Update Beretta smashed, need a new gun see page 11 for advice
- Thread starter USP
- Start date
While I understand your sentiment, the reality is that stocks on off - the - shelf guns usually come in only one "standard" size (varies a bit by manufacturer). Unless you are very lucky then some adjustment is going to be required - either in the stock, or in your shooting technique. I have always found it difficult to compromise my technique in such a way as to be completely consistent, and have found it relatively easy to make stocks fit (so long as they are somewhat close to begin with) so that is the route that I find most expedient.
While most manufacturers will build you a stock to your dimensions, it almost always costs extra and can take many months to get. In addition it is not unheard of to get something a little different than what you have ordered.
Were I ordering a custom gun I would go to the manufacturer and be fitted by them - and I would expect and demand those exact measurements. I would also expect to be paying more than I would for an off - the - shelf gun.
Having said all of this, I have to add that a friend's daughter ordered a FAIR with a custom left handed stock to fit her dimensions. The additional cost was VERY reasonable. The gun took 6 months to get. The dimensions ordered were what she received. If you are willing to go this route and can wait for delivery then by all means order the custom stock.
Sharptail
I simply tried gun after gun,at the local skeet club,until I found which guns fit me.The Citori Skeet guns fit me best,but most Citoris fit me quite well,without any modifications.
A friend of mine was measured up for a FAIR,and when my friend received it,the LOP was off by 3cm,and the drop at comb was off by about 7mm.The dealer acknowledged that the measurements did not match the order sheet,a copy of which was in the gun case,yet he refused to supply a new gun,or a new stock,but offered to have the stock shortened.After a month or so,the gun arrived,with the correct LOP,but the drop at comb was still 6mm too much.To top is off,the fore end was now split,and the dealer told my friend that he would have to pay for a new fore end.That was around a couple of months ago,and to my knowledge,the situation has not been resolved.
I also ordered a custom fitted FAIR at the same time,and although the LOP was out by 1cm,it fit decently.However,the mid bead was noticeably off center.Had it not been for the ordeal that the dealer put my friend through,I would have kept the gun,but I decided that given the situation,I wouldn't be expecting much support from the dealer if my FAIR developed a problem,so I sold it.
As a result,unless a dealer that I trust starts carrying FAIR,I will never own another one.
I drove up to Epps. Due to some nasty crap ass drugs ive been taking I had to stop to take a piss every 20 minutes, so that and the semi freezing rain made this 450Km trip alittle longer than it shouldve been.
I had talked to Kevin at Epps before I left. When I got there, he talked abit about it being a warranty item. He thinks it was damaged during shipment, I still think it came that way from the factory. However he was really great about the whole thing.
I told him I needed a gun now, couldnt wait. Cause I have that Goose hunt to go to. Looked at several different guns from Berettas, Brownings to Franchi.
To be perfectly honest I think the wood quality on the Beretta Ultralight I had bought was very cheap looking.
Also prior to this trip you guys said call Clay at Prophet River. I found out he had a Browning in stock for a few hundred less than what Epps wanted.
I had it narrowed down to the Lightning Gran IV or the Browning Citori Field. The Feather and the Franchi were either sort of cheap looking or didnt shoulder to well.
Oddly enough the wood in person looks far superior on the Citori field compared to the Gran IV which was $500 more for its "better wood" and more engravings.
Engravings wont mean s**t when I wipe out in the swamp and lose the gun in a bog. So I wanted to keep it simple.
After not much haggling Kevin called up the competitor. He agreed to price match the guy.
So I got a s**tpile of free stuff, so much that the lady at the door asked if I need the dolly. I got a Citori Field with 3 chokes, it has 1 large and 1 small pearl beed site.
I got a Cynergy case as the Citori cases were all leather and the fit is ok and I wanted a hardcase. Got this as part of the loot in the credit.
Then I got 2 boxes of Black Cloud Goose shot for the beast in the corn field that I will shortly shoot then eat. Got a box of Remington specialty Waterfowl shot, its steel mixed with something else.
