IMO Yes but it's for you to make the final decision on what you want to spend your money on Enjoy which ever gun you bring home

 

I traded in my 725 sporting for a 694 .

The 694 came with a nice case . No case with 725 (at least When I bought mine)

The 694 feels heavier weighs more. So it should have less recoil . But I don't think I see a difference.

The 725 had ported barrels the 694 does not . Lots of people don't like porting . Didn't bother me.

My 694 came with true to size chokes my 725 did not . I replaced the 725 chokes with after market. I like the chokes on the 694 .

I think the 694 is made better (heavier built) but nothing wrong with the 725 .
Can't say I shoot one better then the other .
Me if you can afford the 694 get it . But the Browning is a nice gun and less money .

 

I have a lefty I bought few months ago-not for me. Your probably not a lefty, but if you are I will cut a great deal.
I just shoot my auto(400) better

 

Not sure but I will take a long shot is this still available and what are the details or do you have any pictures of the gun by chance

 

I can concur that the chokes supplied with my Browning Citori 625 were horrible. I patterned them and the IC shot tighter than the Mod. I counted pellets just to be clear.

I'm looking at the 694 as well. I shot a Blaser F-16 today that was also nice. I shot a friends 725 Sporting today as well. It was heavier but somehow recoiled more. Everyone perceives recoil differently so take that for what it's worth. And the 725 seemed to fit better. Go figure.... I have also read and heard about the 725 having trigger and firing pin issues. I have not shot the 694, only handled one at my local gun shop. I'd love to be able to shoot one before making such a large purchase.

 

For the money you will spend for a new 694, you might find (or at least come close to) a nice clean used DT10. If you can find one, that would be my choice.

 

I agree with this statement but the problem will always be finding a used DT10 for sale. Typically someone thinking about selling his DT10 will mention that at his club and have 10 offers before the end of the day.

Concerning the 694, the barrel tech features extended length forcing cones, not as long as those on the DT11 but distinctly longer than those on a 686 Optima HP barrel. In theory this act to slow the rate of acceleration for the charge moving down barrel and extend the time period for the recoil impulse. End result is they are supposed to be softer shooting. As an Engineer and Skeptic I am inclined to suspect that reduction in perceived recoil will be on the order of perhaps 3 or 4%. Not a huge amount for the money spent. However the trigger group on the 690 series guns is much easier to remove, so firing pin replacements because something easy enough to do on a kitchen table. Another plus is the B Fast option, IMO that is a must have for a Beretta at this level. Because it will make the gun much easier to Fit and better balanced. As for the cost, have to admit I am tempted by the 694. However I just do not need another 12 gauge and they aren't building the 694 in sub calibers.

Minor nitpics are the action width, a couple of guys at my club say they miss the "slim" feel of the 680 series guns. Another is that one club member did have issues with his 694 not resetting properly. He had to set the barrels to fire top first last summer and last winter sent it to Cole's to be sorted. This year it's been perfect.

 

I can concur that the chokes supplied with my Browning Citori 625 were horrible. I patterned them and the IC shot tighter than the Mod. I counted pellets just to be clear.

I'm looking at the 694 as well. I shot a Blaser F-16 today that was also nice. I shot a friends 725 Sporting today as well. It was heavier but somehow recoiled more. Everyone perceives recoil differently so take that for what it's worth. And the 725 seemed to fit better. Go figure.... I have also read and heard about the 725 having trigger and firing pin issues. I have not shot the 694, only handled one at my local gun shop. I'd love to be able to shoot one before making such a large purchase.

The factory 625 chokes are excellent. The same can't be said for the 725. Different manufacturers.

 

I love my 694, have been shooting 682's for a long time so Im a little Berettafied..

 

694 has good handling, nice palm swell, good weight, properly balanced.

Browning 725 will at some point need firing pins, and or the stock could crack.....been seeing more and more and more of them getting posted up on some of the facebook shooting groups. Not saying all 725's have bad stocks and will crack, but firing pins are a given. A few of my buddies own 725's and they all have replaced the firing pins and springs, some at 3,000 rounds, others at 50,000 plus, so there's no rhyme or reason as to when they are going to fail.

It's your money, but I wouldn't even consider a Browning 725 when looking at a 694 compared to it.

 

IMHO get a 686 sporting or.... a used DT11.

DL

 

Why?

 

A CG Summit will have a slightly higher comb and therefore fit a little differently, but IMO it's a better sporting clays gun than any current Beretta below the level of the DT11. And it's not just me as a several very good competitors I know have switched to CG. 2 from Krieghoff Parcours, 1 from DT 10 Fitasc and 1 from Perazzi MX2000s.

Berettas, even DT11s, are becoming something of a rarity at sporting competitions in my neck of the woods.

 

A CG Summit will have a slightly higher comb and therefore fit a little differently, but IMO it's a better sporting clays gun than any current Beretta below the level of the DT11. And it's not just me as a several very good competitors I know have switched to CG. 2 from Krieghoff Parcours, 1 from DT 10 Fitasc and 1 from Perazzi MX2000s.

Berettas, even DT11s, are becoming something of a rarity at sporting competitions in my neck of the woods.

I guess it depends on what neck of the woods you are in. I see the opposite in mine. We own a Summit Sporting. In that price range, I would never buy another one.

