I think that any gun you buy new in that price range is going to be made in Turkey. A lot of them will have familiar names on them, but they were actually made by a place in Turkey that produced them under a contract. For example, the SKB and the Dickinson guns are made in the same factory in Turkey, and they just put the different names on them. That doesn't mean that they aren't good guns; just realize that the Stevens gun sold today has nothing to do with their guns from long ago.

Yildiz is an exception to this. They are a Turkish company that sells guns in the USA through Academy. I think I read that another retailer is going to start selling certain models too. I use one of their sxs guns for turkey hunting and really like it. They use an alloy receiver that makes a very light gun, which is ideal for turkey hunting. I would want a heavier gun for dove hunting, but recoil may not be an issue for you. One good thing about the Yildiz is that all that I've seen have ejectors. Most guns in that price range do not. I reload, so I save my hulls, but I still prefer ejectors for a dove hunt. When they are flying good, I wanna reload as fast as possible, and I would rather the gun eject the hulls and I can look for them once there is a lull.

I don't know which of the current Turkish lineup is the best, but you have a lot of good options. It would be nice if you could handle the gun before buying. I would try to find one close enough to do that and buy from a local gun store if possible. Good luck and have fun finding the right one.


All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.