A Spartan Affair

Spartan Gunworks is a division of Remington Arms Company, and one of its missions is to offer economy-grade, knockabout shotguns at affordable prices. In order to do this, they turned to a factory located in Russia.

Considering what these guns sell for, it would be unreasonable to expect the same level of fit and finish--not to mention the handling qualities--enjoyed by hunters who shoot guns made by Purdey, Westley Richards, Holland & Holland and other British makers, but what you can expect is a lot of gun for your hard-earned money. And there is no question about their durability; if it came down to which would fire the most rounds of ammunition without needing the attention of a gunsmith, I would put my money on the Russian-built guns.

The SPR100 single-shot is a hammerless design with a visible cocking indicator on the receiver tang. It is available in 20 and 12 gauges as well as .410-bore, all with 3-inch chambers. Barrel lengths are 29 1/2 inches for the 12, 28 1/2 inches for the 20 and 26 inches for the .410. The youth model in .410 has a 24-inch barrel, and its 13-inch length of pull is 1 1/2 inches shorter than the others.

The choke of the .410 barrel is a fixed improved modified while the 12- and 20-gauge barrels have screw-in chokes with cylinder, improved cylinder, modified and full designations.

And, on the unsual side, the SPR100 can be set to eject spent hulls or to merely extract them. Even the ventilated rib on its barrel is something we seldom see on an entry-level single-shot.

Pulling on a lever at the rear of its trigger guard unlocks the barrel, allowing it to hinge down for loading and unloading. Other features include a transverse safety button located behind the trigger, hammer-forged barrel, chrome-lined bore, nickel-plated receiver, titanium-coated trigger and walnut-stained hardwood stock and forearm with cut checkering. All at a nominal weight of 6 1/2 pounds.

The Spartan Gunworks SPR310 over/under is available in the same bore sizes as the single-shot plus a 16 and 28 gauge. The 12- and 16-gauge guns are built on a standard-size frame while the others are on a smaller 20-gauge frame.

Lengths of the vent-ribbed, chrome-lined barrels on the hunting guns are 26 and 28 inches. Chamber lengths are 2 3/4 inches for the 16 and 28 and 3 inches for all the rest. Chokes are fixed at improved cylinder and modified for the 28 and improved modified and full for the .410; the others come with four screw-in chokes. All guns come with a single-selective trigger, selective ejectors, an automatic safety with barrel selector, a nickel-plated receiver and a walnut stock and forearm with cut checkering and rubber butt pad. Average weight runs from 7 1/4 to 7 1/2 pounds.