# Budget O/U Review--Stevens 555E



## AF CYN

Now that I'm a dog man, I figure I needed an over/under shotgun. I already have a couple of shotguns, so I bought a nice little Stevens 555E in 28 gauge for my wife for Mother's Day. She told me she didn't want a shotgun, but I bought it for her anyway. She received it well, considering.

Anyhow, if it were my gun I would have gone out to shoot it right away, but it was hers and she waited until today to take it out. Here's my assessment:

1. Aesthetics--This is the only reason people get O/U's, and I think the 555E does well in this area. I really like the nickel-plated receiver and the Turkish walnut looks great. The bluing is nice, as well. There is no ornamentation on the receiver, but I don't mind that. The fit and finish is also impressive, with the wood to metal finish being pretty good.

2. Performance--Stevens is made by Savage, which is a great firearm company. I assumed the gun would perform well, which it did. I patterned the gun and both barrels hit where I was aiming. The action broke open easily, the ejectors were effective. At 5.5 pounds, the gun points and swings very well. I crushed doubles all day long, which impressed my wife and made me feel manly.

3. Value--I bought the gun for $649 at Cabelas. They were running a $60 rebate, and I had a ton of points and gift cards, so I thought the gun was very reasonably priced. The next step up from this gun is probably something like the Franchi Instinct, which is abour $1,300. The Instinct is a really nice gun but I don't know if it is _that_ much nicer.

4. Deficiencies--There is only one negative thing with this gun--the trigger. I swear it is 10+lbs. Drawing my bow is easier than pulling this trigger.

5. Comparisons--I bought a budget semi-auto a couple of years ago--the Weatherby SA08 in 20 gauge. I really love the SA08, and would have bought one in 28gauge, but they discontinued them because of a safety flaw. Comparing the two, the 555E points quicker and swings faster, which I liked. The 555E is also way more pretty. The recoil on the 28 gauge over/under was slightly more than the 20 gauge semi auto. I thought it was nice to shoot, but my wife could tell the difference between the two and actually preferred shooting the SA08. The trigger on the SA08 is really nice, way better than the 555E.

6. Final Assessment--Everything is great about the 555E except for the trigger, which is so bad that it's almost a deal-breaker. I may test it with a trigger scale. If it measures ridiculously heavy, which I think it will, I may send it in to Savage to see if it can be adjusted.

Anyhow, my wife and I had a fun day shooting and it's always cool to shoot a new gun.


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## johnnycake

Nice report. But if you're interested in trying for a Franchi Instinct 16ga on the cheap, the Alaska-Yukon Chapter of NAVHDA is raffling off one this summer . Tickets are only $10/ea, max 400 tickets will be sold. 
https://squareup.com/store/alaska-yukon-navhda/item/franchi-instinct-sl-ga-o-u


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## Airborne

Thanks for the review! Very good stuff.

Not trying to distract from the review at all (you did a great review!) but I would disagree with the reason you stated that folks get over/under shotguns as primarily aesthetically based. Here is a question for ya--in the competitive shotgun world (Olympics, Trap, Skeet) what type of shotgun is used? It is the Over/Under. If shooters could break more clays with a semi-auto, pump, or side by sides they would. O/U generally swing and point better than other types of shotguns. They also have the ability to shoot different chokes.

I think side by sides win in the aesthetic department any day of the week but nobody wins gold medals shooting a side by side. 

What method did you use to determine the shotgun was well regulated and shot to point of aim? I have patterned around 30 shotguns so I’m curious if you have a better way to do it. Hardly anyone patterns shotguns so this peaked my interest. Good job!

If you have pictures of the patterns I would love to see them.

I am sorry your trigger is poor—I have noticed this to be a common trait among budget double guns. I hate bad triggers! 

I look at budget double guns as a lottery; you could get lucky and get one that checks all the boxes: 
•	Shotgun fits the shooter (16 yard shotgun fit test)
•	Shoots to point of aim (40 yard shot off bench)
•	Barrels are well regulated (40 yard shot off bench)
•	Shotgun patterns evenly (40 yard shot off bench)
•	Shotgun patterns somewhat match choke selection (40 yard shot off bench)
•	Mechanically sound, smooth open close
•	Smooth ejection/extraction
•	Quality barrel bore (shiny, smooth)
•	Quality of Trigger (4lbs-7lbs)
•	Operational and smooth safety switch
•	Quality of fit and finish (minimal machining marks, even bluing, good welds)
•	Choke tube fit and alignment
•	Quality of stock and handguard wood
•	Quality and type of receiver finish/engraving

I have found that about two/three out of ten budget (under $1,000) O/U’s generally check the boxes for me. Most are made in the Turkey and it’s a crap shoot.

