100 rounds of sporting is not a lot to run through an O/U but it is enough to give an impression. So far I’m very impressed. Is everything perfect, no, but I do think this Yildiz Pro competes well against Beretta’s and Browning’s in this price range.
The good
Boss action
Balanced
Good weight for a clays gun
Good stock dimensions
Excellent machining quality
Nice wood grade for the price bracket
Case colouring looks great
Basic but effective adjustable comb hardware
Traditional looks
Small nitpicks
Trigger is only o.k.
Top lever has to travel far to open the gun
Heavy steel chokes
The bad
Non-adjustable trigger
Poorly fitted recoil pad
I picked up a Yildiz Pro 32" case colour hardened model from the gun dealer for Father’s Day. This was my first chance to shoot it so I figured I’d give my impression. There are some reviews online but honestly I didn’t find much. I was a bit weary dropping 5k on an O/U without a big following. I could have picked up another B gun but decided to take the chance.
My direct comparison to this would be my standard clays gun for skeet and sporting which is a 687 EELL Diamond Pigeon Sporting which I have 10’s of thousands of rounds through. That gun is 20 years old and sporting guns have changed a bit since then.
Stock/wood
The stock dimensions on this shotgun are very good. You can look up the exact dimensions, they are fairly standard for a competition gun. What I do like is the stock is thicker in just about every area including butt/comb and fore end. Overall much chunkier then my 687. It is also thicker in the wrist with a larger palm swell. I am 6’2 with a larger build and large hands and this fits me much better than the slimmer grip and palm swell on my 687. The pistol grip is curved to almost vertical. This style of stock seems to be pretty much standard on clays guns these days and I do think it is an improvement from what was standard 20 years ago. One item I can’t overlook in the grip/fit area is the lack of adjustable trigger. The grip fills my larger hand nicely but I would like the trigger 3/8” forward of where it is now. At this price point and intended purpose this gun should have an adjustable trigger.
The fore end is a Schnabel. These seem to have fallen out of favour in recent years. I shoot with my finger extended along the fore end. My 687 has a Schnabel so I’m used to shooting with one. The Yildiz however had a very soft almost rounded edge on the Schnabel end. This is a very sharp edge on my 687 so I found the Yildiz more comfortable.
Overall wood to metal fit is very good. I found one small gap between the fore end iron latch and fore end. This is only about 1/8” long. The wood is proud enough from the metal for one or two refinishes.
I am thinking this stock contributes to the weight of gun. I do not have a scale but it is obviously heavier than my 687. It is swings well and smoothly but isn’t as lively as my 687. Recoil is very mild due to the weight and less then my 687.
Wood grade is better than you get at comparable prices in other brands. The finish does show some unfilled pores but it is still good.
I could use another 1/2” in L.O.P but that’s just me and easily fixed with a spacer.
While at the butt end of the gun I will mention my only real disappointment. The butt pad. It’s soft and thick. It does a good job absorbing recoil. It is however poorly fit to the gun with gaps in places and overhangs in others. Aesthetically I also don’t think it fits with the quality of the rest of the gun. I think I will be replacing it with a fitted pad.
Metal
Throughout the gun the quality of the machining is excellent. There is no jeweling on the barrels or receiver. Jeweling and other patterns can be used to hide a lot of unflattering surfaces and finishing. All surfaces appeared flat with no visible machining marks. All surfaces were smooth and shiny.
The case colour hardening looks fantastic. That’s if you like case colour hardening. That brings me to a big positive for this gun. It is a very traditional looking shotgun which I like. Take say the beretta 688 which I consider to be a direct competitor. To me the Yildiz is much prettier by a huge margin. I just don’t like the looks of some of the newer clay shotguns. I have three beretta competition clays guns, so I am a fan, but I don’t like the looks of the 694 or especially the 688. DT-11 is another story but so is the price. I looked for a 687 Silver Pigeon V sporting with B-fast which would have been deal but couldn’t find one and didn’t want to wait any longer.
