed to, and simply spit out when I finished loading. (remember, quads... so everything has to come in 4s, and sometimes you only need 3). The lesson here... change your springs.

Other than that, this gun has had very few minor malfunctions, and far, far less than most of the shotguns I see around me at matches.

Final thoughts...

This is a great gun, and the price point makes it even more impressive. It's leaps and bounds better than the 930 that I was running before. Tom's work is impeccable, his prices for the upgrades are both reasonable and worth every cent, and he goes out of his way to make sure his customers are happy. More than that, he's a good guy. It was a pleasure to shoot with him and his son at Ironman, and I'm happy to support his product.

Is the M3000 a Benelli M2? Nope. I'm sure the M2 would shoot a little flatter, run a little smoother, and probably last a bit longer before parts wear out. And for more than double the price, it better. I'll stick with my Stoeger until an M2 falls out of the sky or I find out that I have two grand I forgot about, and I'm only allowed to spend it on a shotgun. I'd buy a Stoeger again in a second.

Highlights from the MGM match are here... heavy on shotgun work

Shoot fast and don't miss,

Adam

Thats a bad ass video man you got skills. How high is that platform you jumped off of at the end, looked like 6 foot, nice control with the rifle on that jump.

[adamriser]

I'm 5'4" so everything looks tall

[openclassterror]

Thanks for all the positive feedback guys! As some of you know, my health has been lagging for a while, and on the bad days I just want to hang it up and go on disability like my Doc says to. But reading about how much fun you guys are having, and getting to be part of making it happen keeps my spirits up when I am having a bad day (like today). Keep shooting, and I will keep making parts!

Tom

PS Adam, it was great fun squadding with you at Ironman, and watching your improvement just since last year. Good finish, even if you beat me by .02 percent at the match

[hartofthethumb]

Got brave this evening and chopped my stock. I didn't measure exactly, but I removed about 3/4-7/8". Went shopping quick with the piece I chopped off so I could get an approximate estimate on fit for a new recoil pad. I don't have the tools or desire to properly fit a grind to fit pad, so I was hoping for something that would be very close out of the package. I came home with a Limbsaver Airtech, no.10807. I had to notch the screw holes in the base plate of the pad a little more, as well as drill the screw holes deeper in the stock, but it fits pretty darn well. I don't think I am going to do any additional fitting. There is a very slight edge around the sides and bottom with the top set flush, but it seems plenty good for a gun I will just abuse at 3 gun matches.

Can't wait to put some rounds through the gun now and feel what the difference is. I'm sure this pad will eat a lot of the recoil, and the new shorter length of pull feels excellent. The new pad is thicker than the factory one, but overall the length is right about 1/2" shorter.

adamriser, great review of the gun! Nice to hear the long term experiences. Also, great video!!

Tom, I don't know you, but I'm loving your parts! I'm glad that you're giving some aftermarket support to these guns. With your stuff on the market, this gun is the best option going right now for the casual level shooter like myself that doesn't want to dump anymore money than I have to into the game. Very sorry to hear you are having health issues... I hope the good days outweigh the bad!

Edited June 18, 2015 by hartofthethumb

[no_avatar]

I need a rear sight to make long hits with slugs. The bead just doesn't do it for me and I want to avoid cutting the rib if possible.

Does anyone know if the HiViz TS2002 front and M300 rear kit (http://www.hivizsights.com/product/c-series/) will fit the M3000? It says it's Benelli compatible, but I have no experience with HiViz to know if that means "some" Benellis or anything Benelli/Stoeger. Thanks!

[Jim Norman]

962000014 70230 UNIVERSAL SLUGGER FIRE SIGHT

$ 27.05

from Brownells

This is a 'Universal' sight that clamps around the rib. It fits several rib widths and is adjustable for windage and elevation.

When I get around tuit I am planning to send my Stoeger out to have a sight milled in, but for now this works very good.

Edited June 22, 2015 by Jim Norman

[bmiller]

Hey all,

I just wanted to give you guys a one-year review of the Stoeger M3000 put together for me by Tom (openclassterror) over at MOA Precision. I bought the package from MOA immediately after last year's MGM Ironman. It's seen six matches, including the 2014 Hard As Hell where it helped me win the limited division, and the recent MGM Ironman, where it helped me eek out 4th in the same. I have sprinted 100 yards on several occasions to hand it to other people who had a gun go down, and I have had it go down myself and had others do the same for me. So, here it goes.

