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Best Coach Gun

14K views 20 replies 12 participants last post by  DstnguishdR1586 
#1 ·
I'm looking for the best 12ga Coach Gun value. I'm currently considering the Baikal with exposed hammers and the discontinued Rossi. Anyone have experience with these? Any other brands with exposed hammers that are worth considering? Thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
Are you into Cowboy Action Shooting?

The Baikal has 3 versions. A hammerless which I'm told is OK. An external cocking/internal firing pin version. The mule ears don't actually hit the firing pins the only cock the internal ones. I've owned one of these.:barf: They also have a version with "real" working hammers that I'm told is OK. I believe these run in the $350-$450 range.

The Rossi. GREAT GUN. I owned one for years and only sold it to buy another gun. My reason for wanting another is I did not like the strait stock. (Kept hitting my cheek) The new SxS I bought has drop in the comb very similar to the '73 I also shoot in CAS competition. I've seen Rossi's from $200 all the way to $857. Shop Auction Arms or Gunbroker or Guns America and you'll find one pretty cheap. Good luck finding parts.

There is the Liberty II. Beatuful gun. Well made. Cannot get parts for it and it has the UGLY tang saftey :barf: that is completely superfluous on a hammer gun. I believe these run around $500.

I just bought a TTN 1878 Colt 12 ga. It is a fairly faithful copy of the original. The first one I bought was a complete lemon. The importer replaced it with a brand new one. They paid all shipping and even paid my FFL's transfer fee. :rock: The bluing is poor, but the wood is great. Included with the gun are lighter springs for CAS competion. It's not the prettiest girl at the ball but it's a real "old west" replica and for me that's what matters. You can also get parts from Walt at TTN when needed.

Your milage may vary. Opinion worth exactly what you paid.
 
#4 ·
Tnanks for the replies. I'm not a CAS'er, just looking for a decent, simple to opperate HD gun for my wife. She's not very interested in shooting, so she wouldn't take the effort needed to learn the operation of a repeater. I like the idea of the mule ears for quick visual confirmation of it being cocked, and so that the springs are resting while the gun naps under the bed. She'll shoot this gun enough to be safe and comfortable with it, but probably not much more. It will also be a gun I can grab if I can't get to my other 12s.
Thanks again.
 
#5 ·
You can put .410 "reducers" in these too, can't you?
This might be a good way to start off a new shooter.

I'm looking to start CAS/SASS so I've been looking to, there's an Interarms Model 99 Coach Gun (1887) on sale at Big 5 Sporting Goods for $269.
The best price I've seen for the 1878 TTN is about $425.

I read the TTN is real good, but can't find much about the Interarms 1887.

Is the TTN really that much better than the other maker Interarms?
They are both made in China, and look like almost the same gun.
 
#6 ·
ranger said:
I read the TTN is real good, but can't find much about the Interarms 1887.

Is the TTN really that much better than the other maker Interarms?
They are both made in China, and look like almost the same gun.
The interarms one is the one formerly exported from China via Norinco. It has a tang safety which as I said is superflous on a hammer gun. The TTN is a dead ringer for an orginal (only it's not damascus steel).

It's been a long time since I held one, but I'd venture to say the quality about even with Interarms getting higher points for the bluing, but losing on the authenticity. Which ever you choose it should serve you well for CAS.
 
#7 ·
Well I bought my Rossi Coach in early 1972 Still my #1 shot gun. My wife will grab in a sec if she needs a shot gun. I would get the Rossi myself. I bought mine a Target for 150 bucks back then I remember because . I also bought a new Colt Commander and it was 154.95 a few days later. Still have it all orginal also.
 
#8 ·
I just called the local Mart-Mart, and the Baikal (now marketed by Remington) with the mule ears for cocking only, birch stock, and open barrels is $237. The nicer model with real hammers, walnut stock,steel buttplate and screw in chokes is $380. I ordered the cheaper one. It's for my wife, and I'll need to cut the stock and install a squishy pad anyway. For what it's needed for, I couln't justify another $140, and I wouldn't feel good having to cut a pretty piece of walnut. I may end up ordering the nicer gun at a later date for me to play with. I'll give a review after it comes in a week or so.
 
#10 ·
So it looks like it's the Functioning Hammers that makes the price difference, both on the low-end Remington Spartan (BAIKAL) about $240 vs. $400 on the FH version. Same with Norinco 1889 @ $269 vs. the TTN (FH) @ $425.

I want the functioning hammers for CAS/SASS right?

I was planning on New Vaqueros, not Colt SAA, so maybe authenticity isn't that important to me after all.
 