The comb adjustment kit is very effective but basic. It doesn’t even have hash marks to measure the adjustments laterally It doesn’t use washers for height adjustment like berretta but i dont think it needs them. Adjustment was easy but most importantly very positive. Once adjusted with minimal torque the comb was held in place very firmly. I know on my 687 trap gun I’ve had trouble in the past with the comb dropping while shooting. This does not feel like it will happen with the Yildiz but time will tell.
The trigger is not on par with my 687’s. It’s not bad but not great either. There is more take up than I would expect on each barrel. Once the travel stops the trigger is fairly crisp. On the top barrel I was feeling just a bit of creep. The triggers are not bad to the point where they negatively affected my shooting but again could be better. This gun may be a copy of a Perazzi MX 12 but it certainly doesn’t have Perazzi trigger feel.
The chokes in the Yildiz I believe are proprietary. I’ve looked for existing chokes to swap but everything on the internet says they are their own choke. They look like older Browning Midas chokes but must different dimensions. Teague, Briley and a few others make replacements if you want light weight chokes. That’s my nitpick about the chokes. They are steel and not thin wall. They are heavy. These should thin wall and maybe titanium at this price point. Due to the thickness they also create a visible barrel bulge at the muzzle. It’s quite noticeable if you know what you’re looking for. The heavy extended chokes also move the balance point just slightly in front of the hinge pin. It balances about 1/4” in front with the chokes in and right on the pin if they were out. Overall it is very well balanced and I can’t complain.
My last minor annoyance with the gun is the top lever. To open the gun the lever must be pushed a long way over. I have never noticed this on any other O/U that I’ve shot. Maybe it’s the lever dimensions or angle? Maybe it’s the internal mechanism? I don’t know but it feels different. More than a few times I thought I had pushed the lever more than far enough to open the gun but it was still closed. I’m sure I’ll get used to it.
*I have about 300 rounds through this shotgun now and this issue has improved. Maybe it just needed some cycles of opening and closing to work in?
Time will tell on durability but I have no reason to doubt it at this point and the machining quality gives me confidence that this gun will last.
So am I happy with the purchase. Yes I am.
The good
Boss action
Balanced
Good weight for a clays gun
Good stock dimensions
Excellent machining quality
Nice wood grade for the price bracket
Case colouring looks great
Basic but effective adjustable comb hardware
Traditional looks
Small nitpicks
Trigger is only o.k.
Top lever has to travel far to open the gun
Heavy steel chokes
The bad
Non-adjustable trigger
Poorly fitted recoil pad
I picked up a Yildiz Pro 32" case colour hardened model from the gun dealer for Father’s Day. This was my first chance to shoot it so I figured I’d give my impression. There are some reviews online but honestly I didn’t find much. I was a bit weary dropping 5k on an O/U without a big following. I could have picked up another B gun but decided to take the chance.
My direct comparison to this would be my standard clays gun for skeet and sporting which is a 687 EELL Diamond Pigeon Sporting which I have 10’s of thousands of rounds through. That gun is 20 years old and sporting guns have changed a bit since then.
Stock/wood
The stock dimensions on this shotgun are very good. You can look up the exact dimensions, they are fairly standard for a competition gun. What I do like is the stock is thicker in just about every area including butt/comb and fore end. Overall much chunkier then my 687. It is also thicker in the wrist with a larger palm swell. I am 6’2 with a larger build and large hands and this fits me much better than the slimmer grip and palm swell on my 687. The pistol grip is curved to almost vertical. This style of stock seems to be pretty much standard on clays guns these days and I do think it is an improvement from what was standard 20 years ago. One item I can’t overlook in the grip/fit area is the lack of adjustable trigger. The grip fills my larger hand nicely but I would like the trigger 3/8” forward of where it is now. At this price point and intended purpose this gun should have an adjustable trigger.
The fore end is a Schnabel. These seem to have fallen out of favour in recent years. I shoot with my finger extended along the fore end. My 687 has a Schnabel so I’m used to shooting with one. The Yildiz however had a very soft almost rounded edge on the Schnabel end. This is a very sharp edge on my 687 so I found the Yildiz more comfortable.
