Tristar Viper Semi Auto 12ga review

Just got a new 12ga auto and figured I would share what I have learned. It was a great deal, but first some history.

I have some serious arthritis and stopped shooting 12ga some 12 years ago . I have been using 28ga for skeet and sporting clays and even trap with some success. With shots, therapy and exercise, my shoulders have been feeling better so I decided to try a 12ga again.

In the past I have owned Beretta's, Brownings, SKB's and Remingtons when I was actively shooting skeet and trap and clays. I did not want to spend that kind of money only to find out that even a semi auto 12ga is too much for me. A friend introduced me to the Tristar Viper G2 sporting, a 12 ga semi auto imported by Tristar Arms.

This semi auto has an aluminum receiver, 30 inch ported, chrome lined barrel, beautiful Turkish walnut stocks with adjustable comb and takes Beretta mobile chokes. The gas system is a clone of the Remington 1100 with some little modifications. The trigger group is a clone of the Beretta 390. The only unique part is the recoil spring is around the magazine instead of being in a tube in the butt stock. Oh, it also comes with the cast on/off shims like a Beretta semi auto and four extended choke tubes. Another nice feature is that it has a 5 year warranty.

It is made in Turkey but the workmanship is that of the higher dollar guns. There are no sharp edges and, since I assume most of it is investment cast and extruded, there are no rough mill cuts int he receiver.

I took it out to the range last weekend and shot the following. Friday (before patterning and adjusting the comb), 23, 22, 23, 22. This was also with four different kinds of ammo. On Saturday I patterned it, adjusted the comb and shot 25, 23, 24. The gun is light, 7.2 pounds yet the gas system kept me from feeling the recoil. Even though this gun is 3/4 of an inch too long in length of pull, it still shot great for me. ( this was with a field jacket on so it may feel better in the spring/summer. I may have a Graco plate put on it but I'll decide that later.

I researched this on the net before buying since no one in the MDVADE area had one. There are some good videos and reviews and one guy has done an excellent four part review. The duck and geese hunters seem to like it even with heavy loads and their is a nice pistol griped tactical model for those of you into three gun.

Best of all, the price was $576 from Buds Gun Shop and $40 (with no tax) from Charlie over at Anglers. This gun is nicely made and, in my opinion, a better deal than the Mossberg or CZ semi autos on the market.

Regards,

John

I really like the looks of that duckblind over under 3.5 inch gun. Heard some good reviews on the tristars so far.

I would love to get a semi auto for some trap. I already own a 686 so I don't want to go into the high dollar range and I was actually looking specifically at this gun out of curiosity because of the price point and variance of opinions/reviews on the manufacturer. John, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the gun almost 4 years later.

doggyjacket said:

I would love to get a semi auto for some trap. I already own a 686 so I don't want to go into the high dollar range and I was actually looking specifically at this gun out of curiosity because of the price point and variance of opinions/reviews on the manufacturer. John, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the gun almost 4 years later.

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It is excellent quality for the money. I used an 1100 for years and the only drawback it had was that it was heavy. The Tristar uses anodized aluminum for the receiver, operating arm collar and piston which makes it much lighter. The actual piston design is similar to the 1100 and the receiver design is similar to the Beretta 390.

The only drawback I saw, if you want to call it a drawback, is that you have to use the Birtchwood Casey type shell catcher if you shoot trap. The clip on designs won't work as the bolt is to close to the receiver.

I never had a problem with the gun, it is easy to clean and a big plus is that it uses Beretta Mobile chokes which are easy to come by.

John from MD said:

It is excellent quality for the money. I used an 1100 for years and the only drawback it had was that it was heavy. The Tristar uses anodized aluminum for the receiver, operating arm collar and piston which makes it much lighter. The actual piston design is similar to the 1100 and the receiver design is similar to the Beretta 390.

The only drawback I saw, if you want to call it a drawback, is that you have to use the Birtchwood Casey type shell catcher if you shoot trap. The clip on designs won't work as the bolt is to close to the receiver.

I never had a problem with the gun, it is easy to clean and a big plus is that it uses Beretta Mobile chokes which are easy to come by.

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Cool, thanks for the reply!

