Really getting an itch for an over/under shotgun and don’t want to spend more than $2K. I like the Beretta 686 and didn’t like the way the Citori fit. I did like the fit of the Benelli 828 but I don’t know anyone who owns one. I figured the Forum mind might have some actual experience to be shared. Intended use will be upland hunting and trap & skeet. Also appreciate any thoughts on 26” vs 28” barrel.

Thanks in advance for your time.

Never heard of it. Unusual design. You will undoubtedly be the first on your block to have one.

Upland hunting AND Trap AND Skeet is asking a lot of one gun, the applications are quite different.

Hunting, no problem, a friend has a Benelli Ultra Light automatic which is a real treat in the cornfields (she is a pheasant hunter.)

Target shooting with a 6.5 lb 12 gauge is going to be a beating, I don't care what they pack the buttstock with. A round at a time to practice for hunting, fine; a hundred or two at a time in competition, ouch. I saw a guy get kicked by a Browning Lightning until his shoulder bled, trying to get through an afternoon of Trap.

Stock dimensions are very different for Trap and Skeet. Skeet is close enough to a field gun to be OK, but a Trap stock is much straighter to put upward lead on a rising target.

I'd rather a 28" barrel.

Saw one at the last NRA show in Nashville some years ago. Different but I liked it.

I have zero experience with the 828 but lots of experience with the Beretta 686. I would suggest that you get a 686.

One sure fact is that parts and accessories for the 828 are pretty much non existent because it's currently an Orphan firearm. If it becomes really popular that will change but it's currently listed in the Beretta-Browning price range. For a brand new platform that is not the ideal method for creating a customer base. As a result if you want something like a Limbsaver butt pad you may have to adapt something that is sort of close and accept the poor fit. Chokes will also require doing your shopping online because none of the big box sporting stores will carry these chokes. Finally most of the reviews I've seen on the 828 are sort of luke warm, not over the top glowing reviews.

As for the Beretta 686 platform, it's a real winner. It has a reputation for being completely reliable and parts are very easy to find and purchase. It's also a design that is very easy to work on once you know the tricks so changing out a firing pin or main spring is very simple.

To give you an example of the benefit of choosing an older existing platform following is the modifications I've made to my 12 gauge 686. BTW, I am not a gunsmith but am a Mechanical Engineer who has been working on/repairing/customizing stuff since 1965.

First up was to get a Limbsaver recoil pad. This was dead easy, ordered one online and it fits perfectly. Second item was the stock, found that for a good fit I need a stock with an adjustable comb. Ordered a Beretta 682 Gold E spare in Blemish condition from MGW for 528.00. Took me about 2 hours of trial and error sanding and scraping to get it fit to my 686 receiver. Next I needed to get some tubes to allow me to use my 12 gauge for 28 and 410. This was dead easy, ordered the tubes from Briley and only had to fit the tubes to my barrel set. BTW, chamber fitting tubes is SOP. In order to get my triggers to reset with the lighter recoiling 28 and 410 ammunition I had to modify the inertial reset mechanism by installing a 410 spring set. That is about a 20 to 30 minute procedure and requires perfectly fit screwdriver bits but with the correct tools and procedure it's actually simple. As for the springs, ordered those from Brownell's.

As you can see working within a long standing and very popular platform does have it's benefits if you need to do a bit of customizing. BTW, the 28 and 410 tubes are a Skeet thing, most matches are 4 caliber affairs, 12, 20, 28, and 410. Since I also have a 20 gauge 686 I only needed to purchase tubes for shooting 28 and 410.

The 26 inch barrel will swing faster and works good for bird hunting but not so good clay birds shooting because after a while the shooter tends to start stopping and not following through on his shot. The 28 inch swings smoother and has a longer sighting plane which is good for hunting and clay birds. Using a light shotgun on the clay bird field is asking for trouble because it will beat you up and it tends to cause most shooter to start flinching after a while. If you want an O/U pick one application for it or get two different O/Us.

I appreciate you all taking the time to respond. Based on these replies and further research, I will likely be leaning towards a Beretta.

I just need to find time and a place that has them in stock so I can get some hands on looks at them. Now the question will be going with a 12 or 20 gauge. I know that 12 is preferable for the clay games, the primary use will be upland and only occasionally on the range, mainly for practice rather than competition. I do have a nice semi-auto 12 gauge that I use for ducks and at the club if I find I don’t like a 20 on the range.

I love Benelli semi-auto shotguns, but my O/U is a Beretta. Scooter gave you some good advice. Have fun going after those pesky clays.

I'd go with a 12 gauge over the 20, as you can get light loads for the 12 (as light as 7/8th of an ounce of one ounce isn't light enough). With the 20 gauge gun, it's going to provide more felt recoil with most game loads and one ounce is about as heavy as you can routinely find. The 12 gauge shotgun provides the most versatility on all fronts. Also, I'd get a 28" or 30" barrel as it'll be more appropriate for clay sports should you decide you like them beyond the practice aspects. When you're shooting in "competition", you'll soon find the one you're competing against isn't really other shooter so much as yourself.

I've not shot either, and am not a trap, skeet, or bird hunter,


however,

I am in the business,

teh Benelli 828u is a beautiful shotgon,
really has that modern italian look
handles well,
smooth, etc etc,

and does not sell that well,


we sell 1 for about every 10 or 15 Beretta's,

FWIW, I have had one trade in on a 828, took forever to resell it,

not a single one has been sent back for repairs, if that helps,



BTW, if you do a lot of upland hunting, trap and skeet, you will end up with 2 or 3 shotguns,


as mentioned, there is not a real good universal fit option for all 3 disciplines,

686 for me.