$1,000-$1,500 O/U’s (Franchi) will put you at 6 or 7 out of ten checking all the boxes

$2,000 guns (Citori, Beretta) you will get 9+ out of 10 checking all the boxes. 

This is my opinion and others mileage may vary. 

Thanks again for the shotgun review! Few folks take the time and it was nice to see one on the forum!


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## brendo

johnnycake said:


> Nice report. But if you're interested in trying for a Franchi Instinct 16ga on the cheap, the Alaska-Yukon Chapter of NAVHDA is raffling off one this summer
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> . Tickets are only $10/ea, max 400 tickets will be sold.
> https://squareup.com/store/alaska-yukon-navhda/item/franchi-instinct-sl-ga-o-u


I'll hit you up on that!!


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## AF CYN

For Airborne, 

I was trying to be funny with my aesthetics comment. Pretty good eh? 

You've shared a wealth of information in your post. Thanks. I'll do some additional work based on your recommendations. Here's some data to share with you. Based on a ******* trigger pull test (using water in milk jugs), first and second trigger pulls both went off at 11.5 lbs. Like I said, pretty heavy. I'm hoping that's heavy enough to be out of spec, so I can send it to the factory and have something done about it. 

I think the weight of the trigger pull caused the gun to pattern high, but it may be fit. It was hard to point it steadily while pulling that trigger. Anyhow, what I did was 3 shot "groups" at 16 yards. This gives you an idea of patterning, but not anything formal from a bench at distance. I'm open to your advice and interpretation (or anyone else who has an opinion). That's the beauty of this forum. 

Below are 16 yard group pics of the top barrel (open cylinder), bottom barrel (improved Cylinder) and my 20ga SA08 (improved cylinder for comparison). I didn't do anything fancy like circle the group, count pellets, or anything like that. It was the first time my wife has ever gone shooting with me so I didn't want our outing to go too long or become laborious. I used Federal Top Gun #8's in the 28ga and Winchester Target #7.5s in the 20ga.


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## Airborne

Thanks for the pics--Looks good--sent you a PM


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## Gordon

I bought a 20ga 555 back when Cal-Ranch sold them. Went back a few months later to get the 28ga and they had closed them out and got rid of them. Bummer


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## Stimmy

Gordon said:


> I bought a 20ga 555 back when Cal-Ranch sold them. Went back a few months later to get the 28ga and they had closed them out and got rid of them. Bummer


I have a 28 ga. for sale if you are interested. I bought it used, but it is in excellent shape. I have the box and all the chokes.

Eric


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## DallanC

Airborne said:


> Here is a question for ya--in the competitive shotgun world (Olympics, Trap, Skeet) what type of shotgun is used? It is the Over/Under. If shooters could break more clays with a semi-auto, pump, or side by sides they would. O/U generally swing and point better than other types of shotguns. They also have the ability to shoot different chokes.


Semi-Autos aren't even allowed in alot of countries so they certainly wont be using those. Some countries don't even allow guns, so the Olympic shooters have to travel to adjacent countries to even practice.

God Bless America!

-DallanC


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## Airborne

DallanC said:


> Semi-Autos aren't even allowed in alot of countries so they certainly wont be using those. Some countries don't even allow guns, so the Olympic shooters have to travel to adjacent countries to even practice.
> 
> God Bless America!
> 
> -DallanC


I get what your saying and agree with your sentiment but if semi autos can break more clays wouldn't we see them winning most competitions that take place in the good ole US of A? We don't see that-what we see is most competitions in the USA being won by over unders when any type of shotgun would be allowed to compete. Maybe I'm wrong but there has to be something to that.


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## AF CYN

UPDATE: I sent the gun into Savage in June after doing a ******* kitchen trigger pull test. It took a little over 11 lbs. of weight to release the trigger, which was unacceptable. I got the gun back today (took about 2 months) and did my same ******* trigger test. First barrel triggered at about 6.5 lbs. and the second was just under 7 lbs., which is much better. They also fixed the stiff safety, which is much smoother now. I'm happy with the results. The gun already points and balances nicely, so I think the resolution of this issue will make it a good gun.


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