STOEGER 3500

Posted May 19, 2023

Stoeger 3500: A Comprehensive Review

The Stoeger 3500 is an incredibly versatile and reliable shotgun for hunting, home defense, and competition shooting. It boasts an impressive 28-inch barrel with an adjustable choke, allowing it to fire both heavy and light shot. Its semi-automatic action allows for quick follow up shots or rapid target acquisition. Moreover, the gun is compatible with a wide variety of different shotgun shells, from birdshot to buckshot to slugs. And at an incredibly reasonable price point, the Stoeger 3500 has become one of the most popular shotguns on the market today.

In this comprehensive review, I will discuss the features of the Stoeger 3500, evaluate its performance, and make my final recommendation on whether or not this is the right shotgun for you.

Design & Build Quality

The Stoeger 3500 is a semi-automatic shotgun with a 28-inch barrel. It features a hardwood stock and fore-end, a 5-round magazine tube, and a steel receiver. The stock features a comfortable rubber recoil pad, as well as a forward-swivelling pistol grip that reduces felt recoil and enhances controlability. The gun also features a red-bar front sight and an adjustable rear ghost ring sight.

The gun is available in 12, 20, or 28 gauge. It weighs in at 7.3 pounds, making it one of the lighter semi-auto shotguns on the market. It is easy to carry in the field and should not tire out the user after a long day of shooting.

At first glance, the Stoeger 3500 looks and feels like a well-made gun. The wood is nicely finished, the metal parts are well-painted and evenly distributed, and the gun appears to be well-balanced and sturdy. All of this should indicate to the user that the 3500 is built with quality materials and craftsmanship.

Features & Functionality

The Stoeger 3500 is incredibly versatile and capable of handling a wide variety of uses. It is designed to be a reliable and effective home defense weapon, a competent hunting gun, and a competitive target shooting platform.

One of the most impressive features of the 3500 is its adjustable choke. This allows the shooter to change the spread of the shot pattern depending on the range and the type of ammo being used. This endows the Stoeger 3500 with an amazing level of versatility, as it can comfortably handle everything from birdshot to buckshot to slugs.

The 5-round magazine tube also offers the user a significant number of shots per reload. This should be more than ample for most home defense or hunting scenarios. It also makes the gun more suitable for competitive shooting since it is capable of firing five shots in rapid succession.

The Stoeger 3500 is also designed with a crisp trigger. The trigger requires little to no take-up and allows for rapid target acquisition and quick follow up shots. The gun also ejects spent shells through a tube on the bottom of the barrel, making it easy to reload after each shot.

Performance & Reliability

The Stoeger 3500 is designed to be rock solid in terms of performance and reliability. This is due to its well-crafted internal components and design. All of its internals are finely crafted and precision machined to ensure proper function and reliability.

The 3500 is capable of consistently shooting accurate groups at short and medium ranges. This is thanks to its adjustable choke, allowing the shooter to tweak the shot pattern to suit the range and type of ammo being used. The gun is also highly reliable, and can reliably cycle almost any type of shotgun shell you put into it.

The Stoeger 3500 is also designed to be low-maintenance. It requires minimal cleaning and lubrication, and its internals are designed to withstand prolonged use. All of this means that the gun will perform many years without needing any major repairs or maintenance.

Conclusion

The Stoeger 3500 is an incredibly versatile shotgun that is suitable for a wide variety of uses, from hunting and home defense to competitive shooting. It features an adjustable choke, allowing it to fire everything from birdshot to slugs. Its semi-automatic action allows for quick follow up shots or rapid target acquisition. And the gun is designed to be reliable and low-maintenance, with minimal cleaning and lubrication required. At an incredibly reasonable price point, the Stoeger 3500 should be suitable for anyone looking for an effective and reliable shotgun.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

Durable construction – The STOEGER 3500 is well known for its durability and is built to last.

Wide variety of gauges – This shotgun is available in 12-gauge, 20-gauge, and .410, so it can be tailored to the shooter’s preferences.

Smooth action – This shotgun is renowned for its smooth action due to its well-designed, interlocking steel parts.

Comfort – The STOEGER 3500 features a soft rubber recoil pad to reduce recoils and increase comfort for the user.

Easy to clean and maintain – The STOEGER 3500 has a special slide release mechanism that makes it easy to disassemble and clean after use.

Cons:

Expensive – The STOEGER 3500 is one of the more expensive models for this type of shotgun.

Weight – The STOEGER 3500 weighs almost nine pounds, making it a burdensome gun to carry in the field for extended periods of time.

Low capacity – The STOEGER 3500 only holds five shells at a time, making it less ideal for shooting competitions or other events where multiple rounds need to be fired.

Who Should Buy

Those who should buy the STOEGER 3500 are hunters who are looking for an affordable shotgun to use for waterfowl and upland hunting. It is a reliable shotgun that is lightweight, accurate and easy to maintain. Those who shouldn't buy the STOEGER 3500 are those who need a shotgun for target shooting or tactical use. The STOEGER 3500 is built for hunting and won't necessarily accommodate these specialized uses.

Comparisons

Carbine/Rifle	Choke	Length
Yes	5	48"
Yes	3	44"
Yes	5	48"
Yes	5	47.50"
Yes	5	47.50"

Features / Specs

• Shotgun with 3", 12 gauge chamber

• 28" barrel length

• Magazine capacity of 4+1 (shells)

• Operating system: inertia driven

• Weight: 6.9lbs (3.1 kgs)

• Synthetic stock and forend

• Length of pull (LOP): 14.5"

• Length (overall): 49" (124.5 cm)

• Matte black finish on metal components

• Textured rubber pads on prototype stocks

• Optima choke system, with chokes included

Popular Accessories

Choke Tube Set

Barrel Extension Tube

Loading Plate

Recoil Reducing Pad

Forend

Magazine Tube Extensions

Flashlight Mount

Gun Sling

Picatinny Rails

Magazine Extension Tube

Accuracy

The Stoeger 3500 is renowned for its remarkable accuracy, allowing it to consistently shoot targets at any range with minimal recoil. The balance of the receiver and stock make it easier to mount and shouldering the gun while shooting, reducing the amount of unwanted movement when firing. With a smooth trigger pull and ideal positioning of the forend, the Stoeger 3500 allows shooters to perform pinpoint-accurate shots with very little effort. The overall weight of the Stoeger 3500 also adds to its accuracy, since it ensures a better and more stable overall feel. The rifled barrel and high-quality finish provide great accuracy without the need for further modifications.