Description
The Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I in 20 gauge, part number J686F2026, is the small bore version of the over and under that has carried Beretta’s field line for four decades. Barrels are 26 inches, blued with a vent rib, chambers are 3 inches, and the steel receiver wears the floral scroll engraving the line is named for. The stock is Grade 2 walnut with a 14.38 inch length of pull and an Extralight recoil pad.
Five flush Optima-Choke HP tubes ship in the case, which is what the CT5 in the distributor listing refers to. This is the plain field build. It is set up for walking birds rather than for standing on a station.
Why a 20 gauge, and why 26 inch barrels
A 20 gauge on a scaled receiver is the classic all day upland gun. It carries easier than a 12, recoils less over a long morning, and with modern loads it does not give up much in the covers where most birds are shot.
Twenty six inch barrels are the handiest length Beretta offers here. In grouse and woodcock cover, where the shot comes fast and close, the shorter tubes get on the bird before a longer gun has finished moving.
The tradeoff is on long crossing shots, where the shorter barrels are less forgiving of a swing that stops. If most of your birds come at distance, the 28 and 30 inch builds are worth the extra length.
Weight runs between 6.3 and 7 pounds depending on the wood, so this is a gun you can carry all day without resenting it.
What the Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I gets right
The low profile boxlock sits the barrels close to the hand, which is the main reason this line points the way it does and why so many shooters never move off it.
The receiver is steel rather than alloy. It costs a few ounces and it is why these guns are still in the field long after the first owner.
Conical locking lugs and replaceable shoulders mean a loose action is a gunsmith job rather than the end of the gun.
Five flush Optima-Choke HP tubes cover a quail at ten yards and a decoying duck at forty, and the Optima bore keeps the transition into the constriction gradual.
Specifications
- Model: Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I 20 GA, part number J686F2026
- Gauge: 20
- Chamber: 3 inches
- Barrel length: 26 inches, blued with vent rib
- Action: over and under boxlock
- Receiver: steel, floral engraving
- Top rib: 6 by 6 millimetre taper
- Chokes: five flush Optima-Choke HP tubes
- Stock: Grade 2 walnut, 14.38 inch length of pull
- Recoil pad: Extralight
- Trigger: single selective with automatic safety
- Weight unloaded: 6.3 to 7 pounds
- Left handed: no
Shotshell dimensions and pressures are standardized by SAAMI, and the 3 inch chambers take both 2 3/4 and 3 inch twenty gauge shells. For upland work we stock Browning BXD Upland in 5 shot, and Federal Top Gun 7/8 ounce 7.5 shot is the inexpensive way to shoot it on clays. Break the gun open before you set it down, and do not dry fire it without snap caps.
Shooters who want the 12 gauge should look at the 28 inch and 30 inch builds, smaller framed shooters should compare the Vittoria stock version, and the 28 gauge and 410 combo goes smaller still.
Why it is worth considering
- A 20 gauge on a scaled frame, so the weight saving is real rather than cosmetic.
- Twenty six inch barrels, the handiest length in thick cover.
- A steel receiver and a low profile action, which is why these guns outlast their owners.
- Five flush chokes in the case, so the gun arrives ready for more than one kind of bird.
- Conical locking lugs a gunsmith can tighten, rather than a worn action you tolerate.
Who it suits
This suits an upland hunter who walks more than they stand, and anyone who has decided a 12 gauge is more gun than their shooting actually needs. It is the wrong choice for pass shooting waterfowl or for a clays shooter who wants length and weight, and hunters who prefer a semi-automatic should compare the A400 Upland. Every long gun we sell ships to a licensed FFL for transfer.
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