ATA?

[Fred Flintstone]

It did!

To me, it looks ‘ok’, better than others for the price, and more importantly seems to go bang when the trigger is pulled. Purchased new, it will have a warranty, and if taken from existing stock can be visually checked prior to leaving RFD for marks etc.

It’s just getting over the hurdle of “oh it’s Turkish”, “oh it’s cheap/won’t resell as well”, and “oh it’s not a Beretta/Browning/fill in gap here”!

Think I’m still up for it as my first choice for first gun, but then we still have 3 weeks of lockdown for me to rethink, oh, 20 times or so!!!

[spurs 14]

I’ve got a super sport ata and love it , was going to upgrade last year from my old o/u , was in Simpson’s in Newmarket, tried a lot of guns and for all they had the ata was the best fitting gun I tried , love it , value for money you won’t beat it , had a few thousand carts through it on clays , pigeon and  a few sim days 

[martinj]

On 07/11/2020 at 20:58, Fred Flintstone said:

Eek! 😟

must admit, I’m a bit of a ‘want it now’ type... I hate waiting for stock to arrive. Think I would definitely be looking for something ‘in stock’ that I can hold/see... 

me too, I could have ordered my last gun from the aforementioned gunsmith but chose to drive 100 miles to Ian Coley where I could fondle it and caress it and use it (after the sale) on their pay and play

[Lloyd90]

The gunsmiths I spoke to said they think they are a cheap rip off of a Beretta and are nothing on the real think. 
 

My impression of handling one was a budget gun painted up to look like something it’s not. It was like it was trying to look like a much more expensive gun. 
 

1. it made me think, what have they compromised on at the price point if they spent some of the budget tarting it up? 
 

2. it reminded me of people who have cheap cars and tart them up to try and be something they’re not. 
 

I handed one next to Beretta’s and Brownings which came across as much better quality. 
 

Seemed a bit off to me. The RFD said he only stocks them as they need a semi reliable gun to offer someone who walks into the shop and doesn’t want to spend more than £600... if they don’t have a gun for their budget then they can’t sell them one. 
 

Of the handful of people I know that have bought them, they all rave about how great they are, how they’re as brilliant as a Beretta for such a great price, then after a while they’re all wanting to sell them any get something else, and have lost money on them.

 

Everyone I’ve got into shooting I have told to buy a second hand decent gun. It doesn’t need to be a £1,000 gun. 
 

You can buy a lanber, bettinsoli, browning medalist, older model miroku, Baikal etc etc. 
 

If you can stretch to a nice gun like a Silver Pigeon, 525 or MK70, if you do really enjoy it then that’s you sorted, they’re decent spec guns that can roll with the best. You don’t need to be constantly upgrading or swapping and chopping stuff in. 
 

My BIL bought a 687 SP for £900 when he starred shooting that I picked for him. He shoots really well with it, he loves it. He could sell it for what he paid all day long. We shot it against the new 694, we shot just as well with the 687, and both said there’s no way we would pay £3,400 for the 694. 
 

 

 

[Newbie to this]

4 hours ago, Lloyd90 said:

it made me think, what have they compromised on at the price point if they spent some of the budget tarting it up? 
 

Could this possibly be the name 

[Scully]

6 hours ago, Lloyd90 said:

The gunsmiths I spoke to said they think they are a cheap rip off of a Beretta and are nothing on the real think. 
 

My impression of handling one was a budget gun painted up to look like something it’s not. It was like it was trying to look like a much more expensive gun. 
 

1. it made me think, what have they compromised on at the price point if they spent some of the budget tarting it up? 
 

2. it reminded me of people who have cheap cars and tart them up to try and be something they’re not. 
 

I handed one next to Beretta’s and Brownings which came across as much better quality. 
 

Seemed a bit off to me. The RFD said he only stocks them as they need a semi reliable gun to offer someone who walks into the shop and doesn’t want to spend more than £600... if they don’t have a gun for their budget then they can’t sell them one. 
 

Of the handful of people I know that have bought them, they all rave about how great they are, how they’re as brilliant as a Beretta for such a great price, then after a while they’re all wanting to sell them any get something else, and have lost money on them.

 

Everyone I’ve got into shooting I have told to buy a second hand decent gun. It doesn’t need to be a £1,000 gun. 
 

You can buy a lanber, bettinsoli, browning medalist, older model miroku, Baikal etc etc. 
 

