Jonny English
Well-known member
Beretta 391 secondhand with a timber stock 30'' barrel is the way to go, get one for £500 - £600 and last a lifetime if kept clean, all the auto you''ll ever need.
semi auto info
- Thread starter Doctor Lecter
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Nick du Plessis
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- Joined
- Jan 17, 2013
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[SIZE=medium]I tried a number of different autos before settling on the Benelli Supersport with a 28inch barrel. I like the ergonomics, it points really well for me right out the box, is light and the fore end is way slimmer than the rest because of the inertia operated system which also makes cleaning extremely easy. Running the gun in is important as initially it seemed to fail to extract and feed rather a lot but it managed to sort that out itself after about a slab of cartridges and hasn’t missed a beat in months now, I am purposely not cleaning the action to see at what stage it will give problems, so guess I will clean it shortly and accept its reliability. Recoil seems to be harder than that of some gas operated system and the cyclic rate is very fast but rather difficult to compare without an IPSC timer – it is fast enough for any pairs I have come across so far. The chokes that come with my gun throw tighter patterns than those of my DT10 and give great breaks and although I am a great fan of the Muller chokes don’t see the need for this gun so far. The gun is beautifully made and the steel dustcover is made to last many lifetimes. Shells all eject into a nice heap about 3 foot away.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]Negatives: Accessories are hard to find in the UK, the gun is more expensive than its competitors, the supplied plastic case is rubbish with an odd shape and cheap so never gets used. You need to experiment with the loading and cocking of the gun as the normal way of inserting a cartridge into the breech and releasing the slide results in a horrendous trigger pull for the first shot. Far better to load into the magazine, push the cartridge drop lever which releases a cartridge onto the carrier, then simply cock the gun which inserts a cartridge into the chamber and you are ready to go with a vastly improved trigger pull. Of course the option of two barrels with different chokes is not an option as mentioned before, so occasionally you have to make a decision as to what is the best compromise.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]I have owned many firearms but this is one of the nicest. Couldn’t recommend it enough.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]Negatives: Accessories are hard to find in the UK, the gun is more expensive than its competitors, the supplied plastic case is rubbish with an odd shape and cheap so never gets used. You need to experiment with the loading and cocking of the gun as the normal way of inserting a cartridge into the breech and releasing the slide results in a horrendous trigger pull for the first shot. Far better to load into the magazine, push the cartridge drop lever which releases a cartridge onto the carrier, then simply cock the gun which inserts a cartridge into the chamber and you are ready to go with a vastly improved trigger pull. Of course the option of two barrels with different chokes is not an option as mentioned before, so occasionally you have to make a decision as to what is the best compromise.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]I have owned many firearms but this is one of the nicest. Couldn’t recommend it enough.[/SIZE]
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CharlesP
Well-known member
If you live anywhere convenient for Poole in Dorset then send me a PM (private message) and I can take you to our local club to potter at sporting clays.
You can try my Beretta OU, my side-by-side, and my Beretta auto.
IPS states that they throw empty shells "at you" and "all over the place". Not actually at you, of course, they simply eject shell cases to the side; in my case a little forward as well. Experienced shooters tend to avoid standing to the side of one in action, in the same way that experienced shooters tend to avoid that region behind an OU or SS shooter whose spent cases are also ejected. I was hit on the lens of my glasses last Tuesday by an empty from a Browning OU. You could buy a Neodymium magnet, glue it onto a stick, and use it to pick up those of your empties that fall within reach. If you do that keep the thing well away from anything electronic, away from your wallet and cards, and generally away from anything that magnets could damage. You could also use the stick to poke people who make judgemental comments about your choice of weapon.
This business about "always shoots in the same place" has a grain of truth in it, but not so much as to really make any difference.
This stuff about "I have a choice of choke" has a little mileage, too. Not much mileage - the only way to have an instant choice of choke is to have double triggers. Changing the barrel selector isn't instinctive or instant on any single trigger gun.
I often hear the same old comment about how much safer an OU (or any break-open gun) is in that you can actually see it's empty, and being broken it's not in a state that could fire even if it wasn't empty. You can see the breech is open on an auto, too, which should be enough. Just to be sure, and because I choose not to actually confront people's fears and prejudices, and because it only takes a second, I use a plastic breech flag as well, and I carry my gun between stands in a slip. A post above quite rightly points out that when an auto is in its slip you can't tell if it's loaded. You can't tell if its safety cath is on, either. For the record the CPSA recommends a way of carrying an auto; the butt goes in your pocket, gun pointing vertically upward, breech open to view. Lastly, an auto doesn't lend itself to the increasing habit of wandering around with an open OU actually balanced on a shoulder while walking along. Look - no hands! How cool am I! I do hope to actually catch on video one day someone doing this and stumbling. Muzzles into the stony path, tears and monetary woe!
