Question about Camo Finish

[Carson]

So I'm thinking hard about the model 2000 in camo finish.

But I have some reservations - hopefully someone can set me straight.

Reservation #1
This is my real concern.
That the finish will wear off/scratch or otherwise lose it's initial luster. Is this a valid concern? I don't want it to wear off and look worn - I know it's not "tape" but an actual finish, but still it worries me. Anyone have any experience with it? What are your thoughts?

Reservation #2
I lean the gun against a tree to take a leak or track something and never see it again. This may seem silly, and perhaps it is, but I've had a hard time locating my pack/jacket and other stuff I've left behind for a short time - is this problem furthered by having a camo finish gun? [img]smile.gif[/img] I don't want to lose it!

[fezman]

not to sound preachy or any thing but a gun is a tool that is intended to be used as such. if your worried about it wareing off think of it this way, its cammo it will add to the effect and you can always find some way to touch it up, and besides that, lets face it, its a cheep gun not a 5000$ custom made O/U. companys make camo guns to get rid of blemished parts that are un sutable for sale in a show finnish also to make camo more effective it needs to be a dull matte finish. if i were you i would just toss it in the mud the first trip out its going to happen anyway.
second and this answer is a little more serious if you are afrade of loosing anything in the woods just get some blaze orange tape and pick a place on the gun to wrap it you dont need a lot one piece wrapped aroud the butt stock should do it that is the idea of blaze so you can see it. as an autobody repair man i used to lose tools all the time under hoods or inside cars then a dude that i worked with sugested the tape idea and it works well now if i have any thing that i would rather not loose i always wrap a pice of tape around it in a place that will be noticed at almost any angle. it is a real life saver in more ways than one.

[Carson]

Thanks a bunch for your reply. Great tip on the blaze orange tape too. Very good tip actually.

About the wear and tear. You make a good point - and I agree 100% - my question was actually about how that finish would wear. With black (for example) you might get some wear spots that get a bit shiny after repeated use or wear - what I'm referring to is more a question of HOW it wears.

In other words - is that camo finish going to peel or chip or otherwise wear differently than a normal gun finish? I know my gun is to be used, and trust me, I can't wait to do just that - but I'll steer away from the camo if that finish is going to be a maintenance hassle.

Anyone?

[fezman]

most likely the finish on the gun will be some type of powder coat which is very tough and designed to take all kinds of abuse or, paint. in either case there are many types of flat camo paints for sale all over the place as a matter of fact testors model paint will work just fine if you wipe off any grease or oil and just dab it on with a rag or your finger or q tip. if it gets to shiney i would either give it a light scuff with a scotch brite pad (grey if available) or get some matting clear in a spray can its usualy next to the testors paint. ive had extencive experience with powder coat on motor cycles and cars and trust me its tough stuff and hard to sand or chip the biggest problem would be rust getting under it so i would make shure to touch up any bare mettal chips as soon as i could. realy it depends on the process that the manufactuer uses to prep the metal before applicaton that will determen wow fast it rusts and how far the rust will travel . if its painted i would maby leary on what type of cleaning solvents that are used, WD40 will not harm paint and seems to work well to clean almost any thing i would avoid any thing that contains either amonia, alcohol or laquer thinner those three are the big VOC solvents in use today and any of them may harm un catalized finishes (such as testors paint which is usualy acrlic enamel) if in doubt just make shure to try it in a small spot first and always wipe it off quickly till dry. a good rule of thumb is if it smells like paint it may harm the finish just be carefull
good luck

[David Hill]

I have an M2000 Stoeger Combo that I bought in October. It has the Advantage Timber camo finish. I too wondered about the durability but considered the $500 price compared to the Benelli's $1200 pricetag. Let me tell you, the finsh is extremely durable!!! I've had the gun in a swamp duck hunting four times (raining and warm once, wet and cold the others). I"ve spent seven other days in the woods dragging it thru the brush, snow, mud and rain. I've dropped it from a tree-stand once and it's fallen over several other times. It shows no evidence of wear on the finish. The only thing I've "learned" about the Stoeger (and a friend says the Benelli's are the same way) is that the bolt handle MUST be completely seated into the bolt after cleaning it. I lost the bolt handle this past weekend. Apparentely it seats once and then "clicks" into a second seat. I thought it was completely re-asssemled but somehow it fell out while hunting. I've emailed Stoeger about a replacement and am awaiting their response. I'm considering buying another M2000; the slug gun with rifled barrel. One other note: You can buy the Benelli hardcase for your Stoeger shotgun. It fits perfectly and only sets you back $30.00. It also protects the camo finish [img]smile.gif[/img] It includes a place for all those choke tubes, choke wrench and other cleaning supplies. I also ordered the Benelli floating slip case ($30.00) for when I'm on the water.

Originally posted by Carson:
So I'm thinking hard about the model 2000 in camo finish.

But I have some reservations - hopefully someone can set me straight.

Reservation #1
This is my real concern.
That the finish will wear off/scratch or otherwise lose it's initial luster. Is this a valid concern? I don't want it to wear off and look worn - I know it's not "tape" but an actual finish, but still it worries me. Anyone have any experience with it? What are your thoughts?

Reservation #2
I lean the gun against a tree to take a leak or track something and never see it again. This may seem silly, and perhaps it is, but I've had a hard time locating my pack/jacket and other stuff I've left behind for a short time - is this problem furthered by having a camo finish gun? [img]smile.gif[/img] I don't want to lose it!

[Carson]

Hey, cool thanks for the info. I actually picked up the 2000 w/Camo finish yesterday. Cleaned it real good last night, and am out for some quakers tomorrow. I agree, this finish feels real durable. Glad to hear your "abuse" confirms it. Cool about the Benelli case, thanks for the tip!