Shotguns review
Official review in Australian Shooter February 2000
This is the third official firearms review for the Australian Shooter magazine. The aim is to compare and test similar products by a panel of three experts. Our official reviews complement writer reviews in the magazine.
While scores/ratings will be given for each product, it is important to examine the written review to gain a full understanding of the recommendations and results. These reviews are only possible thanks to the co-operation of firearm agents and distributors, range captains and of course our panel of experts who have kindly taken part.
The shotguns under review were a mixture of sporter and field shotguns. Sporter shotguns have a higher comb and are used for clay target shooting or hunting. Field shotguns are lower in the comb and are purely hunting guns. Prices for the shotguns range from $1095 to $19,000.
The range
SA Gun Club in Bolivar, SA - This was not a SSAA range but was used nonetheless because the skeet range was set up to the reviewers’ standards.
Equipment used
During the first phase of the review, the technical phase, a measuring tape, scales, choke gauge and snap caps were used to determine barrel length, rib width, weight, choke size and ejector status.
The ammunition used during the practical phase was Winchester’s AA 1200 28-gram No 9 shot which was kindly donated by the Australian manufacturers.
Scoring procedure
Evaluating a shotgun is much more complex than evaluating a pistol or a rifle because a shotgun has, according to our reviewers, its own personality. When asked to further explain this statement both Ian and Dick said that shooting a pistol or a rifle is a science and that shooting a shotgun is an art.
Pistols and rifles are designed to shoot accurately and while that is also true of shotguns, accuracy with a shotgun is much more dependent on the shooter. Dick went on to say that shotguns are more like women whereas pistols and rifles are more like men. He said each shotgun must be handled a different way, but at the same time all must be handled gently. “It is harder to please a shotgun than it is to please a pistol or a rifle,” he said.
Because shotguns are so different, for a variety of reasons, the method used to review them was somewhat altered from our previous reviews used during the .22 lever action review and the target pistol review.
To properly review each gun, the review was broken into two phases: the technical phase and the practical phase.
During the technical review, each reviewer meticulously looked at the guns and examined their specifications. They looked at assembly, disassembly, weight, accessories, accompanying chokes, packaging, quality of construction, engraving, finish and balance, etc. During the weighing process the barrels were weighed with the chokes intact.
During the practical review, the experts took turns shooting the guns on the skeet range. They each shot:
• one high house and one low house at station one
• one high house and one low house at station four
• one high house and one low house at station seven
Lanber Model 87EST
Supplied by: Olin Australia (Winchester Division)
Case: Cardboard box
Chokes: Five chokes - Full, ¾, ½, ¼ and cylinder
Accessories: Choke tube spanner
Instruction booklet: Yes
Ease of assembly: Standard and straightforward
Barrels: 27.5" Under/Over
Gauge - 12
Chamber - 2.75", 70mm
Overall length - 113cm, 44.5"
Rib - 6mm, single file cut pattern
Side Rib - Ventilated
Barrel weight: 1450g with chokes
Action: Boxlock
Ejector - Yes
Safety - Yes, on the top tang
Selector - Yes, inbuilt with safety on top tang
Trigger - Single selective,
hammers recoil activated
Receiver Finish - Silver engraved game, ducks and snipe - pleasing design
Stock: Wood - European walnut
Style - Sporter suitable for field and game, skeet and field
Chequering - Impressed on the stock and fore-end
Buttplate - A rubber sporting pad with good shoulder grip
Overall weight: 3.53kg
Made in: Zaldibar, Spain
The mount and feel of the Lanber was that of a sporter with good pointing qualities. The trigger was crisp and everyone broke the skeet choke targets easily. The Lanber is good value for someone who wants to combine hunting with a little sporting clays. As with most new guns, the action was quite stiff to open and needed a little effort but as with the Beretta S686, this will change when the gun has been used a little more. Lanber has several other models which are designed for sporting clay, skeet, and trap shooting and are readily available in Australia.
