The gun under our lens this month is the Sporter model of the new Beretta Silver Pigeon, designated the 686 Silver Pigeon I Sport and supplied by GMK. It is a 30in 12-bore, fleur-de-lys superior proofed for steel shot and equipped with 70mm Optima choke HP multichokes (five supplied), a 10mm x 8mm tapered sighting rib and long forcing cones in its Steelium monobloc barrels. The gun is mid-weight for a modern Sporter at 7lb 11oz.

First impressions are of a well-designed and finished modern sporting weapon. It features a new pattern of broadly cut acanthus leaf laser ‘engraving’, which distinguishes the updated model (as does a restyled top-lever). The wood is quite plain at this grade and the action decoration is not especially bold (but tasteful). Beretta embellishment on basic models used to be applied by hand-operated rolling presses developed by the Bottega Giovanelli engraving studio. A dozen or so were involved in completing an action. It was quite labour-intensive, with one special press dedicated to each section or component of decoration. Now, cleverly programmed CNC machinery achieves similar effects with lasers as part of a normal in-house production cycle.

The Beretta factory amazes when you visit it because so much work is now carried out robotically, with some interesting exceptions at barrel-making and final regulation still. Nowhere is this better illustrated than in the revolution concerning laser gun engraving (or, to be precise, etching) and chequering. It has transformed (and speeded) the production process. The hi-tech gravure still does not have the angled side-cuts of handwork, and is not especially deep here, but impresses nevertheless.

The test gun’s 3in-chambered Steelium barrels also merit comment. They are made from nickel-chrome-moly steel using deep drilling, cold hammer forging and vacuum distension to improve purity. Beretta claims: ‘This entire process guarantees smoother ballistics that help reduce recoil and muzzle rise effect, ensuring perfect, dense and uniform patterns with any type of ammunition.’ The practical effect is to improve molecular structure, and with it strength and wear resistance (and possibly friction in the finished barrel). No other gun manufacturer does as much lab work on metallurgy and recoil and pattern effect. Beretta barrels are extraordinarily tough, in my experience. Those here are straight and quite meaty. Using a barrel wall thickness gauge, they are concentric and exceptionally consistent, showing a minimum wall thickness of 36 thou increasing slightly towards the muzzles.

The test gun’s butt is quite full in style. Basic dimensions are sound but I am not so fond of the lipped fore-end and would have preferred a rounded type without forward taper on a Sporter. The large grip does not quite anchor my hand: there is a tendency to slip forward, which might be mitigated by a slight change of shape and/or chequering. Good and consistent facial support is provided by the comb, and the overall finish is good too.

Few guns have been as successful (more than a million sold) or as influential as the 686 Silver Pigeon. The model traces its lineage via a prototype sidelock of the 1940s, which introduced conical locking and may be seen in the Beretta museum, and the ‘boxlock’ (actually trigger-plate) Models 55, 56 and 57 introduced from 1955. The 55 had leaf springs powering its hammers; the 56 and 57 transitioned to coil springs as still employed. The next ancestor of note is the 680, the progenitor of the modern 68 series: 685 (plain action) and 686 (scroll engraved) Field models first appeared circa 1976 and a 687 (game scene) in 1977. This was an era when computer-controlled machining and multichokes were also being introduced. The Silver Pigeon name was added in the 1990s (though first used on a Beretta pump gun). (Read all our Silver Pigeon shotgun reviews.)

Barrels are straight, tough and consistent. The updated model features a new pattern of broadly cut acanthus leaf laser ‘engraving’

Technical

This trigger-plate design – common to the 55 and 68 series – is notable for a low action profile enabled by trunnion hinging and Beretta’s clever conical bolting that requires no under-lumps beneath the chambers. A dovetailed barrel shoulder engaging in the top of the action wall is another recognisable feature, and the action body itself is designed with a rounded bottom (probably to facilitate production: the 55 is square cut internally). The most notable mechanical change in the new Silver Pigeon is the repositioning of the top-lever return trip-pin on the top action face to a central position (it used to be slightly offset). This makes closing the gun noticeably smoother. Generally, these guns are extraordinarily reliable. On old 686 and 687s the (easily replaced) helical main spring could break occasionally but the design is now changed. Oversize bolts and hinge discs are available for hardused examples (requiring fi tting by a gunsmith). The strikers are incredibly tough and rarely break or even pit.

Shooting impressions

Many began their shooting careers with a 686 ‘Silver Pigeon’, and they are still the most commonly seen guns at shooting schools because of their durability. This Sporter version felt substantial in the hands and balanced well – ½in or so forward of the hinge point. I found trigger-pulls out of the box rather heavy: approaching 5lb (but easily regulated). Stock dimensions were good. Mechanical function was fine too. I missed a couple of birds behind until I adapted to the trigger pulls using the fi rst joint crease instead of the pad of the trigger finger. After that, targets disappeared in satisfying balls of dust. This is an exceptionally well-made, well-presented gun. Beretta’s engineering is second to none. Desert island, one gun? That would be a no-brainer: it would have to be a Silver Pigeon.