The Savage Stevens 320 is a Chinese-made, value-priced, pump shotgun imported by Savage. It’s based on the Winchester 1300, which uses a rotating bolt design. I bought this one because for $299, I got a 28″ barrel with choke and an 18.5″ barrel with cyl bore. You can sometimes get them even cheaper with just 1 barrel.
Savage Stevens 320 Specifications/Features
- 12 gauge or 20 gauge
- 28″ or 18.5″ barrel or both
- 28 comes with a rib, 18.5 doesn’t.
- Both come with a bead front sight
- 28″ barrel came with a mod choke (I believe it’s a Browning Invector style?)
- Comes with plug for waterfowl hunting (limits tube capacity to 2 shells)
- Receiver drilled and tapped for scope mount/rail (EGW 41730 or you can use a Mossberg 500 mount but you’ll only get 2 screws in)
- Compatible with 2 3/4 and 3″ shells
- Black synthetic stock
- Hard rubber butt pad
- Plastic molded-in rear sling stud, metal front on magazine cap
20 gauge with pistol grip and cyl bore choke
6.83 lbs in this version
Usability
It’s a pump shotgun, so many things are the same: cross bolt safety like the others, unlock behind the trigger guard, similar takedown to other pump shotguns.
Quality on this shotgun looks OK from a distance but is lacking closer up. The machining and finish work on the bolt working surfaces on mine were pretty bad and made for really rough pumping and hard shell extraction.
The chambers on both barrels that came with my shotgun were causing very hard shell extraction. After polishing the chambers, the shells came out just fine.
I liked the red plastic follower. It’s very bright and easy to see and these have been out on the market for a while, good to see them in use.
Loading the shotgun is straight forward and . ..nice? No stiff shell latch, the lifter is compliant and easy, no muss, no fuss.
The stock parts look a bit spacey but feel cheap. I think that’s OK given the price point. I would have preferred a softer buttpad: the one on this shotgun is pretty thick but too stiff.
Disassembly on the 320 is fine until you get into the bolt, where it gets a bit less standard compared with other pump shotguns.
Savage Stevens 320 vs Mossberg Maverick 88
The Maverick 88 and Stevens 320 compete in the same value-priced shotgun market, and they both offer very similar package options. If I had to choose, I’d go for the Mossberg Maverick 88 (my review here). The action on it was smoother, buttpad squishier, and it feels like they cut corners on the right stuff.
On the other hand, the forend looks better on the Stevens 320, as does the stock, and you could extend the magazine tube on the 320 where you could not on the Maverick. I also prefer loading with the smooth lifter of the Stevens to the hidden lifter on the Maverick.
Conclusion
I really like today’s value-priced guns because they get new hunters into a shotgun for even less than what used shotguns can cost. They cut corners to get to that place and you need to be aware with which cut corners you’re buying and whether you’re ok with them. The Savage Stevens 320 comes with a few parts that could benefit from better finish. If you don’t mind potentially polishing a chamber, the shotgun can be a hell of a deal. If you prefer something that’ll “just work”, the Maverick 88 is a better shotgun for the same price but there are a few advantages that the Stevens 320 has as well.