If you can stretch to a nice gun like a Silver Pigeon, 525 or MK70, if you do really enjoy it then that’s you sorted, they’re decent spec guns that can roll with the best. You don’t need to be constantly upgrading or swapping and chopping stuff in. 
 

My BIL bought a 687 SP for £900 when he starred shooting that I picked for him. He shoots really well with it, he loves it. He could sell it for what he paid all day long. We shot it against the new 694, we shot just as well with the 687, and both said there’s no way we would pay £3,400 for the 694. 
 

 

 

I have to agree largely with this. 
I noticed the other day  Browning 325 on here I think. It was selling for somewhere around the 800 quid mark; I paid a similar price for my G3 325 around the turn of the century. 
My advice has always been to buy from a good tried and tested manufacturer, whether nee or secondhand.

Are they comparatively cheap for a reason, or have we been paying over the odds for the others?
With one exception all my guns are from the 1980’s, quality tells. 

[Mr.C]

Glad someone else piped up with my views on this.

A few years ago I walked into a gun shop to buy a new Armsan 612. I came out with a second hand Beretta 391 in immaculate condition, it was a different class. Near enough same price. 

My point is try the ATA against a Beretta if that's what you want. If you're buying from a dealer you'll have a guarantee. 

[oscarsdad]

7 hours ago, Lloyd90 said:

The gunsmiths I spoke to said they think they are a cheap rip off of a Beretta and are nothing on the real think. 
 

My impression of handling one was a budget gun painted up to look like something it’s not. It was like it was trying to look like a much more expensive gun. 
 

1. it made me think, what have they compromised on at the price point if they spent some of the budget tarting it up? 
 

2. it reminded me of people who have cheap cars and tart them up to try and be something they’re not. 
 

I handed one next to Beretta’s and Brownings which came across as much better quality. 
 

Seemed a bit off to me. The RFD said he only stocks them as they need a semi reliable gun to offer someone who walks into the shop and doesn’t want to spend more than £600... if they don’t have a gun for their budget then they can’t sell them one. 
 

Of the handful of people I know that have bought them, they all rave about how great they are, how they’re as brilliant as a Beretta for such a great price, then after a while they’re all wanting to sell them any get something else, and have lost money on them.

 

Everyone I’ve got into shooting I have told to buy a second hand decent gun. It doesn’t need to be a £1,000 gun. 
 

You can buy a lanber, bettinsoli, browning medalist, older model miroku, Baikal etc etc. 
 

If you can stretch to a nice gun like a Silver Pigeon, 525 or MK70, if you do really enjoy it then that’s you sorted, they’re decent spec guns that can roll with the best. You don’t need to be constantly upgrading or swapping and chopping stuff in. 
 

My BIL bought a 687 SP for £900 when he starred shooting that I picked for him. He shoots really well with it, he loves it. He could sell it for what he paid all day long. We shot it against the new 694, we shot just as well with the 687, and both said there’s no way we would pay £3,400 for the 694. 
 

 

 

Exactly this. Having handled most of the ATA models and then a silver pigeon and a 525 straight after and switching back between the two there really is no comparison in quality or handling. 
 

for a new gun you get a lot of ATA for your money. When you compare to a used quality gun, they are a lot less attractive. I bought a 15 year old SP for less than £700 over buying a new ATA. 

[London Best]

Always been the case.......you get what you pay for.

The certain way for a maker to sell a cheaply made gun is to put some pretty wood on it. This is mistaken for quality.

[Farmboy91]

1 hour ago, Mr.C said:

Glad someone else piped up with my views on this.

A few years ago I walked into a gun shop to buy a new Armsan 612. I came out with a second hand Beretta 391 in immaculate condition, it was a different class. Near enough same price. 

My point is try the ATA against a Beretta if that's what you want. If you're buying from a dealer you'll have a guarantee. 

Don't be fooled by a guarantee.

I brought an ATA new an had issues with it, the thread is on here further back if anyone wants to read it.

Long story short for those who dont, between Forelock and Load of barrow and sportsman in Exeter they managed to damage both the wood work and metal work. Obviously neither would own up to it.

Ended up selling it at a loss then done the sensible thing and brought a mid 80's Beretta 686 special for only a couple hundred more than what I paid for the ATA. 

Yes lots of people buy them along with other budget guns and don't have any issues, but they are not a cheap Beretta.

[Rewulf]

29 minutes ago, Farmboy91 said:

Don't be fooled by a guarantee.