Overall wood to metal fit is very good. I found one small gap between the fore end iron latch and fore end. This is only about 1/8” long. The wood is proud enough from the metal for one or two refinishes.
I am thinking this stock contributes to the weight of gun. I do not have a scale but it is obviously heavier than my 687. It is swings well and smoothly but isn’t as lively as my 687. Recoil is very mild due to the weight and less then my 687.
Wood grade is better than you get at comparable prices in other brands. The finish does show some unfilled pores but it is still good.
I could use another 1/2” in L.O.P but that’s just me and easily fixed with a spacer.
While at the butt end of the gun I will mention my only real disappointment. The butt pad. It’s soft and thick. It does a good job absorbing recoil. It is however poorly fit to the gun with gaps in places and overhangs in others. Aesthetically I also don’t think it fits with the quality of the rest of the gun. I think I will be replacing it with a fitted pad.
Metal
Throughout the gun the quality of the machining is excellent. There is no jeweling on the barrels or receiver. Jeweling and other patterns can be used to hide a lot of unflattering surfaces and finishing. All surfaces appeared flat with no visible machining marks. All surfaces were smooth and shiny.
The case colour hardening looks fantastic. That’s if you like case colour hardening. That brings me to a big positive for this gun. It is a very traditional looking shotgun which I like. Take say the beretta 688 which I consider to be a direct competitor. To me the Yildiz is much prettier by a huge margin. I just don’t like the looks of some of the newer clay shotguns. I have three beretta competition clays guns, so I am a fan, but I don’t like the looks of the 694 or especially the 688. DT-11 is another story but so is the price. I looked for a 687 Silver Pigeon V sporting with B-fast which would have been deal but couldn’t find one and didn’t want to wait any longer.
The comb adjustment kit is very effective but basic. It doesn’t even have hash marks to measure the adjustments laterally It doesn’t use washers for height adjustment like berretta but i dont think it needs them. Adjustment was easy but most importantly very positive. Once adjusted with minimal torque the comb was held in place very firmly. I know on my 687 trap gun I’ve had trouble in the past with the comb dropping while shooting. This does not feel like it will happen with the Yildiz but time will tell.
The trigger is not on par with my 687’s. It’s not bad but not great either. There is more take up than I would expect on each barrel. Once the travel stops the trigger is fairly crisp. On the top barrel I was feeling just a bit of creep. The triggers are not bad to the point where they negatively affected my shooting but again could be better. This gun may be a copy of a Perazzi MX 12 but it certainly doesn’t have Perazzi trigger feel.
The chokes in the Yildiz I believe are proprietary. I’ve looked for existing chokes to swap but everything on the internet says they are their own choke. They look like older Browning Midas chokes but must different dimensions. Teague, Briley and a few others make replacements if you want light weight chokes. That’s my nitpick about the chokes. They are steel and not thin wall. They are heavy. These should thin wall and maybe titanium at this price point. Due to the thickness they also create a visible barrel bulge at the muzzle. It’s quite noticeable if you know what you’re looking for. The heavy extended chokes also move the balance point just slightly in front of the hinge pin. It balances about 1/4” in front with the chokes in and right on the pin if they were out. Overall it is very well balanced and I can’t complain.
My last minor annoyance with the gun is the top lever. To open the gun the lever must be pushed a long way over. I have never noticed this on any other O/U that I’ve shot. Maybe it’s the lever dimensions or angle? Maybe it’s the internal mechanism? I don’t know but it feels different. More than a few times I thought I had pushed the lever more than far enough to open the gun but it was still closed. I’m sure I’ll get used to it.
*I have about 300 rounds through this shotgun now and this issue has improved. Maybe it just needed some cycles of opening and closing to work in?
Time will tell on durability but I have no reason to doubt it at this point and the machining quality gives me confidence that this gun will last.
So am I happy with the purchase. Yes I am.
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