Gents,
I patterend my franchi affinity 20 gauge and new savage 301 20 gauge last weekend.
The franchi is the fancy gun with a burris FF3 and I have absolute faith in it.
The stevens has a bushnell TRS25 red dot and it is my rainy day short blind gun or backup behind the truck seat gun...

I have two issues...

I have a slight mistrust of single shot durability because growing up we had H&R single break and this stevens is a chinese gun which makes me suspect.
Otherwise the 301 has a decent enough trigger and cool to shoot. Very light.

Also the 301 is a single shot if I need a second...

But the 301 throws a nice even pattern compared to the franchi.

Have 301 shooters experienced issues?

I dislike the optic mount. Metal brazed to top of barrel with screw holes in it. Puts mount up very high. Mine has come loose a time or two. May look at Sumtoy mount.

As with most single shotguns, the stock drop hurts when it comes to adding felt recoil and cheek weld with an optic. I saw a cheek riser system that I may add to my 20 gauge.

I know it's made in China, but for what it is, it isn't bad.

My top mount was screwed into the barrel like a tall scope base. I took it off and loctitited the screws in.

I like the mount because you can see under the optic if you have a failure, but it is high as you say.

The height wasn't good with my vortex venom dot (loks like a Burris FF3) so the round tube burris went on.

Sumtoy mount may be better.

Thanks.

I had. BurrisFastfire III on my 301 in 20 gauge with the Sumtoy mount and it is real low….worked perfect. Fast forward and I bought the new Remington Fieldmaster 20 ga and took the Burris Fastfire Red dot off of my Stevens 301 and put it on the Fieldmaster with a new Sumtoy mount for it. The Fieldmaster is drill and tap so I ordered the mount from Sumtoy for it. Next I ordered a Sightron red dot from Optic Planet for $119 for the 301 and the Sumtoy mount has 4 posts in each corner that I had to file down for it to fit the Sightron sight….really like the sight better than the Burris because of the battery tray easy to replace battery. This is a special that Optic Planet is running. Great red dot.

I've looked at the new fieldmasters and like them, but have troubles justifying another shotgun.

So is the 301 retired for the fieldmaster?

If so... why?

humdinger, have the 301 as a gun for my children if they want to go. The Fieldmaster is the only shotgun that checks all the boxes for me. Fits my length of pull perfect, weighs 6.7 lbs making it a joy to carry, walnut stock/forearm is a matte finish, no glare barrel and receiver, and what really stands out about this gun is the trigger group is the same as the famed Wingmaster....I have a 12 ga Wingmaster and have compared the trigger groups of the two. Cycles just as smooth as the Wingmaster. I could not believe how the wood to metal fit was when I saw my first one. The $499 price is a lot of shotgun for the money.Drilled and tapped for a red dot .Remington got it right for this gun and I understand they are becoming quite popular and with the right load and choke it throws a great pattern.