Practically Perfect In Every Way

Mike Yardley is impressed with the mechanical and conceptual elegance of the Beretta 486 Parallelo, not to mention its excellent handling characteristics and lack of recoil

- Mike Yardley

This month’s gun test looks at a 20-bore, 28" barrelled Beretta 486 Parallelo, a gun which is built on an elegant and compact round-bar action and is also available with 30" tubes. It boasts a single trigger; 3" magnum chambering that is steel shot proof; Beretta Optima multi-chokes and a full pistol-grip stock with beaver-tail fore-end (there is a straight-hand option too).

First impressions are excellent; it’s a really pretty little gun and well presented. The English-style scroll engraving on the silver-finished action looks good and the stock shapes are first class. The wood, walnut of course, has some figure, although it could have done with a little more oil.

When you bring the Parallelo 20 to the shoulder it seems delightfully light (at 6¼lb), but it is no wand. It is well balanced between the hands. The nice grip (which is big enough to fill the hand but not too large or acutely angled) and fore-end shapes make it feel secure and controllable – more so than the average small-bore.

The concave rib presents a good picture to the eye, although a flat pigeon rib would be a good option too. The gun feels really handy. Sometimes, light small-bore doubles seem almost too dainty but this one feels like a real gun.