Why an auto? Well for me it was reduced perceived recoil. Gas operated gun, huge reduction in perceived recoil. I have good medical reasons for wanting to lessen the effects, and for me it has worked wonders. Mine is a 20 bore, so it's light to carry and point. It takes light loads (once I learned to avoid certain cartridges) and it takes loads which only a short time ago I would have considered suitable solely for geese. My shooting performance is still utter rubbish, but it's a more refined and more accurate form of rubbish.
I have had mine for a matter of months, and apart from a cartridge issue I am very happy with it. It does exactly what I want. I would be just as happy to take it wildfowling (yes! a 20 bore!) or pigeon shooting. Naturally I wouldn't take it to a driven shoot, I respect their etiquette.
I know a chap with a Hatsan. He swears by it. I know another with several Berettas, he swears by them. There are numerous autos in use, Beretta, Browning, Benelli, and the others have sold millions of the things over the years, and with good reason. As guns go the most expensive of them don't reach the astronomical sums charged for their OU and side by side cousins, and the cheapest from the better makers are really excellent value. I would tend to suggest a second hand Beretta would be a better bet than a new Revo or Hatsan. My personal preference would be to avoid anything to do with camouflage. Mossy Oak and Real Tree patterns associate themselves with something other than clay shooting; I suspect they don't help one little bit in remaining concealed from a wily woodpigeon or a canny Canada.
The shims/spacers that are used can be useful. Really the bits of metal in my Urika are neither shims nor spacers, more sort of locating pieces that fit in the tunnel in the stock where the recoil spring and stock bolt fit. The hole in the middle of these bits dictates the drop and cast. It does not offer an infinite adjustment; for instance as far as I can tell you can only have cast on or cast off, not varying degrees of it. Length of pull is down to the traditional recoil pad type of thing.
I too hate football. I don't own a pair of jeans. My car has an automatic gearbox, to match that of my wife. I add these snippets because it is apparently important to the debate in a manner I don't fully comprehend.
My invitation is quite genuine, send me a message if you like.
You can try my Beretta OU, my side-by-side, and my Beretta auto.
IPS states that they throw empty shells "at you" and "all over the place". Not actually at you, of course, they simply eject shell cases to the side; in my case a little forward as well. Experienced shooters tend to avoid standing to the side of one in action, in the same way that experienced shooters tend to avoid that region behind an OU or SS shooter whose spent cases are also ejected. I was hit on the lens of my glasses last Tuesday by an empty from a Browning OU. You could buy a Neodymium magnet, glue it onto a stick, and use it to pick up those of your empties that fall within reach. If you do that keep the thing well away from anything electronic, away from your wallet and cards, and generally away from anything that magnets could damage. You could also use the stick to poke people who make judgemental comments about your choice of weapon.
This business about "always shoots in the same place" has a grain of truth in it, but not so much as to really make any difference.
This stuff about "I have a choice of choke" has a little mileage, too. Not much mileage - the only way to have an instant choice of choke is to have double triggers. Changing the barrel selector isn't instinctive or instant on any single trigger gun.
I often hear the same old comment about how much safer an OU (or any break-open gun) is in that you can actually see it's empty, and being broken it's not in a state that could fire even if it wasn't empty. You can see the breech is open on an auto, too, which should be enough. Just to be sure, and because I choose not to actually confront people's fears and prejudices, and because it only takes a second, I use a plastic breech flag as well, and I carry my gun between stands in a slip. A post above quite rightly points out that when an auto is in its slip you can't tell if it's loaded. You can't tell if its safety cath is on, either. For the record the CPSA recommends a way of carrying an auto; the butt goes in your pocket, gun pointing vertically upward, breech open to view. Lastly, an auto doesn't lend itself to the increasing habit of wandering around with an open OU actually balanced on a shoulder while walking along. Look - no hands! How cool am I! I do hope to actually catch on video one day someone doing this and stumbling. Muzzles into the stony path, tears and monetary woe!
