BobbyGee

My Beretta 303 sporter - the best gun I've ever shot with. Since then i have had an A390 Silver Mallard and I now have a 391 Urika. Both good high quality guns but not a patch on my 303.

Lots of "Old English" guns have chokes like yours, 1/4 in the first barrel and full in the second because lots of shooting was carried out "walked up". You took the first shot when the bird was fairly close and if you missed it had flown futher away so needed a tighter pattern to put it down. Could be a fair advantage if you shoot decoyed pigeon, tight barrel first (when the bird is coming towards you) and in the unlikely event of you missing he gets the second barrel when he is a lot closer!

I used to buy them from the importer in Colchester, I can still remember using them on a roost shoot through a semi-auto, my mates left me to it as they were sure that the flames would set fire to the tree's They had a lot of clout though, the birds used to come down half plucked!

I have had 3 Beretta semi's over the years and they have all been good quality guns that I have enjoyed owning and using. Each of the earlier two sold (or P/X) for a bit more than I paid for them. My present A391 is the best all round gun that I own, and if I could I would use it for game as well as clays and pigeons! Spend a bit more for a good one, it will last for years.

Yes when you see numbers like that it shows how many people shoot without insurance! It will never become a licence condition, we would then become a body of people with a voice (and that would never do)

You can buy The Kings Ginger from "Berry Brothers and Rudd" in London and Basingstoke.

I don't think that the guns i've seen "modified" would qualify as beaver tail, but it is still a very elegent/classic looking fore end. By the way I have seen this done to Berreta 12 and 20 bores, they both look good.

The other option is to have the lip of the fore-end removed and the bare wood refinished. A gunsmith that I spoke to a couple of months back said that the wood removal takes all of a minuet on the linisher! The real advantage is that the woods will still match.

I've used some of the 7.5's at clays and would not hesitate to use them at decoyed pigeon - they are a very good cartridge. IMHO!

I've got a 390, not the upmarket one like yours, just the plain black job- I think its called a Silver Mallard. I will say that it's a great gun,it has never let me down. It does not seem to like 65mm cartridges though.If you look at the American website "Shotgun World" they seem to love them! Best of luck with yours.

I only shoot 21gm cartridges now and if anything my scores have gone up. I keep a semi auto for pigeons and shoot anything (cheap!)through that as reciol has become a problem to me.

My Beretta A390 never misses a beat, a while back it suddenly developed the fault of jamming before the second shot, the only thing different was 65mm cases. For some reason these don't seem to slide straight into the chamber. A return to the same load (1 oz) in 70mm cases back to perfect cycling. By the way I don't clean or oil that gun very often.

8 yesterday at a roost shoot = 3346

We went roosting on Saturday but very few birds in our woods, picked up 3 = 2217

Three on Saturday while roost shooting = 1107

One walked out on a branch whilst roost shooting = 269

I've been a 21 gm fan since a medical condition said "Less recoil or no shooting". I'd say that im an "average" shooter but my scores have actually gone up since I've been on these mini bangers.

I got 6 when roost shooting on Saturday, the pigeons were more wary than the crows ! Total = 1014

Just to show how all these semi auto's can fail at any time, my A309 broke its connecting rod at a clay shoot. When I looking for a spare part it became apparent that they can do this at any time! (According to Shotgunworld)

Difficult day yesterday, no wind and very bright the slightest move was noted by the pigeons and they were away, I got 16. Total = 1565

I picked up 3 and hit another one hard but could not find him and did not hear him "calling" as they usually do if wounded, so add 3 = 899.

I can recall going into AE Clarks in Camberley many years ago and getting service that leaves anything I've read on this thread as "mild". Ignorant and full of self importance, I vowed that I would never go back! It may have been on here that I read they had new owners, went in a couple of weeks back to find the place transformed, I've been back a couple of times now and have to say they will get my business from now on.A perfect example of how people not location makes the difference between good and unbelivably poor.

I've always found the 7.5 Olympics good on decoyed pigeon, seldom ever get a "Johnny Walker"

I had a heart attack a couple of years ago and found that with taking asprin every day I bruise easily, a day in the pigeon hide was no pleasure at all! I ended up buying a semi auto and have never looked back. Early on this last season I got an invitation to a shoot, I was going to cry off but spoke to the keeper who said "bring whatever you shoot with", I did and nobody said a word. Go for it!

13 picked up after roost shoot = 1062