SP1 vs 682 Gold E? Opinions on gun purchase decision..

[antse7en]

Hi guys,

New to the forum, and fairly new (6 months+ )into clay shooting.

I'm in the process of buying my first shotgun and effectively made the decision quite early on that it was a two horse race between: 

• A new SP 1 adjustable in 30" or
  
• A second hand 682 Gold E 32" sporter non-adj
  

My budget is around the £1700 mark. 

I've actually agreed a purchase of a nearly new (125 cartridges through it) SP 1 30" adjustable via trade seller for a truly great price (under £1300). It's an RFD import from Isle of Man so I have not actually had my hands on the gun - the pictures do look great. 

I wanted to get your opinion on whether this is a good bet compared to the Gold E? I was initially leaning towards the 682 Gold E but at that price I feel the SP would be a great bet - particularly for somebody still learning. I found a couple of Gold Es in my local gun shops (Bookham guns and William Evans) and liked the feel of them.

I'll predominantly be shooting a combination of sporting (70%) and olympic skeet(30%). 

To date I've shot a number of SP 1s and 3s and got on well with them.

Thanks in advance - welcome all feedback!

 

[timps]

I’ve owned a silver Pigeon but it was a 20G  and owned a 682 Gold E adjustable  

The silver Pigeon is marketed as a field gun rather that a dedicated clay gun, that’s not to say it can’t be a very capable clay gun however field guns can be lighter, have auto safety’s and flush chokes.

The flush chokes are no issue at all, only ascetics, but the light weight and auto safety can be an issue for a dedicated clay gun.

The adjustable stock is a good idea as it can be adjusted by a decent coach to help promote a good mount with a new shooter that hasn’t yet got a consistent mount, however adjustable stocks can be added to any gun for around the £250 should you feel you need one.

The 682 Gold E was a dedicated clay gun, mine was never the heaviest for a competition gun so the weight difference between the two might not be that great but the 682 gold e was a good gun non the less.

If it was me I would go for a 682 Gold E for shooting clays as long as long as I was happy with the feel, but seeing as I have owed both and I had no issues with either I wouldn’t discount the SP1 just it is aimed at a different market hence my choice.

 

[schmokinn]

Gold E

 

[antse7en]

Thanks both.

This is the SP in question - https://www.guntrader.uk/guns/shotguns/beretta/over-under/12-gauge/686-silver-pigeon-1-adjustable-stock-180622134013963 

And this is the Gold E I also had my eye on - http://bookhamguns.co.uk/upload_shotguns/beretta-682-gold-e/ 

£1250 nearly new vs £1800 used (plus £250 for adj. stock) is quite the difference. 

I suppose one question might be how quickly will I outgrow the SP?

 

[FreeShot]

Which gun have you shot untill now?

P.S. Ok just found out in your 1st post - by all means take Gold E.

 

[antse7en]

Not a single vote for SP - I do have to agree just in terms of gut feel that the Gold E would be the better choice.

Is £1800 fair? I've seen other Gold Es on GT for less, including adj. stock.   

 

[timps]

Most of us on here are dedicated clay shooters so we are going to favour the dedicated clay gun over the field  gun.

£1800 is on the top side for a used Gold E that's for sure, I've seen really good examples around the £1400 to £1600 mark, I'd still go for the Gold E just maybe shop around. 

I waited an age for the right DT10 to come along and travelled to get it,  I saved myself around £800 compared to what I could get one for locally, that certainly covered my trip out for the day.  

 

[antse7en]

Most of us on here are dedicated clay shooters so we are going to favour the dedicated clay gun over the field  gun.

£1800 is on the top side for a used Gold E that's for sure, I've seen really good examples around the £1400 to £1600 mark, I'd still go for the Gold E just maybe shop around. 

I waited an age for the right DT10 to come along and travelled to get it,  I saved myself around £800 compared to what I could get one for locally, that certainly covered my trip out for the day.  

Thanks Timps - appreciate that. 

£1400 - £1600 was also my feeling. 

Well, mind made up - I will go for the 682 Gold E. 

 

[Hamster]

The difference in wood appearance alone would tip it in 682e's favour. 

