A Turkish Shotgun by Any Other Name.....

[Hokkmike]

I have seen a number of shotguns, both traditional and AK style, that are of Turkish manufacture.

The general opinion I get is that they are less preferred due to quality issues.

Recently, I looked at a long barreled 12 gauge SXS with exposed hammers being sold as a CZ but engraved as HUGLU.

So what goes, are CZ and HUGLU one and the same? For $1,000 is this worth considering?

 

[JCooperfan1911]

Huglu of Turkey manufactures shotguns that CZ then markets and sells with their name attached.

They have a solid reputation. I own a CZ Bobwhite G2 and it’s a decent gun, but pierces primers often. I called CZ about it and they didn’t seem interested in wanting to fix the issue.

But no, these guns are Turkish and not made in Czechia. There really isn’t any high quality side by side shotguns being made that the average person can reasonably afford.

 

[Hugger-4641]

Turkey is just like any other country. Some of thier shotguns are quite good, others not so much.
I wish it was a little easier to nail down information about them but it can be confusing with all the re-branding.

Most Cz shotguns are made by Huglu.

My RIA Merida is Turkish made, but I don't know exactly which company makes it. I've had no issues with mine.

 

[WestKentucky]

Huglu of Turkey manufactures shotguns that CZ then markets and sells with their name attached.

They have a solid reputation. I own a CZ Bobwhite G2 and it’s a decent gun, but pierces primers often. I called CZ about it and they didn’t seem interested in wanting to fix the issue.

But no, these guns are Turkish and not made in Czechia. There really isn’t any high quality side by side shotguns being made that the average person can reasonably afford.

And that’s why the used market on decent doubles is strong. If an 80 year old gun is just as good as a modern gun then assuming condition is nice then it suddenly makes sense that the old guns cost what they do. Start getting into collectible makers and the price goes wild, but the standard mass produced but good doubles cost what they do simply because you can’t buy better for cheaper, and demand remains fairly strong.

 

[Frulk]

I have an O/U 12 gauge Huglu direct from Turkey around 2004. Via my landlord at the time who did a tour of the factory with a group of guard/reservists when he was activated for two weeks. He bought several guns and brought them back and offered one to me at cost.

Nice wood. Good fit and finish. Lock up is solid. Some engraving. 5 chokes. Will it hold up to thousands of rounds every year like a Browning? Probably not. I wouldn’t expect it to considering I paid $250 for it.

I’ve put about 30 rounds through it so far on a couple of grouse hunts. 28 inch barrels too long for my tastes for that type of steep incline hunting at 7-9,000 feet altitude so now it sits in the vault retired.

Huglu is one of the higher regarded makers out of Turkey. Over the years I kind of paid attention when their name came up in discussions. Really haven’t heard much bad about them. I would not pay $1,000 for mine but I’d plunk down $500-$600 without reservation.

 

[wally]

My experience with Turkish shotguns is not that quality is "bad" it is the near total lack of spare parts. Every makers guns will break eventually if you shoot them enough, if replacement parts are available it isn't that big of a deal, but with these Turkish guns pretty much every batch imported is a "different model number" and after the typically 1-yr warranty runs out you are SOL when something breaks.

 

[.45Coltguy]

FYI, TriStar shotguns are made by Armsan, also a Turkish company who, I believe, make the Weatherby gas operated S/A shotguns. The Element, which is their enertia shotgun, not sure who manufactures those.

 

[Mizar]

Huglu is a decent brand offering average guns - just don't get fooled by their fancier offerings. I expect CZ to keep an eye on the consistency of the quality, at least they did when they started offering those shotguns some 15 years ago, but it doesn't hurt to check the gun thoroughly before buying it. And parts availability is a problem with them, although Huglu is one of the more recognizable and older brands in Turkey.

 

[dh1633pm]

I have a couple Turkish shotguns. They work good. Spare parts from some makers worry me. Not the big name makers, but the No-name brands. I was in Turkey for Iraqi Freedom. Many purchased shotguns and shipped them home.

 

[PapaG]

One of my high school trap team kids showed up with a Huglu O/U this year. I’d “rented” his mom a nice 870 for him to use last year and he did well with it. This thing, the Huglu, is not very well made but I will say nothing. I do have a couple 870s in the trunk for breakdowns whenever. Might last forever but seems to be thumping him pretty good.
A couple TriStar Viper autos showed up and so far they’re doing fine.

 

[DustyGmt]

Turkey is just like any other country. Some of thier shotguns are quite good, others not so much.
I wish it was a little easier to nail down information about them but it can be confusing with all the re-branding.

Most Cz shotguns are made by Huglu.

My RIA Merida is Turkish made, but I don't know exactly which company makes it. I've had no issues with mine.

It's crazy how many shotguns are made in turkey and how many different names they can slap on essentially the same gun. Some will have different furniture or longer mag tubes or very superficial differences, but are the same in every other respect. It's hard to keep track of the names.

I believe there is an excellent Turkish made shotgun that is a Ithaca 37 clone. Looks to be very well made. Most of the others aren't really that interesting to me......

 

[12Bravo20]

I bought a Turkish made 410 O/U years ago. The brand name was Gazelle. While it is a nice shotgun for the price, I know it could hold up to shooting it weekly at the range like a Beretta or Browning will.

A couple TriStar Viper autos showed up and so far they’re doing fine.

That is good to know. I have been thinking about a semi auto 410 and have narrowed it down to the Tri Star Viper or Mossberg SA-410

 

[Roverguy]

The Huglu made CZ guns are decent field guns for the money. Several Turkish manufacturers make quite decent semi-autos. AKUS maade tye Kimber Valier (a seven pin H&H side lock) and the S&W Elite Gold and continue to make and market a range of very well made, quite attractive SxS field guns under the brand name Dickinson.

The Turks can makes some very nice guns, but they also make some clangers.

 

[jmr40]

There are so many out there that it is hard to keep up with. Most don't impress me, at least just looking at them. But I have personal experience with 2 that has been positive. The 1st was a Stoeger 3000. It is similar to the Benelli M1 or M2. I found one at a good price and decided to give it a try probably 15 years ago. I never had any complaints with it.

I used it about 2 years before running across a used Benelli. I used both guns for over a year and functionally both were equal. The Benelli was a little better finished and looked a little nicer. But they were so similar I decided I didn't need 2 nearly identical guns and I was able to sell the Stoeger for more than I paid.

And about a month ago I found a used Weatherby SA-08 20 ga. that I was able to get for $350. It is made in Turkey, but I figured that if Weatherby was putting their name on it, it probably wasn't junk. I haven't shot it a lot yet, but so far I'm liking it.

 

[Hokkmike]

Thanks for the responses everyone.

 

[Tallinar]

A few years ago I had the itch to buy a cheap functional SxS. I was considering the Stoeger Uplander double trigger vs. CZ Bobwhite G2.

It seemed plain that the Bobwhite was the higher quality gun, but the spare part thing did come up as a concern. I ended up with the Stoeger and have been pleased with it. As expected, the action was a bit rough and required some polishing. I also pre-emptively replaced the firing pins (which my research told me were notorious for breaking at inopportune times) with new ones from Longhorn.

I was at Scheels the other day and they had both a 20 and 12 gauge Bobwhite. I hadn’t handled one before. After checking them out, I had some feeling of remirse for not going with the Bobwhite. Feels MUCH more refined than the Stoeger. But after thinking about the reasons I went with the Stoeger, I don’t really regret the way I went.