This test focuses on a limited edition of the Beretta 687 built to commemorate the firearms manufacturer’s 500th anniversary (1526-2026). Just over 3,000 of the guns are being built: appropriately, 1,526 in sporting configuration and 1,526 in field form. Our model is a 12-bore sporting spec with 30in barrels and an adjustable comb. It boasts steel-proof Optima HP chokes, 3in chambers with long ‘double progressive’ forcing cones and a gently tapered 10mm x 8mm rib. The full-pistol- grip stock measures 14½in, including a 20mm MicroCore recoil pad (the latter made from an open-cell polymer material much lighter than most recoil pads). Hitting the scales at 8lb, this gun is ideal for clays but not too hefty for high birds. By way of comparison, the fixed-stock 30in field version is usually around 7½lb.

Visually imposing

This extra-finish, commemorative 687 is visually imposing. First impressions are dominated by the well-figured, gloss-finished Grade 3 wood and the gold-accented, fairly open scroll floral engraving on the nickel-plated action. There is also a gold 500th-anniversary logo on the underside with gold ribbons. The detailing may not be to everyone’s preference but Beretta is making a bold statement here because of its quincentennial celebration. It also offers both the 686 Silver Pigeon I and 687 Silver Pigeon V with unadorned scrollwork for those with plainer taste. They are all attractive and all benefit from new five-axis laser technology that improves the contrast effect of the relatively shallow engraving.

Engraving

Beretta engraving has changed a lot in recent years. Early 686s and 687s had rolled engraving – refined by Cesare Giovanelli in his Gardone studio near the main Beretta factories and accomplished by a dozen or so machines of his design looking a bit like reloading presses (each applying part of the pattern). Laser methodology has replaced this in recent production. The result is also neat chequering. Beretta remains committed to hand-engraving on its premium models and has done much as a company to preserve and develop these skills in-house. There is considerable cross-fertilisation between new and old technologies. The evolution of laser techniques requires similar artistic skill as well as mastery of computer gunmaking technology, in which Beretta has been a major innovator.

Test gun

Returning to the test gun, its basic form will be familiar to many. Beretta 686, 687 and Silver Pigeon guns are incredibly popular with hundreds of thousands made on the 600 series platform (which includes other models such as the 680 and 682). All have bifurcated lumps, trapezoidal shoulders and dual conical bolting combined with monobloc barrel construction. Beretta has set a standard with this type of manufacture. I do not know of any gun more durable (they are the workhorses of most shooting schools for this reason). Beretta is, moreover, going back to the future now, having phased out most of the game and field models in the 69 series – including the excellent Beretta 690 Field III and the high-end Beretta 695 Field. Its massmarket over-and-under line is now largely focused on the Silver Pigeons – 686 and 687 – but the dedicated competition 694 is still offered. The Silver Pigeons are without doubt wonderful but I retain a soft spot for the 69-series field models too. I went to Italy for the press launch and ended up winning the inaugural FITASC-style competition. I have a 695 of my own and intend to match it to another one day.

The test gun is notable not just for its special finish but for tri-alloy, hammer- forged, Steelium barrels with long forcing cones and efficient Optima HP thin-wall chokes. Thread is placed 10mm further back from the muzzle, allowing for an increase in wall thickness at the more stressed muzzle end. It also has the advantage of an adjustable comb: a feature useful for anyone experimenting with gunfit.

Technical

The S55 and S56 were the progenitors and direct mechanical inspiration for later 68-series guns. It is less clear what the origins of the 50 series – the first Beretta industrially made over-andunder – are. Beretta studied Boss-style over-and-unders circa 1932 (making at least one imitation). It created a trunnionhinged, trapezoidal-shouldered S1 sidelock in 1933 and the first SO in 1935. The ASE of the 1940s put the lockwork (hammers, triggers and V-springs) on a trigger plate and used high Kersten bolts together with trapezoidal barrel shoulders. The S55 is a simplified triggerplate design for volume production and introducing now-familiar conical locking bolts. It originally employed V-springs but transitioned to helical ones (as always seen in 600s). No single designer’s name is evident; perhaps it is best seen as a team effort based on the low-profile architecture Tullio Marengoni, Beretta chief designer, had developed in the 1930s. Trunnion hinging and the angled barrel shoulders were brought forward from the SOs and ASEs to create a nowiconic mass-market over-and-under.

Shooting impressions

I took the 687 to a skeet range with a friend of slightly older vintage who remains an excellent shot. He found it a touch heavy. I missed a crossing shot behind initially but did not miss thereafter. The 687 is consistent and predictable to shoot. I would have opted for slightly less weight overall. It balances on the hinge pin (the adjustable comb adds a little mass rearwards) but does not feel unduly lively. I also found the factory-set trigger-pulls a bit heavy at 5lb. However, the gun generated much interest. It qualifies as a collector’s item as well as a shooting tool. That said, my aesthetic favourite in the current Beretta line-up is the similar 687 Silver Pigeon V but you must pay significantly more for its better wood and engraving. The mechanically comparable Silver Pigeon I offers remarkable value with a price still under £2,000. If you want the bells and whistles, though, here they are.

Beretta 687 Silver Pigeon 500 Years Limited Edition 12-bore