Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I 410 Bore 28in — Superb Over Under Shotgun

Description

The Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I in 410 bore is the smallest gauge in a line that has been the default answer to “what over under should I buy” for something like forty years. This is the 28 inch barrel configuration with three inch chambers, Mobilchoke tubes, and a receiver carrying Beretta’s floral engraving over a bi-tone silver and blued finish. The 680 series action underneath it is the reason these guns last.

It is low and slim, with trapezoid shoulders and dual conical locking lugs rather than the underlug arrangement most boxlocks use, which keeps the receiver shallow and puts the barrels closer to your hand. A well used 686 typically outlives its first owner.

What a 410 Bore Over Under Is Actually For

Be clear eyed about the gauge. A 410 throws a very small shot charge, so the pattern is thin and margins for error are narrow. It is not an easier gun to shoot than a 20 gauge; it is a harder one, and hitting with it is a genuine accomplishment rather than a given.

What it is very good at is skeet, close range small game, and putting a capable shotgun in the hands of someone who cannot take recoil. At 6.5 pounds this gun is actually on the heavy side for a 410, and that is deliberate: the weight steadies the swing and makes recoil close to nonexistent.

It is also a serious grouse and woodcock gun in the right hands, and a wonderful thing to walk with. Forty five inches overall with 28 inch barrels gives enough sight plane to swing properly without being unwieldy in cover.

Build, Chokes and Handling

The stock is oil finished walnut with a schnabel forend, checkered for grip in the wet, and fitted with a recoil pad. Oil finish is the right choice on a field gun: it looks better with age than lacquer and it is repairable at home when you scratch it, which you will.

Mobilchoke tubes come with the gun in full, improved modified, modified and improved cylinder. On a 410 choke selection matters more than on a larger gauge, simply because you have fewer pellets to work with and a thin pattern punishes the wrong tube.

Ejectors throw empties clear and the single selective trigger lets you choose which barrel fires first, which is how you make a fixed pair of chokes behave like a decision rather than a compromise.

Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I 410 Specifications

• Manufacturer: Beretta
• Model: 686 Silver Pigeon I
• Gauge: 410 bore
• Chamber: 3 inch
• Action: over under, 680 series boxlock
• Barrels: 28 inches
• Chokes: Mobilchoke, full, improved modified, modified, improved cylinder
• Receiver: bi-tone silver and blued, floral engraving
• Stock: oil finished walnut, field, checkered, recoil pad
• Forend: schnabel
• Sights: bead front
• Capacity: 2 rounds
• Overall length: 45 inches
• Weight: 6.5 pounds
• Part number: J686FN8

Why it is worth considering

• The 680 series action, which is the reason these guns are handed down rather than traded in
• Genuinely heavy for a 410 at 6.5 pounds, which steadies the swing and kills recoil
• Four Mobilchoke tubes included, so the gun is set up for whatever you point it at
• Oil finished walnut that can be refreshed at home rather than sent away
• Floral engraved bi-tone receiver on a gun priced as a working field shotgun

Who it suits

This suits the shooter who already knows they want a 410, whether for skeet, close cover birds, or putting a capable gun in the hands of a smaller or recoil sensitive shooter. It is not the gauge to buy as a first or only shotgun; a 20 gauge will do more for less money and less frustration.

Ammunition and Transfer Notes for the Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I 410

410 ammunition is the quiet cost of owning one. It is more expensive per shell than 12 or 20 gauge despite holding a fraction of the shot, and the selection at a typical counter is thinner. Two and a half inch skeet loads are the standard for clays; three inch shells give you more shot and are worth having for game, and this gun takes both. Shotshell dimensions and pressure standards are published by SAAMI.

Steel shot deserves a word. Many waterfowl and some public land rules require non toxic shot, and 410 steel loads exist but are marginal at best given how little payload there is to begin with. If non toxic is a requirement where you shoot, a 20 gauge is the honest answer rather than this gun.

Look after the wood and the gun will look after itself. Wipe the barrels down after a wet day, keep a light oil on the metal, and refresh the stock oil once a season. If you want more payload in the same action, Beretta builds the 686 Silver Pigeon I in 12, 20 and 28 gauge as well; ask us what we can get. More of our inventory is on the MAG5 Firearms shop page. This shotgun ships to a licensed dealer of your choosing, where you will complete a 4473 and a NICS check.