Description
The Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I 20 Gauge is the gun most people mean when they talk about a field over/under that will still be working in thirty years. The low-profile Beretta boxlock action, the silver engraved receiver and the Grade II walnut have been refined rather than redesigned for four decades, and in 20 gauge the whole package comes in light enough to carry all day behind a dog.
This is part number J686F2028: 28-inch blued barrels with a vented rib, 3-inch chambers, a fixed walnut stock and a right-hand configuration. The Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I 20 Gauge ships with five OptimaChoke HP tubes, which covers everything from a tight woodcock cover to a decoyed teal.
What sets the Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I 20 Gauge apart
- A low-profile monobloc action that sits the barrels closer together than most competitors
- Conical locking lugs and replaceable shoulders, so the action can be tightened rather than scrapped
- Grade II walnut with a hand-checkered grip and forend
- Silver engraved receiver that is cut, not printed or laser-etched on a coating
- Five OptimaChoke HP tubes supplied with the gun
Why 20 gauge suits this action
- The scaled 20 gauge frame is genuinely smaller, not a 12 gauge frame with small barrels
- Carries comfortably on a long walk, which is most of what an upland gun does
- Recoil is mild enough for a full day of driven or walked-up shooting
- Modern 20 gauge loads kill cleanly on everything from woodcock to pheasant
- Pairs naturally with a lighter, faster-handling swing in thick cover
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Beretta USA
- Part number: J686F2028
- Gauge: 20
- Chamber: 3 inch
- Barrel length: 28 inches
- Configuration: Over/under, vented rib, blued
- Capacity: 2 rounds
- Receiver: Silver, engraved
- Stock: Fixed Grade II walnut, right hand
- Chokes: Five OptimaChoke HP tubes
- UPC: 082442027180
Chokes and loads
Five tubes means you can actually match the choke to the day rather than compromising. Skeet and cylinder for early-season birds in thick cover, improved cylinder and modified for walked-up work, and full in the top barrel when the birds start getting up wild. The Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I 20 Gauge takes the standard OptimaChoke HP pattern, so replacements and extended tubes are easy to find.
For clays and practice, B&P Competition One in 8 shot and Federal Top Gun are both economical and clean-burning. Shotshell dimension and pressure standards are published by SAAMI; a 3-inch chamber will take 2.75-inch shells without any adjustment.
Owning a boxlock over/under
An over/under like this is a long-term purchase, and the Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I 20 Gauge is built with that in mind. The conical locking lugs and replaceable shoulders mean a gun shot loose after decades of use can be brought back to tight rather than written off, which is not true of every competing design.
Care is simple. Wipe the barrels and the standing breech after every outing, keep a light film of oil on the hinge pin and the lug faces, and take the forend off for storage so the wood is not under tension. Wood stocks want a dry cabinet, not a sealed case.
Why this shotgun earns its place
- A genuinely scaled 20 gauge frame rather than a 12 gauge action with smaller tubes
- The Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I 20 Gauge is a gun that can be serviced and tightened rather than replaced
- Real cut engraving and Grade II walnut at a price most makers reserve for synthetic
- Five chokes included, which very few competitors match
- Resale on a Silver Pigeon is among the strongest in the over/under market
The Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I 20 Gauge suits the upland hunter who wants one gun for grouse, woodcock and pheasant, and the clays shooter who would rather carry a light gun than chase the last bird with a heavy one. If you want more than one gauge, the Silver Pigeon I combo set gives you two barrel sets, and the .410 version is the lightest gun in the family.
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