Beretta or Browning

[omegabri]

Hi guys

 

I’m about to purchase my first shotgun for clay pigeon shooting.

I’ve got a ‘flexible’ budget, but not too flexible...lol

 

I’m looking at either the Beretta 686 White Onyx (28”) or the Browning Cynergy (28”).

I know nothing about shotguns – being a rifle shooter.

Can anyone suggest anything ?

 

Many thanks guys

Bri

[jimmyb79]

You're about to get a flurry of information mate, but the most important thing to remember when choosing any shotgun, especially between Browning and Beretta is to ensure that the gun fits you properly ie it shoots where you look. Most people are either a Beretta or a Browning shooter, I have a Browning 12 gauge for clays I absolutely love it.

That said, you're looking at a Cynergy, which is in a world apart from the normal 525 series etc.

The Beretta 686 is a fantastic gun and you won't be disappointed if you get the fit right, and the Cynergy seems to split opinion. I had one for a while, and hated it, but I know plenty of people who love them.

 

Best advice would be to get hold of both and try them out before committing to a purchase.

 

Best of luck!

[Breastman]

. . . is to ensure that the gun fits you properly ie it shoots where you look . . .

 

Best advice would be to get hold of both and try them out before committing to a purchase.

 

Best of luck!

 

 

All you need to know

 

Mark

[Mungler]

Ground hog day for this question

[Gordon R]

Either are fine guns, but the Cynergy will be harder to sell, if you later decide to change - opinion is divided on them - purely on looks rather than anything mechanical.

 

You are electing for 28" barrels, which will also not resell as well as 30" or 32".

 

Get whichever fits best, but Miroku provide more gun for your money. A 30" Miroku MK38 with multichokes and adjustable stock would provide a fine start.

[MerseaDavid]

I use a Berretta and I find it works fantastic for shooting clays

 

I have used a few Brownings but I found them to be too bulky and did not get on with them, but they are still great guns

[Raja Clavata]

As has already been said - whatever fits best and has 30" barrels.

[omegabri]

thanks guys.......

 

Looks like some shots are going to be fired before I say 'yay or nay' to anything !!

[COACH]

Try them both, shoot at least 50 clays with each of them.

I`m a Beretta 686 man, they are far better and more reliable.

I`v tried several cynergys which are clients guns but they don`t seem to balance that well and have actually converted one or two who could afford it. The resale value of the Beretta is better as well.

Gun smiths will tell you that the cynergy is ok at best but when they ware out they are hard to fix.

The Beretta on the other hand is easy to mend as they are the most common over and under in the world and for a good reason.

[the last engineer]

cant agree with the coach there for reasons that he shold understand, what no one has addressed is how much you intend to indulge yourself in this sport, "big time" or "just for fun"

you need to find a dependable shot at a club you feel comfortable with and let him/her direct you, you may find neither a berreta or browning suit you.

listen to the advice of an experienced shooter at hand, go shoot with them explain what you want and then make an informed decision on your future in the sport.

you need to be able to pick up a gun and feel comfortable regardless of cost or looks, it has to work for you, having a gun fitted is a wonderfull experience trust me, also an expensive one, as you said your budget is flexible but i'm guessing not to the tune of 6-7 k go have fun, 50 birds wont tell you whether a gun suits you or not, a few thousand may do.

i have no idea of your experience but would guess an entry level, DO NOT GET BLINDSIDED BY COST AND LOOKS, enjoy the sport at your level now, when you feel the need to step up there will be many to help you.

at your level i would whole heartedly sugest you go and have fun first, listen to good shooters,,,,,,,,, not club wannabees ,,,,, good classed shoters, they will help you more than you will beleive.

 

for the coach, i hope you take no offence, i know what you say is your opinion to the best of your knowledge.

for the record i agree with you on the cynergy, personaly i find it a difficult gun to shoot, comb height pistol grip drop at heel, all seem to be different, ihave heard of many guys here shaving of at least a 1/4 inch off the stock to get it to fit, and i recall the 50 bird deal, comments like "i shot the best 100 birds when i picked it up for the first time" are common. then it all went pear shapped.

seriously 50 birds wont wet anyones whistle.

you are a 686 man, i respect that, been there had them and shed them. never quite understood the liking for themreally, personaly an overpriced shotgun for the quality of workmanship i have seen.

i have had the not to pleasurable experience of fixing more then a few,bad finishing, debris in the block, burrs on the receiver, gauled areas creating scratches and gouges,,,,,,,,, this is not to put down the Berreta lines, just my experiences, alongside the guys who's guns come my way to sort.

there is an old saying in the manufacturing industry my friend, "anything that is easy to fix, was made easy to break in the first place" think about it ask any Hass user.

