Hunting with the Affordable Stoeger Uplander Shotgun

The Stoeger Uplander is a side by side shotgun that combines quality and dependability with an affordable price. While the side by side was once a popular shotgun choice of the American hunter, over time the pump, semi-automatic, and over under shotguns have taken its place in most squirrel woods, bird fields and duck blinds. But the side by side is still a great choice for hunters. The Stoeger Uplander is based upon a traditional English design according to their website (stoegerindustries.com). Having the look of a much more expensive shotgun, the Stoeger Uplander is priced at just over $300 for the standard version while the fancier Uplander Supreme goes for $125 more or so. The standard Uplander comes with screw in chokes for the 12 and 20 gauge offerings (fixed choke in 16 and 28 gauge and .410).

The Stoeger Uplander tested was in 12 gauge with 28 inch barrel, though the 12 and 20 gauge shotguns are available in 26 and 28 inch. The Stoeger Uplander weighs just over 7 pounds which is about the same as a comparable gauge pump action shotgun. While those who are accustomed to fine English double guns might find flaw with the aesthesis of the shotgun, the Stoeger Uplander looks good to me. There were no serious flaws in wood to metal fit and the wood's finish had a nice look. The checkering on the Stoeger Uplander was well placed for field use and comfortable to a bare hand. Being more used to shooting single shots and pumps, I was expecting the double to feel big and wide in the hands, but it actually felt fairly normal though the forearm piece was wider than a pump's foreend.

One thing that those used to single shot shotguns will note is the Stoeger Uplander is equipped with extractors not ejectors. This means that opening the shotgun results in the shells only being pushed backward for hand removal instead of the more familiar ejection of the shell. While this is something to get used to it is actually pretty useful when opening a loaded gun and for those who save their shells for reloading. After using the Stoeger Uplander for a few trips while rabbit hunting I actually came to prefer the extractor system. During the rabbit hunts, safety dictated the gun needed to be opened for crossing fences and crawling under brush and the extractors made this process a bit easier.
I found the Stoeger Uplander to handle and shoot well. While I bought the gun during hunting season and did little shooting at paper, the barrels seemed to both shoot reasonably to the same the point and patterned well. The Stoeger Uplander performed well taking a dozen or so rabbits and a few squirrels.