17-Aug-2026
Walk any clay ground or game shoot in Britain, and you’ll see more Berettas than any other maker’s guns. The world’s oldest gunmaker, trading since 1526, has earned that dominance by building shotguns that fit most people well, last for decades of heavy use, and cover every budget from first gun to bespoke sidelock.
But the range is sprawling, and the model numbers don’t explain themselves. This guide maps the Beretta families you’ll actually encounter on the UK market, what each is designed for, and where the smart money goes.
The field and sporting workhorse: 686, 687 and the Silver Pigeon line
The Silver Pigeon family, built on the 686/687 action, is Britain’s default over-under, and for good reason. The low-profile action is strong, slim, and famously durable; the handling suits game and clays equally; and the used market is enormous, which keeps prices honest.
The differences between grades are mostly cosmetic; engraving and wood improve as the numbers climb, so a mechanically sound entry-grade gun shoots just as well as a fancy one. We’ve covered the line in detail in our Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon guide and 687 Silver Pigeon III review, and you can browse current examples on our Beretta 686 listings page.
For most buyers wanting one gun for game and clays, this is where the search starts and often ends.
The competition classics: 682, 690 series, and DT11
The 682 was Beretta’s serious competition gun of the 1980s and 90s, and it has aged into one of the great used bargains: a stoutly built, adjustable, purposeful clay gun that can still win at club level, often for the price of a mid-range field gun. Interest in them remains strong; see our Beretta 682 guide and the current 682 listings.
Its modern successors, the 690/692 series, updated the formula with a wider action and better weight distribution, covered in our 692 and 690 overview.
At the top sits the DT11 (successor to the DT10), Beretta’s flagship competition gun with its detachable trigger group and heavier, steadier handling. Serious sporting, trap and skeet shooters buy these intending to put hundreds of thousands of cartridges through them, and the guns take it. Our DT10 vs DT11 comparison explains what changed between generations.
The semi-automatics: A300 and A400
Beretta’s A400 is the benchmark gas-operated semi-auto: soft-shooting, reliable with a wide range of loads, and available in configurations from wildfowling to sporting clays. It’s the gun that made semi-autos respectable on British clay grounds. The more affordable A300 gives up some refinement but keeps the core reliability.
We’ve reviewed the platform in our Beretta A400 review, and you can compare current prices on the A400 listings page. Remember UK capacity rules: a Section 2 shotgun must have its magazine restricted to two rounds, semi-autos sold through UK dealers come configured accordingly.
The Aristocrats: SO Sidelocks and the 486 Parallelo
At the top of the tree sit the SO-series sidelocks, SO5, SO6, SO9 and beyond, hand-built guns that compete with London’s best at a fraction (though still a serious multiple of the average gun budget). Interest in these has been climbing lately among collectors looking for craftsmanship with a factory badge.
For traditionalists, the 486 Parallelo is Beretta’s modern side-by-side, a round-actioned game gun that pairs classic looks with modern manufacturing tolerances.
Beretta vs the rivals: Browning, Miroku and the rest
The eternal clay-ground debate is Beretta versus Browning, and it genuinely comes down to fit. Beretta actions are lower in profile and the stocks tend to suit shooters with average-to-slim faces; Browning’s B525/B725 guns sit a little deeper and often fit fuller faces better. Neither is “better”, the right answer is the one that shoots where you look when you mount it with your eyes shut. Our Browning B525 and B725 guide covers the other side of that argument.
What Beretta offers that few rivals match is sheer breadth: no other maker takes you from a first used over-under to a hand-engraved sidelock without leaving the brand, with parts, servicing, and gunsmith familiarity available on every high street in between. That ecosystem is worth something when you own the gun for twenty years.
Buying a Beretta in the UK: New vs used
Berettas hold value well but depreciate enough at the entry grades that a used Silver Pigeon or 682 is one of the best-value ways into a quality gun. When buying used, check: barrels on face and free of dents or pitting, tightness of the action (a little movement can be re-jointed, but price accordingly), bore condition, and evidence of a recent service on older competition guns that may have digested enormous round counts.
Every shotgun purchase in England, Wales, and Scotland requires a shotgun certificate, and buying through a registered firearms dealer, including RFD-to-RFD transfer for distance sales, keeps everything clean and legal. Our guide to buying a gun in the UK walks through the process step by step.
FAQ
Which Beretta shotgun is best for beginners? A 686 Silver Pigeon in 12 bore with 28–30" barrels is the classic first gun: forgiving handling, easy resale, and equally happy on clays and game.
Are older Berettas like the 682 still worth buying? Very much so, they were built for professional-level round counts, so a well-kept example has plenty of life left and represents outstanding value per pound.
What’s the difference between the Silver Pigeon grades? Mechanically, they share the same action; higher grades buy you better wood and engraving. Condition matters far more than grade when buying used.
Do I need a licence to buy a Beretta shotgun? Yes, you need a shotgun certificate (SGC) anywhere in Great Britain, and the sale must go through the proper channels, typically via a registered firearms dealer.
Find your Beretta on Rightgun.uk
From used Silver Pigeons to competition-ready DT11s, browse the full range of Beretta shotguns for sale on Rightgun, alongside hundreds of other shotguns for sale from trusted UK sellers and registered firearms dealers.
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