Fabarm Wetlands Camo
Supplied by: Advance Firearms
Case: Injection moulded high impact polypropylene
Chokes: Five chokes - Full, ¾, ½, lead shot and full and modified for steel shot
Accessories: Choke tube spanner
Instruction booklet: Yes, but provided in Italian only
Ease of assembly: Conventional and straightforward but the fore-end release was quite tight
Barrels: 30" Under/Over
Gauge - 12
Chamber - 3" Magnum
Overall length - 119cm, 47"
Rib - tapered 10mm to 6mm ventilated, file cut
Side Rib - Ventilated
Barrel weight: 1680g with chokes
Action: Monobloc boxlock
Ejector - Yes, crisp
Safety - Yes, on the tang
Selector - Yes, inbuilt with safety on top tang
Trigger - Single selective
Receiver Finish - Matte plastic finish done with wetlands
Advantage wetlands camo
Stock: Wood - Yes, Advantage wetlands camo finish
Style - Field expressly made for wetlands use and field shooting
Chequering - Impressed
Buttplate - Black ventilated rubber
Overall weight: 3.5kg
Made in: Brescia, Italy
This gun was expressly made for waterfowlers. There was not one part that was shiny, which is ideal when in the duck swamp. However, be careful if you put it down in the grass, you may not find it again! The camo motif was superbly done.
Dick commented that this gun would be very interesting for the avid, serious duck hunter. He also said it handled very well and had a lively feel. Using AA 1200 shells, he said the recoil was not felt. John thought it pointed and shot very well and Ian speculated that it would handle magnum loads adequately. The Fabarm’s performance on skeet targets was “top shelf”.
Beretta S686
Supplied by: Bretta Australia
Case: Cardboard box
Chokes: Five chokes - Full, ¾, ½, ¼ and cylinder, all suitable for steel shot
Accessories: Choke tube spanner, oil
Instruction booklet: Yes
Ease of assembly: Conventional but forearm latch was very tight
Barrels: 29.5" Under/Over
Gauge - 12
Chamber - 3"
Overall length - 119cm, 47"
Rib - 6.5mm tapered, ventilated file cut, single front sight
Side Rib - Solid non-ventilated
Barrel weight: 1470g stamped
Action: Monobloc boxlock
Ejector - Yes, automatic
Safety - Yes, non-automatic on top tang
Selector - Yes, on top tang with safety
Trigger - Single selective
Receiver Finish - Silver nitrate with rosette engraving
Stock: Wood - Plain walnut with satin finish and schnabel fore-end
Style - Field
Chequering - Medium hand-cut
Buttplate - Non-ventilated black composite plastic with Beretta logo
Overall weight: 3.5kg
Made in: Brescia, Italy
The Beretta S686 would undoubtedly fit most people although it was a little short and light for one of the reviewers. During the review the gun’s top lever did not always come back when the action was closed but as it was a new gun, “it will wear in”. Ian said that he is used to wide ribs so he found this gun’s rib a bit narrow. Two of the reviewers found the buttplate too slippery and thus when the gun was mounted, it moved on their shoulders.
The gun’s triggers were crisp and not too heavy. Beretta shotgun reliability is legendary. For the occasional hunter and farmer, this gun is a good buy.
Miroku Model 10 Sport
Supplied by: Highland Sports
Case: Cardboard box
Chokes: Three chokes - IC,
Mod, Full. All suitable for steel
Accessories: Two spare triggers, choke tube spanner, and Allen key
Instruction booklet: Yes
Ease of assembly: Conventional and trouble-free
Barrels: 30" Under/Over
Gauge - 12
Chamber - 2.75"
Overall length - 119cm, 47"
Rib - ventilated with mid rib bead Browning design
12-10mm tapered
Side Rib - Ventilated
Barrel weight: 1640g with chokes
Action: John Browning’s original design deep action boxlock
Ejector - Yes, automatic
Safety - Yes, non-automatic on top tang
Selector - Yes, single selective on top tang with safety
Trigger - Single, adjustable to three positions, with two spares
Receiver Finish - Silver nitrate with English-style rosette engraving
Stock: Wood - American walnut with
beautiful dark grain and satin finish Sporting Style - with schnabel
fore-end. Palm swell on grip Chequering - Fine hand-cut
Buttplate - Ventilated brown rubber
Overall weight: 3.88kg
Made in: Kochi, Japan
This sporter gun fitted all of the reviewers very well. It handled extremely nicely. The triggers were crisp and the action was smooth to open and close. Dick said that it was a good gun to use when shooting skeet and would also be good for sporting clays. John liked the palm swell grip, weight and swing.
