Beretta 424 Series

     Notes: These are double-barrel shotguns designed for hunting use.  They were introduced in 1950, and are still produced.  The breech is forged from a single piece of nickel steel.  The shotgun has external hammers which have a half-cock safety, and the weapon also has a manual safety.  Model 424 has a plain steel breech block; Model 426E has an engraved breech block with floral motifs; Model 427 has hand-engraved side plates for the breech block that made to order.  For most of its production time, these shotguns were made with a choice of single or double triggers, but they are now made only with single triggers, and the safety catch doubles as a barrel selector.  (This also means that both barrels may not be fired at the same time.)  Models 426E and 427 have automatic ejectors; Model 424 has a manual extractor. They are all virtually identical for game purposes.

Beretta 451

     Notes: This shotgun is designed for strength and durability.  The breech is made from highly-tempered nickel steel, and the entire gun is built to close tolerances and hand-finished.  The side lock is of the Holland & Holland type, further strengthened by Beretta’s patented twin safety bars.  The barrels are of Bohler Antinit-Anticorro steel, and finished and polished by hand.  The rib between the barrels is filled with a silver solder.  The stock is of select walnut.  The choke is up to the buyer, but is fixed.  The Model 451 may have twin or single triggers, and if a single trigger is used, it may or may not have a barrel selector.  The Model 451 may or may not also have automatic ejectors, according to the wishes of the buyer.

Beretta 470/471 Silver Hawk

     Notes: The Beretta 470 was introduced in 1997.  It is based on the Models 424/426/427, but uses new technology to produce a stronger and better gun, including electric discharge machining, which allows for very precise removal of excess material, and special welding techniques to produce a mono-bloc double barrel.  In 2002, this gun was renamed the Model 471.  The Model 470EL has retained the Model 470 designation, and has engraved side plates and only uses barrels of 26 or 28 inches (but is otherwise identical for game purposes).  These guns have a single trigger with a selector switch to choose the barrel; the barrels cannot be fired simultaneously.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: These shotguns do not exist.

Beretta 686 Onyx Hunter-Sport

     Notes: This is intended for the first time game hunter, to fire slugs or shot.  It is a beautiful gun, with well-made walnut stocks and over-and under construction.  It fires Magnum cartridges and comes in two barrel lengths, both long. A selector switch determines which barrel is fired; both cannot be fired at the same time.

Beretta 687 EELL

     Notes: This is an over-and-under shotgun designed for sport shooting, such as at targets and clay pigeons.  Though the statistics (such as cost and weight) I present here are for a basic gun, in practice, you will probably never encounter such a model of the 687 EELL.  The 687 EELL was known as a “rich-man’s gun,” and most of them have a wide variety of personalized adornment, from inlaid stock carvings to engraved receivers, expensive, rare woods, and things like gold, silver, or platinum filigree.  Even the steel is of the finest quality, and most have variable choke that allows the choke to be changed by a succession of small degrees.  They are capable of firing almost any sort of ammunition, including the most powerful magnum shells. 

     As might be guessed by the name, the Silver Pigeon V is designed primarily for pigeon-hunting and other fowling, but it is as well a veritable work of art, with side plates which are color case-hardened, decorated, engraved, and gold-inlaid.  The trigger is likewise gold-plated.  The breech block is small and lightweight, but strong.  The stock is oil-finished and made from fine Italian walnut root, and has a Kick-Eez recoil pad.  Care is taken to ensure the balance of the shotgun, regardless of gauge or barrel length. The barrels come with interchangeable chokes for maximum utility.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The Silver Pigeon V is not available in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Beretta ASE

     Notes: The ASE-90 was originally introduced in 1987, based on the earlier SO4.  It is an over-and-under shotgun designed for competition shooting, but is equally capable in the hunting role.  The steel on the ASE-90 is especially durable; the breech block is of nickel-chrome-molybdenum steel and the barrels are cold-forged and can be made from special “Titania” steel or Bohler Antnit steel.  The locking is of the double Purdey type.  The ASE-90 has a single trigger, with a barrel selector as an option.  The ASE-90 was originally made only for 2.75-inch shells, but in 1998 the option for 3-inch shells was added.  The barrels are uniformly long, ranging from 28 inches to a whopping 34 inches, with a barrel rib.  They are normally fitted with Mobilchoke interchangeable chokes, but may be fitted with fixed chokes if desired by the customer.  The trigger is removable and the position of it may be moved somewhat to fit the shooter better.