Mine have 28” barrels.

26” on a semi-auto and a 26” on a double gun are not comparable because of the much longer actions of a semi auto.

I’d go 28” on a double gun unless I used the gun for brush/woods hunting exclusively.

quote:

Originally posted by 2Adefender:
I love Benelli semi-auto shotguns, but my O/U is a Beretta. Scooter gave you some good advice. Have fun going after those pesky clays.

Same here.

I checked the Bereta Web Site for dealers listed as handling the 21,000 dollar SL3 thinking that any shop dealing in the very high end of the Beretta line would also have true shotgun specialists and naturally would carry the 686 in stock. What I found was the following.

BARN STORE OF NEW ENGLAND
96 OLD TURNPIKE RD
SALISBURY, NH 03268

There is also a Bass Pro in New Hampshire but I can understand why someone might avoid that particular store like the plague. They have completely destroyed Cabela's and I will never get over that.

If you have any shotgun ranges nearby I would suggest that you talk to the members. Because at the club I belong to the members have a real wealth of knowledge and are very willing to extend guidance and help for anyone taking up the shotgun sports. Chances are good that if you start asking about the 686 as a new purchase you'll probably have some members offer to let you shoot theirs.

Our shop sells them, albeit slowly. Silver Pigeons vastly outsell the 828U, probably close to a 20:1 ratio. It's indeed a lightweight which makes it nice for upland field work. But conversely it's not exactly the best weight for 'hunting' sporting clays, yet the stock's adjustability is however what many serious clay shooters would want in a clay target gun so there's a bit of a disconnect there. The drop-free trigger group (like their semi-autos) is rather novel as well for a break-top gun. The lockup to me feels somewhat cheesy, but we've yet to have any customers bring theirs back in to send back to Benelli to address any problems because of this. I have heard that the 828U is a bit more difficult to clean than other O/U designs. I don't like that it's trickier to reassembly the barrel to the receiver. A Beretta, Browning and pretty much every other O/U is a breeze to put together, while the 828U requires some patience to get the barrel positioned at the exacting correct angle before it FINALLY falls into place. Younger shoppers--you know, the ones who have less income and discretionary money to spend--tend to gravitate to its design more so than older skeet shooters do.

It's not a great seller for us as I alluded to above, not like Benelli's semi and pump guns are. The real problem is that Benelli style-wise chose to reinterpret the over/under genre with the 828U and this is a market that respects traditionalist design probably more so than any gun type. Ironic that we get far more interest in Benelli's Franchi O/U lineup, not only because they offer better value for the price but also because they have the "right look" to them.

Thanks for the continued replies. I plan on taking a trip up to the Maine location of Cole Gun after the holidays. I am also close to Kittery Trading Post. No desire to go to Bass Pro but the Barn Store is a nice shop owned by quality people.

I've got a Silver Pigeon II with 28 inch tubes, and I'm glad I didn't opt for shorter. If you shoot skeet, trap, sporting clays, etc. I always felt like a longer barrel helped me reach out and "touch" the clays. For the amount I've hunted with the gun, I've never been concerned with wanting shorter barrels for easier handling.


TS

I have one. And now that they offer a 20 ga. I'm looking into eventually purchasing.

The truth is when it comes to O/U Italian shotguns, I love em. However, as a lefty, they don't love me.

The Benelli allows you to remove the butt stock and slide a (almost invisible) shim in there to compensate for "cast". This is a beautiful thing.

The Cole shop in Maine is excellent. One 686 won't be enough. I have one in all gauges currently manufactured. They are a pleasure to shoot and clean. I've had Cole do work for me, they are an excellent company to deal with.

quote:

Originally posted by coloradohunter44:
They are a pleasure to shoot and clean.

I agree that the 686 is a nice gun to shoot.

After tens of thousands of rounds through my shotguns, after tens of thousands of rounds through my rifles, and after tens of thousands of rounds through my handguns -- I absolutely do not find pleasure in cleaning any kind of firearm. Cleaning is a necessary task, which I do after almost every shooting session. If there were a magic wand for gun cleaning, I would be first in line to buy it.

quote:

Originally posted by coloradohunter44:
The Cole shop in Maine is excellent. One 686 won't be enough. I have one in all gauges currently manufactured. They are a pleasure to shoot and clean. I've had Cole do work for me, they are an excellent company to deal with.

Those are beautiful Berettas. What model and grade are they?

quote:

Originally posted by Green Highlander:

quote:

Originally posted by coloradohunter44:
The Cole shop in Maine is excellent. One 686 won't be enough. I have one in all gauges currently manufactured. They are a pleasure to shoot and clean. I've had Cole do work for me, they are an excellent company to deal with.

Those are beautiful Berettas. What model and grade are they?

Top is a Giubileo in 28 gauge that I sourced the barrels for. It came with the original 410 barrels, but I prefer 28 gauge for pheasant hunting. The bottom is a 687 EELL in 28 gauge. I also have my first Beretta 686 in 12 gauge, but really haven't hunted it since I purchased my first 686 in 28 gauge. I have a few others...I really love their fit and finish.