A Closer Look at the Stoeger M3000 Freedom Defense 12 Gauge
Stoeger has kept calm and carried on with a line of low-key defensive autoloading shotguns for a while and the M3000 series feels – and performs – really well.
Follow me on the lineage here. Stoeger is owned by Beretta, which, in turn, also owns Benelli. Stoeger doesn't advertise that, but it’s probably a big reason why the M3000 feels (and even looks) so much like the $1,400 Benelli M2 Tactical combat shotgun. Keep in mind the M3000 Freedom Defense is half as much, which is the mic-drop moment.
Speaking of lineage, Stoeger first introduced the M3000 series in 2013 as a field gun with full-length screw-in choked barrels. Then came the Defense version, with shorter (18.5-inch) cylinder bore barrels in 2017. Since then, Stoeger has made a series of quiet upgrades to the line to give us the M3000 Defender Freedom series that we have today.
Using an aluminum receiver, 18.5-inch steel barrel, and polymer furniture, the M3000 Freedom Defense weighs a light and handy 6.75 pounds right out of the box, unloaded. (All photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Overall length is 40.75 inches. The stock and forearm are quite simple, and the buttpad feels like Styrofoam, but there are lots of aftermarket options out there to swap them out. Stoeger also makes this in a pistol grip model.
The M3000 series as a whole uses an ultra-reliable Inertia Driven system (which Benelli invented in 1967) that runs cleaner than a traditional gas-operated gun while promising to feed on a wide variety of shells, without adjustment, year after year. Stoeger has been using Inertia systems going back to the M2000 model which first appeared in 2001, meaning they are pushing a quarter-century with the action in Turkey and giving the company a length of time to get it figured out.
The layout of the M3000 is remarkably simple.
The big bolt, a hallmark of the Inertia Driven system, is simple, made up of three parts: the bolt body, the inertia spring, and the rotating bolt head. Unlike gas systems, the residue isn't forced back into the action, leaving the shotgun to run cleaner and more reliably. Plus, it has a strong lockup, with the rotating bolt head advancing to lock steel-to-steel with the barrel at the moment of firing.
Today's M3000 Freedom series Defense includes a larger "tactical" style bolt release like the one seen on the company's M3K 3-gun shotgun. Likewise, the bolt knob is extended.
The rear ghost ring sights are fully adjustable for windage and elevation, and there is a 4.5-inch Picatinny rail on top of the receiver. Past M3000 Defense models had a Weaver-style rail. Of note, the sight is steel, while the "wings" surrounding it are polymer.
The front sight is steel and has a red fiber-optic tube.
The loading gate has been chamfered and is wide enough to allow for easy dual/quad loading. And yes, you can "ghost load" it for an extra round, giving the user seven in the tube, one on the carrier, and one in the pipe for a nine-shell experience. Note the anodized magazine follower. If you want an M3000 with a longer tube, the M3K has a 10+1.
The trigger guard is polymer and houses an oversized push-button crossbolt safety. The trigger is about 7 pounds and, while it could be better, isn't bad.
I've added a super-expensive $8.99 Excellent Elite Spanker (thanks to James Reeves) Cordura Nylon shell card to the side for a ready 5-shell reload. You can go with stiffer Esstac cards for a couple bucks more.
Stoeger recommends in the manual on the M3000 series is designed to fire a minimum of 1-ounce 3-dram loads. In initial testing, chief among the loads we tried was a 200-shell bulk-load box of Federal's 1,235 fps Action Shotgun 3-Gun loads, which are HDCP 3 1/4-dram equivalent on a 1 1/8 ounce shot load.
It went 200:200 with no issues with Federal Action Shotgun 12 Gauge 7.5 Shot. Similarly, heavier buck and slug loads pushing 1,400+ fps proved no issue.
When trying hard, you could outrun the M3000 – but then again you can outrun a Benelli M2 as well. Still, we found it to be about as fast as you want to go without trying to race.
Underappreciated for sure, we have about 500 shells downrange with the M3000 Freedom Defense with no issues to report so far other than the magazine knob spinning loose every now and then (keep an eye on that), and the "buttpad" just shouldn't be called one.
Stay tuned for a full review to include a deep dive into patterning and a durability update after seeing how the Stoeger holds up.
