TriStar Viper G2 20 ga. Youth Shotguns – Feedback from owners?

The eldest of the Brothers Grouselet will be starting HS trap league this spring as a 7th grader. He is solidly built, but the 14.XX length of pull on my shotguns is still too long for him and as I’m a stock snob, no is any of my walnut getting cut down. I also want him to have the recoil reduction of a gas-operated auto because nothing kills youth shooting enthusiasm like pounding their shoulder into hamburger with mule-kickers. I’m a Beretta auto guy so I know how soft shooting gas autos are, so I’m sticking with this formula for the kids. So…

Looking at the youth options in gas-operated autos out there, TriStar Viper G2 comes up a lot. They have a nifty 2-stock combo which would be great because he will need the adult stock next season. Obviously, the biggest draw to the TriStar is they are one of the few gas-operated autos out there at a budget price. I have 2 boys that will hopefully both shoot, so the 20 gauge youth will be handed down and I figure there will always be resale demand for a 20 youth.

Internet reviews by reputable sites say that the G2 of this shotgun is good, the worst I’ve found is that some guns seemed to need to be broken in with heavy loads before they cycle 100% with trap loads and TriStar even started including special instructions to do this break-in. But not everyone seems to have this issue and recent comments indicate that TriStar made adjustments and stopped recommending the break-in. Also, IME, most guns these days come with way too much grease and goo on them and that is bad news for autoloaders, in particular, so the cycling problems may be related to that.

Any feedback from actual owners or those with firsthand experience on this shotgun?

Please no general opinions on Turkish guns or third-hand stuff. I already own some Turkish shotguns and I am aware of the shortcomings of some early attempts at autoloaders, but my Stoegers have been excellent. No, I’m not going to buy an o/u and no, they are not “safer”. It seems if you buy right, the Turks can make as good an entry-level as anyone, just looking to avoid buying the TriStar if they are good, objective reasons to avoid it.

Many thanks.

Grouse

2 kids on our trap team are shooting that Tri-star setup. And both of them happen to be smaller framed girls. Has been a good gun for both trap team as well as some game farm stuff.
First thing I did was recommend they clean they after they picked them up, one did, the other didn’t and yes there were some cycling issues when it was new. Stripped it down and cleaned it well, was fine after.
At the time I think they were a very cost friendly gun ($349 maybe?) is what I ordered them for, now I don’t know where the price is or availability is at.

I don’t think you would have a problem with your intended use and when he is done or wants to move up to something else, you should get most of you dollars back on it no problem.

Good Luck!

Hi Grouse,

I’ve owned multiple Tri-Star’s and still own many different Beretta and Benelli auto’s in both 20 and 12g. I owned a viper G2 20g which shares the same mech to the one you’re talking about and a close friend owns the exact one your talking about.

The Tri-star for your use case here will work perfect. It’s soft shooting and I found them to be quite reliable. I will say I broke different pieces of the bolt on my 20g G2 (extractor one time and the locking bar inside the bolt another). Both of those were after thousands of 7/8 trap load rounds and both times it was pheasant hunting w/ 3″ 1 1/4″ heavy loads. Both times Tri-Star sent me replacement parts fast, no questions asked, and for free (I believe they were out of Kansas).

If you go into the purchase understanding you’re not purchasing a Benelli or Beretta auto, you’ll be very happy. No it doesn’t have a cole trigger like you may see in a high end Beretta or the pure reliability of a Benelli – but the price reflects that. TBH, I’ve got a Rem 1100 with a youth stock I put together for my nephew and the overall weight of that gun was an issue (even with a 24″ barrel) – the Tri Star seems to be preferred by most the kids we’ve shot around.

My son is 8 and when he’s a little bit older that’s the gun he’ll be starting with. Feel free to PM me with any specific questions.

Pete

Appreciate the feedback, gents. Good info.

To Hat, totally agree the value seems to be there and from what I can glean from the internet, it seems that when the tester mentions pre-first-shooting cleaning of the gun, they also seem NOT to have any cycling issues. Leading me to strongly suspect over greasing is the culprit.

Pete, I agree that the standard response to somebody thinking of buying a Turkish gas-auto has been “get a used 1100”. The problem with that is that the recommendation is always made by somebody who is out of touch with the current market prices of ALL used guns these days. Including the necessary mods to make it youth-friendly, you may as well buy an A300 Baretta as the cost will be almost identical. And that leaves out the part where the 1100 is just too damn heavy for kids.

To Pete again, regarding the extractor, do you think it’s worth ordering one for the spare parts kit?

I have read virtually every review and forum post I can find on these guns and you’re the first one to mention a broken extractor. Do you think a spare is a must buy or is this something to put the 2500 round maintenance list?

I’ll test the trigger when I get the gun and do my own trigger tuning. As you say, there’s a limit to what one can expect on a trigger at this price point, but having studied the trigger mech on this gun already, I can see the usual suspects that will need to be addressed with a little work.

Many thanks.

No comments on the gun, but happy to see another youngster joining the trap team. My 2 oldest have done it and its an absolute blast watching those boys and girls compete. My 10th grader will be on the #1 Varsity Team this year likely. He was invited to the National Meet as a 9th grader, but the dates didnt work out.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

Including the necessary mods to make it youth-friendly, you may as well buy an A300 Baretta as the cost will be almost identical.

I have several 1100s and an A300, and I’d choose the A300 8 days a week.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

To Pete again, regarding the extractor, do you think it’s worth ordering one for the spare parts kit?

I wouldn’t worry about it – I’m sure mine was from added stress over time. I always stuck a shell in the receiver in the middle of hunts to show it’s visibly safe while still having shell in the mag – I’m sure it put added stress on that piece.

I bought one for my daughter and still have it. It only came with one stock, but same shotgun. It has been really, really, reliable. Never has it jammed. When I got it I thoroughly cleaned it and ran a box of 3 inch shells through it, as was recommended. This little effort is worth the hassle if you ask me. Plus this helped me become familiar with the gun. Her gun patterns a bit low. So when shooting clays or critters, swing through the target, not under it. My only disappointment is that she was not able to use it for deer hunting. It patterned several brands of slugs nice and tight at 50 yards, but LOW. You cannot hit what you cannot see. When sighting, the barrel/rib/bead covers up the point of impact. Same story at 25 yards. And like I said, I tried several brands of slugs. We still have it, I have taken it rabbit, quail, and grouse hunting myself and it is a dream to carry. Very light, quick, and soft shooting. A bit short in the stock, but still usable for me. More than worth what I paid for it. A friend won an adult sized 12 ga Tri Star Auto somewhere and it has functioned flawlessly for him also. Good luck, whatever you decide.

Thanks for the additional comments guys. I went ahead and ordered one today. Will post a review later on in case anybody else there is reading this thread and wants to know how it worked out for youth trap.

Ralph Wiggum wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>TheFamousGrouse wrote:</div>
I have several 1100s and an A300, and I’d choose the A300 8 days a week.

For years the model 1100 was the go to as far as a gas operated auto loader at a decent price since there were so many out there The problem is prices on these guns have just gone crazy. Check out what good examples are going for now.

Yeah, the 1100 is a great gun. I still have the one I bought from you, and I have an early 70s version with a cut down stock that the FW shoots (it was her dad’s). I can imagine the prices are ridiculous, now.