#11 ·
The Spartan that I'm getting still has hammers, just to "functioning" ones. It still needs to be cocked manually, which should make it easier to open and close, and makes a good visual indicator for a newbie. The fancier Spartan with the real hammers also has a walnut stock w/ metal buttplate, and four screw-in chokes. The cheapie I'm getting just has open bores w/o threads, and a birch stock with a plastic plate. If I get hooked on the coachgun format, I may buy the fancier Spartan and leave the stock long for me. With screw-in chokes, I could go bird hunting with it (theoretically anyway). :)

As far as the Mossberg 20ga goes, I'd thought about going the 20 route with a Rem 1100 which would have about zero recoil. But I want cheap, simple and reliable for now, to get on board with basic "hold down the fort" skills. I've got friends that load 12ga, so I figure I can load down to the level of 20ga recoil or lower for practice, then use OO Buck for the big game.
 
#12 ·
ranger said:
I want the functioning hammers for CAS/SASS right?
Hammerless coachgun is fine for CAS and many folks one. I chose hammer gun cause I think it looks cowboy and that's what John Wayne used. Your mileage may vary.

My CAS Toys

I'd be glad to discuss anything cas with anyone. If Sass is the org your joining then I'd suggest going to their website and finding a shoot near you. Go to it. Most of us will be more than happy to let you handle our guns. I'll even let you shoot mine if you want. That way you buy it right the first time. I spent many hundereds of dollars in the wrong dirrection before deciding what and how I wanted to shoot cowboy.

HERE is a link to the SASS hand book (pdf format)
 
#13 ·
Major setback

My coachgun finally showed up today. It was the boxlock model w/o the external cocking (hammer-like) protrusions. It seems like the '05 Remington catalog may be messed up. The photo in the catalog shows one version, and the model specs in the chart below show another. I'll have to call Remington and find out what happened. Also, I couldn't get the gun together, and either could two employees. So, needless to say, the gun went back and I got a refund. Back to square one. A cheap Rossi would be slick, but I have a feeling that the advent of CAS has cleaned out the market.
 
#17 ·
I've heard of problems with barrels separating and locking lugs breaking on the Stoegers among the caboy shooters after extensive use. Can't give you a round-count figure.
That said, my wife uses a 20-gauge Stoeger for her main CAS gun, it's about five years old & still going strong.
The Baikals are a little rough inside, but I'm thinking they're probably more durable over the long run.
Denis
 
#18 ·
If she ain't gun orientated.....

jmcneil said:
Tnanks for the replies. I'm not a CAS'er, just looking for a decent, simple to opperate HD gun for my wife. She's not very interested in shooting, so she wouldn't take the effort needed to learn the operation of a repeater. I like the idea of the mule ears for quick visual confirmation of it being cocked, and so that the springs are resting while the gun naps under the bed. She'll shoot this gun enough to be safe and comfortable with it, but probably not much more. It will also be a gun I can grab if I can't get to my other 12s.
Thanks again.

she might be better off with a hammerless one, it cocks without any input from her. Load, close, pull trigger (probably better off with only one of thse also, another thing you don't have to remember, therefore less confusion, Boom! Easy peasy.

I'd be getting her a little 410 exclusively for her and making a big fuss about it. She will probably become very possessive of it, like my lady did with her Rossi Gallery I bought for her some thirty years ago. I wanted to make sure she would fit my 'affliction', i.e, gunitis before I settled down with her for the long haul. Still together thirty something years later and she loves her Rossi and her Browning Medallist semi auto pistol (and me) as much as ever.

Mick.

PS, buy some flowers at the same time!
 
#19 ·
I've got a Stoeger Coach gun in 12 gauge which I used when I was shooting CAS. I love the little blaster. Not my choice for home defense because of the capacity and slow reload, but they sure make a fun little shotty when all you need is a double barrel!
 
#20 ·
Got me a used Rossi hammerless the other day!

Good looking gun, finish is mediocre, but I like it. They had a hammerless baikal there which was a bit dearer, but it was awful tight, a real bear to open and closeand the stock was loose. All fixable, but for the same money I got the Rossi and a case of 500 new light recoil shells for CAS. Lets hear it for the Rossi. I also have Rossi 92 replica rifles. I have had a good run with Rossis over the years. My first shotgun was a Rossi coach gun with hammers. I was twenty or so and I perfected using two fingers to get both barrels to go off at once. the things that amuse us when we are young feel positively embarrasing later on. I lent it to a friend who refused to return it and insisted on buying it, paying me well over the new price as he loved it and wanted that particular shotgun, not some new one. Go figure. I went out and bought something else. I can't remember what,wasn't a shotgun though.
 
#21 ·
Stoeger

I have the Stoeger Uplander, which is the longet hunting version of the Coach Gun. It is a very tough gun. I've shot everything from low brass 9's to Kent Steel out of the gun with no problems. The gun is very well built and is very simple to opperate. The only complaint I have are the triggers, they are a little on the heavy side and each one breaks a little different. Hope you find what you are looking for.
 
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