Hi Bruce,
I am presently shooting a 30” Beretta 692 Skeet and have discovered no flaws with this gun. I am curious as to your opinion of this gun. Do you think the more expensive DT-11 is worth the extra cost?
Thank you for your considered opinion,
Richard Fleming
Dear Richard,
A lot of this is just plain personal opinion. Obviously, I am much more familiar with the classic 680 series than the new 690 series because it has been around so much longer, though I did review on of the Field Model 690s for my column in Shooting Sportsman Magazine in 2015. The 690 really doesn’t have enough of a track record just yet to say that it is an improvement over the classic 680, but I’ve not heard anything bad about the 690 either.
692 vs DT11? We saw a lot of DT11s in the most recent Olympics. Frankly, Beretta went out and “bought” most of the top shooters and paid them to put down their Perazzis and shoot DT11s. Kim Rhode was a perfect example of that. But those shooting the DT11s did well. Certainly the DT11 is hanging in there compared to the DT10.
Compared to the 692, the DT11 ought to be in a different class and it probably is, but what does “class” mean in this case? The DT11 may or may not last longer, but I’ve not heard of the 692s crashing and burning either. The 680s were certainly well ironed out. To me it really comes down to a question of barrel manufacture and balance. And balance is very personal. You and I might have different tastes. The 692 has an adjustable comb option and optional stock weights. The DT11 has the adjustable comb option, plus weights for the stock and also under the forend. The DT11 has a removable trigger, but it is carbon fiber just like the top rib. I’m not a big fan of carbon fiber bits and pieces. They save weight, but they aren’t as strong as good old solid steel.
Personally, if I were considering a gun in the DT11 price range, I’d also want to take a long, long look at a Perazzi. A DT11 is around $9,300 and a Perazzi is about $3K more. But with the Perazzi, at no extra cost, you can spec out every possible detail. They are completely custom guns. Not just the stock dimensions, but the type of action, type of rib (top and sides), balance of the barrels, weight of the gun, EVERYTHING. And that’s at no extra cost. The only problem is that you have to know what you want. Either that or go to a really, really good gun salesman. By far the best approach is to plunk down an extra $1,000 and fly to the Perazzi factory in Italy. There you will see all the possible options and they will rough out the stock to your dimensions so that you can actually shoot the gun the same day. Of course, it takes longer to finish it, but still that’s something. I had Perazzi build me a 28 gauge for Argentina dove and I specced out absolutely everything on it from my hand size to the taper of the barrels, to leaf springs instead of coils to the weight of the barrels to the personalized fixed chokes. They did what I asked and it is quite a gun.
But do remember that the Europeans shoot Olympic skeet, not American skeet. Olympic skeet is a whole different game and lighter, faster guns are preferred.
Personally, if you like your 692, stick with it. It’s a good gun and will last you as long as you choose to shoot it. If you want to “upgrade”, don’t just look at the DT11. Look at some others too.
Best regards,
Bruce Buck
Shotgun Report’s Technoid