I'm thinking about something like this:

https://www.cheaperthandirt.com/pro...comb-stock-blued-finish-24160-713780241609.do

or this

http://store.10dollargunclub.com/tsa_24162_p/tsa_24162.htm

Might call around this weekend to see if any LGS stock/order for similar pricing.

The Walmart in Dunkirk has one of these shotguns. I remember than name, Tristar. Saw it there Wednesday.

That's the one I got. I got it from Budsgunshop and saved money transferring through a shop in Linthicum who is on Buds dealer list.

John

Capt Skup said:

The Walmart in Dunkirk has one of these shotguns. I remember than name, Tristar. Saw it there Wednesday.

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Oh nice, I'll give them a call. If it's one of the two models I want, I'm sure I'll have a new shotgun tomorrow. Although I've been calling the one in Severn to check their stock and no one ever picks up the phone in sporting goods.

Congrats on the new purchase. It's great you found a gun you can shoot comfortably. TriStar's look to be really nice. I just watched a vid with a guy comparing his personal Win SX3 to a TriStar Viper G2 SR Sport. He shot them side by side and said he couldn't tell the difference. Then the camera guy tried them both and said the same. I found one on Cheaper than Dirt for $502 !!! 1/3rd the price of the SX3. That's got to scare the hell out of Winchester. I couldn't find a single review of any TriStar product that wasn't positive. Congrats again !!

doggyjacket said:

Cool, thanks for the reply!

I'm thinking about something like this:

https://www.cheaperthandirt.com/pro...comb-stock-blued-finish-24160-713780241609.do

or this

http://store.10dollargunclub.com/tsa_24162_p/tsa_24162.htm

Might call around this weekend to see if any LGS stock/order for similar pricing.

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You can get this shotgun cheaper at Buds;
https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog...Ga28"+Blued+Barrel+wMultichoke+&+Walnut+Stock

I have a Viper G2 Silver. I haven't had the chance to take it out yet unfortunately. It is an extremely well built shotgun. I had a tactical Raptor, and while nice, the Viper is much nicer. I had my Viper up for sale briefly, as I was kinda in a rush to buy an AR before the election, and the Viper would be easy to replace, but decided I like the Viper too much. Very nice gun. I got mine soley as a shoot some clays occasionally gun. If I were a serious shooter, I would probably have gotten the inertia Stoeger M3K, but this shotgun just impresses people who see it in person. The action is crisp, the wood is gorgeous, the front has a fiber optic sight. I want the Tristar Tec 12 next, along with an AR though.

Tracker said:

Congrats on the new purchase. It's great you found a gun you can shoot comfortably. TriStar's look to be really nice. I just watched a vid with a guy comparing his personal Win SX3 to a TriStar Viper G2 SR Sport. He shot them side by side and said he couldn't tell the difference. Then the camera guy tried them both and said the same. I found one on Cheaper than Dirt for $502 !!! 1/3rd the price of the SX3. That's got to scare the hell out of Winchester. I couldn't find a single review of any TriStar product that wasn't positive. Congrats again !!

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Was that Big Daddy Hoffman 1911 or something? Good video. I like his videos, pretty laid back and folksy.

Sirex said:

Was that Big Daddy Hoffman 1911 or something? Good video. I like his videos, pretty laid back and folksy.

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Yes that was it

I bought the Viper G2 youth in 20g for my wife last year for busting clays. Hers is anodized red with black synthetic stock. It has a 26 inch barrel with extended chokes. I actually enjoy shooting it and consistently hit 22 to 23 on wobble. Definitely a nice gun for the price.

Jarhead FLSTI said:

I bought the Viper G2 youth in 20g for my wife last year for busting clays. Hers is anodized red with black synthetic stock. It has a 2 inch barrel with extended chokes. I actually enjoy shooting it and consistently hit 22 to 23 on wobble. Definitely a nice gun for the price.

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A 2 inch barrel?? Is that legal??

Tracker said:

A 2 inch barrel?? Is that legal??

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LMAO. Typing on my phone sucks. It was supposed to be 26 inch...

Thanks for catching that. Hopefully it's corrected now.

