Stoeger sent me a few guns to review; this is the first one. I'm not one of those guys who does this for his day job. I plan to send the gun back, so consider it unsponsored. I have no affiliation with Stoeger.
Just a low-budget, one-take video. (it's not my day job ;-) )
Here are my summary ratings:
Stock: 10/10. Excellent design. Stock screws are thread-locked from the factory, which is refreshing. Since I took them out to see, I put a bunch more on them. It has a nice shape, great finish, adjustable length of pull and a neat compartment under the adjustable cheekpiece. I might replace the Allen screw with a thumb screw in the cheekpiece at some point, so it's more usable as a compartment in the field. There is a slot in the shoulder of the stock for a sling, but nothing for the front. You'd have to use one of the Pic rails for that.
Trigger 5/10. Smooth-but-heavy pull. 1st stage is useless as the second stage just keeps going and going with no indication of when it'll break.
Moderator: 7/10. I haven't experienced many more effective than this. It's not as quiet as a really nice one on a PCP, but it brings it down to "backyard-friendly" level. It's definitely more than just eye candy. I like how they didn't mess around with sights on the end of it. The omission of the front sight gives the user more leverage when cocking it.
Included Scope and rings: 8/10. The Stoeger-branded 3-9x40 AO is functional, but has no mil dots or other hold-over hash marks. Optically it's good, but not excellent. It's clear from edge to edge, but not "HD-type" clear, if that makes sense. Recoil hasn't damaged it or knocked it out of alignment in a few hundred rounds. Fit & finish are excellent. No lock for the turrets, but they're firmly damped and click-stopped. I didn't try shooting the box with it. The rings are two piece, but they have stop pins and the receiver of the gun has a hole for it, and this has kept it in place. (I locked all the screws)
Accuracy: 6/10. With the OEM trigger, the best I could do was 1.2" @ 25 yards with H&N FTT (5.55 mm head size) and JSB 15.89. Superdome also got 1.2" @ 25, but I only shot that pellet with a 5-shot group, as the fit in the breech was not good. Some were tight, some were loose and that hijacks my confidence in them. I think with a more predictable trigger, this group size could be shrunk to 3/4 to 1", but I have to rate it as it comes. This 6 rating might seem a bit harsh, but I know how accurate airguns can be, and even in this price bracket, I don't think 1/2 to 3/4" @ 25 yards is unreasonable. If they fix the trigger, and it'd shoot under an inch, I'd give it an 8. I suspect the GRT III trigger would fit, but I have to find out if I'm keeping the gun or not before I try that.
Shot cycle: 9/10. The only way it could be better is if it's a PCP. Cocking action is butter smooth after break-in and not too heavy. (33 lbs. effort) Since it's a gas piston, it doesn't rebound or torque like a springer does, and doesn't need the powerplant tuned to give its best.
Power: 10/10. Admittedly, this is subjective, but this gun shoots at 15-16 FPE, which I find is a sweet spot for springers. It's not so much that the gun becomes heavy or too hold-sensitive, but it's plenty enough to double-lung a squirrel at 25+ yards. 7 FPE is also fun, but under-powered for squirrels past 10 yards. 20-25 FPE gets big, heavy and hold-sensitive so that it's hard to shoot them well. (I'd rather have a PCP at 20+ FPE) 12-16 FPE is just a nice middle ground, to me.
Best pellets: H&N FTT (5.55 mm head) and JSB Jumbo Exact 15.89
Plinking pellets: Crosman Premier HP, (1.8" @ 25) JSB RS 13.4 gr, (2" @ 25) and RWS Superdome (1.2" @ 25, but not a consistent fit in the breech)
Bad pellets: JSB Express (3.4"+ @ 25 yards) Some hollow point pellets showed some promise at 10 yards, but they all opened up to 2"+ @ 25 yards. H&N Terminator were the best of HP pellets. I didn't try the popular JSB hollow points; couldn't get them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrr4NiGUZk8&t=71s
More info is in the video description.
