Stevens by Savage 555 | 12 Gauge Over-Under Shotgun Review

It's time for another review! Many people have been asking about budget shotguns - Today, I'm reviewing the affordable Stevens by Savage, 555 12 gauge Over-under! Stevens says this gun is "World Class," and I can't wait to find out if that holds true... Spoiler Alert - This gun packs a punch, but I shot it pretty dang fast! Enjoy :)

   MSRP

• This 555 is going for about $768

 Quick Specs

• 12 gauge - Over-under (Available in 16,28,20 and 410 gauges as well)
• Designed for upland/wing shooting
• 28"  Barrell 
• 6lbs 5oz 
• Length of Pull 14 1/4" Out of the Box (Longer pads available)
• Drop at comb 1 1/2"
• Drop at Heel  2 1/8"
• Comes with 5 flush mount chokes
• The 555 does not have auto-ejectors

Ergonomics/Look & Feel

• Extremely light with a bit of a forward balance
• Pistol grip is nicely sized
• I was happy to see the Schnabel forend
• Single brass bead on front
• Wood checkering is a bit rough - very small
• Top auto-safety with barrel selector
• Wood is nothing fancy - standard grade (Turkish Walnut)
• Function and moving parts are not exceptionally smooth
• Recoil pad is simple and hard
• Vented rib and barrels

Trigger 

• 6lbs 5oz (Average) 
• Not light; Not clean
• Not as smooth as I'd hope for

Quality of Build

I always look at the quality of the build relative to the price. 

• Simply put, there is nothing fancy about this gun
• Wood is standard grade and looks average - the trade-off is lighter weight
• The receiver is finished in black aluminum - I fear this will degrade faster than steel and be more prone to damage

Ease of Breakdown

• This 555 comes apart as most over-under shotguns do via the forearm release lever.
• The lever on this gun felt cheap but came apart as usual

Recoil

• The first thing I noticed was that mounting this gun was enjoyable. I'd tend to whip a gun this light, but the frontward balance treated me well.
• A lighter weight gun will typically translate to more recoil - This was completely apparent during this test
• The honest truth is that this Stevens beat the tar out of me - I was also only shooting target loads - couldn't imagine hunting loads   

Reliability

• There's not much that can go wrong regarding the reliability of an over-under. I have a lot of guns to shoot throughout the year, so I'm unable to talk deeply about how this gun has held up. If you own this gun, I'd appreciate your comments on how it's worked for you.
• If you're looking to shoot high volumes, you may want to avoid the Stevens 555 - If you go out once or twice a year, go for it, but bring some ibuprofen.

Speed Shooting

I find this evaluation valuable because it tests how all the different aspects of a shotgun come together from getting on target, having an appropriate trigger pull, recovering from the recoil, and getting back on target. 

• The fastest time I could accomplish with the 555 was a 1.05
• This may have been the silver lining in this while review - the weight/ease of mount was another thing I ended up liking during speed shooting

In conclusion, I was not totally in love with this Stevens 555. I was able to mount it and shoot it very quickly, but the recoil was pretty dang unenjoyable in return. If you're looking to invest in an over-under, my only advice would be to save up a little bit more, even just $200 or $300, and get a gun that will last longer and not beat you up round after round.

Whether our targets in the field or our targets in life, we will only hit what we are focused on, so live the #targetfocusedlife

Stay Target Focused,

Steve