Mossberg 88 vs Stevens 320: budget blasters

[JeeperCreeper]

Hey all, I'm considering a beater 12ga combo (long and short barrel).

I'm considering the Mossberg 88 and Stevens 320.

After watching a lot of TFBtv shotgun burn downs, I decided I don't want a Turkish shotgun at this time.

I have lots of experience with both Mossbergs and Stevens, so manual of arms doesn't matter.

What say you all? Any suggestions or opinions??

The Stevens is a Chinese Winchester clone, the Mossberg a budget... Well... Mossberg made in TX.

 

[JB111]

I have a Mossberg Maverick 88 security model and it is fun to shoot. Its 7+1 of 2 3/4 and has a 3'' chamber. When I first got it the pump action felt a little gritty but after a couple of cleanings and running a couple hundred rounds of bird, bucks and slug variations it has smoothed out nicely. The model I have does not have interchangeable chokes but it patterns pretty good. The length of pull fits me well and I dont really have any complaint worth mentioning about it. It is worth more than what I paid for it. As far as budget pumps go, I think the 88 is king of the hill.

I have a friend who owns a Stevens 320. I have never shot it, but Ive never heard him complain about it, he has had it for a solid 5 years and shoots quite often so take that for whatever its worth.

I dont really think youd go wrong with either but I prefer the 88 because its made in Texas.

 

[twofewscrews]

I have an 88 and its been nothing but reliable. I've heard nothing but good things about 320's. I would personally go with an 88 as there are a million after market parts. There maybe just as many aftermarket parts available for the 320 but I wouldn't know.

 

[JERRY]

Maverick 88. Its simple, inexpensive, and just plain works.

 

[dranrab]

Mossberg made in USA

Stevens made in China

End of discussion

 

[Grey54956]

Mossberg 88.

Fantastic budget shotgun.

No deal on Chinese guns.

.

 

[troy fairweather]

100% the 88.

 

[Blkhrt13]

I love the 88 was my first pistol grip. I will have another. They are just good guns.

 

[herrwalther]

I vote for the Mav 88. Their parts have more interchangeability with Mossberg 500 than whatever you can use on the Stevens 320. And the crossbolt safety is in front of the trigger, where I prefer it to be.

 

[old fart]

I own the 88 and have owned the 320, the 88 is hands down the winner for me. Smoother after a good cleaning and workout plus a ton of parts in case you want to change anything on it. You said no to Turkish shotguns but I also had a EAA Churchill made by Akkar in Turkey that was also better than the 320 and nearly as good as the 88. At my local store the 320 and 88 are about the same price so get the 88.

 

[SwampWolf]

And the crossbolt safety is in front of the trigger, where I prefer it to be.

Especially if the stock has a "pistol grip". Otherwise, I much prefer the tang-mounted safety.

 

[entropy]

Maverick 88. The Stevens is a copy of the Winchester 1200, (or it's even worse derivative, the SXP) an inferior action. The 88 is the time proven Mossberg 500 action, with the safety in a different place, and no frills.

 

[JeeperCreeper]

I own the 88 and have owned the 320, the 88 is hands down the winner for me. Smoother after a good cleaning and workout plus a ton of parts in case you want to change anything on it. You said no to Turkish shotguns but I also had a EAA Churchill made by Akkar in Turkey that was also better than the 320 and nearly as good as the 88. At my local store the 320 and 88 are about the same price so get the 88.

You know, I always liked the Akkars as I think CZ used to use them.

There's just sooooo many random Turk junk coming in that it's hard to keep track so I just did an all out "no Turkish" so I didn't have to decipher true manufacturers

 

[JeeperCreeper]

OP here ..

The jury has spoken. Mossberg 88 gonna hopefully be ordered by FFL tomorrow

 

[JeeperCreeper]

Maverick 88. The Stevens is a copy of the Winchester 1200, (or it's even worse derivative, the SXP) an inferior action. The 88 is the time proven Mossberg 500 action, with the safety in a different place, and no frills.

I was curious about the SXP. The chrome one tickles my fancy... Hard to find seemingly "unsponsored" reviews of Winchester products of late

 

[entropy]

The main weakness in the 1200 action is the ejector. There's a reason the replacement part is sold in bags of three. They made it easy to replace because they need to be replaced often.
The only bad thing I can say about the 500 action is the trigger housing holds the shell stops in, which is more an annoyance when reassembling than a weakness. Also, with the SXP, the triggers are even worse than the 1200. I've seen a lot of the SXP Traps, when I coached High School Trap, and you'd think the Trap model might have a better trigger, but it's the same crappy trigger on the regular model.
This review is unsponsored, merely my opinion based on many years of gunsmithing and shooting.

 

[Grunt]

Another thing about the Stevens 320 being a Chinese Winchester 1200 clone is the plastic magazine throat. The Winchester 1200/1300, Turkchester SXP and the Stevens 320 all use this plastic part and has a reputation for breaking. Once they crack or break, your repeater becomes a single shot and their replacement isn’t an easy task either. That being said, my 1200 and SXP hasn’t had any problems with the ejector spring nor the magazine throats cracking or breaking but they don’t serve as my primary defensive shotguns either for that reason.