For many, the name Beretta is well known, because this family owns one of the oldest companies in the world. After all, for almost 500 years, the Beretta family has been producing firearms of the highest quality, which are recognized throughout the world. Beretta has won numerous contracts to supply weapons to the world's leading armies, and has also won the hearts of many civilians who want to both protect themselves and have a good time on the hunt.
An excellent weapon for hunting and sport shooting is a relatively new creation of the Italian arms industry - the Beretta 686 shotgun. At the moment, this is one of the company’s most affordable smoothbore shotguns, aimed at the individual buyer who wants to engage in game hunting or sports.
Description
At first glance, it is clear that the Beretta 686 is a gun for a connoisseur. For an expert in his field, for whom it is important not only to acquire a reliable tool for his money, but also to receive aesthetic pleasure from the appearance of his weapon. The ideally shaped barrel, free of manufacturing defects, is made of high-quality steel coated with chrome. The wooden elements are carved from selected and well-processed walnut, and the receiver is covered with artistic engraving on steel, which gives the gun the appearance of an expensive and very valuable item, which in the old days only the real rich could afford.
Beretta 686 ultralight
Design
The weapon in question is a classic double-barreled hunting rifle with a vertical barrel arrangement, using a breaking type of locking. In accordance with international standards and modern hunting practices, Beretta 686 barrels are unthreaded and are excellent for shotgun shooting. The barrels are held in the receiver by fastening them with two hooks into the corresponding grooves, which makes disassembling and cleaning the weapon easier, and also increases the overall service life, since the simple design rarely breaks and is easy to repair. The weight of the steel receiver allows the weapon's center of gravity to be concentrated in an optimal position for balance.
The locking mechanism is made in the form of two rods that fit into the corresponding grooves of the barrel block. When the barrels are pressed, they automatically, emitting a characteristic click, take the desired position to hold the barrels. This fairly reliable mechanism ensures quick and convenient reloading of weapons, and also helps with through cleaning of the barrel channels. During loading, it is enough to break the barrel block. In this case, spent cartridges will be thrown out of it quite sharply and it will be possible to instantly insert new cartridges.
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There is only one trigger in the gun, switchable using a special lever near the safety. When pressed, it sets the firing pins in motion and fires a shot. The design is also simplified as much as possible, which increases the reliability and maintainability of parts.
Under the safety lock there is a firing mode switch, which allows you to quickly change the active barrel for the next shot with a quick movement of your hand. By the way, the barrels themselves are made from steel rods in which channels are drilled, after which they are processed by cold forging, which gives them maximum strength.
Beretta 686 barrel safety and firing switch
In standard versions without a pre-installed choke, it is possible to install a MobileChoke bell. Such choke constrictions are included in the kit and are also sold additionally in various variations, allowing you to set your preferred shot cone for different shooting techniques. In this case, such a choke can be replaced on the fly in the field at any convenient time, without requiring any tools, much less disassembling the gun - it can be securely tightened even with your fingers, although a special key is provided in the kit for these purposes.
This gun is also available in a modification with an adjustable stock, in which the height and inclination of the comb are adjusted using special screws. It also improves usability by allowing each shooter to customize the gun to suit their individual needs. The butt itself is quite large, equipped with an anatomically shaped butt plate made of shock-absorbing rubber for convenience when shooting from the shoulder.
The forend is wooden, secured with bolts under the barrels. Both the fore-end and the stock are made of quality walnut, sanded and oiled to prevent moisture from getting inside, as well as for a comfortable hold in the hands.
NOT EVERYTHING IS SIMPLE
One day my acquaintance Alexander called me and offered to go with him to Belgorod to buy a gun as a consultant.
I immediately agreed with joy. As it turned out, Alexander took on another consultant, Evgeniy’s nephew, who knew where the hunting store we needed was located. Alexander wanted to buy an imported double-barreled shotgun, but I advised him the MTs-106, but he did not want to wait 3 months for the order to be completed. I had to settle on less scarce ones - imported ones. He was leaning towards the Beretta 686, but the gun inspection had the final say, which for me was the most interesting part of the trip.
Having discovered only single-trigger guns, I, as a supporter of two triggers, immediately asked:
– Isn’t there two descents?
“Now in the world they are universally refusing to use two descents,” the seller said, clearly knowing little about the question, somewhat contemptuously. “The movement of a finger from the front to the rear trigger is a parasitic backward movement,” my opponent, proud of such an aphorism, revealed by his glance. I remember the aphorism, of course.
In response, I began to cite the specific advantages of two descents when hunting on a deadlift.
Well, no, no, we’ll choose from what we have. I wouldn’t even choose among single triggers. Having five years of hunting experience with the excellent MTs-108 shotgun, which, in my subjective opinion, no serial imported shotgun can compare with, I still came to the well-known conclusion: nothing better than two triggers for a hunting double-barreled shotgun has yet been invented.
The first one in my hands was Browning, in my opinion, B 525, but in any case similar to it. Immediately, even before jumping up, I felt what I read about: Browning’s balance is shifted to the barrels, of course, not to the same extent as my custom IZH-43, but being accustomed to the balance at the MTs-108 hinge, I feel such shifts straightaway. After the jump everything turned out to be quite good, the Browning turned out to be quite useful to me.
