• Stevens 555 Over/Under Shotgun Review

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    Published on 10-08-2015 02:47 PM
    3 Comments Comments
    Pages: Stevens 555 Shotgun Pg. 3  Previous
    The furniture on the Stevens 555 really fit me well and felt good in the hands allowing for fast handling despite the 28-inch barrels. The checkering is nicely done and offers very good grip without being too course. The thin recoil pad is adequate, though a bit stiff, and the rounded heel aids in quick shouldering without snagging on clothing.

    I found the fit and finish of the 555 to be more than acceptable for an O/U in this price range. The satin finish on the barrels is a nice compromise between a traditional gloss blue and a dull matte finish and I think it’s a good choice for what for most owners will be a field gun. The finish on the receiver matches the barrels well, but since it’s a coating rather than being in the metal I’m c a little nervous about how it will hold up over time. The wood to metal fit was very good with small and consistent gaps throughout.

    The one negative I observed with this particular example of the Stevens 555 was that when broken open to extract the spent shells the barrels would spring back up roughly 1/8-inch or so – just enough to cause the rim of the bottom shell to catch on the top edge of the receiver when I tried to remove it. Early on I had hoped that it was just a matter of being stiff and needing a little break-in, but even after 500 shells it persisted. This made extracting the spent shell and reloading the bottom barrel a bit frustrating. I haven’t heard of or read any other complaints on this matter so maybe it’s just an anomaly with this unit.

    The only other occurrence worth mentioning was that the Stevens doubled on me one time on my first outing. It was purely my own fault as I didn’t have the butt pulled tight to my shoulder which effectively resulted in the second barrel bump-firing under recoil. I have read a few other comments and reviews of people experiencing this as well, and given how light the 555 is I can see how it would be easy for others to do the same thing when first getting acclimated to the gun’s light weight. It never happened again over the course of several hundred more rounds so it clearly wasn't a mechanical issue with the gun.

    Overall I was pleasantly surprised by the Stevens 555. While it’s still not on par with the Milano, it’s a much better shotgun than the 512 Gold Wing that it replaced. Given the light weight and thin recoil pad I wouldn’t recommend shooting many heavy 3-inch loads through it unless you like being pounded, but I’ve yet to find a dove, pheasant, quail or rabbit that a 1-1/8 ounce 2-3/4” 12-gauge shell can’t put on the dinner table.

    The Stevens 555 is what I would consider a very good entry level field grade over/under. The light weight and near perfect balance makes it a joy to carry, and it won’t beat the snot out of you as long as you stick with 2-3/4” shells. The craftsmanship and quality are better than I've seen on other Turkish made shotguns (i.e. the Mossberg Silver Reserve) in the same price range making the Stevens 555 the smart buy in the budget O/U class.


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    Contact Information
    Savage Arms, Inc.
    100 Springdale Road
    Westfield, MA 01085
    www.SavageArms.com


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    Pages: Stevens 555 Shotgun Pg. 3  Previous
    Comments 3 Comments
    1. 03mossy's Avatar
      03mossy - 10-08-2015, 07:05 PM
      Good write up! I handled the 20 gauge version of these last Friday at Cabelas and was pretty impressed with the fit and finish and the way it handled. Sure would be a joy to carry in the grouse woods verses my black eagle.
    1. culpeper's Avatar
      culpeper - 11-29-2015, 08:22 PM
      Nice review on a good gun and glad to see an improvement to the 512, which was two steps forward one step back after the Milano.

      Been shooting the Mlano for a long time now via trap shooting and a little hunting each year. Has never given me a problem. Too bad it didn't sale like they wanted. It is a nice gun for the original price. It is so good I'm not even in the market for one. Savage needs to go back to Italy and try again. Who knows maybe now is a good time.
    1. J.Baker's Avatar
      J.Baker - 02-01-2016, 09:22 PM
      I really think the biggest reason the Milano didn't sell well was because Savage did very little to promote it. I still think they were probably one of the best mid-range O/U shotguns ever offered in the U.S. with the only close competition being the old SKB's.