Westward

Well if if the FO can't see any problem I'm damn sure I can't. The visit is the last stage in the process so it should be arriving pretty soon.

Mick, the only reason they did 'what they do not have to' is because they'd handled it badly from the off and they knew it. I realise your experience has been entirely satisfactory - mine however hasn't - and for some it's been absolutely unforgiveably bad. I don't expect everything to be perfect at either Beretta or GMK but I do wish they'd start making progress towards 21st century customer service based on accurate and timely communication. Customers should not be viewed as an annoyance to be kept out of the loop wherever possible. GMK is no longer an independent distributor because they are now 60% owned by Beretta which makes them Beretta's represenative here in the UK and that needs a culture change.

Okay it's pretty decent of them to replace it but the fact is that there was a screw up where person B contradicted person A and only then after a chase up call. This is exactly the problem with GMK that we hear about time and again and whilst you got a happy ending, others haven't. Quality customer service isn't difficult to achieve it just needs a culture change.

Could be so, with CG being the most obvious, but I definitely get the impression that Browning's share has grown since then. There are lots of 725s & XS Ultras around on the sporting shoots. Both Beretta and GMK have work to do if they want their customers back.

It was told it by a Beretta dealer when I bought a new 686E. The figure was from a 2006 survey of the 100 biggest gun dealers in the UK. Beretta was 68%, BWM was 23%, and 9% the rest. It didn't seem unreasonable back then as loads of shiny new Berettas seemed to be appearing everywhere I went.

Agreed. 8 years ago Beretta accounted for 68% of new shotgun sales in the UK. I'd be surprised if it was more than half that today and it seems entirely self inflicted.

Perhaps they finally have someone reading the forums and reporting back. Whether they can influence the mothership to do something about the p**s poor quality control is another story.

Errr.. No actually.

The MXS hasn't been well received at all but they do shoot very well. I tried one last summer and a couple of the competition lads have them. Tim Richards for example does pretty well with his. I think the real problem is that it's like the Perazzi equivalent of the Porsche Boxster - It's for those who can't afford a proper one.

With respect it doesn't say that on my SGC.

Which is exactly what I said earlier. RFD 1 enters the vendors gun onto his register then ships it to RFD 2 who the enters onto his register. The buyer then collects from RFD 2 who transfers from his register to the buyer's SGC. Happens every day up and down the land and no one is in breach of the law. Because much of the law is vague and interpretive some civil service drone might think up some "guidance" as a way of justifying his/her salary but that doesn't make it legally binding.

There's nothing in the law to prevent an individual transferring a firearm to an RFD or in that RFD shipping it to another who then transfers it onto another private individual's certificate. This is just people bowing down to another bit of pointless beaurocracymade up by jobsworths.

Sounds like another case of Chief Officers making up "laws" again.

Ian Coley Shooting School near Andoversford (01242 870391). About 15 miles east of Gloucester.

Congrats Chris and I fully agree with your comparison. Have to say I'm delighted with my Challenger; it's so refreshing to find a gun maker that actually seems to recognize what a large segment of the market actually wants. IMO there's nothing else in the £2-3K street price range that comes anywhere close to what CG offers.

Some years ago E Rizzini guns had problems with the top lever return springs failing. It's probably easy to fix if parts are available but I'd advise against shooting it as is because it might well pop open under recoil.

Great in theory but so far as I know I've only ever come across one such instructor/fitter. And how is a comparative newcomer supposed to know which is which? Retromic's post above illustrates just how easy it is to make a mistake. I stand by my opinion that it's way easier and a lot less risky to find a quality instructor who will advise on basic gunfit and, if needed, nominate an expert gunfitter than the other way round.

I'd hazard a guess that at least 75% of us don't have enough knowhow to tell the difference between a gun that fits very well vs a gun that fits acceptably well. IMO a good instructor who knows a bit about gunfit is worth 10 gunfitters who know a bit about shooting!

It's possible. I've never tweaked a gun to make it fit - apart from ditching the standard rubber pad in favour of one that doesn't snag on clothing. People who mount a shotgun like a rifle and look dead flat along the rib often have problems with fit because of course, shotguns aren't designed to be shot that way. Also women often need higher combs than most sporters have as standard. If you're a male and reasonably close to average in arm and neck length and don't have high cheek bones or an unusually deep chest then IMO gunfit is unlikely to be of much quantifiable benefit.

I know several people with the XS Ultra. It's one the best choices out there at that price point - if you're a Browning/Miroku person that is. Might be worth looking at the Gd 5 725 too.

You have to love gunsmiths don't you? I could take to one who'll tell you that CGs are rubbish because "The actions are held together with rollpins and you WILL have trouble with the ejectors". Guess what? No rollpins anywhere and do as much Goggling as you like, you still won't won't find any reports of ejector failure even though they've been around for over 12 years. Some of these old time gunsmiths are the very same ones that used to say the same thing about Beretta O/Us... I do a lot of reffing at registered shoots these days and semis are becoming more common. I can't really tell them apart but they are generally much more troublesome than O/Us and the expensive looking ones with the blue receiver (A400?) seem just as much jamomatics as the synthetic ones.

I find the 725 sporter with the tacky engraved swirls and orange lettering is just so tasteless. I don't care how good it is, I wouldn't hand over that much money for a gun styled by the Chuckle Brothers. The field model is much nicer.

Been there thanks. Very unlikely to ever go there again but hey! Each to their own.

As you're in Dudley why not give Brett Hand a call at Brierley Guns. I know several people who've bought CGs from there at good prices.

The Silver Pigeons have the old style ejectors which have never been a problem. Like almost all black finishes (as opposed to blued) the 725 receivers aren't holding up particularly well but if you rarely handle the action it should last okay. Personally I don't think either gun is worth anywhere near the prices asked. IMO in that price range the Guerini Summit, Magnus Sport or Challenger are just better options than either of the above.