The Cypher over-under shotgun line from TriStar Arms made its U.S. debut to the crowds at SHOT Show 2024 in Las Vegas this past January. One model geared towards clay target shooters, the Cypher SP 12-gauge over-under, offers 30-inch ported barrels and a handsome Walnut wood stock with adjustable comb.
Based in Kansas City, Missouri, TriStar Arms has made a name for itself as a U.S. distributor of high quality Turkish-made shotguns and other guns. In my experience, TriStar break-action and semi-automatic shotguns are just as reliable as similar models from some better-known brands. Something else to note: At the company warehouse in Kansas City, TriStar staff select random guns for testing them to make sure they function in different conditions.
TriStar’s new Cypher SP includes three-inch chambers and steel monobloc barrel construction. As previously mentioned, there’s an adjustable comb and 30-inch ported barrels, plus a target rib, red fiber-optic front sight and automatic ejectors. Additionally, the barrel selector and safety are located on the top tang. Moving the barrel selector to the left or right selects which barrel will fire first.
As for the stock and fore-arm, they are oil-finished Turkish Walnut. Length-of-pull is 14¼ inches and weight is 7.2 pounds.
The Cypher SP comes with five extended choke tubes (all color coded; Skeet, Improved Cylinder, Modified, Improved Modified, Full), choke box and choke wrench.
After receiving it, I took the Cypher SP to my local sporting clays range for evaluation. To start I had two loads in my shell pouches, Federal’s Action Shotgun at 1,235 f.p.s. velocity and Winchester’s AA Diamond Grade at 1,250 f.p.s. velocity. Also, I did not adjust the cheek riser on the stock, since it had a solid fit for me out of the box.
It happened to be the hottest day of the year. And, with large thunderstorms looming in, my initial day of evaluation was cut short. However, I did shoot four stations with the Cypher SP before the bad weather that afternoon, which swung well and has a nice balance to it. I hit nine of my first 10 targets and only missed a few more, which was due to myself rather than the gun. The checkered wood makes for a comfortable grip. Additionally, the trigger pull is nice and crisp.
MSRP for the TriStar Cypher SP is $1,025. Read my full review in the September 2024 issue of the digital magazine.
SPECIFICATIONS
Importer: TriStar Arms, Kansas City, Missouri
Type: Boxlock over-under shotgun
Gauge: 12
Chambers: 3-inch
Barrels: 30-inches; ported, target rib
Trigger: Single, mechanical
Sight: Front fiber-optic
Safety: Tang-mounted, barrel selector
Stock: Turkish Walnut, oil-finished; adjustable comb
Receiver: Blued steel
Length of Pull: 14¼ inches
Overall Length: 47½ inches
Weight: 7 pounds, four ounces
Accessories: CT-5X extended choke tubes (Full, Imp. Mod., Mod., IC, Skeet)
MSRP: $1,025
