doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Keen Sights Shotgun Rib

I know that many will have no interest in this, but someone might so I will post it. I bought a Beretta 425 several years ago, brought it home, and proceeded to miss 5 consecutive straight away shots. I'm not a great shot, but I'm not that bad, so I took it to the pattern board and found it was shooting very low in relation to the rib; like 10/90 low.

I also found that it didn't have enough drop for me, was choked very tight, and was gonna be hard for me to ever use. I loaded some spreader loads and also put fiber optic sights on the rib - the kind that have a red dot in the center at the muzzle, and a green dot on each side a little further back. By adjusting the rear sight backwards, I was able to line it up to shoot to point of aim. The stock fit me reasonably well once I could keep my head up better, and I carried on a few dove hunts with good success.

I decided to make it my main dove gun and sent it to Mike Orlen to open the chokes. I had posted here about the gun shooting low, and Stan recommended Keen Sights out in CA. I finally got around to sending the info, and got it back last week:


The rib had to have a double taper. The original rib is .410 at the rear and .250 at muzzle. I made a test rib out of wood and determined that I needed 3/16" drop in the rib from the end of the chamber to the muzzle. I also determined that I needed the rib to be 3/8" higher to make the gun have 2.75" drop at heel in relation to the rib. I didn't like the looks of my wooden rib the length of the barrels, so I decided to copy the Beretta 626 and let the rib step up at the end of the monoblock.

You might not like the looks of it, but they made it exactly the way I ordered it. I was concerned that the double taper would be confused, but they handled the job with ease. It's nice when a company does exactly what they say they will do.

It came with easy instructions on installation, and I had no problem. It attaches with black silicone and I don't expect it to ever come off. If I want to remove it, it's a simple job using fishing line.

As to how I shot it, my first 2 trips i scored about what I have been. I think I am getting used to it and shot my best round the third day. I've never owned a gun before that I could shoot without lowering my head at all, but I think I can get the hang of it.

Just thought someone else might have a gun shooting low and need a solution.

Glad that worked out for you, coosa. Thanks for reporting on the results. You're a man after my own heart when it comes to doing whatever is necessary to get a gun to shoot where it is supposed to. I've used add-on ribs, that were not tapered like yours, just to give me more drop. I recently restocked my 28/.410 Verona to get more drop on it, shot it last weekend in the sub gauge events at the NWTF Turkey Shoot sporting clays tournament, and bested the field of 44 entrants in the SuperVet 28 ga. concurrent class with a 44/50.

Watching a pattern move on the plate to where you want it, by modifying the gun, is very satisfying to me. Congrats............now shoot that sucker until it is an extension of your arms.

Best, SRH

Coosa;
I will have to say it is not the most Aesthetically pleasing gun I have ever looked at, but if it works & you like it that matters not.

Not sure though just what you are referring to when you say it had to have a double taper. Are you referring to the fact it had to taper both horizontally & vertically. This would seem to me to be a simple taper in each direction which should not present a problem to a reliable maker.

A double taper would to me indicate that the taper changed in the same plane, but I see nothing that would indicate this to be case here. I don't recall the length of the barrels from your previous post but if they are 30" then to taper from .410" down to .250" would give a taper of .005333" per inch. If this is constant for the length of the rib then this would be a single taper.

Just Clarifying, but I "Think" what you are referring to is Two Tapers (IE one in each plane) rather than a Double Taper.

You are correct, and I just worded it poorly. Saying it has two tapers would be the correct terminology. It has one taper to fit the original taper of the rib, and another one to correct the POI. And while you are right that it should not have been that hard to make, I've had so many bad experiences lately with people unable to carry out simple requests that I am surprised to get something back that was done correctly. They got the Bradley front bead right in the center of the rib too. You would think that anyone could accomplish that, but not so.

The 3/8" height at the rear definitely doesn't fit the lines of the gun. They say they can get as thin as 1/64", so I could have gotten by with just 13/64" at the rear. That would have looked better, but it would have done nothing to help me with the fit of the gun. As I said, I got the idea for starting the rib at the end of the monoblock from the 626. Here is what it looks like for those not familiar with it:

hosting pictures online

Keen Sights could have made the rib to look very much like this one and correct the POI issue. They would have glued on a front bead if I had chosen this option. As it is, they were able to thread it.

Again, this is certainly not for everyone or every gun. This was an $800 shotgun. When I am dead and gone the next owner can pull the rib off and throw it away, and the gun will look the way it did when Beretta made it. But he better learn to aim high, and it would also help if he doesn't have a neck.

Good shooting to all.

Coosa;
Thanks for the clarification, just wanted to insure I was understanding what you said. Also understand I look at thing from the perspective who spent over 35 years doing precision machining, so it didn't appear to be an overly hard job to Me.

While I did say it was not the most aesthetically pleasing gun I had ever looked at I should have also added it is not by far the worst either, doesn't truly look all that bad. Also as you say you have done no permanent harm to the gun, It can always be put back if desired.

Shoot it & enjoy it.

Thanks. I guess I have just been on a losing streak lately on getting exactly what I order, so it was a delight for someone to do good job with an order. My calipers show that every dimension is correct. If anyone is looking for someone to make a tapered rib, then these folks seem to be trustworthy.

I have never noticed it until I took the picture posted above, but it looks like Beretta made the rib on the 626 tapered from monoblock to muzzle to correct the POI. Notice how much thiner it gets as it is closer to the muzzle. I wonder if they realized that a lot of people were having the same problem I was? The 425 was made in 1968, and I think the 626 was made in 1990.