Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Beretta silver pigeon

I just pickup this shotgun, it is a grade 1 sporter with 29.5 inch brls. Locks up tight, looks great. I was told it was made in 2001.
Is there anything about this mdl.O/U I should know, good or bad. This is my first O/U shotgun.
Thanks for any help
Erich

Beretta suggests you lube the sides of the breech block of the barrels before installing on the frame to reduce friction and or galling. Every Beretta owner at my trap and skket club lubes their Beretta's, Caesar Guerrini's etc.

Doc

I put a drop of oil on the electors where they slide in the breech block, and grease on the trunions (hinge pins), and the front of the receiver where the forearm metal touches.

There are a couple of good YouTube videos on Beretta 680 series maintenance

And lube the choke tubes!

I had a 20 gauge version made in 2010 . Beretta O/U's have one of the most simple and strong actions designed. I thought the wood finish on my gun had a fragile finish on it but other then that no flies.

It will probably outlast you. Great gun for the money IMHO.

I agree with Dogslife57. The Beretta o/u 686 series is an excellent shotgun. With minimal upkeep (lubrication and cleaning) you should be very well gunned basically forever. You have picked very well. There may be more expensive guns out there, but probably none that are more reliable. The only suggestion I would make, is that you should make sure the gun fits you well. Having a competent gunsmith modify the stock if necessary, should not be a big deal, and is certainly worth doing.

Just bought 2 ea Silver Pigeon 111s. Haven't shot them yet. Hope they are good.

Thank you all, for the help and great information.
It did not come with a case, any recommendations. I would like something a little more travel friendly than the factory Beretta case.
Thanks again Erich

Yes....with anti seize...not grease or oil....

I had a 28ga Silver Pigeon with 28" barrels....sweet gun but I didn't shoot it enough to justify keeping it...

I have 3 silver pigs. I use pro gold lube from Pro Shot. My 12 & 20 gauges have more than 100k rounds through them combined. About every5 flats of shells or, after a dusty, dirty day in the dove field, I'll de-grease that shotgun and clean down to the metal,. Getting rid of plastic build up is tougher than anything else. Chrome-lined bores help there.
Re-apply the lube after cleaning. Wipe down with a lightly sprayed clean, oily rag and put it up until the next time.

Bbear thats a lot a shells down range.
Erich

Erich,

I shot a 686 Onyx for many years with zero problems, which I can't say about most other single-trigger O/U's I've owned. Did maintain it pretty well, though it didn't take much to keep it running.

Bbear, if you treat the inside of those choke tubes by Dyna-Tek Bore Coat the plastic fouling comes out a LOT quicker and easier.

The only thing I don't like about the 686 Onyx is that the safety goes on automatically when you close the breech. Since the other shotguns I've owned don't do this, I keep forgetting about it. It's frustrating to pull the trigger at skeet and nothing happens.

What I do like is the 28 gauge on the baby frame. Most other 28 gauges use a larger (20 gauge) frame. 28 gauge is adequate for pheasants with Winchester's 1 ounce loads of #6.

Indy, why don't you have the auto safety changed to a manual safety?

Indy,
That's a very simple fix.

I had always been a Browning Superposed guy. I still shoot a Pigeon Grade twenty. A good many years ago, I took my twelve to my dealer to have him send it to Briley for chokes. He told me that for the cost of chokes, I could trade for a new SP IV (687) Beretta and not owe him much money. After looking the SP over and realizing that it was way lighter than the Browning and wearing high grade wood, we did the deal.

SIL has a fleet of 686 SPs. I have removed the automatic safety from all three of his and mine. I suppose that has it's place on skeet and trap fields, but we are hunters first.

Best,

Jack

I do not intend to shoot trap, skeet or or anything with a clay bird. Just for hunting rabbits, grouse, (can't spell) ptarmigan. I have other guns for waterfowl.
Did some horse trade'n plus it was a great deal. So I took it home.
Erich

Yeah I know. I just haven't gotten "a round tuit" yet.

Almost everybody does that. I don't understand why they make them with automatic safeties in the first place. Must be a lawyer thing, but Browning et al don't see the need to do that.

Only field grade Beretta O/U's have the automatic safety. Target models have a manual safety. Safeties are not needed for skeet or trap, because you don't load the gun until you are ready to shoot.