     In 1992, the name of this gun was changed to the ASE-90 Gold, but changed only cosmetically.  In 1996 the “-90” part of the designation was dropped and the gun simply became the ASE.  Variants include the ASE Gold-X, which has a more prominent barrel rib and a Monte Carlo stock, as well as a gold-inlaid goblet in either side of the receiver.  Skeet, Sporting, Trap, and Deluxe versions also exist, but all are identical to the standard version for game purposes.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The 3” chamber version does not exist.  Furthermore, this gun will still be known as the ASE-90 in the Twilight 2000 world.

Beretta DT10 Trident

     Notes: This is a fairly new over-and-under shotgun that was designed for clay pigeon shooting.  It is a fairly heavy gun, but quite finely balanced and designed to be resistant to wear and abuse.  The barrels are bored using a new Beretta concept known as Optima-Bore; in Optima-Bore, the internal dimensions of the barrel are several hundredths of a millimeter larger than usual.  This does not affect the seating of the shell, but does improve the shot pattern somewhat and reduces recoil.  New interchangeable chokes have also been designed for the DT10, called Optima Chokes.  The DT-10 also has a rubber recoil pad to further take up the shock of a shot.  The “DT” in DT10 stands for “Detachable Trigger;” the trigger unit of the DT10 can be moved somewhat along a rail to suit the shooter.  The DT10 comes in several versions: the DT10 Trident Skeet has 2.75” chambers, a 28-inch barrel, and a fixed Skeet choke; another version of the DT10 Trident Skeet has an adjustable cheekpiece, a 28-inch or 30-inch barrel, and Optima Choke.  The DT10 Sporting is designed for 3” shells, has a silver breech block instead of blued, and has 28, 30, or 32-inch barrels.  The DT10 Trident Trap guns consist of the Trap, Double Trap, and X-Trap; these weapons vary in quality and fanciness of the materials used, but are otherwise identical for game purposes.  All DT10 Trident stocks and fore-ends are made from walnut, and they have a sighting rib above the barrel.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: These weapons do not exist.

Beretta EL Gold Pigeon II

     Notes: The Gold Pigeon II is a subset of the Model 687 family; it’s an expensive gun, but not as expensive as the rest of the Model 687 range.  It is the kind of gun one would get when upgrading out of the “my first gun” status.

     The fit and finish of the Gold Pigeon II good but not exceptional, though many describe the Gold Pigeon II as almost too beautiful to shoot; it is, however, intended as a field gun for actual use.  The receiver has false sideplates which are heavily engraved and also with bas-reliefs of hunting scenes, with gold inlays.  The bottom of the receiver, the fences, the top tang, the trigger guard, and the top lever joint are also engraved in scrollwork.  The woodwork is of dark walnut, with checkering on the pistol grip wrist and fore-end, and a recoil pad on the butt.  (The checkering, while it is 24 dpi, has so little raised relief that it helps very little when gripping the shotgun.)  Some negative points include a very slight imperfection between the wood and metal, and the top lever looks like Beretta tried to ridge the surface to allow a better grip, but didn’t do the ridging deeply enough to really help.  These are considered by most to be minor points, however, and all in all the Gold Pigeon II is though to be well-balanced (except in its 32-inch-barrel version, which is front-heavy), good looking, and an excellent shooter. Barrels come in several lengths (except for the Combo versions, which have only 28-inch barrels), all with Modified Cylinder chokes, and with a ventilated sighting rib atop the upper barrel.

Beretta Giubileo

     Notes: This over-and-under shotgun is part of Beretta’s Premium range of shotguns.  The guns have been hand-built and the parts made by top craftsmen.  The breech block and side plates are intricately engraved by master engravers.  The steel and the walnut stocks are made from the finest quality materials.  The bottom of the front grip has a 24-carat gold plate.  The chokes are normally fixed to order, but Mobilchoke interchangeable chokes are also available.  The locking system is similar to the Model 686, but there is absolutely no play in the parts. 

