Description
The Beretta 686 Sporting in 28 gauge, catalogued by Beretta as the 686 Silver Pigeon I Sporting and stocked under part number J686S2820CBF, is the small bore clays gun built the way small bore clays guns should be. Barrels are 30 inches of Steelium with a vent rib, and the receiver is the 20 gauge frame rather than a scaled 28 gauge one. That receiver choice is the whole point. A 28 gauge on a 28 gauge frame is a delightful upland gun and a twitchy clays gun.
Put the same barrels on the heavier 20 gauge action and the extra weight between the hands steadies the swing without adding recoil, because the payload has not changed. The stock is walnut with Beretta’s B-Fast adjustable comb, the receiver is engraved and silver finished, and Optima Bore HP choke tubes ship with the gun.
Why a 28 gauge on a 20 gauge receiver
Weight in the right place is what makes a shotgun swing smoothly. A featherweight 28 stops on the target; a slightly heavier one keeps moving through it.
The 20 gauge frame adds that weight between the hands rather than out at the muzzles, so the gun stays quick to start while resisting the urge to stop.
Recoil does not go up, because a 28 gauge shell throws the same three quarters of an ounce whatever it is bolted to. You get the steadiness without the price.
This is the configuration a lot of experienced clays shooters end up buying deliberately, and it is the reason Beretta builds it this way rather than as a scaled set.
What the Beretta 686 Sporting brings to the station
The B-Fast adjustable comb lets you set comb height so the rib picture repeats on every mount, which matters far more over fifty targets than over four flushes.
Thirty inch Steelium barrels give a long sighting plane and the muzzle weight that keeps a swing honest on crossers.
The low profile boxlock and steel action are the same architecture that has kept 680 series guns tight through decades of heavy round counts.
Optima Bore HP chokes keep the transition into the constriction gradual, which is worth more on a small bore than on a 12 where the payload can absorb abuse.
Specifications
- Model: Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I Sporting 28 GA, part number J686S2820CBF
- Gauge: 28
- Chamber: 3 inches as listed by Beretta, and common 28 gauge ammunition is 2 3/4 inch
- Barrel length: 30 inches, blued Steelium with vent rib
- Receiver: 20 gauge frame, steel, engraved and silver finished
- Action: over and under boxlock
- Chokes: Optima Bore HP tubes
- Stock: walnut with B-Fast adjustable comb
- Trigger: single selective
- Left handed: no
Shotshell dimensions and pressures are standardized by SAAMI. For clays and upland work we stock 28 gauge 3/4 ounce 7.5 shot, and 1 ounce 6 shot for birds. Set the comb on a pattern board before you shoot a round with it, and do not dry fire the gun without snap caps. Buyers who want the 20 gauge version of this same build should compare the 20 gauge B-Fast Sporting, the field guns are listed in 20 gauge and 12 gauge, and the 28 gauge and 410 combo is the two barrel set.
One note on the paperwork side: distributor records for this part number disagree on barrel length, and we list 30 inches because Beretta and the balance of sources give that figure. Ask us and we will measure the gun before it ships.
Why it is worth considering
- A 28 gauge payload on a 20 gauge receiver, which buys swing weight without buying recoil.
- A B-Fast adjustable comb, so the gun is fitted to you rather than the reverse.
- Thirty inch Steelium barrels and a long sighting plane.
- The 680 series boxlock, an action that stays tight through heavy round counts.
- Optima Bore HP chokes, which suit a small bore better than an abrupt constriction does.
Who it suits
This suits a sporting clays or skeet shooter who has already decided a 28 is enough gun and wants one that does not feel nervous in the hands. It is heavier than a dedicated upland 28, so a hunter who walks all day should look at a scaled frame gun instead. Every long gun we sell ships to a licensed FFL for transfer.
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