Not really anything to do with the quality of ATA though ?

Ive got one, had a small issue after 5000 shells, sent back under warranty, fixed and back in 10 days, another 3000 shells and going strong.
Its a £600 gun, spend another grand on a Berretta if you choose, but they all throw the same cartridge.

If it breaks after the warranties gone , Ill buy another.

[wymberley]

1 hour ago, London Best said:

Always been the case.......you get what you pay for.

The certain way for a maker to sell a cheaply made gun is to put some pretty wood on it. This is mistaken for quality.

Right enough. There's good reason why 60 years ago I was taught that hammer shafts were made from either hickory or straight grained English ash. Pretty curly whorlies simply don't cut it.

[Farmboy91]

4 minutes ago, Rewulf said:

Not really anything to do with the quality of ATA though ?

Ive got one, had a small issue after 5000 shells, sent back under warranty, fixed and back in 10 days, another 3000 shells and going strong.
Its a £600 gun, spend another grand on a Berretta if you choose, but they all throw the same cartridge.

If it breaks after the warranties gone , Ill buy another.

Sorry, should have clarified. It went back due it double discharging, which was repaired but the state it came back in was ridiculous. A guarantee on an ATA means dealing with sportsman, and they don't have the best reputation.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't buy a brand new Beretta either, as they aren't a touch on the older guns. 

Yeah of course they all throw they same cartridge and will all kill/break clays but they are not of the same quality. For near enough the same money as a new ATA you can have a older but better quality gun from one of the bigger names, that realistically your not going to loose money on should you sell, and in my experience, having owned and still currently own an older Beretta, you won't have any troubles with.

[craig1982]

I bought a ATA bronze last year. Mint second hand gun, paid £450. Cannot fault it. Point it, pull the trigger. Bingo. Not sure what a £750 used Berratta does any better ? 

[Demonic69]

4 minutes ago, Rewulf said:

Not really anything to do with the quality of ATA though ?

Ive got one, had a small issue after 5000 shells, sent back under warranty, fixed and back in 10 days, another 3000 shells and going strong.
Its a £600 gun, spend another grand on a Berretta if you choose, but they all throw the same cartridge.

If it breaks after the warranties gone , Ill buy another.

And, just by reading this and other forums, there are plenty of people complaining about the newer Berettas, the faults they're having, rubbish warranty support etc. Perazzis are splitting wood, Berettas are breaking a pin, Browning are having ribs come off (can't remember if that's the order of faults to manufacturer, just some of the faults I've read about new guns recently). Can't say I've heard of a regular fault on ATAs, though that may just be due to there being fewer of them about

[Rewulf]

6 minutes ago, Demonic69 said:

And, just by reading this and other forums, there are plenty of people complaining about the newer Berettas, the faults they're having, rubbish warranty support etc. Perazzis are splitting wood, Berettas are breaking a pin, Browning are having ribs come off (can't remember if that's the order of faults to manufacturer, just some of the faults I've read about new guns recently). Can't say I've heard of a regular fault on ATAs, though that may just be due to there being fewer of them about

Friend of mine had a brand new silver pigeon, sent back twice in first 3 months , double discharging , then not cocking 2nd barrel, nearly £1800 worth.

My ATA occasionally didnt cock the 2nd barrel, a common issue with early ones that was supposedly sorted with an improved trigger group.
This is the only fault Ive ever heard of on the SP model.
I bought it because it mounts and points beautifully , I looked at older Berrettas , Bettinsoli and Winchesters.
It wasnt about the money, I liked the gun, its solid , heavyish , which I like, its got lovely wood , but to me its a tool that does what I want it to do.
You see some admiring all the nice engraving on more expensive stuff, but does that help you shoot ?
I think not.

[Scully]

To add. I’m not belittling the choice of peoples guns, and am most certainly not a gun snob.
The OP asked for opinions and I’ve based mine on experience ( though as I said not of that particular make, but of cheap Turkish guns in general ) of seeing many instances of them failing in the field and ruining a young lads day.....beaters day only comes around once a year and to see some young lad have it ruined because all he could afford was a cheapish import based on the fact it had a warranty ( which is of no recompense on the day ) is awful.