Why an auto? Well for me it was reduced perceived recoil. Gas operated gun, huge reduction in perceived recoil. I have good medical reasons for wanting to lessen the effects, and for me it has worked wonders. Mine is a 20 bore, so it's light to carry and point. It takes light loads (once I learned to avoid certain cartridges) and it takes loads which only a short time ago I would have considered suitable solely for geese. My shooting performance is still utter rubbish, but it's a more refined and more accurate form of rubbish.
I have had mine for a matter of months, and apart from a cartridge issue I am very happy with it. It does exactly what I want. I would be just as happy to take it wildfowling (yes! a 20 bore!) or pigeon shooting. Naturally I wouldn't take it to a driven shoot, I respect their etiquette.
I know a chap with a Hatsan. He swears by it. I know another with several Berettas, he swears by them. There are numerous autos in use, Beretta, Browning, Benelli, and the others have sold millions of the things over the years, and with good reason. As guns go the most expensive of them don't reach the astronomical sums charged for their OU and side by side cousins, and the cheapest from the better makers are really excellent value. I would tend to suggest a second hand Beretta would be a better bet than a new Revo or Hatsan. My personal preference would be to avoid anything to do with camouflage. Mossy Oak and Real Tree patterns associate themselves with something other than clay shooting; I suspect they don't help one little bit in remaining concealed from a wily woodpigeon or a canny Canada.
The shims/spacers that are used can be useful. Really the bits of metal in my Urika are neither shims nor spacers, more sort of locating pieces that fit in the tunnel in the stock where the recoil spring and stock bolt fit. The hole in the middle of these bits dictates the drop and cast. It does not offer an infinite adjustment; for instance as far as I can tell you can only have cast on or cast off, not varying degrees of it. Length of pull is down to the traditional recoil pad type of thing.
I too hate football. I don't own a pair of jeans. My car has an automatic gearbox, to match that of my wife. I add these snippets because it is apparently important to the debate in a manner I don't fully comprehend.
My invitation is quite genuine, send me a message if you like.
sibaldib
Well-known member
I agree with all the above.
I had the 30" barrelled version. Lovely gun and I shot better with that than any other gun I've owned. Very pointable and threw great patterns.
Stupidly I sold it!
Now I have a Beretta 682 Gold and recently picked up a second hand Beretta AL391 which is a nice gun.
You can't really go wrong with a 391 or the newer A400.
ips
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2012
- Messages
- 15,642
Experienced shooters (trap) avoid shooting on a squad with an Auto
Experienced shooters (trap) do not eject there spent cartridges form there OU they place them in the bin.
You sporting lot are proper untidy beggers
NOTES
Many smiley thingies to indicate much humour, I don't really care who uses an auto, we don't get them at OT or ABT and I do not frequent sporting grounds so makes no difference to me.
:laugh: OK........ so that wraps it up nicely Ian!!!!! ......many laughing thingies to show much hilarity!!!! :laugh:Experienced shooters (trap) avoid shooting on a squad with an Auto
Experienced shooters (trap) do not eject there spent cartridges form there OU they place them in the bin.
You sporting lot are proper untidy beggers
NOTES
Many smiley thingies to indicate much humour, I don't really care who uses an auto, we don't get them at OT or ABT and I do not frequent sporting grounds so makes no difference to me.
CharlesP
Well-known member
Serious question for you chaps - do your trap guns allow you to disable or 'switch off' your ejectors and just extract the empties?
I really wish I could do that with my 686.
I really wish I could do that with my 686.
There are some trap guns that have a thingy to turn off the ejectors. As far as I know it is only certain Brownings that have the function, I'm pretty sure that the B25 Evolution 2 has such a thing and possibly one of the other Brownings too. Most of us have to put our hand over the chamber as we open the gun, ejectors are really a waste of time on a competition gun of any sort to be honest.
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Simonix
Well-known member
My CG Maxum has the option of changing from ejectors to extractors. Takes about 1-2 minutes.
bostonmick
Well-known member
I believe the Beretta 692 has the facility to turn the ejectors off.
iainspecialboy
Well-known member
Might have my MX8 protrap up for sale by the weekend Ian. Very reasonably priced too i might add.
I love Perazzi's, truly wonderful bits of kit, I just can't get consistent with them. Mind you I can't get consistent with anything these days come to think of it. I think you mean the full beavertail Ian, some call it a round forend I think, the one with no finger grooves, you are probably used to semi beavertail with grooves I think?Ooh that's a big step to take. Beretta to perazzi its like going to the darkside
Never been a lover of perazzi don't like none beavertail forend.
CharlesP
Well-known member
So you've got a semi?
We should be told!
We should be told!