The build is as follows...

12+1 capacity as part of the MOA package:

Perfect. It lets me drop in a quad load after the buzzer when it makes sense, or simply load more when I'm coming into a position where it will help. Having to plug to eight in the tube for 3GN matches really changes the load plan, and makes me miss the extra space.

MOA oversized bolt release, safety, and charging handle:

I really like the safety and charging handle, but I found the front edge of the bolt release to be a bit sharp, and it scratched my palm when I drug in a shell from the match saver. I replaced it with a penny. Most people love the MOA knob though, so don't toss it unless you need to.

Trigger job:

I didn't think much of a trigger job on a shotgun, but my brother bought an M3000 recently, and after trying his stock trigger I'm convinced that it's worth it. I recently saw that the trigger stop screw on the back of the trigger guard was gone, and I have no idea when it parted company, so I guess I don't notice it too much.

Lifter:

I had the lifter welded by a friend, and it helped for loading twins, but I don't think it makes a difference for quads.

Loading Port:

I had Tom leave the port stock, and I picked at it over the course of the winter to get it where I wanted. Then I messed with it more when I switched to quad loading. I squaded with Tom and his son at MGM, and when I looked at his CNC job, it is basically identical to where I ended up, but looks nicer. I should have had him do it in the first place.

Other stuff:

I put a stripe of paint on the rise in the vent rib to act as a rear sight, and it works great for slugs. Tom's work polishing the outside of the magazine tube let's the gun run some pretty light loads, but I eventually ended up shooting 1200fps 1 1/8 shot anyway just to keep things simple.

Reliability and Malfunctions...

For the first couple matches and about a case of shells worth of practice shooting, the gun ran without a problem.

At Hard As Hell, near the end of the match, it developed an issue that bit me during a stage. I made it through the rest of the match, called Tom for some ideas, pulled the trigger out, and figured out that the set screw which adjusts the disconnector had backed off 1/99th of a turn and the disconnector was not releasing the hammer. This was fixed with a little Locktite and re-adjusting the screw which can be reached from the under-side of the trigger without even taking it out of the gun. I now check the disconnector before each match, which is very easy to do. The lesson here... check your screws and use lots of Locktite.

During practice a few hundred round later I developed an extraction problem. I replaced the extractor and spring with Benelli M2 parts, and it ran like a sewing machine again. The lesson here... parts wear out. Replace them with good ones when they do, and have spares ready.

At this past Ironman, after several more matches and many thousands of rounds of live fire and in dry fire loading practice, the magazine spring compressed enough to let the gun hold 12 15/16th shells instead of just 12. This let me top off the gun a little too aggressively once and get the extra shell far enough into the tube that the lifter came half way up and caught it. Tom showed me how to make a short plug for the end of the tube so the 13th shell would only go half-way in the way it was supposed to, and simply spit out when I finished loading. (remember, quads... so everything has to come in 4s, and sometimes you only need 3). The lesson here... change your springs.

Other than that, this gun has had very few minor malfunctions, and far, far less than most of the shotguns I see around me at matches.

Final thoughts...

This is a great gun, and the price point makes it even more impressive. It's leaps and bounds better than the 930 that I was running before. Tom's work is impeccable, his prices for the upgrades are both reasonable and worth every cent, and he goes out of his way to make sure his customers are happy. More than that, he's a good guy. It was a pleasure to shoot with him and his son at Ironman, and I'm happy to support his product.

Is the M3000 a Benelli M2? Nope. I'm sure the M2 would shoot a little flatter, run a little smoother, and probably last a bit longer before parts wear out. And for more than double the price, it better. I'll stick with my Stoeger until an M2 falls out of the sky or I find out that I have two grand I forgot about, and I'm only allowed to spend it on a shotgun. I'd buy a Stoeger again in a second.

Highlights from the MGM match are here... heavy on shotgun work https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC6o0hFolhc

Shoot fast and don't miss,

Adam

Great Video! Talk about giving it your all!

[jmnielsen]

Picked one of these up a couple weeks back. I was planning on a 26" but found a lightly used 28" for $399 so I jumped on it. Put a nordic +6 extension on it and plan on getting the +2 cap for it at some point. I shot sporting clay with it to see how it shot and then shot a local 3 gun match with it, definitely a good running shotgun and an upgrade from my nova tactical.