To balance it all out, I have experience of wood splitting on an expensive gun ( I didn’t buy it because it had nice wood , and no, it wasn’t a Perazzi, mine is faultless despite being around 35 years old ) I know a bloke who had a stunning Belgian custom made Browning who wrapped insulation tape around the barrels to see him through the season because the rib was lifting, and the same problem just recently on a Benelli 828u, and a broken ejector on an old and well used Grand European. But that’s it, out of all the years I’ve been shooting, which is nothing compared to the number of instances I have experience of  regarding problems with cheapish Turkish guns. 
Just remembered I once had to have the timing sorted out on the ejectors of a Beretta 682 SuperSport. 

Edited November 13, 2020 by Scully

[Lloyd90]

29 minutes ago, craig1982 said:

I bought a ATA bronze last year. Mint second hand gun, paid £450. Cannot fault it. Point it, pull the trigger. Bingo. Not sure what a £750 used Berratta does any better ? 

Just sharing our opinions. 
 

My mates Aston Martin drives him to work just as my Ford Focus drives me to work. 
 

I don’t ask him “Not sure what your Aston does any better?”. 
 

I have handled them side by side, as well as handled several ATA’s in the field, often handed to me by their owners remarking how excellent they are, how they got such a great deal and how they’re ‘just as good as a Beretta’ (not sure why they feel the need to comment that). 
 

Everyone of them has later tried to sell the gun on in just a few months 
 

I would not buy one. The gun shop owners and smiths I know said they would not buy one. 
 

I would also not buy a brand new Beretta, Browning or Miroku.

 

 

As said, I would buy a second hand older (and better made) silver pigeon, 525 or mk70. I would arrange to test fire if before buying, and if I ever wanted to sell it I would sell it for the money I paid for it. 
 

 

Not sure what a used Beretta does any better? Hold it’s value for a start. 
 

 

[bruno22rf]

Dont ATA make parts for Beretta? I believe they made recievers since a joint venture starting in 2000. Also worth mentioning that they have been in business for 60 years.

Edited November 13, 2020 by bruno22rf

[alan123shooting]

12 minutes ago, Lloyd90 said:

Just sharing our opinions. 
 

My mates Aston Martin drives him to work just as my Ford Focus drives me to work. 
 

I don’t ask him “Not sure what your Aston does any better?”. 
 

I have handled them side by side, as well as handled several ATA’s in the field, often handed to me by their owners remarking how excellent they are, how they got such a great deal and how they’re ‘just as good as a Beretta’ (not sure why they feel the need to comment that). 
 

Everyone of them has later tried to sell the gun on in just a few months 
 

I would not buy one. The gun shop owners and smiths I know said they would not buy one. 
 

I would also not buy a brand new Beretta, Browning or Miroku.

 

 

As said, I would buy a second hand older (and better made) silver pigeon, 525 or mk70. I would arrange to test fire if before buying, and if I ever wanted to sell it I would sell it for the money I paid for it. 
 

 

Not sure what a used Beretta does any better? Hold it’s value for a start. 
 

 

Yes I wish people would stop comparing ATAs to a Beretta  they are as different as chalk and cheese, I don’t like the way Berettas handle never have, never will, the handling of my SP elegance is great and it suits me but that’s me, may not be for everyone. I have owned  it for a year, it been fine, however this subject has been done to death. 

[London Best]

Everyone keeps mentioning Beretta Silver Pigeons. There is nothing wrong with Berettas, far from it. But you all need to remember that a Silver Pigeon is a budget gun, built to a price as their entry level gun.  

[Rewulf]

1 minute ago, London Best said:

Everyone keeps mentioning Beretta Silver Pigeons. There is nothing wrong with Berettas, far from it. But you all need to remember that a Silver Pigeon is a budget gun, built to a price as their entry level gun.  

Maybe entry level for people with a very large amount of disposable income

£2000 is not entry level by any stretch of the imagination for us mere plebs.

[London Best]

Just now, Rewulf said:

Maybe entry level for people with a very large amount of disposable income

£2000 is not entry level by any stretch of the imagination for us mere plebs.

As others have been trying to point out, there is a secondhand market which allows “mere plebs” (your words, not mine) to purchase better quality stuff. 

[DUNKS]

3 minutes ago, Rewulf said:

Maybe entry level for people with a very large amount of disposable income

£2000 is not entry level by any stretch of the imagination for us mere plebs.

Some people seem to forget that the shooting industry depends on plebs!

[Lloyd90]

4 minutes ago, DUNKS said:

Some people seem to forget that the shooting industry depends on plebs!

 

It is a pretty middle class hobby.