TriStar adds sporty new Viper G2 SR shotgun to line-up

TriStar Arms, an increasingly popular importer of solid, inexpensive firearms, is adding a new semi-automatic model to its line-up of Viper shotguns. The new Viper G2 SR Sport brings a lot of features to the table at a surprisingly low price.

“The Viper G2 SR Sport fills a very important niche in the shotgun market by providing sportsmen with a great looking gun that is tested at 5,000 rounds of endurance and comes at a very reasonable price,” Gus Bader, president of TriStar Arms, said in a press release. 

The Viper G2 SR Sport is built on a lightweight red-anodized aluminum receiver and has a matching bright red magazine tube cap. The chrome-lined target barrel measures in at 30-inches long, and the shotgun has a five-round capacity with both 2-3/4- and 3-inch shells. 

On top of the barrel is a full-length tapered, vented target rib with a fiber optic front bead sight. Keeping with the theme the sight also has a red fiber optic insert.

Showing a little grit and polish at the TriStar booth. (Photo credit TriStar/Facebook)

A gas-operated shotgun, it is optimized to cycle light target loads and heavy field loads out of the box.

Included with the shotgun are four extended chokes: one skeet, one improved cylinder, one modified and one full. The barrel is threaded for easy-to-find Beretta Mobile chokes for more options.

TriStar uses “Soft Touch” over-molded rubber stocks and fore-ends for its shotguns, which provide a lot of grip without being rough or aggressively-textured. The stock has a 14 1/4-inch length of pull.

Unloaded the Viper G2 SR Sport weighs a hair over 7 pounds, which is in the middle of the pack, if not on the light side for semi-auto shotguns like these. 

There are a lot of options that compete with this sporty red shotgun but the price is the real selling point.  The Viper G2 SR Sport has an MSRP of $609 which means real-world prices should be around or under $500. When you add in the upgraded front sight, tapered rib and four included chokes, this shotgun has a level of value that’s hard to beat. 

It also comes with a set of swivel studs for use with slings in the field.

We’ve reviewed a handful of TriStar guns and have always been impressed, especially for the price.

If you have any doubts, check out our reviews of TriStar’s Tec-12 semi-auto/pump action hybrid shotgun and T-120 CZ-pattern pistol.

“After running upwards of 400 rounds through our test gun, no matter how hard we tried, nobody could come up with any major gripes on either fit or function,” we wrote about the left-handed TriStar Viper G2. “The Viper G2 looks like a sporty steal at its price tag.  How will it hold up after 3,000 or 30,000 rounds?

Only time will tell. But from the looks of the gun inside and out, as well as the attitude of the company and their warranty, I’d be more than willing to lay down my money for a TriStar.  If value is found where price meets performance, then it looks like TriStar has earned their moniker as ‘The Value Experts.'”