“It fits well, but the balance is shifted forward,” I express my conclusion. Alexandru, according to him, Browning also turned out to be useful.
The seller decided to measure how accurate my sense of balance was. The measurements confirmed my feelings.
Then it was the turn of the Beretta 686. After the rear sight, the front sight turned out to be confidently shifted to the right of the center of the sighting bar; when the rear position was repeated, everything was the same.
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“The front sight is looking to the right, the lead is large,” I conclude.
Alexander and the seller admit that the gun is not useful to them either. For whom is the stock made in Beretta, if for three people of different constitutions the gun turned out to be completely unusable?
The next one was Antonio Zoli, model Z. I liked the gun’s grip, and so did Alexander, but we decide not to rush yet and look at other options.
We were offered the Blaser F 3, but I rejected it in theory, because... the gun is still a sports gun, heavy, etc. Nevertheless, it ended up in my hands. After raising, the front sight looked noticeably higher, revealing the surface of the aiming bar; moreover, the obvious asceticism and lower quality of wood processing in comparison with the Zoli were clearly not in favor of the German.
“I wouldn’t buy such a gun for hunting,” I expressed my subjective opinion, which no one disputed. Fabarm and Franchi did not leave any lasting impressions in my mind, so I won’t dwell on them in more detail.
As a result, the choice was narrowed down to Antonio Zoli and Browning. Both guns turned out to be useful for both me and Alexander. But the Browning was still clearly a sporty option, without swivels. In addition, Evgeniy pointed out to me a drawing on the side of the block, which depicted partridges turning into saucers, as a unification of the purposes of a sporting and hunting rifle; We were choosing a gun for hunting, and experience with the MTs-108 suggested that a compromise gun was not the best option.
Then I decided to compare the quality of woodwork; in this regard, Antonio Zoli and Browning were superior to other guns, they had the finest checkering and the highest quality processing of the outer surface of the wood. I examined the wood of the Beretta 686, the workmanship of which was clearly of lower quality than that of Zoli and Browning, the checkering was machine-like and formulaic, the treatment of the external surface irritated the eye with a dull dullness, in contrast to the glossy shine of the unvarnished Zoli stock. To justify the Beretta, I must note that it cost 10 thousand rubles less. Zoli beat Browning in the quality of finish and wood grain: Zoli had a patterned walnut, while Browning had a more practical straight-grain walnut.
The Belgian had two front sights, the rear one acts as a rear sight for more accurate aiming. I think these bells and whistles only interfere with shooting at a moving target, however, the seller said that the second front sight is removable.
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The Italian's stock turned out to be clearly more hunting with a flat pistol grip, while the Belgian's stock was more sporty, with a cool pistol.
I decide to check the descents. I couldn’t pull the trigger on the Zoli offhand; the trigger force turned out to be higher than on the usual MTs-108, but that’s normal; on hunting rifles the triggers can be tighter, it’s just a matter of habit. When tested without a jump, the descent seemed normal, without noticeable free play. Having forgotten that on imported single-trigger triggers the triggers are mostly inertial, I try to pull the trigger of the upper barrel without any manipulations with the gun, which, of course, turns out to be impossible. The seller quickly explained my mistake. Although with our hunts and modern cartridges this circumstance is not so important. On the Browning, like on a sporting shotgun, I felt less effort when triggering.
Evgeniy and I spoke for Antonio Zoli, and the choice was made.
I will describe in more detail my impressions of the gun. It suited me well, according to Alexander, and it suited him too. Still, the butt seemed a little long to me, accustomed to short ones. I really liked the woodwork and the wood itself, unfortunately, TsKIB, in my opinion, doesn’t put such a nut on its more classy and high-quality guns, but it’s a pity, they deserve it more than the serial Italians. If he does, I’ll be glad to read the refutation. The butt plate, clearly in imitation of high-class guns, was made of wood, but for some reason it was made of a darker walnut, if we were to imitate it, then to the end, and put wood on the butt plate from the same piece as the butt. The fit of wood to metal in all the guns examined was of approximately the same quality - not ideal, my MTs-108 is of better quality, but this is a very picky eye. But what clearly caught my eye were the flaws in fitting the narrow base of the quick-release trigger to the block body; perhaps it is more difficult to fit these parts with quick-release triggers. The trigger itself is the same as that of the Kronos sports model; it is removed after unscrewing the bolt on the safety bracket behind the trigger.
On the side surfaces of the light box there is gold inlay in the form of a pattern of a flying woodcock. The connecting strips are ventilated, which is unnecessary on a clearly hunting rifle, but is explained by the fashion that came from sporting rifles. As a result of this fashion, the gun also has 760 mm barrels and a balance slightly shifted forward. But the front sight is quite suitable for hunting - an ordinary small one, which is the most optimal for me. The bar is also hunting - narrow, without narrowing. Weight 3.1 kg. The barrels broke very tightly, to which the seller remarked: “What do you want, the gun is new.”