Weatherby Orion Grade II
Supplied by: Nioa Trading
Case: Styrene-covered cardboard box
Chokes: Three chokes - Full, ¾ and ½
Accessories: Universal choke spanner
Instruction booklet: Not in box
Ease of assembly: Conventional and quite easy
Barrels: 30" Under/Over
Gauge - 12
Chamber - 3"
Overall length - 119cm, 47"
Rib - Ventilated 10mm
parallel, file cut
Side Rib - Not ventilated
Barrel weight: 1600g w/chokes
Action: Boxlock, single underlock with double top bolt
Ejector - Yes, automatic
Safety - Yes, non-automatic on top tang
Selector - Yes, on top tang with safety
Trigger - Single selective gold plated
Receiver Finish - Silver satin, engraved with field scenes
Stock: Wood - American walnut with high gloss polyurethane finish
Style - Field shotgun with a semi pistol grip, no palm swell
Chequering - Medium hand-cut
Buttplate - Solid black rubber
Overall weight: 3.5kg
Made in: Ibaraki Province, Japan
Score: 17.1
After shooting the Weatherby, Dick said it handled well on the skeet targets but found the pistol grip uncomfortable. He thought the stock was too light and thin and felt that he didn’t have full control of the gun.
John thought the Weatherby mounted and handled very well and that the swing on crossing targets was strong. While he didn’t mind the pistol grip, he did say that it might not suit all shooters.
Ian also found the grip a little thin but pointed out that this was a field gun and that the grip is suitable for field shooting. He commented on how the Weatherby handled just like an SKB Model 700 that he shot in the 1960s. According to Ian, Weatherby is fast gaining favour throughout Australia.
BR Rizzini S2000
Supplied by: Nioa Trading
Case: Injection-moulded case with single combination lock catches and two non-locking catches. Velvet lined
Chokes: Five chokes - Full, ¾, ½, ¼, cylinder - all steel-proofed
Accessories: Snap caps, oil, stock tool, choke spanner and red velvet barrel socks
Instruction booklet: Yes
Ease of assembly: Conventional and quite simple
Barrels: 29.5" Under/Over
Gauge - 12
Chamber - 2.75"
Overall length - 119cm, 47"
Rib - Single fluoro red fore-sight, 10mm ventilated, curved file cut
Side Rib - Ventilated
Barrel weight: 1500g with chokes
Action: Silver nitrate, minimal engraving, boxlock with sideplates
Ejector - Automatic
Safety - Non-automatic on top tang
Selector - Inbuilt with safety on top tang
Trigger - Single selective
Receiver Finish - Silver nitrate, minimal engraving
Stock: Wood - European walnut oil finished matte, nice grain, with palm swell on pistol grip
Style - Sporting
Chequering - Fine hand-cut
Buttplate - Solid black rubber
Overall weight: 3.80kg
Made in: Brescia, Italy
Score: 17.9
All three reviewers thought the Rizzini was a good gun but that it shot a little high, which Ian pointed out is not a bad fault, and would be better suited for trap shooting or for rising targets in the field. The triggers were a bit heavy but the overall consensus was that it handled very well. The Rizzini is a “good package, nicely cased with sensible accessories and handled well”.
Beretta 470 Silver Hawk
Supplied by: Beretta Australia
Case: Cardboard box
Chokes: Fixed, modified and full
Accessories: No
Instruction booklet: Yes
Ease of assembly: Traditional and very simple
Barrels: 28" side by side
Gauge - 12
Chamber - 2.75"
Overall length - 114cm, 45"
Rib - Uncut concave,
low Churchill style
Barrel weight: 1370g stamped
Action: Boxlock
Ejector -Yes
Safety - Non-automatic on top tang
Selector - Inbuilt with safety on top tang
Trigger - Single selective
Receiver Finish - Silver nitrate with scroll engraving
Stock: Wood - High quality European walnut oil-finished, slender fore-end
Style - Field, English straight stock
Chequering - High quality medium hand-cut on stock and splinter fore-end
Buttplate - Solid black composite, plastic with Beretta logo
Overall weight: 3.125kg
Made in: Brescia, Italy
Score: 18.2
“The Beretta is light and lively and I feel I could carry it all day.” That statement, voiced by Ian, was echoed by John and Dick. Ian was probably the reviewer most surprised by the gun. Prior to the review he commented that he usually preferred over/under to side-by-side shotguns but felt that this gun handled extremely well and would be wonderful in the field. He also said it was worth investigating if you are looking for a quality side-by-side.
