Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I - It hates me!

[SwaneeSR]

Last year I joined a trap league. I used a Browning BT99 that my dad had given my youngest son when he passed away in 2012. I enjoyed the league and improved to the point where 23/25 was common.



I saved up for an O/U and handled and even shot a round or two with a Beretta and Browning O/U. So last November I purchased a Beretta Silver Pigeon I Sporting 30". I love the shotgun but it hates me. I have been shooting it a lot, practicing on non-league nights, but I am not getting better. With the tight cheek weld I used on the BT99, it seems to shoot low. I know the BT99 is a trap gun and throws high like it should. The Beretta seemed to shoot low on the pattern board. A couple coaches from a local high school trap team even showed me how to shim the butt pad to raise the point of impact. I began the season without any shimming. I did purchase and grind down a shim that I could put back on between the stock and recoil pad.



I have been trying to use the shotgun as factory and adjust my timing and cover the bird to break it. I just can not get back to where I was last year with the BT99. To add to the drama, a member at the club wanted to try a Beretta, so we switched guns. While he struggled over on trap #1 with my Beretta, I took his Browning Synergy over trap #2. The Browning seemed heavy, the forend seemed too wide, very different feel. I missed bird #3, after that crushed all of them to end with a 24/25.



I am unsure what to do. My Beretta is a good shotgun. I can install the shim and try that. I could put the Beretta in the gun safe and go back to the BT99 for now. I thought if I used a less tight cheek weld, things were getting better, but the consistency is just not there with recent rounds of 21,20,14,20 with a few 3's on stations.



I will never be a professional trap shooter, but this is bad bad bad.



Any advice? Can a shotgun fitter help me? Do I need to let one of my sons have the Beretta and begin saving for a Browning? How would I find an expert to help?



Swanee



PS - this is not a shotgun quality problem.

 

[Virginian]

I had a Beretta Golden Snipe that hated me. Beautiful gun, but... Sold it. Good luck.

 

[John3921]

Have an adjustable comb installed. You can change your bead alignment to more stacked than figure 8 and raise your POI. They are not that expensive and aid greatly in getting a shotgun to fit.

It may result in also installing an adjustable butt pad. I use a 100 straight butt pad on my DT10. It can be adjusted through the recoil pad. like the comb, once you have it dialed in you will not likely need to ever mess with it again.


http://www.tronspace.com/Pages/Samples.aspx

 

[tarosean]

nothing wrong with selling and buying a browning. Even if fit correctly you still might prefer the extra heft of brown.

 

[John3921]

I'm a Beretta guy, but, if you are going to do well at any of the clay sports you have to have a gun that fits. Fitting yourself to a one size fits all production stock will be an exercise in futility.

You have a few choices, live with the scores you are getting, do what it takes to get the gun fit properly, or, sell gun and buy one that fits. Adjustable combs and butt plates are very common now - because they work, and they are a fraction of the cost of a custom stock.

I'd suggest finding someone in your area that knows what a properly fit shotgun is and go talk to them.

 

[Virginian]

Finding someone in your area that knows shotgun fitting, versus someone who thinks they know shotgun fitting, may prove the most difficult task.

 

[SwaneeSR]

Thank you for the advice.

It appears the first step is to have a session with a shotgun fitter. Maybe bringing both the Beretta and the BT99 to the guy would reveal why one works better than the other.

The cost of adding the adjustable stock is not as expensive as I would have thought. However, my son seems to shoot the Beretta well. I have two sons and they are both interested in trap and other clays.

In hindsight, it would have been better to purchase a shotgun with some adjustability. I am close enough to Mr. Average height and build. My wife does say I have a fat head, so maybe that is what is getting in my way.

Swanee


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[entropy]

Every 686 I've shot had a field comb and rib-great Sporting Clays gun, it is usually my first recommendation for that-but you already had an excellent Trap gun in the BT99.

You are correct, find someone who can fit you, and either buy a gun that fits better, as mentioned adjustable combs and buttplates can do wonders,or have changes made to the 686.

 

[SwaneeSR]

I agree.

I had two reasons for purchasing the O/U. I could see I wanted to try skeet and five stand. Second, when shooting with my sons, my youngest should get to use his gun that my dad gave him.




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