Then I got a full flat of 2 3/4s in #8 shot so I can practice!
And finally I got a large bore swabber and a nice new set of snap caps!!
I want to say that ive been a customer of Epps since the late 90s and always had good service. I would highly recommend that if you havent shopped there you give them some business as they really went above and beyond to correct a problem.
Kevin was great, although he says the phone rings to much and drives him insane, if you can buy some stuff off him for having such great service.
So heres the stuff I got. Looks better in person, but you get the idea.
I had talked to Kevin at Epps before I left. When I got there, he talked abit about it being a warranty item. He thinks it was damaged during shipment, I still think it came that way from the factory. However he was really great about the whole thing.
I told him I needed a gun now, couldnt wait. Cause I have that Goose hunt to go to. Looked at several different guns from Berettas, Brownings to Franchi.
To be perfectly honest I think the wood quality on the Beretta Ultralight I had bought was very cheap looking.
Also prior to this trip you guys said call Clay at Prophet River. I found out he had a Browning in stock for a few hundred less than what Epps wanted.
I had it narrowed down to the Lightning Gran IV or the Browning Citori Field. The Feather and the Franchi were either sort of cheap looking or didnt shoulder to well.
Oddly enough the wood in person looks far superior on the Citori field compared to the Gran IV which was $500 more for its "better wood" and more engravings.
Engravings wont mean s**t when I wipe out in the swamp and lose the gun in a bog. So I wanted to keep it simple.
After not much haggling Kevin called up the competitor. He agreed to price match the guy.
So I got a s**tpile of free stuff, so much that the lady at the door asked if I need the dolly. I got a Citori Field with 3 chokes, it has 1 large and 1 small pearl beed site.
I got a Cynergy case as the Citori cases were all leather and the fit is ok and I wanted a hardcase. Got this as part of the loot in the credit.
Then I got 2 boxes of Black Cloud Goose shot for the beast in the corn field that I will shortly shoot then eat. Got a box of Remington specialty Waterfowl shot, its steel mixed with something else.
Then I got a full flat of 2 3/4s in #8 shot so I can practice!
And finally I got a large bore swabber and a nice new set of snap caps!!
I want to say that ive been a customer of Epps since the late 90s and always had good service. I would highly recommend that if you havent shopped there you give them some business as they really went above and beyond to correct a problem.
Kevin was great, although he says the phone rings to much and drives him insane, if you can buy some stuff off him for having such great service.
So heres the stuff I got. Looks better in person, but you get the idea.
That's too bad, but it looks like you made out like a bandit with the Browning. Between the two (Browning/Beretta) you'd be splitting hairs trying to compare them, you'd have done well either way.
Mmmm......, my favorite, personally I prefer the feel/size of a 20ga. Great for upland, serviceable for waterfowl but just not as versatile as the 12ga for a single gun. Save the 20ga for a second shotgun, preferably a sxs dedicated upland gun.
Mmmm......, my favorite, personally I prefer the feel/size of a 20ga. Great for upland, serviceable for waterfowl but just not as versatile as the 12ga for a single gun. Save the 20ga for a second shotgun, preferably a sxs dedicated upland gun.
The Beretta was very light, the Browning is maybe 1.25lbs heavier. I will bring a protable lawn chair on the hunt if it gets to heavy and a I need siesta time
Is this two beed combo unusual? Ive never seen it before. Its one small beed at mid point on the barrel and a larger pearl white beed on the end, helps for a fast line up on the shot. Is this sort of thing common now? I am use to ghost rings, reflex sites and red dots on my shotguns.
I am surprised that they matched Clay's price,and even more surprised that they called him.
I have had this bead arrangement on every o/u that I have owned since the 1980s.Of course three of those guns were Citori skeet models,and two others were Citoris.
Ahsan Ahmed
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
The Beretta was very light, the Browning is maybe 1.25lbs heavier. I will bring a protable lawn chair on the hunt if it gets to heavy and a I need siesta time
Is this two beed combo unusual? Ive never seen it before. Its one small beed at mid point on the barrel and a larger pearl white beed on the end, helps for a fast line up on the shot. Is this sort of thing common now? I am use to ghost rings, reflex sites and red dots on my shotguns.