Well Severn had the O/U in stock but not the Semi. The O/U did not feel good at all, but then again, it was a $357 O/U. How is that even possible? lol

I did see the gun catalogue and it was a 2014 version. I tried to ask the guy if they could order the Viper but he started telling me how he has to call the manufacturer in Turkey to get any info. I just smiled and nodded. I doubt he had a clue.

They didn't have any in stock, but I did ask for the price on the Remington 1100 trap and I was surprised that it wasn't discounted very much. $1100. I almost ordered one thinking "it's only a few hundred more than the one I am considering" but that's some dangerous thinking haha.

But I was also thinking that at ~$600 or so for the gun, I might just be able to get an A300 at that price point, used, evem though i wanted the 30" and adjustable comb.

Sirex said:

You can get this shotgun cheaper at Buds;
https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog...Ga28"+Blued+Barrel+wMultichoke+&+Walnut+Stock

I have a Viper G2 Silver. I haven't had the chance to take it out yet unfortunately. It is an extremely well built shotgun. I had a tactical Raptor, and while nice, the Viper is much nicer. I had my Viper up for sale briefly, as I was kinda in a rush to buy an AR before the election, and the Viper would be easy to replace, but decided I like the Viper too much. Very nice gun. I got mine soley as a shoot some clays occasionally gun. If I were a serious shooter, I would probably have gotten the inertia Stoeger M3K, but this shotgun just impresses people who see it in person. The action is crisp, the wood is gorgeous, the front has a fiber optic sight. I want the Tristar Tec 12 next, along with an AR though.

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Did you list yours on Armslist by chance. The pics look familiar. Also, the one you listed is 28" (vs 30" barrel) and does not have an adjustable comb.

Does anyone have info on how these hold up to round counts in the 8-10k range?

doggyjacket said:

Well Severn had the O/U in stock but not the Semi. The O/U did not feel good at all, but then again, it was a $357 O/U. How is that even possible? lol

I did see the gun catalogue and it was a 2014 version. I tried to ask the guy if they could order the Viper but he started telling me how he has to call the manufacturer in Turkey to get any info. I just smiled and nodded. I doubt he had a clue.

They didn't have any in stock, but I did ask for the price on the Remington 1100 trap and I was surprised that it wasn't discounted very much. $1100. I almost ordered one thinking "it's only a few hundred more than the one I am considering" but that's some dangerous thinking haha.

But I was also thinking that at ~$600 or so for the gun, I might just be able to get an A300 at that price point, used, evem though i wanted the 30" and adjustable comb.




Did you list yours on Armslist by chance. The pics look familiar. Also, the one you listed is 28" (vs 30" barrel) and does not have an adjustable comb.

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Yeah. I was kinda trying to generate some quick cash for an AR before the election, since I don't have an AR yet. I had it listed here too. But, I removed it from here, and if I can find my email link I will eventually remove it from AL. It's a gorgeous gun in person, the pics do not do it justice. Not sure how it will hold up to a high round count, but I really don't expect to put huge numbers into it. Viper G2 have been overwhelming mostly positive.

Tracker said:

Does anyone have info on how these hold up to round counts in the 8-10k range?

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I'll let you know in several months. This thread helped seal the deal, I got the red one and waiting for it to arrive. It's just north of $500 now which is an awesome price to allow someone to break into the sport. If I stay with it, I'll get a better eventually.

Update

I took out my Viper G2 October 29th. Shot the break in high powered shells. After that it fed flawless. We went thru a box of clays, and maybe a case of Federal target loads. No jams. I did clean the gun prior to shooting, and oil. It is a gas gun, not inertia, so it will need more cleaning, but it's not too horrible. Gun balanced well for me, and made me look really good, almost like I knew what I was doing. I initially had thought about selling it to buy a naughty gun Hillary might ban, but I got one anyways, and I am keeping the Viper. Love it. Soft shooting, easy to swing, just plain fun. It is 4+1, but being I got it for playing around, not big deal. Not a combat shotgun. On a scale from 1-10, I give it a 8. I think the red fiber optic sight up front could be bigger, or brighter. I wish it had a 26" barrel instead of a 28". And my barrel had a very small finish blemish, but not a deal killer, and pretty unnoticeable to most folks. The fit and finish is very nice, wood nice, receiver quality looks nice, fed and shot fine. Not too hateful to clean.