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Well, yes, it's logical. They also closed tightly. The key for invectors is convenient - cylindrical, not flat. When examining the inner surface of the barrels, it turned out that it was not ideal, a slight ovality was noticeable, but this is not an indicator, the indicator can only be checking the combat, but there was no shooting range at the store. The transition cones from the chambers to the bores of the barrels are noticeably longer than usual; I read that this is done for steel shot in order to reduce dynamic impact.
I had to fire several shots from the Zoli, the recoil, as it should be, turned out to be more sensitive than from the heavy MTs-108, the combat indicators were normal, but I had no desire to study them in detail, considering it extremely unlikely that modern expensive guns would have low quality scree.
I checked the possibility of quickly switching the selector and confirmed in practice my theoretical knowledge - switching it quickly, at the level of a reflex, with the same speed as choosing the desired trigger turned out to be completely impossible for me for two reasons: firstly, it is psychologically difficult to do, i.e. To. the left-right movement is unnatural, but in principle you can get used to this movement. But the second reason is much more difficult for me to overcome - the selector itself switches too hard, perhaps this is a defect in a particular gun. It is noticeably tighter than the safety, in order to move it, you need to tear your right palm off the neck of the butt, in order to move the switch with the force of your whole hand through your thumb; the force of the thumb without lifting your palm from the neck of the butt is completely insufficient. As a result, quickly moving the selector turned out to be unrealistic for me. Perhaps it is so tight because the gun is new and over time the force will decrease, but during this time how many successful moments can you miss while hunting. Much better, in my opinion, is a gun with two triggers, because they provide practical advantages in hunting, and the advantages of a single trigger are theoretical, but the problems it creates are quite practical.
In conclusion, I can say that everything is really very complicated in the world of weapons.
Many views in life have to be revised over time, including views on weapons. I also reconsidered my attitude towards my IZH-43. At a cost of 1,400 rubles, paid for it in 1998, it turned out to be of very good quality, and most importantly, it was well-stocked, with smooth barrels without noticeable flaws, a good notch on the butt handle, and a high-quality outer coating of the barrels. For comparison: on a Turkish semi-automatic for 20 thousand rubles, it began to noticeably wear out after a year of hunting, moreover, it can be easily removed with a fingernail, this phenomenon was noticed by the not very happy owner and demonstrated to me.
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Evgeny PASHKOV, Kursk region. July 15, 2008 at 01:56 pm
Advantages and disadvantages
Speaking about the advantages of this gun, it is worth understanding that although it belongs to the relatively inexpensive Beretta models, this does not negate the general high cost of Italian weapons. For a novice shooter, this price may seem excessive, although it is justified.
First of all, it is the quality of materials and workmanship, as well as production technology. The design of the classic shotgun is deliberately simplified for ease of maintenance and overall reliability. The excellent weight and balanced design of the gun can also be a decisive factor for purchase. At the same time, it is easy to handle, but at the same time, the weight and ease of holding when shooting minimize barrel vibration.
It is worth highlighting the high maintainability of the gun. Thanks to its simple design, it seems possible to replace almost any damaged part even at home, and the presence of Beretta service centers in large cities and the ability to order any part from the manufacturer make it possible to solve absolutely any problem, be it a minor modification of the weapon for individual needs or repair after a breakdown.
Beretta 686 equipment
The disadvantages are mostly subjective, but can potentially occur to every shooter. It is worth highlighting the lack of a mechanism for adjusting the length of the butt. If it is too long or too short for the shooter’s hand, then this can only be changed by making a personal butt to order or by independently modifying the complete one. Also, wooden elements can potentially crack if handled carelessly.
Owners of these weapons also noted that the replaceable choke constrictions, despite their general convenience, can unwind when worn for a long time. Then they begin to dangle and when fired, the barrel may be damaged. To avoid such problems, it is enough to simply manually tighten the choke before shooting to make sure it is securely fastened.
Modifications
In general, many different variations of the Beretta 686 were released, which differed in the configuration and design of individual elements. For example, the dimensions of the front sight, the presence of an adjustable butt comb, or the presence of a built-in choke. But there are also variations with a shortened or elongated barrel. Some shooters highlight the peculiarity of drilling barrel channels of various modifications, for which drills of various diameters were used.
One of the most common modifications is the Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I Sporting, the name of which makes it clear that it is intended for clay pigeon shooting. The sports version of the gun uses an extended sighting rib with a modified front sight for more convenient aiming; an adjustable stock is required. Among the innovations, a special soldering of the barrel block is proposed, which involves ventilation for less clogging of the barrel channels, because in training and in competitions a larger number of shots are usually fired in a series than in hunting. Also, as a rule, it does not have a swivel for attaching a portable belt, because at sporting events this has no practical use.
Beretta 686 silver pigeon
Characteristics of the Beretta Bellmonte shotgun
There are three varieties on the Russian arms market, the main differences being the material used for the stock and stock:
Beretta Bellmonte I Max5 camo
The butt and stock are made of plastic, have a camouflage protective color, like Kamysh.
Beretta Belmonte Synthetic
Beretta Belmonte Synthetic plastic stock and stock, black.
Beretta Belmonte WOOD 76
The butt and stock are made of wood.
All guns are made in Spain.
