Description
The Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I in 20 gauge, part number J686F2030, pairs the scaled small bore receiver with the longest barrels Beretta offers on it. Barrels are 30 inches, blued with a vent rib, chambers are 3 inches, and the steel receiver carries 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, and five flush Optima-Choke HP tubes ship in the case, which is what the CT5 in the distributor listing refers to.
A 20 gauge with 30 inch barrels is an unusual combination and a deliberate one. It is the configuration for a shooter who wants the swing of a long gun without the weight of a 12.
Why 30 inch barrels on a 20 gauge
A 20 gauge receiver is smaller and lighter than a 12, so hanging 30 inch barrels on it lands the finished gun around the weight of a 28 inch 12 gauge rather than making it a boat anchor.
The payoff is the swing. Long barrels carry their mass out front, which keeps the muzzles moving through a crossing bird instead of stopping on it, and the longer sight plane makes a pointing error easier to feel before the trigger breaks.
This is the combination a lot of sporting clays and dove shooters land on once they stop chasing recoil reduction and start chasing a gun that stays smooth.
It is the wrong gun for thick grouse cover, where the 26 inch build is quicker onto a close flush.
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.
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 close flush and a forty yard crosser alike, and the Optima bore keeps the transition into the constriction gradual.
Specifications
- Model: Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I 20 GA, part number J686F2030
- Gauge: 20
- Chamber: 3 inches
- Barrel length: 30 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 field 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, which is where the long barrels earn their keep. Break the gun open before you set it down, and do not dry fire it without snap caps.
Shooters who want a handier small bore should compare the 26 inch 20 gauge, the 12 gauge is available in 28 inch and 30 inch builds, and the 28 gauge and 410 combo goes smaller still.
Why it is worth considering
- Thirty inch barrels on a scaled 20 gauge frame, which buys swing without buying weight.
- 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 shooting.
- Grade 2 walnut with a 14.38 inch length of pull, a dimension that fits most adults without alteration.
- Conical locking lugs a gunsmith can tighten, rather than a worn action you tolerate.
Who it suits
This suits a dove, clays or open country shooter who has decided a 12 gauge is more recoil than the job needs but does not want to give up a long, smooth swing. It is a poor choice for thick cover, where the 26 inch build is the right answer. Every long gun we sell ships to a licensed FFL for transfer.
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