The two biggest things I see that will need taken care of it the loading port (I have large hands and my thumb hardly fits in there) and the MOA oversized safety. Love the gun otherwise!

[Phong Nguyen]

Hey fellas - So, I saw 2 different M3Ks yesterday have issues with the shell hanging up before chambering. Both guns with less than 300 rounds through them.

Anyone do any chamber polishing when they got theirs?

[BOOM]

Id like to here, and SEE (more on how too polish up the chamber) There was a early post with pic's that someone shared about this issue which I really didn't understand what the exact ares in, and around the chamber that needed to be polished that would improve the chamber . Thanks Up Front

[Eric1231]

Failure to eject I have had 3 failure to ejects with my new m3k around 100 shots. The first 2 were under 25 rds the last one was right around 100 rds the first 2 shells were winchester super x shells. The last one was a federal bulk pack. Should I run more thru it to break it in or just switch to the Benalli extractor or do something else?

[MarkCO]

I never base anything on Federal Bulk Pack. Super X is better than Win Universal (bulk pack) but not great.

If you have the ability, I would just swap out the extractor with the Benelli. It is better, and even if it is not your problem, it may become one so better safe than sorry.

[hlpressley]

Just submitted an order on Bud's for a 26" M3000. I hope it is all you guys make it seem.

[BrknCylncr]

I got the M3K. First shotgun I've ever owned and very impressed.

i went with the +6 Nordic Tube, MOA follower, MOA dual-sided enlarged safety, and Matchsaver. I've ran into the failure to fire issue and I'm going have to try adamriser's fix and see if some loctite does the trick.

I want to know if the recoil reducer is worth the $49 or if there are other aftermarket versions available. ALSO, does anyone have a Benelli M2 compatibility list between M3K and the M2 parts?

Thanks in advance

!

[Oskino]

Just submitted an order on Bud's for a 26" M3000. I hope it is all you guys make it seem.

it is , i have been running mine for a little over a year now and it still kicking peoples A$$'$.. Go ahead an order M2 extractor and spring

[Barracuda]

Still need to clean up the front a bit, but going to put it back together and see how it loads.

[gliney00]

Just submitted an order on Bud's for a 26" M3000. I hope it is all you guys make it seem.

with the exception of one hicup that I can't make happen again, I have no complaints, this this is a great deal for the money.

[Garmil]

Thinking about buying a shorter extension tube and running in limited division for 3 gun. Currently have a +7 that gave me 13 in the tube.

Needing to have 8 in the tube max anyone ran a +2 or 3? And how many rounds did it give you?

Edit. Was browsing forum posts and Nordics website and I think I was sent a +8 tube when I ordered a +7

Edited July 1, 2015 by Garmil

[openclassterror]

A +5 allows 9 in the tube. The +3 may allow 8 of some of the shorter 2-3/4 shells, but normally will only allow 7. A +4 will hold 8 in the tube, but may allow 9 with certain brands of slugs that have shorter hulls. Spring length can affect capacity. If your spring is 14" longer than the magazine it may allow one less shell than if it is cut to only 9" long.

[Garmil]

A +5 allows 9 in the tube. The +3 may allow 8 of some of the shorter 2-3/4 shells, but normally will only allow 7. A +4 will hold 8 in the tube, but may allow 9 with certain brands of slugs that have shorter hulls. Spring length can affect capacity. If your spring is 14" longer than the magazine it may allow one less shell than if it is cut to only 9" long.

Thanks that helps a lot. Sounds like a +4 and start with the spring on the longer end is the way to go for me.

[Eric1231]

Is this an extractor issue ? My gun is seems do this every 5 or 6 shells I tried 3 different loads federal bulk

AA and remington club all had the same issue I am going to order an m2 extractor tonight. Is there anything else I should look at?

[rescue6]

Anyone have a good Weight of an M3K with a +4,+5,or +6 tube installed? Looking for a new Gun for my 11 y/o and it is down to this and the 1301

[MarkCO]

Less recoil then the 1301 and better controls. In stock trim, my son (now 13) choose the M3000.

[rescue6]

Thanks Mark. I just need to find an M3K I guess. Or do you think that the standard version upgraded would be better

[MarkCO]

Thanks Mark. I just need to find an M3K I guess. Or do you think that the standard version upgraded would be better

The M3K is okay, but it still needs a few tweaks and maybe the port opened up a little more. An M3K can certainly be run out of the box whereas no other shotgun can.