 

i'm not firing shots and i hope the guys posting here understand that, i shoot all makes and models of shotgun, from Brownings to Berretas, winnies and Mirokus, perrazi Kreighoff, autos to O/U's, dont make a dam difference to me, it doesnt make me a good shooter, practice and patience will, understanding the sport and its diciplines, rules and levels.

 

never lose sight of the fun side of the sport my friend, regardless of where i rank and how i shoot, every time i come in i have a smile on my face because i enjoy the sport.

you ever get over here i have a few toys you can choose from

 

 

Martin.

now preparing sandbags for the barrage.

[COACH]

No offence taken mate, I actually agree with most of what you wrote.

Don`t stop at those two guns, take your time and try them all.

I do love the 68 range because all mine have been loved and cared for properly with cleaning at every opportunity which is where the problems begin. Guns do get abused a lot and you can tell at just a glance.

The only thing I was thinking at the time was that most gun shops won`t let anyone take away to try more than one gun at a time, which will make it hard to test them properly, but of course it will take a lot more shots than 50 to make up your mind for sure but most people don`t get the opportunity to do so as the gun is lent to them.

I would actually recommend shooting lessons with an APSI coach, these guys know there stuff which is why all the top London clubs use them. They will know a few good guns which will suit his stature and price range and then get the gun fitted if the budget will go that far, but it rarely does.

There is actually a lot more to all this than we can possibly afford to spend the time on on here.

On a serious note though, I have noticed that over the past 4/5 years that ALL guns are going up in price several times a year it seems and yet the quality is going down at an alarming rate and that bothers me a lot.

[Mr_Logic]

I'm pretty new to the clay world, but I've shot rifle since I was tall enough to hold one. I knew that whatever gun I got would be the wrong one, so I tried to get a semi auto with adjustable spacers etc.

 

Silly move.

 

Before I got into shotgunning, a gunsmith from a shop in Cornwall told me that I should get some lessons, and a secondhand Beretta, and that I wouldn't go far wrong. I ignored him simply because I couldn't be ***** with lessons (still can't, I'm hitting stuff without, and my local people are expensive. Find me someone cheaper and I will change my mind!) or secondhand. My worry was that I would get a dodgy old secondhand shotgun.

 

The guy from Devon was spot on, just make sure you go to a gun shop with good service.

 

I have found now, that with a thousand or so cartridges under my belt I shoulder the gun a lot differently, my stance is much less like a complete berk, and that I feel much more comfortable. I now shoot a Bettinsoli - I bought my other half that secondhand Beretta, and she loves it. So do I, and it made me get an over and under within 2 days of buying the 20g. If I'd have waited, maybe had some lessons with gun fit, I'd have got me a Beretta first time round, brand new, for the same money as my two shotguns.

 

So my advice is to take a completely open mind, go find a shooting ground where you can try some, check the gun fit and see.

 

Then go home.

 

Then sleep.

 

Next morning, if you're not sure, find another shooting ground. See what they say, try a few more guns maybe.

 

Then go home, sleep.

 

Then decide.

 

I decided I couldn't be ***** with this, I wanted a gun now, I wanted to kill pigeons, and I didn't care about clays. If I'd have done the above, I'd own the Beretta White Onyx that I want.

[mike.ginty]

If your would def go for 30" barrels i myself have a browning cynergy inflex sporter with extended diamond invecta chokes i love it best gun i have ever had i used to own a browning 425 sporter but it depends on you and whats comfortable cynergy's are like marmite you either love them or hate them, i love there modern stylish look, and there a good solid gun and they shoot excellent but thats my opinion, but the 525 is also good but i wanted something abit different and modern. it also depends on your budget i paid about £1400 second hand cynergy in mint condition with excellent wood. i have had a shoot with the new beretta prevail excellent gun but very expensive bit out of my price range our lass moaned at me getting cynergy. try out the gun before you buy if possible don't forget if your spending alot on it 'its got to feel right and it will last you alot of years.

