O/U Beretta???

[Cotten]

I have a 20 gauge 687 Silver Pigeon II for doves only. It's an awesome gun.

On the "Cynergy" thread Gulfcoast stated:

"You can buy a Beretta 686 Onyx for good prices. They have matt black barrels and receiver with a "no gloss" wood stock. They were designed as a bird gun that could double as a duck gun."

I looked on the Beretta website and in the Beretta 2004 Catalog and could not find where they sold them but if they do, that's the O/U I would buy for ducks.

[fivemile]

I use a 28 ga., 686 for dove and love it. Lot of rounds through it with zero problems.

[GulfCoast]

The black Onyx is discontinued. You can still find them NIB if you look around.

[msumallardman]

Thanks for all of the help guys. I had no idea that many of you used an O/U.

BTW, does anyone know what I could expect to pay for a 686 out of the box? A ballpark dollar figure would be good if anyone knows. Also, any suggestions on the different barrel lengths and are there any other factors that I should take into account when buying a gun like this? Sorry for all of the questions...my first time buying an O/U. Thanks again.

[GordonGekko]

Well, GC summed up the Beretta actions...all of the guns you mentioned are mechanically identical (all of the 680 series in fact have the same the 682 have replaceable shoulders though). I've got a 686E Sporting gun that I've had a little work done to (none of that porting stuff though...just makes the gun harder to clean). You will never wear one out...probably have to have it rebuilt around 250,000 rounds but that costs less than $125 if I remember correctly (may have gone up).... My advice is if it's for hunting a light gun will be o.k..... However if you're gonna shoot targets weight sure does a good job of soaking up recoil...

As for barrel length that will depend on personal preference and your build...but 30" guns are very common, and 32" are the hot ticket in the Sporting Clays community....

Another BIG factor is gonna be gun fit...see if you can shoot someone's gun and how it shoots...course this can be fixed but it requires $$$...so find one that fits you as well as possible up front....

A NIB 686 White Onyx Field gun is gonna run about $1500...the internet is your friend...drop me a PM for some good dealers

[GulfCoast]

I saw a black 686 Onyx Hunter/Sport a year or so ago that was $1,100 NIB.

[h2o_dog]

I've got the 686 Onynx (black) with the Xtra Wood, that I love for doves and pheasants. If I had it to do over I wouldn't pay the extra money for the Xtra Wood option, since I've never seen a Beretta stock that didn't have exceptional wood grain anyway.

I am considering stripping the gloss off my wood and going to a rubbed oil finish - anybody know if that is feasible? Can I do it myself or should I have a professional do it?

Thanks.

[gamehog]

Also, any suggestions on the different barrel lengths

My barrels are 28" on my old style 686 Onyx with 3 1/2 " chambers. Here's a pix:

[GulfCoast]

It is child's play to do a hand rubbed finish. It just takes time and patience. I have done several. I will put up a picture when I get home.

I have no idea what to do with the Xtra wood, though. That is some kinda film on the wood. I assume stripper would take it off, but I dunno

[Model12]

H2O, goto http://www.colegun.com Rich Cole has ANY wood you might want to up-grade to....

[GulfCoast]

Rich has some KILLA drop in wood sets!

[crow]

As for barrel lentgh, 28 minimum because the action is so much shorter than auto, anything shorter than a 28 is a little whippy. I shoot both 28 and 30 before I got mine and chose the 28 because it is different in a blind with a o/u and I worried that the extra 2" would be troublesome. The 28 gives me plenty of weight forward for easy swing through on targets and birds.

One work of caution, an o/u must be handled cautiously in a blind with multiple hunters. Having to break the action to load is different from just stuffing shells. Keepin the muzzle down range takes a little attention at first. Well worth the minor issues, far as I'm concerned.

[GulfCoast]

The trick is, Keep the Muzzle Still and pointed downrange with your left hand, open the action by moving the "buttstock and receiver" down with your right hand. That will save much barrel banging.

[h2o_dog]

Precisely why I prefer my Beretta 390 for the blind. Much safer just to stuff shells in the bottom while it is still pointed safely up and out of the blind. Plus the 3rd shell comes in handy for cripples.

[h2o_dog]

Model12, thanks for that link. Rich has some pretty wood for sure, but I wansn't wanting to upgrade the wood itself, just change the finish. I'm curious about what kind of finish remover to use to get the polyurethane(?) off that won't hurt the checkering - and can I do it with the stock on the gun, etc.

Thanks.

(MSUMallard, I think my total out-of-pocket 5 years ago was somewhere around $1300 with the Xtra wood option)