Review: Pointer ST1000 12ga straight-pull shotgun

The Pointer ST1000 straight-pull 12ga is a slick-functioning field gun that meets the requirement of Aussie hunters and has become very popular.

Its success may be due to the fact that pig hunters have become aware of the speed of the linear loading system — that is, the straight pull.

With the gun held against your shoulder, a pull on the handle unlocks the rotary bolt head, retracts the bolt and extracts and ejects the fired shell casing. A strong return spring slams the bolt forward again to push a fresh round off the follower, feed it into the chamber and lock the firing mechanism.

Pointer ST1000 shotgun review — Loading is relatively quick via the gate under the receiver

In quick time, you’re ready to launch a lethal payload of buckshot or a slug at another target.

The advantage of this straight-pull bolt-action gun is that your hold is not too disturbed by the recoil, allowing you to adjust your sight picture during the loading cycle. This speeds re-engagement, making follow-up shots effortless and fast.

That’s why straight-pull shotguns have gained popularity so quickly among Aussie scatter-gunners, bolstered by the fact that these Turkish-made shotguns are relatively inexpensive, easy to use and safe to operate.

The Pointer comes with five flush-fitting Mobilchoke tubes in improved cylinder, modified, improved-modified, full, and extra full, which equip the Pointer to handle everything from waterfowl and rabbits to bigger game.

When installed, the chokes sit flush with the muzzle and are easily tightened using the furnished wrench. The Mobilchoke system makes the Pointer a versatile multi-purpose gun.

A four-shot tubular magazine is standard.

My test gun, a basic model, has a barrel length of 28” (711mm) and the ventilated rib tapers from .328” (8.48mm) to .314” (7.99mm) at the muzzle. The gaps between the posts are wedge-shaped with the narrow end facing the muzzle. There’s a .120” (3mm) gold bead at the muzzle to aim with.

The Pointer WS500 is the gun to choose if you want a 20” (500mm) barrel for brush hunting. The WS has a pistol-grip stock.

The ST1000’s barrel has a long forcing cone. Its very gradual amount of increasing constriction before the choke helps keep velocity up while limiting pellet deformation.

The chokes are conical-parallel and form a rounded bulge inside the bore. The full choke tube has an inside diameter of 17.06mm at the rear, flaring to 18.44mm at the muzzle. There is relatively little visible flare on the barrel.

The maker of the Pointer issues the standard warning about using steel shot loads in a full-choked barrel, causing the barrel to swell or rupture. Armsan also advises that “in general, steel shot fired in a modified choke will produce the equivalent of a lead full choke pattern. This will be true with all steel shot sizes up to and including No 2. The established improved-cylinder chokes will produce the equivalent of a (lead) modified choke pattern.”

They also say that all steel shot larger than No 2 should be used only with the improved cylinder choke tube.

The sleek, streamlined receiver is anodised with a dull black, non-reflective finish which matches the barrel and stock. It is made of high-strength, corrosion-resistant alloy that provides a strong but lightweight receiver.

The front-locking rotary bolt head features two oversized locking lugs for solid, steel-to-steel lock-up within the barrel extension, providing maximum strength.

The Pointer’s dependable action utilises a heavy spring located in the bolt between the rotating bolt head and the bolt body. When the gun fires, the rotating head is cammed tighter into the locking recesses in the barrel by the recoil. But when the shooter manually hauls back on the bolt handle, the head rotates and unlocks, allowing the bolt to be drawn fully to the rear.

When the bolt handle is released, the powerful return spring immediately urges the bolt forward, engaging the bolt head and readying the gun for a follow-up shot.

Cartridges in the tubular magazine are under spring pressure urging them rearward. They are held in the tube by the shell stop which, at a precise point in the feeding cycle, allows one cartridge to move rearward onto the carrier and then the shell stop again shuts off the magazine to hold the rest in reserve. An identical system is found on most pump- and semi-auto shotguns.

The Pointer’s loading system allows the shooter to unload a shell from the chamber without having to unload the shells in the magazine. This is done by way of a cartridge drop lever mounted on the right front of the trigger guard.

The lever works in three ways. Pressing it up and pulling the bolt back locks the bolt to the rear. Pressing it while the bolt is forward releases a shell from the magazine onto the carrier. Finally, it indicates the hammer is cocked when a red dot is visible.

The large loading port in the bottom of the receiver makes rapid reloading easy, and the gold bead sight allows rapid target acquisition.

The oversize safety button, mounted aft of the trigger in the rear of the guard, is easy to find and manipulate, the trigger guard is roomy enough to take a gloved finger and the bolt release button is located at the front of the receiver.

With a full magazine tube, it’s a smooth-swinging gun with a slightly barrel-heavy bias that is easy on the shoulder and enables rapid follow-up shots.

There were no mechanical issues even though I was shooting Winchester Super Ranger 70mm loads throwing 32 grams of BBs, thanks in part to the Pointer’s vented recoil pad, which absorbs most of the recoil.

The Pointer is easy to disassemble for cleaning. To remove the barrel, simply unscrew the magazine cap and slide the forearm and barrel off together. Pull the forearm rearward to detach it from the barrel. To remove the trigger/hammer assembly, simply close the action and tap out the retaining pin located in the front portion of the receiver.

The Pointer is an attractive shotgun. The ventilated-rib barrel adds to its classic lines. Both the buttstock and forearm have panels of sharp moulded-in chequering for a non-slip grip.

And a nice touch: the bottom of the nicely curved pistol grip is chequered. The underside of the forearm has extensive stippling and the upper portion has deep finger grooves.

The comb is attractively sculpted on both sides and the recoil pad features a similar contour.

It is obvious the Pointer is stocked to be a game gun by its shape as well as its dimensions, and the detachable sling swivel bases make the Pointer easy to carry in the field.

This is all fine and dandy, but the important thing is how the gun shoots. Getting down to the nitty-gritty, it shoots darn well.

The Pointer is well balanced and handles nicely, and I’m happy to report that felt recoil is moderate, even with three-inch magnum loads.

Another plus: the trigger pull is a delightfully crisp 2040 grams, which is unusually good for a shotgun.

To see how fast I could lay down successive shots I emptied the magazine at patterning paper at 40 yards using Winchester Super Ranger 70mm 32-gram BB shot fired through the full choke tube. The baseline speed for firing five aimed shots was 15 seconds!

The Pointer threw fairly even patterns with pellets, averaging 70 percent hits in the 30-inch circle.

Like almost all its competitors, the Pointer is built in Turkey. If you’re suspicious about the quality of Turkish guns, let me just say that the Turkish engineers and manufacturers have improved their precision and quality in recent years.

About the only modification I’d like to see on the Pointer is to do away with the gold bead and replace it with a hi-viz fibre-optic front sight that’d be faster to acquire, particularly in poor light.

The Pointer is a no-nonsense tool that wraps reliable firepower in a rugged, sleek, traditionally styled package. It comes to the shoulder quickly and swings smoothly.

The rotary locking system means reliable functioning with nearly any 12 gauge shell you’d like to feed it. I’d recommend it to pig hunters as being a hardcore, heavy-duty hunting machine.

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