Tinknocker
Might have answered my own question, on Beretta's website listed at $3,600, assuming street price will be lower.
I don’t think it’s that bad, but I don’t understand why a Lam stock and a black action makes it worth more than a 686. I assume the laminate costs less than the real stuff (even the SP1 furniture?). I assume the same CNC machine is cutting the same receiver (albeit “precision adjusted” to make it a few thousands wider here and there). Nickel vs Black cost? So where is the extra 1k$? The Beretta site says the barrels are the regular Steelium that you get on the 686 as well.
Shot across the bow of the 725 and now 825 which has to be eating Berettas lunch at the $3k +/- price point.
686 style monoblock and forend iron. 682 style adjustable trigger. No 682 style replaceable barrel shoulders. I'd bet they are just snapping the current 686 sporting barrels onto a new receiver, in fact they'd be kinda dumb not to. Metal is 2-tone, matte receiver and gloss barrels.
On one hand, it's nice that it comes with an adjustable comb out of the box. However, Berettas comb hardware is typically junk that needs to be replaced anyways (Graco and SPS have made an absolute FORTUNE selling replacement Beretta and Browning comb hardware for the last couple decades), so you're nearly always better off having an aftermarket comb done.
So the only real question will be is the SLIGHTLY heavier (supposedly) receiver, laminate instead of walnut, factory adjustable comb, and adjustable trigger (which you can buy the parts for and install yourself on a 686 for around 100 bucks) are worth the extra $800-$1k more than a 686 would be. Unless they plan on discontinuing the 686.
Personally I think the 686 is cosmetically a LOT nicer gun. If you want laminate, you can get a set from Coles for $650, so you can pretty much exactly replicate the gun with a 686, with TWO stock sets, for the same cost as a 688, then sell off the walnut set and recoup 400-500 bucks. Seems like a swing and miss.
686 style monoblock and forend iron. 682 style adjustable trigger. No 682 style replaceable barrel shoulders. I'd bet they are just snapping the current 686 sporting barrels onto a new receiver, in fact they'd be kinda dumb not to. Metal is 2-tone, matte receiver and gloss barrels.
On one hand, it's nice that it comes with an adjustable comb out of the box. However, Berettas comb hardware is typically junk that needs to be replaced anyways (Graco and SPS have made an absolute FORTUNE selling replacement Beretta and Browning comb hardware for the last couple decades), so you're nearly always better off having an aftermarket comb done.
So the only real question will be is the SLIGHTLY heavier (supposedly) receiver, laminate instead of walnut, factory adjustable comb, and adjustable trigger (which you can buy the parts for and install yourself on a 686 for around 100 bucks) are worth the extra $800-$1k more than a 686 would be. Unless they plan on discontinuing the 686.
Personally I think the 686 is cosmetically a LOT nicer gun. If you want laminate, you can get a set from Coles for $650, so you can pretty much exactly replicate the gun with a 686, with TWO stock sets, for the same cost as a 688, then sell off the walnut set and recoup 400-500 bucks. Seems like a swing and miss.
MicroCore recoil pad - present on 686.
Thicker Stock with competition Palm Swell, closed grip, and Checkering - present on the 682 and early 686S
B-Fast Adjustable Stock out of the box. - Which will require replacing the hardware after it's out of the box.
Laminated wood for a contemporary technical style - Beretta being too cheap to use real wood. Also note that laminated wood is heavier than real wood.
680 based wider and heavier receivers - Present on early 682's and dropped due to difficulty maintaining special width spare stocks and complaints about guns being too heavy.
Optimised weight distribution and balance at the hinge pins - For the first run of guns for the Press, After that the balance will be "within Spec" and we all know what that means.
Top lever with smoother opening and closing feeling - no change at all from the 686 and typical marketing fluff.
Fresh competition looks with improved anti glare finish - Beretta being too cheap to nickel plate the receiver and doing NOTHING about the glare off the barrels.
Adjustable trigger, adjustable LOP - Once standard on the 682 and moving the trigger doesn't fully correct LOP issues
Beretta Steelium Optimabore HP barrels - Present on current 686 Sporting.
Competition top rib - Present on 686 Sporting
Competition ventilated side ribs - Present on 686 Sporting.
Optima HP Chokes - Present on 686 Sporting.
What we have here is a 686 Sporting that has been "dressed" with cheap black powder coat and heavier and cheaper "wood" and receiver. So those wanting a 9.5-10 lbs. gun will have that option. For a hefty 1000 dollar bump in price. BTW it's rather easy to add weight to the current 686 Sporting with a bit of lead in the forearm recesses and the stock. In addition put another pound of weight into the gun with sub caliber tubes and you are working with an 11 pound gun.
Instead of developing new guns they should be concentrating on making the ones they already have leave the factory in acceptable shape.
But it is absolutely apparent they have zero issues keeping customers and obviously don’t need any help from me
What an ugly gun. I liked the 690, 686 but with nicer wood and a simple black action. Orange highlights were sharp and caught your eye
But it is absolutely apparent they have zero issues keeping customers and obviously don’t need any help from me
What an ugly gun. I liked the 690, 686 but with nicer wood and a simple black action. Orange highlights were sharp and caught your eye
Man have times sure changed. People ooohing and ahhhhing laminate stocks now? Boyd probably got the contract to make them.
Guns 10, no 50 times nicer looking. They shouldn’t have discontinued this, nice little gun, I can’t believe they didn’t sell a ton of them. I honestly think this one may have been discontinued to push sales of the 694, but I don’t think that’s where this new one is slotted. Looks to be an entry level option. Laminated wood, I don’t care what it does when it’s wet. I don’t shoot the rain. And if I did, I still wouldn’t use something that ugly.
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I'll take laminate over apple crate-grade walnut any day of the week as long as the extra weight of laminate isn't an issue.
It had all the problems of the 692, with none of the benefits. The aluminum forend iron is also a huge turnoff. The last 690 and 692s had the 694s ejector system because there were so many problems with the original (selectable) design. The single screw design that held the trigger plate to the receiver was a TERRIBLE change, put all the stress on that single screw, and when the screw snapped the gun came apart in your hands.
A lot of gun companies are too clever by half, making major cosmetic changes and minimal mechanical chances to guns (and what mechanical changes they make are usually a huge step backward), when exactly the opposite is what the market wants. NOBODY wanted selectable ejectors and an aluminum forend iron, but they shoehorned it into the 690/692, and it failed. Nobody wanted sharp angles and a 2 piece forend iron (that has bedding issues) on the 694, but they shoehorned it in anyways. When you have people in the know who would buy a used 30 year old version of your mainstay gun before they'd buy a brand new current version, you've done something terribly wrong. Bring out a 682 Greystone with 32" and 34" Optima HP barrels (REAL 682 barrels, with replaceable shoulders), and make an update to the forend iron so it can take replaceable shoes to tighten the action fit when necessary, and they wouldn't be able to keep them in stock. Browning ought to take note as well, and replace the old heavy Inv+ barrel tubes on the Citori with the new InvDS tubes, their "mechanical" trigger on the 725 was a disaster that nobody cared about even if it worked.
That era 682 came with a lot of accessories. Three triggers , 5-6 choke tubes,two recoil pads of different thicknesses. It was my 1st serious gun.
They stopped giving out all the accessories, had to pay the nft art project marketing directors salary 🤣
I’m waiting for them to stop including 5 choke tubes as standard.
I’m waiting for them to stop including 5 choke tubes as standard.
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