Savage Stevens 320 12/18.5/3 inch 5rd PG Ghost

savage stevens 320 security

Savage stevens 320 security has no problem admitting its latest pump-action shotgun import, the Stevens 320, may appear familiar. Perhaps the company has no choice: Even my mother-in-law could tell you it looks like a Winchester Model 1300.

“The 320 is essentially a reproduction of the old Winchester, and we think it’s a really good copy,” says Bill Dermody, director of marketing for Savage Arms. “We kept the features and materials very similar, because we believe the design has been pretty much proven over the years.”

Like the Winchester Model 1300, the Stevens 320 is a value-priced, no-frills pump gun. The Security version, however, comes in a variety of intriguing home-defense and tactical configurations, all with an 18.5-inch barrel and a five-round magazine tube. Options include a pistol grip or semi-pistol-grip buttstock, a brass bead sight or ghost-ring rear aperture with a winged, fiber-optic front sight and a receiver-mounted optics rail with a heat shield. Perhaps most surprisingly, the priciest of these—the one with the rail and heat shield—retails for just $280.

All configurations feature a polymer fore-end guided by dual action bars. Sliding it forward allows the four-lug, rotating bolt head to engage the barrel extension for a firm lockup. Straight-line grooves on the fore-end and grip assist with gaining a solid purchase and mark a noticeable aesthetic departure from the Model 1300’s checkering. The slide-release button is located on the left side of the receiver just behind the trigger guard.

The 320’s action is a strong, sturdy design, but I wouldn’t describe it as particularly smooth. It requires quite a bit of force to operate, and resistance varies as the action opens, lending a sense of clunkiness. Don’t be afraid to work it hard, and as I discovered during my test, take care to avoid short-stroking. I got past that problem with a little practice.

I doubt anyone at Savage intended for the 320 to be regaled as having the world’s slickest action. This is a price-point gun, with a rather remarkable base-model MSRP of $245. Expect to pay quite a bit less than that at big-box retailers. Its action doesn’t run with the ease of a high-end tactical shotgun—nor did I expect it to—but it’s completely adequate for the entry- to mid-level user.

FEATURES

• Pistol grip, black matte synthetic stock
• Bead sight
• Dual slide-bars and rotary bolt
• 18.5-inch security barrel
• Bottom-loading tube magazine
• Five-plus-one capacity

Weight (lb)/(kg) 6.9 / 3.13 WARNING: This product can expose you to Lead, which is known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to – www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.