Beretta Giubileo II

     Notes: This newer design is more or less the Giubileo in a side-by side double configuration, with some new twists, mainly the choice of Optima Chokes for the 12 gauge version and Mobilchokes for the 20 gauge version, and the use of new, stronger steel. 

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This shotgun does not exist.

Beretta S682

     Notes: This shotgun was introduced in 1988.  The basic shotgun has a variety of barrel lengths and barrel finishes, and a low sighting rib on the barrel.  The original S682s had plain or matte blued breech blocks, no ejectors, fixed or Mobilchokes, and 2.75” chambers.  In 1992 the finish on the breech block was changed to a light gray Greystone coating.  In 1994, the S682 Gold E version appeared, with automatic ejectors, and the S682 Gold EX also appeared, with automatic ejectors and a Monte Carlo stock, as well as a raised barrel rib.  (These two are identical to the basic version for game purposes.) Other versions include the Gold E Trap, Double Trap, and X-Trap models, which are heavier, have 3-inch chambers, and have longer Optima-Bore barrels, with Optima Chokes or fixed chokes.  The S682 Gold E Skeet version has an adjustable cheekpiece and automatic ejectors.  The S682 E Sporting version has a low barrel rig, differently-shaped fore-ends, and automatic ejectors.  The S682 Super Trap has ported barrels to help fight recoil, and the barrels are side-by-side instead of over-and-under.  All versions of this gun use walnut stocks and fore-ends, and an optional barrel selector with a single trigger.  Production of the S682 came to an end in 1999.

Beretta SO5

     Notes: This over-and-under shotgun is an evolutionary improvement on the SO series, which dates back to 1932.  The SO5 itself dates from the early 1980s.  It is considered one of Beretta’s Premium series of shotguns.  The side lock is of the Holland & Holland variety, with Beretta-patented modifications that strengthen the lock.  The barrels are of Bohler Antnit-Anticorro steel (very strong), and are hand-finished and polished.  The breech block is tool-machined, but the finishing is done by hand and is done to very high tolerances.  The breech Block is also very finely hand-engraved.  The SO5 comes in Skeet, Trap, and Sporting versions, and have 2.75” chambers.  The Skeet version has a 26 or 28-inch barrel with fixed chokes; the Trap version has barrels of 28, 30, or 32 inches, and has a barrel rib and a fixed choke.  The Sporting version has barrel lengths of 28 or 30 inches, with a barrel rib and a barrel selector switch.  All of these guns have a single trigger.

Beretta SO6

     Notes: A further modification of the SO series, the SO6 uses double Greener locking with the lugs separately attached to the breech block so that they can be easily replaced when they become worn.  The side locks are of the Holland & Holland type with Beretta’s safety bar strengthening.  The manufacturing process is still basically the same, with parts being finished and fitted by hand by master craftsmen, specially selected walnut stocks and fore-ends, and engraving of the side plates by hand by master engravers.  The SO6 is made with barrels of 26, 28, or 30 inches, and can have fixed chokes or Mobilchokes according to the customer’s wishes.  Variants (identical to the standard model for game terms) include the SO6 EELL, in which the engraving is gold-inlaid and the SO6 EESS, where the engravings are painted with color enamels.  The side plates in these two models are made in a manner similar to that of fine jewelry. 

Beretta SO9

     Notes: This is Premium Beretta over-and-under shotgun introduced in 1985.  When introduced, the SO9 was available in 12, 20, 28, and .410 gauge and with 2.75-inch chambers, but in 1990 the 28 gauge version was dropped and the rest of the calibers were upgraded to 3-inch chambers.  Like the rest of the SO series, the SO9 is made largely by hand, with very close tolerances and engraving by master artists.  The SO9 uses double Greener locking with Beretta-patented strengthening, and the barrels are made from very strong Bohler Antinit cold-forged steel, with a sighting rib.  The stock and fore-end is made from select walnut root.  The weight of these guns is quite light for the gauge and barrel length, due primarily to the thin and lightweight yet strong barrels made possible by the Bohler Antinit steel.  The guns have automatic ejectors.  All of these guns except 12 gauge versions have fixed chokes (of whatever type the customer desires), but 12 gauge versions may have fixed chokes or Mobilchokes as the buyer wishes.  They have single triggers with a barrel selector that also acts as the safety catch; a twin trigger is an option.