Congrats! IMO, for an "all round" o/u shotgun you have eventually received a much better deal in many aspects.
That 687 Ultralite has been designed specifically for Upland and would have been punishing when used with heavy waterfowl loads or for that matter, even at the range if that was/is to be used for clay at a higher frequency.
Many shotgun models (more so the sporting ones nowadays) are equipped with a mid bead as standard equipment.....in theory, supposed to assist better in target alignment. Personally, I'd rather not have any beads at all provided the gun fits me properly
. Admittedly though the front bead on a shotgun is more like a beauty spot and its pronounced absence would make a shotgun look a bit naked/ugly (no pun intended). Simply try to go with the front bead only (in your sub-conscious vision) as you point and actually look at the target.
Needless to mention, Kevin @ Epps did a great job in terms of demonstrating customer value and thus representing a very positive business image. I live aprox 150kms away with 6/7 gunshops from 05 to 45 mins driving distance but shop almost exclusively at Epps for firearms.
What's with the pear?
The pear stops the wax can from rolling around when I try to take a picture of it. One thing I like about the Field is that it has 3 inch chambers. After much digging around I had a hard time finding Steel or Lead free alternatives in the 2 3/4s in varying shot sizes. The 3 inch seems to have tons of stuff to look at.
The Ultralight, came with a two rear pads, one made out of solid plastic and another which appeard to be a very thin recoil type pad. I cant underscore how crappy the wood looked on it. It reminds me exactly of my CZ mannlicher which cost awhole lot less.
I cant wait to get out soon and see how the Field patterns.
The Ultralight, came with a two rear pads, one made out of solid plastic and another which appeard to be a very thin recoil type pad. I cant underscore how crappy the wood looked on it. It reminds me exactly of my CZ mannlicher which cost awhole lot less.
I cant wait to get out soon and see how the Field patterns.
Ahsan Ahmed
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
All base model Beretta O/Us have crappy wood, no debate there.
BTW, basis my observations, Clay usually has the best prices on shotguns(service too, I'm sure). The only reason I've always been reluctant to make a "long distance" firearm purchase is because of the potential of mishaps along the the lines of what occured in your case.
Out of curiosity, since I did not get to follow this particular thread from the beginning - what prompted you initially to opt for a 2 3/4in chambered shotgun (and an Ultralite model at that) when you had Waterfowl in mind too? Anyway, water all under the bridge now.
All base model Beretta O/Us have crappy wood, no debate there.
BTW, basis my observations, Clay usually has the best prices on shotguns(service too, I'm sure). The only reason I've always been reluctant to make a "long distance" firearm purchase is because of the potential of mishaps along the the lines of what occured in your case.
Out of curiosity, since I did not get to follow this particular thread from the beginning - what prompted you initially to opt for a 2 3/4in chambered shotgun (and an Ultralite model at that) when you had Waterfowl in mind too? Anyway, water all under the bridge now.
The Beretta looked nice in the picture and was light, the price seemed ok as well. Also if you figure years ago they were shooting the same birds with less powerful shells I figured 2 3/4 would be fine. The only time I fire 3 inch shells are full power slugs in my other guns and the recoil is quite heavy.
My purchase decision was also influenced by what I could find in stock as well. The Beretta looked nice in photos, the Browning picture of the Field on their website doesnt resemble what is for sale at all, the wood is much different looking. Odd that such large manufacturers have such ####ty websites. Especially Beretta, its hard to get any specs.
I hope to shoot more Pheasant than waterfowl, but as Im new to hunting, Ill get what I can get for now.
Ahsan Ahmed
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Welcome to the ranks! Didn't realize you were starting out new at hunting.
That Citori, provided it fits reasonably well and you don't mind the added weight, will serve your needs very well indeed. In fact, the heavier field model will be very much a plus point when you take the shotgun out for target practice at the range.
