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The one that is coming… Neighbor!

 

I am one of those people that when something gets into my head, it is impossible for me to escape from that “run run”, maddening and persecuting, which does not leave me until I get it and the truth is this time it has cost me to get rid of it, almost three years in fact, the same ones that separate that first occasion in which I tried a “yellow suppository” with Gorka Serbal and these days ago in which I have finally incorporated a new 20-gauge over-and-under shotgun into my team, specifically, a shiny Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I, which I am looking forward to wearing.

My first 20 gauge over and under shotgun…

It was in October 2019, on a partridge day in Rowan Group (Making click here you can see the video of the day), when we arrived at the parking lot and Gorka handed me the 20-gauge over-and-under shotgun that he was going to let me try.

At first I was amazed by the cartridge. He calls it «Yellow Tomahawk», I «Yellow suppository», which due to size and dimensions, is what my body asks for, although we will have to find a more catchy and commercial name…

But does this kill? I guess it’s the same silly question that any hunter accustomed to 12 asks the first time he has a “yellow suppository” in his hands, but what do you want me to tell you… I couldn’t help it.

Then you pick up the shotgun… Light, very light, like a toy, with ridiculously small barrels… No wonder he hesitates that it’s for women and children.

But I went to try it and boy did it kill…

20 Gauge Overhead Shotgun | Hunting Notebook

Testing a 20 caliber Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I

I already told you about it in a post I wrote following that first Try a 20 gauge shotgun. but summing it up in broad strokes, I was pleasantly surprised.

It not only killed, but it was a real challenge for me.

I immediately got used to it, carrying it easily on my shoulder, with subtle and comfortable turns, facilitating the tracking of the partridge and its shot.

I liked its lightness and in reality, it is even hard for you to feel that you are carrying it on your arm, something that in 5 or 6 hours of crossing the mountain, becomes a great added value.

But that lower weight does not imply a greater recoil as occurs in the 12, quite the contrary, it is tremendously light, allowing you a very agile second shot, almost without the need to reposition the shotgun.

Where is the challenge then? In which you have to aim more and better…

20 Gauge Overhead Shotgun | Hunting Notebook

A 20-Gauge Over-and-Over Shotgun Forces You to Be More Accurate

It goes without saying that the 20 caliber is less forceful than the 12. Less weight of leads, less grammage, more closed shots…

Inevitably you have to be more precise, aim more and aim better, but this is curiously what hooked me the most in the test.

That challenge of my skill prevailing, instead of the weapon’s performance, when it comes to successfully resolving a set, became the famous “run run” that has accompanied me all this time.

20 Gauge Overhead Shotgun | Hunting Notebook

My new Beretta 686, a 20 gauge over and under shotgun

From that moment I was very clear that I wanted to incorporate a 20-gauge over-and-under shotgun into my gun rack, but the process has been long, almost three years as I told you at the beginning, and it is easier to find a needle in a haystack than a 20-gauge decent and good price second hand.

I started looking at that market for a purely economic reasoning and although it is true that there was no lack of options, separating the chaff from the grain, staying, was just enough.

In some cases they asked for almost the same as new, in others, the condition of the shotgun was very poor and since I was also looking for a barrel length that would allow me some flexibility to use it in different hunting modalities, the possibilities were further reduced. .

So I changed the objective, I focused exclusively on the new models and there I simplified the selection process, since there was not much to think about.

That October 2019 I was fascinated by the Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I that I tried and that same 20-gauge over-and-under shotgun is the one I am showing you today.

76 chamber, ejector, shot selector, 67 barrel, which I understand will give me a good game to the quail, the pigeon, the partridge and who knows, maybe also the deaf.

20 Gauge Overhead Shotgun | Hunting Notebook

Woodcock hunting with 20 caliber… Is it viable?

I say maybe, because I’m not going to lie to you, I have my doubts here, but I want to dispel them.

Probably in a more open preserve, oak, eucalyptus, beech… The 20 caliber is fully functional and usable for hunting deaf.

But in mine, the one I call Mordor, not without a certain disdain, is where the question arises.

The bird is the same, of course, but the environment, disgustingly dirty, rebellious and closed, I don’t know how it will link with the benefits of the “yellow suppository”.

In any case, it will not be because of desire and conviction, that I have plenty of that.

I don’t want to “shoehorn it in”, but I’m not going to let myself be defeated by some initial failure…

We will see it together on video ????

What have I done with my 12 gauge shotguns?

There has been movement in the gunsmith, but not of a radical nature.

I sold the superimposed Bettinsoli with barrel of 60, the one I bought a couple of years ago to replace the Benelli Premium Superlight, to a very nice boy from Castro-Urdiales, who will surely enjoy it to the fullest, because it is a good shotgun and he also had it impeccable.

I have nothing against rifled barrels, but I never liked them and this period with the Bettinsoli has only confirmed the reasons.

I have come to beat deaf in unexpected ways. Some without putting the shotgun on my shoulder, others even from the waist, many without even aiming and I can understand who is attracted or in need of this type of “shower”, but as I told you a few lines ago, I look for Let my shooting ability prevail instead of accommodating and taking advantage of the weapon’s performance.

On the contrary, I have kept the other Bettinsoli, the XTrail with a 66 barrel that I also bought new in 2020. Partly because I really did not want to get rid of it, partly because I like it and most probably, because of that hesitation about the functionality of the caliber 20 in Mordor.

20 Gauge Overhead Shotgun | Hunting Notebook

My new 20 gauge over and under shotgun at Sarasketa Armory

I have and I want to thank Iñigo for everything and while we’re at it, why not take the opportunity to tell you that he has the Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I on sale at a very good price, among many other models, so if you dare and are evaluating make the change to caliber 20, do not miss the opportunity…

Now I have another “run run”, I am restless by nature, it is called Franchi Feeling Becada in caliber 20… All that is needed is for Mordor and the “yellow suppository” to hit it off ????

A hug and to the mountain!

Surely you have a lot to contribute and we are looking forward to hearing it, so I encourage you to leave a comment on the form with your opinion.

And if you liked this post about my new 20-gauge over-and-under shotgun, you can share it on your social networks using the buttons at the end of the article.

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