Beretta O/U....worth it?

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Jallstar

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Been looking at the Beretta over unders lately, specifically the silver pigeon line. I would be willing to pay half the price just for the looks, but do they really shoot better than less-expensive alternatives? If any of you own any of the silver pigeons let me know how you like them, how many rounds you have through them, and any pictures you may have. Thanks
 
I dont own any Berettas,Im a Browning guy but a quality gun is always a good choice. You may not hit anymore targets than you would with a Mossberg Silver Reserve,but you'll look way better doing it. If you ever decide to sell you'll get most of your money back,no one wants a used cheap gun. Pride of ownership means alot too,just fondeling that nice Beretta will make you smile in a way a Condor wouldnt. I once wanted a lot of shotguns,now I figured out I only want as many as I actually use,just sold two in the last few weeks. But the ones I have are keepers,well,actually,their Brownings.
 
Beretta make top notch over/unders. I have a Silver Pigeon in 20ga and I love it. Whether or not they shoot better than less expensive guns is open to debate as the gun rarely makes up for bad form or not knowing what you're doing. A quality shotgun will have better regulated barrels and quality internals. These factors will ensure greater consistency, longevity and performance. You can't go wrong with a Beretta,
 
You can't just go by the anology that a cheap gun may shoot as good as a Beretta or Browning. It depends on how much shooting you do. See how tight the action is on a cheap gun or how it opens after 50 000 rounds, let alone 200 000 rounds.
Even between the Beretta and Browning I find a difference. I have an older Beretta S57E and I have a Browning Citori 20 gauge. To me I find the Beretta nicer handling and smoother functioning. But that's a personal thing.
 
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I'm a Browning guy myself... Have owned several citori's, Still do...I also have a older Beretta S57E..Very nice, light, smooth shotgun...I recently had the stocks replaced with a custom job..but, I don't hunt with it..more of a safe queen. I also recently bought a new silver pigeon in 20 gauge...it pointed great, very light, looks nice, but...it my hands, it felt cheap.... didn't feel like a quality o/u compared to my brownings...I also did not like that laser type checkering what so ever on the Beretta, it has been since sold... So..it's more so up to personal choice..I know both are great guns...but, I'll stick with my citori any day... with that said though...here's some eye candy..the beretta I had re-stocked..

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Jallstar said:
Been looking at the Beretta over unders lately, specifically the silver pigeon line. I would be willing to pay half the price just for the looks, but do they really shoot better than less-expensive alternatives? If any of you own any of the silver pigeons let me know how you like them, how many rounds you have through them, and any pictures you may have. Thanks
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Will it shoot better? Due to putting more effort into quality control, IMO yes it will. You are much more likely to get properly regulated barrels with a Silver Pigeon than with the 'less-expensive alternatives'...
 
I honestly believe that the Beretta line of shotguns are well made and have been for century's. Having said that any shotgun should be properly fitted to the shooter for serious work.
 
Other than:Quality of workmanship, reputation of the company, reliability, durability, established proof standards, availability of spare parts 20 years from now, and resale value,
I cannot think of a single reason to buy Beretta (or other top-line manufacturer) in preference to the no name, pop-up import company products.
There never will be any No-Name, Chinese, Russian or Brazilian ironwork in this guy's gun cabinet.
 
B guns are much better guns than the cheaper turkish imports. I have seen most guns at sporting clay clubs and the cheaper guns have a host of problems. I have spent a good portion of my life in one machine shop or another and if you disassemble the cheaper guns it becomes all to apparent why they are substandard, soft steel ,rough machining, poorly fitted stocks, these guns are built with one purpose, "Make them Cheap"
 
The Beretta Silver Pigeon is one of their 680 series guns and the action is well proven. I've owned a couple of Beretta 682s on the same action both of which were over 100,000 rounds and they are by all reports still going strong.

The better value in these gun is in the lower grades. The more expensive higher grade guns are much prettier but use the same action made by the same people. The extra cost in the higher grades is cosmetic only.

A new shooter is much better off with a base-model Beretta than anything that is being sent from Turkey.
 
phinton81 said:
Beretta make top notch over/unders. I have a Silver Pigeon in 20ga and I love it. Whether or not they shoot better than less expensive guns is open to debate as the gun rarely makes up for bad form or not knowing what you're doing. A quality shotgun will have better regulated barrels and quality internals. These factors will ensure greater consistency, longevity and performance. You can't go wrong with a Beretta,
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Well said. Many guys will take a cheap gun and kick your ass but for how long is the question.
I shot mostly O/U brownings for years and then some k-32 did I shoot any better. NAAAA Did I think I looked cool. Yep until some dude would kick my ass with a old super x-1 or model 12.
Old randy has some interesting feedback on O/U
http://www.chuckhawks.com/avoid_ou_shotguns.htm
 
Beretta will last you a lifetime, tend to be light which is nice for carrying. But if they don't fit you well doesn't matter how good a gun is you won't hit squat with it.
 
Shoot better? That's funny :) They all go bang and stuff flies out of the barrel. It's all about the shooter and the fit. If it fits you well, I guess it will shoot better with you behind he trigger :)

The price is partly due to its reliability. The actions in over and under guns are under great stress and wear easily if there is no uniformity and if they're poorly fit. That's what you pay for - for firing of thousands of rounds without malfunctions over and over again.
 
They take a licking and keep on ticking. Picked these babies up in the early 90s when a bunch of us got into pheasant hunting and sporting clays. The economical versions purchased at the similar time are no longer operating today, or certainly not operating well. When you get below a couple thousand bucks for an O/U, the quality has dropped substantially.


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Jallstar said:
....do they really shoot better than less-expensive alternatives? ...
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I think the answer has to be probably not, but they will certainly last a lot longer, are better made, and
for most people, actually will fit better. They certainly do hold their value well, and parts continue to be
available long after a particular model is superceded by something else.

A visit to a big Sporting Clays shoot will reveal more Berettas and Brownings on the rack than anything
else.

Is a Silver Pigeon worth it ? Absolutely !

I had a 682 with more than 100,000 rounds through it, (one broken spring, repair bill $ 35.00 ) and currently have
a 12 year old DT-10 that has to be approaching, if not over 100,000 rounds with NO issues or malfunctions whatsoever.

I can't even imagine a Baikal, CZ, Stoeger, Mossberg or the like to stand up to that kind of shooting.
 
fiddler said:
They take a licking and keep on ticking. Picked these babies up in the early 90s when a bunch of us got into pheasant hunting and sporting clays. The economical versions purchased at the similar time are no longer operating today, or certainly not operating well. When you get below a couple thousand bucks for an O/U, the quality has dropped substantially.


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Are those your pheasants walking around in the background!!!
 
Sorry guys, for fresh eggs only. You don't need a Beretta 686 to get white pheasants. Just clap a few times and they come running towards you.
 
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