[maxb]

I am a proud new owner of a Silver Pigeon IV, Field Grade, 12 *****, 28 inch barrel, 3 inch chamber. It is new in box (though the store didn't do a good job on cleaning ) and comes with 5 factory mobilChokes, Gel-Tek recoil pad and a set of extra front sights (green/red). The current MSRP is about $2800 and I got it at a discounted price of $2100 ( ... 2200 out the door).

Is that an OK, good or smoking deal?

Since I cant post pictures on this forum here are a couple of links from beretta website:

http://products.berettausa.com/frame_ta ... igeon%20IV

http://www.beretta.com/index.aspx?m=74&idc=1&ids=23

Appreciate your comments..

 

[bopper]

That was a good price.

However, don't fret that the shop did not clean the gun. That goop is standard on all NIB shotguns. It's there to protect the gun against corrosion and is put there by the manufacturer. Any good gunshop would leave it so the gun would not rust unless the gun were put out on display.

 

[maxb]

So can just start shooting with it or is it a good idea to give it a good cleaning first? Can I just remove the greasy stuff with a towel or use some kind of cleaner?

 

[bopper]

You NEED to clean that stuff before shooting the gun. Any good solvent (Hoppes No. 9, Shooter's Choice, etc) designed for use on firearms will work well. Make sure to soak the bores in solvent and run a bronze brush and a few patches through before shooting, too.

Also, make sure to grease the bearing surfaces where the forend meet the receiver and where the barrels pivot inside the receiver with a good grease before shooting the gun. Clean this grease off and reapply every time you shoot the gun.

 

[maxb]

I'll look for "Hoppes No. 9, Shooter's Choice" in my local store. Not sure why the Reference Manual doesn't recommend cleaning this way if it's that important. All it says is to wipe of the rest preventative oil with a clean cloth and then lubricate the parts with beretta factory gun oil.

http://products.berettausa.com/PDF/Over ... ySides.pdf

 

[SShooterZ]

Follow Boppers lead and you won't go wrong.

I picked up a NIB the Beretta SPII 20 Gauge last year for $1200 and I have to say it's one well made shotgun. It's fun as hell to shoot and it really is a nice looking gun.

Good luck with your SPIV, it will give you years and years of reliable service.

 

[bopper]

FWIW, Hoppes No. 9 and Shooter's Choice are two different products. Either one will work well. Hoppe's isn't quite as agressive and it my choice.

 

[maxb]

I got the Hoppes #9 and here's what I did: cleaned the barrels with a couple of cotton patches, ran 3-4 patches soaked in #9, finally ran the bronze brush and some dry patches again. The barrels are shiny Now I can go have fun in the field with peace of mind Once again this forum is one my best finds! Thanks a million.

Just a word of caution about using Hoppes #9 from FAQs on Beretta USA website:
"Use caution if using Hoppes #9 on nickel plated parts. Many manufacturers have found that Hoppes #9 will damage nickel finished parts if it left in contact with the parts for any length of time. "

As instructed I made sure to use #9 in the barrel bores only. Which part(s) on a beretta silver pigeon are nickel plated?

I also spoke with beretta customer rep and I was told that the Beretta Lubricating oil that comes with the gun does have some cleaning ingredients in it. He also suggested using Birchwood Casey product for cleaning other metal parts Action/Receiver/Fore-end/monoblock etc. So I also bought a can of Birchwood Casy product called "Barricade" Rust Protection for Firearms.

For now I am just gonna stick with Beretta oil for outside metal parts and Hoppes #9 for the bores.

 

[bopper]

You should also clean the gunk off of the outside of the gun as well. Hoppe's will work well for this, too. After you clean this gunk off, you shouldn't have to use solvent on the exterior of the gun again. You will need to clean out the inside of the receiver every so often and a little solvent will make this go faster.

Don't worry too much about Hoppe's as long as you don't let it sit on the gun too long. Let it soak for 1 - 2 minutes and that's plenty.

I should have mentioned it in my first posts but make sure to oil the gun after using any solvent. Any solvent will strip the gun of oil and leave it susceptible to rust.

 

[maxb]

BTW I am really surprised that the owner's manual doesn't cover all this stuff since the first cleaning is so important. ARE YOU LISTENING BERETTA ???

 

[maxb]

I should have mentioned it in my first posts but make sure to oil the gun after using any solvent. Any solvent will strip the gun of oil and leave it susceptible to rust.

You mean use gun oil even inside of the barrel bores?

 

[bopper]

Technically, it's not necessary with a Beretta because the bores are chromed, but I do it anyway just to be safe. It is necessary with any gun that does not have chromed bores.