OK I'll start of by saying I'm not having a go at Adler owners,and,I'm probably preaching to the converted.
Today I went to the LGS to buy some powder and while there I asked if I could have a gander at the Adler they had there. Originally I wasn't fussed about them,but recently I've been thinking that one of the newer lever action shotguns might be a handy thing. Plus,with all the hype,both pro and anti gun,I thought the least I could do is have a look.
To say I was unimpressed would not be an overstatement. Admittedly the one I looked at was one of the original batch,black,synthetic,with a tactical rail on the fore end so aesthetically not my type to begin with. But when I handled it all I could think is ; how the hell can anyone compare this to a semiautomatic or even a pump action in regards to speed of reloading ? I know the lever and action would smooth up with use,but it was seriously clunky and stiff and just awkward to use. Far more so than the IAC 87 I sold off earlier this year to buy my Hawken. The position of the safety sucks too,and it really didn't point that well,at least for me. The whole lever assembly seemed really flimsy too.
On the whole I was really unimpressed,but more so I was confused how anyone who actually had tried one could possibly compare it to the already restricted pump and semiauto shotguns.
While I was at it I also looked at an Akkar triple barrel and a Baikal hammered coach gun. The Akkar was quite heavy,but actually balanced and pointed really well for me. The Baikal,well,it was awesome ! Barrels just dropped open readily, pointed well,had screw in chokes,auto safety,GREAT wood stock,nice and light,and fitted already for a sling. Bad points were the lack of any sort of recoil pad,and having hammers AND an auto safety was a pain in the arse. Honestly,I will buy one one day without the hammers ,I liked it that much.