Dick also liked this Beretta but felt that shooting skeet targets was not a fair test of the gun’s qualities. While John could not fault the gun, he did say that he found it difficult to use on skeet because he does not use side-by-side shotguns. However, he also thought it would be ideal for use in the field.
Rottweil Paragon
Supplied by: Dynamit Nobel
Case: Patented three-combination lock vinyl-covered high-density polypropylene with velvet lining
Chokes: Flush steel shot rated
Modified and Full. Skeet, Skeet, Light
Modified, Modified and Light Full
Accessories: Stock tool and choke spanner
Instruction booklet: Yes, bilingual with graphics on how to interchange the sub-assemblies
Ease of assembly: Conventional and simple
Barrels: 28" U/O
Gauge - 12
Chamber - 2.75"
Overall length -115.5cm, 45.5"
Rib - 10mm, ventilated file cut with 2mm central plain channel
Side Rib - Ventilated
Barrel weight: 1334g with chokes
Action: Monobloc, Boxlock
Ejector -Yes, with option of turning them off with the aid of Allen key to save the cartridge cases
Safety - Yes, non-automatic located on the top tang
Selector - Yes, on triggerguard, when pushed to the right the bottom barrel fires first
Trigger - Detachable and interchangeable with super imposed hammers - three pull positions
Receiver Finish - Silver satin
Stock: Wood - High quality European walnut with fine-grain oil finished
Style - Sporting stock
Chequering - Fine line hand-cut
Buttplate - Solid black rubber recoil pad
Overall weight: 3.99kg
Made in: Troisdorf, Germany
The sample Rottweil gun handled quite well. It was beautifully balanced and offered virtually no recoil. The gun opened with ease, which gave the impression of a self-opening gun and gave the reviewers confidence when shooting. They all thought this gun was an excellent choice for skeet shooters. John came to the opinion that the triggers were the very best of the day.
While the Rottweil provides a number of variations for one gun, it may be a little heavy when doing a lot of walking. Ian was quite pleased with the gun because it fitted him exactly the same way as his old Rottweil Model 72 Olympia fitted. He also liked that the firing pins could be replaced without removing the stock, the self-adjusting wedges that kept the action tight, the assisted self-opening and the right- or left-hand convertible top lever. In the minds of the experts, the Rottweil lived up to its good name.
Renato Gamba Daytona Deluxe
Supplied by: Raytrade Distributors
Case: High-impact, plastic-moulded polypropylene vinyl-covered with three combination locks and velvet-lined
Chokes: Five chokes -X Full, Full, ½, ¼, Cylinder all steel-proofed
Accessories: Stock tool, choke spanner
Instruction booklet: Not in its case (misplaced)
Ease of assembly: Very easy, conventional, straightforward
Barrels: 31" Under/Over
Gauge - 12
Chamber - 2¾"
Overall length -123cm, 49.5"
Rib -10mm, ventilated file cut single white foresight
Side Rib - ventilated
Barrel weight: 1610g stamped
Action: Boxlock sideplate
Ejector - Automatic
Safety - Non-automatic on the top tang
Selector - On the trigger
Trigger - Detachable single
Receiver Finish - Silver finish, fine English scroll and game scenes signed by the engraver - exceptional
Stock: Wood - Highly figured selected European walnut with oil finish
Style - Sporter with pistol grip palm swell
and Schnabel fore-end
Chequering - Very fine hand chequering
Buttplate - Chequered walnut
Made in: Brescia, Italy
This gun received high praise from all three reviewers. They found no faults. In fact, some of their comments during the practical review were: “This is a classy gun.” “A high quality gun that gives an impression of being worth its asking price.” “A very fine sporting or field gun.”
The reviewers felt the triggers were crisp and not too heavy and that the recoil was not noticeable. The gun was beautifully engraved, had good balance and swing and would more than suit any critical shotgun buyer.
The Renato Gamba was everything you would expect from a gun - but costs about the same as a down payment on a house.
Final comments
The shotgun review ran very smoothly. While this was largely due to those taking part in the review, it had more to do with the fact that each gun performed extremely well, posing little or no problems.
While some of the guns had stiff actions, the reviewers - all remarkably good shots - believed that with use they would loosen up and no longer be a problem.
In this review as in past Australian Shooter reviews, scores were often in line with cost, i.e. you get what you pay for, but lower priced guns still break the targets just as well.
For additional information on the guns reviewed, please see your local dealer or visit the gun manufacturer’s web site.