Edited November 1, 2009 by mike.ginty

[Jega]

Absolutley couldn't agree more ,before parting with any hard earned theres 3 rules to follow,

1..Good fit

2..Good Fit

3..Good Fit

Although i'm relativley new to shot guns i've been shooting air rifles for many many years and exactly the same principles apply.Far too often i've seen guys rolling up with the latest all singing all dancing electronic trigger state of the art rifle only to find they couldn't hit a cows **** at 20yds with it.

A couple of tips i got told years ago from an old hand ,when trying out a gun for the first time to check fit ,mount the gun with your eyes closed keeping them closed while you get the gun in the most natural and comfortable position for you ,then open your eyes to see how close to a good line you've got on the bead without having to alter your position too much.Obviously the less adjustment you need the better the initial fit will be ,and obversley if you need to move too much to get a good sight line then this gun probably isn't a good fit for you.Next try this quickly as though you are in the field on a game shoot ,start with your eyes closed and the gun in the ready position(just out of your shoulder) then bring it up quickly as if your on a bird with a bit of swing, then open your eyes to see where your sight line is at . It surprising how well this little method works to give you an initial idea of general gun fit and suitability.

Probably one of the best investments you can make though is a few lessons at a local club where you'll get bucket loads of advice and they also just happen to be a really good place for picking up good second hand guns .

Good Luck

Edited November 20, 2009 by Jega

[Slug]

New to the sport got a 686E love it..not cheap compared to entry level guns, but the balance is superb and after a little tuition can hit a few..

[retromlc]

i've been in your position,i wanted new and wanted to beat the 17% increase that was coming early 09.i went to a gun shop that sold at a good price but gave no advice whatsoever,the beretta sp felt right but they kinda kept pushing the browning,in the end i bought a browning 525 sporter,with-in 200 clays i knew it didn't feel right.so went to another gun shop who gave advice and with a bit of experience now under my belt i bought a beretta sp 30",fixed choke.And i love it.I lost loads of money on a trade in,my advise would be different,

My M8 bought a £100 biakal,he shot it for 6 months,and got an understanding of how he liked a gun to feel,by then he'd made some friends at the regular shoot he attended,who let him use their guns for a couple o stands at a time,different gun makes,barrel length etc,most gents won't mind you trying their guns once they get to know you,finally he decided that a beretta ultralite 28" was the gun for him,unfortunatly he's a tight ****** and bought a Hanson semi auto............go figure?,but it's a good way,take your time,and you will buy once and buy right...........unles your my tight ***** (best) M8

[Evil Elvis]

Its daft to ask really youll get answer depending on personal preference I love my cynergy but can shoot any gun, try them both try the fit and how they come up for you, and how they feel, i would make my own mind up

[utectok]

Either is great personally I think the beretta will resell easier as the cynagey is not everones cup of tea

[clutey]

Yes, try as many different guns as you need to, if you need advice then speak to experienced shooters and no, they don't have to be classified or registered. Plenty of good shooters out there with a lot of knowledge to impart.

[Chard]

Unfortunately, the only way is to try them yourself (as has already been said). It's one of those recurring debates. If you ask a Beretta user, he'll say Berettas are the only worthwhile guns, a Browning man will say the same (though they tend to get more anal about it ). At the other end of the scale, if you ask a Baikal or Mossberg man, well, you know the answer.

 

A bloke settles on a particular gun because he likes it, so he'll recommend it and it might be wrong for you.

 

It's a pity, because it's not that easy to try out a range of guns in most parts of the country, other than banging a handful of cartridges through a mates gun, and that's not exactly a great trial session.

 

Berettas are best

[100milesaway]

I've got both, but it's horses for courses. Try first and make certain that the gun fits you, if your still undecided and are lazy like me, go for the beretta, it tolerates abuse and rust better. I'm ducking already from the flak I shall now recieve. from Auntie.

[Chard]

if your still undecided and are lazy like me, go for the beretta, it tolerates abuse and rust better. I'm ducking already from the flak I shall now recieve. from Auntie.

 

Disgraceful

 

I think you're bringing the sport into disrepute. I think you should be demoted to C Class

 

We just laaarfed and laaaarfed

[omegabri]

thanks everyone...

 

I've spend some time trying a few and ended up opting for a Beretta Silver Pigeon III. I managed to pick up a Ltd Edition one

[RAMMER BURT]

good choice fella :unsure: