New Stevens 320 Security

[Chief351]

I went ahead and bought a brand-new Stevens 320 Security 12-gauge Shotgun for home defense. The model I selected is the one with the "conventional" butt stock, 18-1/2" barrel, cylinder bore, ghost-ring rear sight and fiber-optic front blade, and 5-round capacity magazine. I purchased it over the internet for shipment to my FFL, and total cost was $199.00.

This is a Chinese clone of the Winchester 1300 SXT, I believe. Build quality looks good, slide action is smooth - a little gritty, but I think it will burnish in with a little use. I understand that Savage-Stevens built the factory in China where the 320 line is made, to include several models of the Security line plus several field models. Very short stroke on the action, which is, I gather, a characteristic of the Winchester 1300 design. The only issue I saw on this so far was the pin in the rear ghost ring sight where the sight body pivots for elevation was either not installed fully or was walking out. I tapped it back in and will watch it. If it happens at all again I will peen the pin with a center-punch.

So far I've added ESSTAC shotgun cards for carrying additional ammo, and a 5-position picatinney rail setup that clamps to the magazine tube for carrying an LED light, and a QD sling swivel. I wil also install a QD sling mount made to be drilled and tapped into the "hollow" butt stock on the left side. Thereis is a QD sling attachment point included on the stock mag tube cap, but that will likely go away next month. Choate makes +1 and +2 magazine extensions for the Stevens 320, and I plan on installing one of those next month.

Haven't shot it yet, but I hope to make it to the range next month to dial-in the ghost ring sight with slugs, and see how the 00 buckshot patterns.

Here's a couple of pics:







So far I'm pleased with it. Considering that, when I thought about buying an 18-1/2" barrel for my old Remington 870, the new barrel alone would have cost more than I paid for the whole Stevens, ghost ring sights and all, I think I did OK.

[Papadoc]

Looks nice, let us know how it runs.

[Chief351]

The only real negative that I've found so far is that the standard fore end extends back to cover about 1/2 of the receiver, which means that the only ESSTAC cards that I can locate on the receiver itself are four-round cards. Any longer and they will interfere with the fore end. The good news is that the part that overlaps is all polymer, and seems to be clear of the steel action bars. My plan is to wait until next year when my factory warranty expires, then bob the fore end to eliminate the overlap - I see no problem with doing so. No-one actually makes a "combat" short fore end for this shotgun yet, and if, say, Magpul steps up to the plate I will just buy one outright. As far as I can tell, though, the stock fore end appears to be permanently bonded to the steel tube that slides fore and aft on the magazine tube, and to which the action bars are welded.

Anyway, if the fore end is able to be shortened, I can shift the four-round ESSTAC card to the ejector port side, and move the six-round card to the left side of the receiver and clear it away from the buttstock.

That one change will turn this from a darned good defensive shotgun to a pretty much perfect defensive shotgun (along with the addition of the +1 magazine extension).