by John Markwell
With all the other paraphernalia carried on a rabbit hunt with beagles, the light weight of the Stoeger Youth Model 410 Bore
is a big plus.
Contributing Editor
My son Brock is a hounds-man. He loves chasing rabbits with Beagles and is long past the “I have to kill every rabbit that jumped” stage of life, we all go through in our youth. Brock often carries a shotgun simply because that’s what rabbit hunters do, not because he needs to. Because they are generally light in weight and handy, a .410 bore was on his list for a long time.
For many years, Brock’s only shotgun was a nice old 20-gauge LC Smith Field Grade which first belonged to his grandfather, then me, and eventually him. It was my father’s request that Brock eventually get the nice old gun.
The Elsie has been well cared for during three generations of use and a while back Brock semi-retired the old side-by-side for a used .410 Mossberg pump gun. Purchased at a gun show, the Mossberg didn’t require the same degree of care as the old Smith did.
Like many gun show guns, there was a reason the Mossberg was cheap as it had some “functional quirks.” It often failed to feed a round from the magazine tube and on occasion inexplicably misfired. Since Brock was hardly heartbroken if he failed to take any given rabbit, this was not a big deal but we often talked about replacing the 410 Mossberg. Several options came up in conversation, but nothing really struck a nerve until the economical Stoeger Condor over-under came to the market, specifically the Youth Models.
Brock’s a pretty big guy but has always liked short stocked long guns; probably because he had properly fitted long guns when he was a kid. We’ve historically found it’s easier to use long guns with stocks a bit on the short side rather than those that are a bit too long, especially with bulky hunting clothes on. For use in the cottontail thickets, and in the pines for snowshoes, short guns have always proven to be way handier than those with longer barrels. Brock, after years of using the LC Smith, has a decided preference for the simplicity of double guns. Whether they are side-by-sides or over-unders doesn’t seem to matter.
The Stoeger Condor Youth Model shotgun (which I purchased for Brock in a Sheels store in South Dakota in 2011) has proven to be a reliable and handy replacement for the finicky old Mossberg. With a street price of around $325 the Condor is hardly in the collector category like the L.C. Smith, and thus can suffer some abuse in the brush without too much financial agonizing over a scratch or two.
The Condor over-under line of shotguns is made in Brazil and are imported by Benelli, which is a Stoeger Industries company. The Condor Youth Model .410 is light at 5.5 pounds and, with its 22-inch barrels and 13-inch length of pull, has an over-all length of just 36.5 inches. The stacked barrels are choked full & full and are topped off with a nicely textured ventilated rib with a brass bead up front. The little 410 has 3-inch chambers and comes with extractors only. The fit and finish of the Condor is pretty good for a gun in this price range. The receiver and barrels are well polished and the bluing is nicely done. The stock has what appears to be an oil finish.
Scratches on the stock and forearm from the gun’s first season in the briar patches were easily repairable with a few applications of Tung oil.
The only modification Brock has made to the Condor 410 was the addition of a leather carrying strap. A barrel band for a quick detachable swivel and a butt stock screw for same from Brownells, and 20 minutes work were all that was required to make the Condor field ready. The use of a carrying strap on sporting shotguns is not as common in the US as it is in Europe. However, we’ve found that being able to sling the gun and have one’s hands free when handling a bunch of beagles is a very good idea.
Slinging the shotgun is also a more comfortable way to tote it on longer hikes or when traversing really rough country. You will notice the swivel attachment point on the stock is in the bottom of the pistol grip. This position keeps the muzzles of the shotgun higher allowing one to kneel without the barrels digging into the ground or snow.
In the field, the Condor’s tang mounted safety makes the lithe little gun quick to get into action and it returns to the safe position each time the action is opened. The single non-selective trigger (the bottom barrel fires first), although a bit heavy, is more than manageable with or without gloves on.
I took the Condor down to the pistol range to see how it shot and patterned on paper. Brock’s preferred 410 rabbit load is a 3-inch Remington Game Load that propels 11/16 oz. of #5 shot at a velocity of 1,135fps. At 20 yards, both barrels of the little gun shot just above the point of aim for me. Patterns from each full-choked barrel overlapped nicely, were quite even, and showed no obvious “holes.” Needless to say the recoil was negligible.
It’s obvious why Brock likes this little rabbit buster. He’s made clean shots on rabbits out to 40 or so yards with the little Condor.
The 410 bore is often viewed in two ways by most folks; first as a kid’s first shotgun due to its low recoil, or secondly, as an expert’s gun due to its low payload and often tight patterns.
Rabbits being run by hounds are often easier targets than those jumped from cover, so the 410 is popular with hound hunters regardless of skill level. My son, Brock, has used the Condor for a complete season now for both his own hunting and also as a loaner gun to his nephew who he has been mentoring.
The little gun has performed superbly through its first fall season. Brock’s Youth Model 410 Condor has accumulated its share of “fleas” during its first outings including a pretty good dent in the vent rib from an impact with a rock when it was knocked over by a rambunctious beagle. The Stoeger Condor over-under should serve Brock long and well as it accumulates a record of both game taken and scars to serve as memories of hunts past.
For those looking for a shotgun with a classy look that will not break the bank, the Stoeger Condor line offers many more models in all gauges to suit most any purpose. It is this scribe’s opinion that these Brazilian made shotguns are one of the greatest firearms bargains available in today’s marketplace. The Condor Youth model 410 and all of the other Stoeger guns I have examined are robust and nicely made. Not at all fancy, any of them should serve well for tough field use. These are truly good guns for the money. For further details on the complete line of Stoeger guns refer to stoegerindustries.com.
