BERETTA 682 vs 686/7

Hi Bruce,

I shoot high volumes of clay targets, 800-1,000 rounds a month, 9 -10
months per year. I recently looked at "Volume type" shotguns Perazzi,
Kemen, Guerini and Beretta. I ended up buying two 32inch Beretta
Silver Pigeon II sporters. My justification was that if a Perazzi
breaks then what do I shoot, while it is in the shop? So I bought the
Beretta's (safety in numbers). Everyone I shoot with commented on the
near exhibition grade wood on one of my Silver Pigeons but thinks I
missed the boat by not getting the 682e gold. They feel it is a high
volume shotgun due to it's replaceable shoulders. Despite it's ugly
looking receiver and additional $1,050 dollar price tag does this gun
really offer much more durability than the 687 Silver Pigeon? I always
thought of replacing firing pins and hinge pins after many thousands
of rounds but not shoulders. Could you set me straight on the
engineering advantages to this feature on the 682 vs the 687 design.
Is there a flaw in my thinking of buying 2 guns like the 687's as
opposed to one more expensive like a Perazzi. I do feel the Silver
Pigeons are the only 32" sporters I felt comfortable with. In the past
I always felt that 30" barrels were my limit. Thanks and I look
forward to your response.

Best Regards,

Greg, Texas




Dear Greg,

At 9,000 OR 10,000 rounds per year, you aren't going to wear out two
686 Berettas in your lifetime. I currently own a couple of Berettas
O/Us (a 687 28 gauge and an Essential el cheapo field gun that shoots
far better than it should). I've owned 680s and 682s as well as other
686/7 models. Still, for Beretta knowledge I go directly to Rich Cole
of www.colegun.com. He is THE Beretta guy. You can take what he says
as gospel. As a writer, I simply parrot the opinions of my betters
anyway.

Rich will be able to tell you exactly what the other (other than the
shoulders) differences are between the 682 and 686 competition models.
My guess is that the 682 has a slightly heavier receiver, but that it
only a guess. I'll tell you what isn't different- the insides. All the
682~6/7 series Berettas have interchangeable interior actions. That's
from the 687EELL right down to my mud sucking Essential. Same stuff
inside. Wood, barrels, decoration, etc, are different, but not the
innards.

So what's left are those shoulders. I asked Rich about them one day
and he told me that he could count on the fingers of one hand the
number of times he's had to replace them. It is simply not an issue.
When the Beretta O/Us loosen up it's almost always the locking tongue
with the two cylindrical probes that gets replaced. Beretta even
stocks them in series with numbers indicting the size. When your
factory locking tongue goes, you get the #1 replacement (or some such)
and then on to #2 later and so it goes. Hinge trunions also almost
never need replacement, though that's a piece of cake.

Beretta did an interesting thing with it's barrels when it changed
from the Mobilchokes to the overbore Optima Bore chokes. In the 391
gas guns, the barrels got heavier, but in the O/Us they got lighter.
That's probably why you felt comfortable going from the old 30" bbls
to the new 32" Beretta Optima Bore bbls. Guerini and Rizzini also have
nicely balanced long bbls. Citori hasn't yet seen the light.

Bottom line: you got two great guns so fuggedaboudid and just enjoy
shooting them. I bet you can't wear them out. I double dare you.

By the way, two guns are a smart move. I've always "paired" my
competition guns whether they were Remington 1100s, Beretta 303s or FN
B25s. Guns, particularly gas guns, are like sheep. They know when
they're alone and they don't like it.

Best regards,

Bruce Buck
The Technoid for Shotgun Report, LLC