Beretta A400 Unico - Cartridge Advice

[jonnys]

Hi

 

Just joined the forum and could really do with some advice on cartridges for my Unico.

 

I have recently bought the A400 Unico, now I was under the impression that it would cycle virtually all cartridges from 2.5 to 3.5 - but it doesn't!

I use it mainly for pigeon shooting and often it will cycle the smaller cartridges BUT the second or third one will get rammed and damaged during the cycling process and it won't feed into the barrel.

 

I also wildfowl and it cycles then no problem, but that's because I'm shooting 3 inch magnums mostly and they got such a "belt" to them the problem disappears.

 

I've tried a couple of different brands of cartridge, some cheap and some more expensive (Gamebores for example) but the problem seems to persist.

 

Also, it was happening a fair bit yesterday and when I took a shot at a pigeon a large yellow flash came out the barrel and I wonder if a damaged cartridge had managed to cycle and get into the barrel? Is that dangerous? I really don't know.

 

Suppose I'm a little disappointed, as I love Beretta and when you see the promotional material about he Unico it boasts how it can cycle all these different cartridges - so just amazed that I've spent £1300 and am having problems.

 

I'm new ish to shooing and am doing a lot of decoying over rape atm, so am getting off plenty of shots (missing a lot as well!), I'm after a reasonable priced cartridge, size 6, that will work well with the Unico.

 

Does anyone have any advice please?

 

Many thanks in advance.

[moor man]

Think I'd be fed up too! Take it back to the shop and insist on a solution, ie new gun or refund, it should be under warranty, the shop should at least want to help by investigating. Good luck mate.

[abrown]

mate there has got to be something wrong mine cycles any length and size i get the occasional jam with 21g but it says not to use them in the manual i use fiocchi pigeon 32g 6 never had a jam there 67 mm

[jonnys]

thanks for your replies so far.

 

I'm using 30 or 32g 70mm 6's and so from what you guys are saying - there's something not quite right with the gun?

 

I have to say that I did mention it in passing to the dealer i bought it from not long after I bought it (he is a very experienced and well respected dealer locally), and he said that he has had other reports of this from people who use the Unico. He said that although Beretta say it cycles virtually anything, it doesn't really, and the Unico doesn't seem to like short lenght low powered cartridges. The dealer even offered to buy any cartridges I had off me (even thought I didn't buy them from him the first place) and swap them for any other brand - so I really don't think he's pulling a fast one, why would he, I bought it new and so I assume he could just send the gun back. Only got it 6 weeks ago.

 

I'm going to contact the dealer and mention it again, then give it a go with one more brand/type of cartridge, and if that doesn't work I will have to ask the dealer to take the gun in and look at it.

 

Do you think there's any safety considerations? I'm new ish to shooting and so this is hard to explain, but when it jams it shoots the first cartridge, then it's usually the second that gets stuck but it's been drawn up from the spout but not put into the barrel - that's were it gets jamed, but it rams it against something and damages the end of the cartridge. At the wknd when I shot at a pigeon I saw a bright yellow flash come out of the barrel - which I've never seen before and my concern was that a damaged cartridge had managed to cycle and get shot - would that make flash yellow? am i worrying about nothing? do some cartridges just do that? Is was quite a large flash as when I pulled the triggered I lost the pigeon completely due to it (although rather bizarrely still hit it!).

 

Thanks again.

[john12]

Maybe just take it in and see if they will have ago with it. I have had no problems with mine cycling small loads infant the only thing it doesn't seem to like are the 3 1/2 it will fire one but then sometimes the bolt just stays back and doesn't load the next round. Good luck with it.

[Tod]

Having bought a Beretta A400 Xtreme recently i did what it said in the instructions and ran it in with 32g loads for the first 100 or so shots also put some 3" and 3 1/2 " through it, i use 32g no6 special pigeon for 95% of my shooting and it has never jammed or anything, i have also put some 28g clay loads through it without a hitch, your gun should cycle 30g or 32g without a problem, id take it back and explain the trouble your having to the shop as it may be a problem with the action.

[sitsinhedges]

Sounds like it has the problem that some 391s suffered from where the front of the cartridge hooks up about where the ejector would normally sit at the breech face.

 

This was normally corrected by twisting the shell lifter or replacing it.

 

As a big fan and user of Beretta autos, rather than someone who is taking the chance to slag them off, I would send it back to be corrected. They're not cheap and a poorly performing gun does no-one any favours, you or the maker.

Edited December 27, 2012 by sitsinhedges

[chrispti]

The gas ring on the plug is not on the wrong way round is it?

[Catweazle]

There is something wrong with it.

 

I have an A400 Unico, it cycles 21g Eley First 100%, works with 65mm Express Supreme Game, works with all the standard pigeon / game cartridges 28-36g. The only cartridge it doesn't work with is the Hushpower Subsonic which aren't powerful enough to eject the spent cartridge.

 

Apart from the Hushpowers it has never, ever failed to work perfectly.

 

EDIT: Are you storing your cartridges somewhere cold ? They don't work as well when cold, George Digweed made a video recently showing the difference, he keeps his on top of the radiator.

Edited December 27, 2012 by Catweazle

[jonnys]

Guys, thanks for all your advice, really helpful and as a result I "think" I might be getting there solving this problem.

 

I have spoken again to my dealer just now (as per all your suggestions) and he said he will happily take it back in and return to Beretta (GMK). BUT, he reckons that it could be the cartridges I'm using atm, I bought some cheap and cheerful (£45) cartridges - a make called Trust. He said that they are a poor cartridge, and I also told him about the yellow flash/flame I had out of the end of the barrel - he said that would be nothing to do with a damaged cartridge and more likely a cheap cartridge that had got the gun powder mixture wrong. He also explained to me why he felt the Trust cartridges wouldn't cycle well - but it was a bit techincal for me as an office worker! LOL!

Gun dealer recommended Gamebore Clear Pigeon for £50 a slab, I will happily pay more it's just i got the Trust cartridges out of convenience more than anything. So I'm going to put a slab of those thru and see how I get on, if no improvement then it's going back to Beretta, dealer has even offered to lend me a gun if that happens - he's a top chap.

 

Re keeping them in the cold - yes I do, I keep them in more the "cold", they're in my garage which whilst connected to the house isn't much warmer than outside - I also keep them right by the door which is the coldest, dampest and draftiest place I've got! In fact, I know how cold it is because I struggle to dry my coats and pigeon nets in there and use the garage as a chiller for my ducks!

I had no idea that temperature had any effect on them, although recently I did overhear some of the boys at the club talking about something like that but didn't catch the conversation.

 

Guys - do you think that the problem I've got is a combo of cheap, freezing cold cartridges and in fact nothing to do with the gun whatsover???!

 

Happy new year

[Catweazle]

Guys - do you think that the problem I've got is a combo of cheap, freezing cold cartridges and in fact nothing to do with the gun whatsover???!

 

Happy new year

 

Sounds possible to me, I don't know the brand you use, but cold cartridges definitely don't work as well as warm ones do. The flash from the end of the barrel would have been partially burned powder, powder that should have been used to drive the shot and cycle the gun.

 

Happy new year to you too.