Dear Bruce,

have an older Beretta 16ga. side-by-side silverhawk. It’s a great gun to shoot, but recently the strip of metal between the two barrels on the bottom has started to come loose. This presents a problem because part of the hinge system is on this strip. Can this be easily fixed or should the gun go back to Beretta? If so, how do I contact them?

Thanks for your assistance.
Andy

Dear Andy,

You have shot your lower rib loose. It happens. This repair is definitely a job for a competent gunsmith. While it “should” not involve re-regulating the barrels, it will probably involve rebluing. The repair will not be inexpensive.

You can call Beretta in Accokeek if you want to, but “factory” service tends to take forever. Rich Cole in Harpswell, ME at 207-833-5027 or <colegun.com> does a lot of repair on Berettas. He should be able to fix it or know of someone who can. The repair isn’t Beretta-specific as much as it will just require a good gunsmith. If you have one locally that you trust, use him, but Rich does know his Berettas. Tell him I said “hello”.

Best regards,

Bruce Buck
Shotgun Report’s Technoid
(Often in error, never in doubt.)