ACCOKEEK, MD (April 30, 2012) -- Stoeger's new M3500, 3½-inch semi-auto shotgun received the NRA's Golden Bullseye Award at the NRA's 2012 Annual Meetings & Exhibits held April 13-15, in St. Louis, MO. Each year, NRA Publications' staff members select those products that prove to be the best in their respective categories-rifle, shotgun, handgun, optic and accessory-and award them the NRA Publications Division's highest honor: the Golden Bullseye.

Now in its 10th year, the Golden Bullseye Award symbolizes the best efforts made during the past year by companies and individuals pursuing excellence and innovation in the manufacture of firearms, accessories and related equipment. When it came to identifying this year's best shotgun, the editors picked the remarkably economical Stoeger Model 3500 3 ½-inch semi-automatic.

Built around the reliable inertia-operating system, the M3500 exhibits a combination of features that makes it an excellent choice for all types of hunting. Its synthetic stock is impervious to all types of weather and harsh conditions, and it handles a full range of loads, from 2¾-inch up to the potent 3½-inch Magnum without adjustment. For reliability and performance, no other 3½-inch semi-auto in its price range compares.

"The Stoeger Model 3500 is an example of affordable innovation," said Mark Keefe, American Rifleman's, Editor in Chief. "With this gun you do not have to break the bank to get a reliable 3½-inch semi-automatic that is at home in the goose blind or turkey woods."

SPECIFICATIONS: Gauge: 12-Gauge Barrel Length: 24", 26" & 28" Chokes: IC, M, F, XFT
Sights: Red bar front sight Metal Finish: Black synthetic, Realtree® Max-4™, Realtree® APG™
Stock Material: Synthetic Average Weight: 7.5 lbs. Overall Length: 46", 48" & 50"
Length of Pull: 143/8" Drop at heel: 2.5" Drop at Comb: 1.5" MSRP: $629 - $719

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