Just a low-budget, one-take video. (it's not my day job ;-) )
Here are my summary ratings:
Stock: 10/10. Excellent design. Stock screws are thread-locked from the factory, which is refreshing. Since I took them out to see, I put a bunch more on them. It has a nice shape, great finish, adjustable length of pull and a neat compartment under the adjustable cheekpiece. I might replace the Allen screw with a thumb screw in the cheekpiece at some point, so it's more usable as a compartment in the field. There is a slot in the shoulder of the stock for a sling, but nothing for the front. You'd have to use one of the Pic rails for that.
Trigger 5/10. Smooth-but-heavy pull. 1st stage is useless as the second stage just keeps going and going with no indication of when it'll break.
Moderator: 7/10. I haven't experienced many more effective than this. It's not as quiet as a really nice one on a PCP, but it brings it down to "backyard-friendly" level. It's definitely more than just eye candy. I like how they didn't mess around with sights on the end of it. The omission of the front sight gives the user more leverage when cocking it.
Included Scope and rings: 8/10. The Stoeger-branded 3-9x40 AO is functional, but has no mil dots or other hold-over hash marks. Optically it's good, but not excellent. It's clear from edge to edge, but not "HD-type" clear, if that makes sense. Recoil hasn't damaged it or knocked it out of alignment in a few hundred rounds. Fit & finish are excellent. No lock for the turrets, but they're firmly damped and click-stopped. I didn't try shooting the box with it. The rings are two piece, but they have stop pins and the receiver of the gun has a hole for it, and this has kept it in place. (I locked all the screws)
Accuracy: 6/10. With the OEM trigger, the best I could do was 1.2" @ 25 yards with H&N FTT (5.55 mm head size) and JSB 15.89. Superdome also got 1.2" @ 25, but I only shot that pellet with a 5-shot group, as the fit in the breech was not good. Some were tight, some were loose and that hijacks my confidence in them. I think with a more predictable trigger, this group size could be shrunk to 3/4 to 1", but I have to rate it as it comes. This 6 rating might seem a bit harsh, but I know how accurate airguns can be, and even in this price bracket, I don't think 1/2 to 3/4" @ 25 yards is unreasonable. If they fix the trigger, and it'd shoot under an inch, I'd give it an 8. I suspect the GRT III trigger would fit, but I have to find out if I'm keeping the gun or not before I try that.
Shot cycle: 9/10. The only way it could be better is if it's a PCP. Cocking action is butter smooth after break-in and not too heavy. (33 lbs. effort) Since it's a gas piston, it doesn't rebound or torque like a springer does, and doesn't need the powerplant tuned to give its best.
Power: 10/10. Admittedly, this is subjective, but this gun shoots at 15-16 FPE, which I find is a sweet spot for springers. It's not so much that the gun becomes heavy or too hold-sensitive, but it's plenty enough to double-lung a squirrel at 25+ yards. 7 FPE is also fun, but under-powered for squirrels past 10 yards. 20-25 FPE gets big, heavy and hold-sensitive so that it's hard to shoot them well. (I'd rather have a PCP at 20+ FPE) 12-16 FPE is just a nice middle ground, to me.
Best pellets: H&N FTT (5.55 mm head) and JSB Jumbo Exact 15.89
Plinking pellets: Crosman Premier HP, (1.8" @ 25) JSB RS 13.4 gr, (2" @ 25) and RWS Superdome (1.2" @ 25, but not a consistent fit in the breech)
Bad pellets: JSB Express (3.4"+ @ 25 yards) Some hollow point pellets showed some promise at 10 yards, but they all opened up to 2"+ @ 25 yards. H&N Terminator were the best of HP pellets. I didn't try the popular JSB hollow points; couldn't get them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrr4NiGUZk8&t=71s
More info is in the video description.
