Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I Combo 28 Gauge and 410 Bore — Superb Over Under

Description

The Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I Combo, part number J686F28410C, is a single over and under sold with two barrel sets: one in 28 gauge and one in .410 bore. Both are 28 inches, both are blued Steelium with a ventilated rib, and both fit the same engraved silver receiver and fixed walnut stock.
For a shooter who wants both small bores without buying two guns, this is the efficient answer. The receiver, the trigger, the stock fit, and the balance stay constant; only the tubes change.

Why a two-barrel set makes sense in small bores

A 28 gauge and a .410 do genuinely different jobs. The 28 is a proper upland gun, comfortable on quail, woodcock, and doves, and capable well past what its reputation suggests. The .410 is a specialist: a skeet gun, a young shooter’s first real shotgun, and a pest gun at close range, and it rewards precision in a way no larger bore does.

Owning both usually means owning two guns with different stock dimensions, different triggers, and different balance, which means relearning the gun every time you switch. A combo set removes that. Your hands, your cheek weld, and your trigger finger meet the same gun regardless of which barrels are on it.

The 680 series action and the barrels

The receiver is the 680-series boxlock that Beretta has been refining since the 1980s, with conical locking lugs and replaceable shoulders that let the action be re-fitted rather than replaced when it eventually wears. It is the reason these guns show up in used racks with six-figure round counts and still shoot tight.

Barrels are Steelium, Beretta’s cold hammer forged tri-alloy, with a long forcing cone and a ventilated rib. The silver receiver is engraved, the stock is fixed walnut, and both barrel sets carry 3 inch chambers, which on a .410 opens up ammunition options considerably.

Specifications

• Model: Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I Combo, part number J686F28410C
• Gauges: 28 gauge and .410 bore, two barrel sets included
• Chambers: 3 inches
• Capacity: 2 rounds
• Barrel length: 28 inches, blued Steelium with a ventilated rib
• Action: over and under boxlock, 680 series
• Receiver: engraved silver
• Stock: fixed walnut
• Chokes: interchangeable

Why it is worth considering

• Two bores, one gun, one set of stock dimensions to learn.
• The 680 series action, which is field-serviceable and famously long-lived.
• Steelium barrels with extended forcing cones in both gauges.
• Three inch chambers in .410, which widens the ammunition available.
• An engraved silver receiver and walnut, in a gun built to be used rather than admired.

Who it suits

This suits the small-bore enthusiast, the skeet shooter who competes in both 28 and .410 events, and the parent teaching a young shooter who will graduate from one bore to the other. It is also a genuinely practical upland gun with the 28 gauge tubes fitted. What it is not is a do-everything shotgun: neither bore has the payload for waterfowl or long-range pheasants, and hunters who need one gun for everything should be looking at a 12 or 20 gauge. Buy this one because you want the small bores.

Shells, chokes, and transfer notes

Shotshell dimensions and pressures are standardized by SAAMI, and both barrel sets take 3 inch shells in their respective bores. For the 28 gauge tubes we stock 1 ounce number 6 upland loads and 3/4 ounce 7.5 shot; for the .410 tubes, 3 inch 6 shot and 2 1/2 inch 6 shot both work. Both bores are worth buying ahead on; small-bore shells disappear from shelves faster than 12 and 20 gauge.

Shooters who only want the .410 should compare the 686 Silver Pigeon I in .410, and clay shooters who want a dedicated 28 gauge should look at the Silver Pigeon I Sporting in 28 gauge. Every long gun we sell ships to a licensed FFL for transfer and background check, and Pennsylvania buyers should plan on the state point of contact check at pickup.