 

I'm only referring to registered sporting shooters, and all but 1 of the people referred to have won tournaments recently with their new guns. And I've just remembered another friend who switched from a regular K80 to an Invictus about a year ago.

One guy, a good friend and ex Parcours owner, said "I don't care if it doesn't last for 50 years. I'm hitting more targets and winning with it!"

I haven't been to any clubs or mixed with casual shooters for at least 5 years so I can't speak for what's popular with the greater mass of shooters.

 

I think there probably is a regional effect.

Locally, talking entry-level o/u and registered shooters (casual observation, not systematic count) the most frequently seen manufacturer is Browning/Miroku. Beretta are distant second. Autos are a different matter; in that category Beretta are first by a bunch.

 

I'm only referring to registered sporting shooters, and all but 1 of the people referred to have won tournaments recently with their new guns. And I've just remembered another friend who switched from a regular K80 to an Invictus about a year ago.

One guy, a good friend and ex Parcours owner, said "I don't care if it doesn't last for 50 years. I'm hitting more targets and winning with it!"

I haven't been to any clubs or mixed with casual shooters for at least 5 years so I can't speak for what's popular with the greater mass of shooters.

The air must be pretty thin at the lofty levels where you hang out. Of course, I was speaking of registered shooters as well. Like I said, different neighborhoods.

 

The air must be pretty thin at the lofty levels where you hang out.

England is a fairly small country and in my region virtually everyone knows everyone. The top shots round here are anything but snooty and don't exist at a "lofty level".

I can't help the fact that your Summit didn't meet your expectations but keep in mind that I wasted a fair amount of money on Berettas that had a selection of annoying issues from out of round bores, mis labelled chokes, variable trigger pulls, loose dowel pins in the receiver, unfinished woodwork, misaligned locking bolt and all round poor attention to quality.

OTOH My CG has been a revelation in terms of build quality, fit & finish, accessories, ballistic performance and all round handling. Beretta would need to do a lot better than the 694 to get my attention.

 

OP, why not start out by telling us how much you feel it is sensible for you to spend?

 

Only my opinion. Berettas feel more natural to mount but kick more than Brownings.

 

I have had a 686 and a CG Summit Sporting. My recommendation is to shoulder both and buy the one that feels best (since shooting them apparently isn't an option). The 686 just did not fit me. I knew it before I shot it and bought it anyways. I finally got sick of my cheek swelling after I shot it and sold it.

I then bought the CG Summit Sporting. It's more expensive, but it's also a much nicer gun - the wood is FAR nicer than that on the 686 and the bluing is also better. I haven't used the customer service so I can't comment on that yet, but I will say everyone who has seems to agree CG has much better customer service than Beretta.

Buy the gun that fits you best.

 

The OP, which was almost two years ago, asked about the 694, not the 686. They are very different guns. Your comparing the CG, which costs around $2000 more to an 686. Apples and oranges.

 

I don’t have the 694 or the Browning 725 but i do have 2 Brownings from the xs series as well as several Beretta’s 682/687 models. My preference is based on the type of shooting. If pre-mounting, I prefer the Brownings. I don’t pre-mount for sporting clays and do a lot of dove/quail/pheasant hinting and prefer the Berettas for those applications.

 

The guns you have are very different than the 725 or 694. The 694 is purely a clay target gun. Preferences for hunting guns don’t really matter.

 

Actually, both of my Brownings XS Skeet and XS sporting are dedicated clay target guns. Additionally all of my Berettas are sporting clays models, I just like the way they handle so I use them to hunt as well. I also understand the 694 is different from all of mine. I was simply making the point different guns handle differently and some that have appeal for one person and/or type of shooting while another may not.

 

I would hope someone contemplating buying a $4000 gun would understand that.

 

Well, the OP did ask a question regarding Beretta vs Browning Vs CG. Granted, mine are different models but thought I did a very good job of explaining my experience with 2 of the brands. He didn’t ask about Krieghoff so I didn’t comment on my K80. Don’t need your condescending lecture.

 

You stated your opinion and I stated mine. Not a condescending lecture at all. Sorry I ruffled your feathers. I also didn’t mention our two Blaser F3s or our CG, Beretta, and Browning field guns since the OP didn’t ask.

 

The 694 is a great gun.. mechanically the same as some of it's predecessors. It's a 600 series gun and will share similar tech. This is where the 694 gets the reliability. Where i find this gun shines is in the ergonomics that the other previous guns were missing. This translates to better fit, recoil management and visual abilities. The economics on this gun were created by the Beretta shooting team. This is the major difference. Used premium guns are a great find if not fitted to someone else... Sounds like you need to try one to see how close the fit is.. Really at the end of the day, which gun fits you'll crush more clays.. Some of my buddies do better with Brownings, not because they are a better brand but rather they fit these people off the rack..

 

If you're shooting registered sporting clays targets you might want to consider saving up some dough and getting the DT 11. if you're going to do it may as well do it right.

 

What does the DT11 do, that the 694 doesn’t, that makes this a necessary upgrade?

 

I now have about 3500 rounds through my Beretta 694ACS. Took awhile to get it adjusted to me but now I love it. It will outshoot me any day.