 

[schmokinn]

Mate just purchases a Mint Gold E 2000 or so fired £1150 so they are out there,shops will always be expensive!

 

[antse7en]

Mate just purchases a Mint Gold E 2000 or so fired £1150 so they are out there,shops will always be expensive!

Totally, I suppose I trust shops a little more in terms of comeback as I'm still inexperienced and therefore more likely to buy a dud privately. 

 

[dustsmoker]

Review of the Gold E  https://www.gunmart.net/gun_review/beretta_682_gold_e/

 

[Westward]

That SP1 looks like it has Optima chokes and at 30" it could well be a sporter rather than a field model which would not be a good idea for any kind of clay shooting.

But this is BerettaLand and nothing is what it seems... The SP1 sporters from about 2011 have been produced initially with Optima chokes then Optima HP chokes. The side rib  has also changed from solid to vented and then they threw in a DeLuxe version and a Classic version.

The Gold E on the other hand remained unchanged for it's entire production life so at least you know what you're looking at.

 

[antse7en]

That SP1 looks like it has Optima chokes and at 30" it could well be a sporter rather than a field model which would not be a good idea for any kind of clay shooting.

But this is BerettaLand and nothing is what it seems... The SP1 sporters from about 2011 have been produced initially with Optima chokes then Optima HP chokes. The side rib  has also changed from solid to vented and then they threw in a DeLuxe version and a Classic version.

The Gold E on the other hand remained unchanged for it's entire production life so at least you know what you're looking at.

Hi Westward,

Yes I was informed theyre Optima.

Now im going to sound a complete fool, but..

Isn’t the purpose of a Sporter to be a bit of an “in-between” gun ie useful on both English sporting and not entirely useless on skeet, dtl etc?  

When you guys say “clay shooting” what precisely do you see in this category?

Thanks! 

 

[Woodcock]

The Beretta 682E Sporter with 32” barrels is in my opinion one of the finest guns ever manufactured for breaking sporting targets. The gun is extremely well balanced and the light for length Optima barrels make it pointable and relatively fast moving, but always controllable. The stock dimensions are pretty spot on and the quality of the wood can range from pretty average to absolutely outstanding. Choose carefully. The stock can have the latest micro pads fitted without any fuss or additional cost. A 682E that has been looked after offers a lot of gun for the money. Buy carefully and you will not be disappointed.

 

[antse7en]

The Beretta 682E Sporter with 32” barrels is in my opinion one of the finest guns ever manufactured for breaking sporting targets. The gun is extremely well balanced and the light for length Optima barrels make it pointable and relatively fast moving, but always controllable. The stock dimensions are pretty spot on and the quality of the wood can range from pretty average to absolutely outstanding. Choose carefully. The stock can have the latest micro pads fitted without any fuss or additional cost. A 682E that has been looked after offers a lot of gun for the money. Buy carefully and you will not be disappointed.

Thanks Woodcock, hopefully I will buy carefully! Though in all frankness I have little idea how to be careful! 

Any pointers when looking?

 

[Woodcock]

Get a gunsmith or experienced shooter to thoroughly inspect the gun prior to purchase. 

The 682E is a dedicated competition shotgun that has been designed to shoot a lot of cartridges. It has a proven track record for longevity and reliability. If anything does happen to go wrong parts are easily and cheaply sourced. 

 

[Westward]

Isn’t the purpose of a Sporter to be a bit of an “in-between” gun ie useful on both English sporting and not entirely useless on skeet, dtl etc?  

When you guys say “clay shooting” what precisely do you see in this category?

Yes, that's what is normally meant by "sporter". They're not entirely useless in the field either.

By "clay shooting" I meant any of the common games like sporting, Fitasc and sportrap in particular but okay too for DTL, ABT and skeet.

 

[antse7en]

Yes, that's what is normally meant by "sporter". They're not entirely useless in the field either.

By "clay shooting" I meant any of the common games like sporting, Fitasc and sportrap in particular but okay too for DTL, ABT and skeet.

Understood, thanks. 

Ive set up an alert on Gun Trader so hopefully a Gold E will present itself soon!