For decades now, the prices for affordable shotguns have been locked in a race to the bottom. That’s good news for hunters because, during all of that time, manufacturers have figured out how to make inexpensive guns work. Take the Mossberg 500, for example. It may not win any beauty contests, but you can drag it through a duck marsh, and it’ll keep on shooting.
That said, the 500 is a pump gun, and pump-actions are usually pretty affordable. Decent semi-auto shotguns are always more pricey. But when I saw the new Spandau Arms S2 inertia-driven shotgun for less than $500, I wondered if we’ve finally hit rock bottom. I was also curious about how good this gun actually is. So I called up Spandau, asked for a sample gun, and hunted with it all season. I took the S2 from New York’s northern border to Stuttgart, Arkansas, shooting everything from pint-size teal to big Canadian honkers. Here’s what you need to know about the gun and how it did.
Spandau Arms S2 Specs and Overview
Chambering: 12 Gauge, 3-inch chamber
Barrel Length: 28 or 24 inches
Stock: Polymer
Capacity: 3+1
Sights: Fiber-optic front and brass mid bead. Drilled and tapped for optics rail.
FInish: Realtree MAX-7 Camo, Realtree APX, or Black
Weight: 6 pounds 14 ounces
Choke Tube: Benelli/Mobil
The S2 is an inertia-driven semi-auto, making it lighter than a gas gun and easier to keep clean. The guns brought into the country from Turkey by SDS imports and set up to be versatile with a drilled-and-tapped receiver for optics and a Benelli/Mobil choke-tube thread pattern. I picked up a Realtree camo version of the S2 in the early fall from my FFL. It came with four choke tubes—Improved, Modified, Full, and one big, long choke that I couldn’t quite identify but is probably a turkey choke.
The first thing I noticed was the gun’s competition-style loading gate to make reloading easier with gloves, as well as an enlarged, triangular safety behind the trigger guard. It also has a nice, rubber recoil pad, shims to adjust for drop and cast, and an enlarged bolt handle. The bolt-release button is oversized, too, and there is a small piece of sheet metal you can wedge between the furniture and receiver to give you a type of extended bolt release. I decided not to use it because I felt the bigger button was enough to run the gun well.
As far as function, the gun felt smooth, acceptably finished, and a little stiff to operate at first. (Spandau recommends a break-in period with full-power hunting loads.) I appreciated the heavy molded checkering on the forend and buttstock, fiber-optic bead and mid-bead, and a relatively solid build quality. Overall, the S2 doesn’t scream cheap. It looks a lot like a higher-priced shotgun. It also has nice, thoughtful touches and premium features that make hunting with it easier. Best of all, it comes with everything you need to get into the field.
How Did the Spandau Arms S2 Shoot?
At first, I had some issues with the S2. I took it out for the opener on Lake Champlain and immediately had trouble loading it. The magazine tube was stiff, and I couldn’t get more than one 3-inch magnum shell into it. This, of course, was all happening in the dark, in the rain, and before I had breakfast—so you could imagine my frustration. One of my duck-hunting buddies had the idea to remove the magazine cap and try to load the gun. When I did, I fit two shells and noticed the plug sticking a half-inch proud of the end of the magazine tube.
It looked like the plug had been made for 2¾-inch shells only. We had a machete in the boat, so I lopped a ½ inch off of the plug, then loaded it with two in the tube and one in the chamber. Not fun, but not exactly a deal-breaker. All morning, the gun remained difficult to load. I oiled it a bit more in camp, and as the trip went on, the problem resolved itself and the S2 became as easy to load as any fancy semi-auto I’ve shot. I chalk this up to the break-in period that Spandau suggests.
Throughout that trip and for the rest of my season, I ran several types of shells through the S2, including Apex TSS/Steel Blend, HEVI Metal Xtreme, Federal Speed Shok, and Remington Nitro Steel. I didn’t pattern the gun or shoot lighter target loads, but I used it to kill birds at practical distances, and at this, it worked without issue. If you really want to dial in the gun on the patterning board with a premium choke, the S2 will accept any made for Benelli shotguns.
I experienced one failure-to-feed in single-digit temps on a goose hunt, which was upsetting considering I was primed to double up on a second bird. But at least I had an excuse for missing my shot. Aside from that, the gun just plain worked. By the time I got to Arkansas for a two-day hunt in the timber, the S2 had really hit its stride.
The mark of a good duck gun is its ability to perform in adverse conditions. But another mark is the gun’s ability to perform on a big day of shooting. I’ve seen high-dollar guns literally come apart in places like Mexico, where bag limits are extremely liberal. When you have ducks pouring into the decoys, the last thing you want is a malfunction. On the first day of our hunt in Arkansas, we had a really big day. The ducks wanted to be exactly where we were, and they came in droves.
I’m not going to name any names, but that morning, two expensive shotguns of a design similar to the S2 malfunctioned more than once. The Spandau didn’t miss a beat. It was easy to operate and functioned flawlessly. I shot a mixed-bag limit of greenheads and teal, and because I’m a mediocre shot at best, I used about 35 shotgun shells to do it. Simply put, it was a barrel burner.
Final Thoughts on the Spandau Arms S2
This isn’t the first time I’ve seen cheaper shotguns do expensive-gun things. On that trip to Mexico I mentioned earlier, I shot an unbelievable number of rounds through a Stoeger without issue. As mentioned, gun makers know how to make cheap guns that work now, even though those guns sometimes have a few acceptable blemishes.
What’s so crazy about the S2 is that the all-black version has a street price of less than $400. At that money, I’d be tempted to buy it instead of a pump-action if I was in the market for a cheap gun or a beginner model or a new hunter. Once broken in, the S2 was a workhorse for me, with a proven inertia action I had confidence in. It had a few hiccups in the beginning, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t deal with, and in my opinion totally acceptable for the price. Considering even expensive semi-auto shotguns can have issues when they’re fresh off of the assembly line, the Spandau S2 is in good company.
Is the hydro-dipped or painted-black finish a bit dated when compared to top-of-the-line Cerakoted shotguns? Sure. But that’s OK. I don’t need a $400-$500 shotgun to have a fancy paint job or be impervious to rust. That’s what gun oil is for. I just need it to work, and that’s exactly what the S2 does. Buy it as your go-to duck gun or a budget-friendly backup. You won’t be disappointed.
