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
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.
Denne historien er fra January 2018-utgaven av Sporting Shooter.
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Denne historien er fra January 2018-utgaven av Sporting Shooter.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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RSPB gives mixed message on shooting
Having recently attended the RSPB’s virtual AGM, Conor O’Gorman discusses the outcome of the charity’s year-long review of game bird shooting
Causeway for concern
Alan Jarrett’s renewed interest in reading takes him down memory lane to an offshore island duck flight that very nearly ended in disaster
Through a purple patch
The Garrows Estate is taking a conservation-focused approach to restoring the wildlife populations and biodiversity on the Scottish heather moorland.
When the wheels fall off
Losing form on a day’s shooting can be infuriating, especially if you’ve been shooting like a god up to that point. Simon O’Leary looks at some common causes and how to remedy them
Beaches, books & bad behaviour!
The annual Kay family vacation to Northumberland offers a chance to give the cockers a blast on the beach – although they don’t always shower themselves in glory, as Ryan Kay recalls...
Using the Stop whistle
Now you’ve instilled the basics, it’s time to up the ante with some more tricky distance work. Howard Kirby explains how to take the core Stop whistle command to the next level
The humble teal
They may be tiny, but as far as Rupert Butler is concerned, the appeal of this little duck is huge. He recalls some of his most memorable nights in pursuit of these aerial acrobats
Fab all-rounder
Mike is impressed with the Fabarm Elos B2 Field Notte, which offers great value for money, is suited to fieldwork or clays and is future-proofed for use with steel in all choke constrictions
CALL OF THE WILD
Dom Holtam reconnects with one of the purest forms of shotgun shooting as he walks-up woodcock over pointing dogs in the Scottish Highlands
A yen for the Fens
Tony Jackson recounts a memorable duck flight over an area of Fenland in Norfolk with his friend and author, the late Alan Savory
