doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Moderate Beretta rant

About 10 years ago I stopped into the store in Manhattan with a friend who was in the market for a matched pair.
It was easy to see that the lower grade (lower grade, but still pricey) o/u was not done nearly as well as the gun double the price in terms of fit.
Finish I can understand in graded guns. The fit was the issue because regardless of price, I really don’t believe that you should see gaps and rounded edges on the stock of a $2000 gun. And besides, that o/u is not a particularly difficult gun to inlet.
The market was good at the time, the Euro weaker, and we were both under the impression that the quality difference might give the necessary nudge to the buyer who could go in either direction.
He had a pair of bespoke Ariettas built.

Fast forward to last weekend.
Recently I refinished the stock on a Silver Snipe. The fellow who owns the Snipe brought down a 20ga grade V Silver Pigeon.
The metalwork was quality, a beautiful piece of wood with good checkering and good finish, but the buttstock inlet was as bad as the guns that I had seen in 97.
The stock on the snipe (a 60’s or 70’s gun), although a bit more proud of the metal, was fitted perfectly.
I understand that quality costs, but this is silly. I have a CZ mallard (Huglu) that has better wood to metal fit than the gun more than 6 times the price. (I was also told that Beretta owns CZ, and if that is the case wonder why they don’t sub out the stock work to Turkey.)

If I’m off on this let me know. Just expecting better from them.

Cheers.

Tom

I suspect the 60's gun was hand fit while the new gun was not. Todyas CNC carving machines do almost if not all the work. SO to be safe the margin for erroe makes a sloppy or loose fit. Hand labor is very expensive and machine time is less so as it can run 24 X 7. Until you get up to the higher grades fit is poor on all the B guns.

If you have the opportunity, look at stocks being turned on a Beretta film clip. It may be available on their website. It gives a way new meaning to "hand fitted". I think the metal to metal fit is wonderful on 680 series Berettas. The basic design of a 680 series gun makes Brownings and some others look like they were designed by children.

680 is a nice piece of work, to be sure. Wood has always been a problem with Beretta. Not only the fit, but the quality of the wood is probably the poorest of any volume maker. Their stock finish marks up very easily, just touch it to anything and you get a nice white streak.

That said, there are some nice stocks on higher grades and their oil finished ones are quite nice.

If you want better fit, spend more money. You said you could see the difference. Why should they do more work on the lower grades and still charge less? $2k is not all that much for a shotgun. We all have to decide what level of quality we are willing ot accept with everything we buy. If you demand better fit, hand over more cash

Another thing to consider is for a few extra bucks, but great value for the money, you can order your new Beretta from Cole Gunsmithing. Their wood is excellent. Their fit is excellent. And they normally will take off a decent amount of money as trade-in credit on the factory wood.

I've got two projects going with them right now. One is taking a 686 onyx and putting upgraded straight grip LH wood on it- as a good general field gun that is as good as the old Orvis Uplander, but for $100's less.

The second is, they've provided me with a 686 action and forend "in the white" that Ken Hurst is working on as I type this. Once done, it goes to Classic Guns for hardening and french graying, then back to Cole for the adjustable trigger, 682 barrels and upgraded sporting wood.

This custom project will be a great piece with perfect fit at a price far less than Beretta's EELL, and with the added bonuses of wood that fits my dimensions and hand engraving by a Master like Ken as opposed to machine engraving by Beretta.

FWIW....

I bought an SO light pigeon gun from Beretta USA, new, in 1987, for $2100 including MD sales tax. I figure if I want great fit, better than the 682, I'll just round up another $2100 and run down to Accokeek and pick up another SO gun!

8bore.... I'll send you a check. Pick me up 3 at that price!

I have not been impressed with Beretta fit and finish. That is why I an still holding out on a 20 ga., eventhought it is one of the nicest balancing guns I have ever handled. I'm sure they go boom everytime, but IMHO you don't get a lot of bang for your buck!

I had forgotten that the wood wasn't that great on the less expensive model either.
10 years ago, $2000 could still get you a decent gun. If the wood wasn't great, at the very least I didn't think that there should be gaps especially with CNC.
There are a lot of lesser guns on the market with better fit.

I'm surprised that there were no comments on the "subbing it out" quip.

Tom