Beretta Stonecoat shotgun review

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Beretta autos are among the best in the world for reliability, and this particular gun has already proved itself in the field.

By Jason Harris

Wednesday, 19 September 2007

Beretta's hugely popular range of Teknys semi-automatic shotguns have undergone quite a major facelift - and the Beretta Stonecoat is pretty stunning.

The lines and form of the 'old' model were always very modern but the new finish brings the gun bang-up to date in terms of looks.

This semi-auto is now called Stonecoat, a name taken from the tough satin-grey finish that has been applied to the metalwork of the action frame.

Why the makers wanted to change the name is beyond me, but they clearly felt it was time to do so.

And 'Stonecoat' is certainly very different where guns are concerned.

The gun I've been testing is the 'Gold' Field model - the highest grade you can get in the range - and it worked faultlessly with the wide selection of cartridges put its way.

But, then, that's to be expected - Beretta autos are among the best in the world for reliability, and this particular gun has already proved itself in the field and on the clay ground.

Mechanically it's the same as the previous Gold so a buyer shouldn't have any complaints about the Stonecoat's cartridge recycling capabilities. Needless to say it has been restricted to a two cartridge magazine capacity in line with UK law on semi-automatic shotguns.

Beretta Stonecoat ejection port. The Beretta Stonecoat shotgun features smooth cartridge recycling.

The mechanics of the gun might not have altered but its looks most certainly have. In addition to the grey finish the makers have engraved game scenes carved in relief on either side of the action frame. In fact these are in much the same style as the heavier engraving found on the EL2 sideplate and Silver Pigeon 2.

As you can see from the photographs here, ducks appear on the left side and pheasants on the right.

The woodwork is termed as oil finished but to me it looks more like a gloss. Regardless of that the style of finish does give the gun a very polished look and really sets off the higher grade wood used on this particular model.

The butt end of the stock is finished with a Gel-Tek pad to help make the gun shoot as smoothly as possible but it also comes supplied with a standard Beretta pad if the user prefers the older option.

Beretta Stonecoat shotgun. There are four positions for the height of the comb on the Stonecoat.

It's good to see the stock remains adjustable for both drop and cast with a series of plates and shims that come with the gun. The Stonecoat can be cast for left or right hand shooters and there are four positions for the height of the comb.

I wouldn't say the green embossed badge on either side of the gun looks wrong, but to my way of thinking the gun would be fine without it.

The barrel on the Gold Field is 28in and chambered to handle 3in magnum cartridges. Each gun is supplied with five standard Beretta mobilchokes and weight is a very pleasant 6.1/2lb.

JASON'S VERDICT:

This is a well put together gun, which you'd expect from Beretta, a company that sets the benchmark for semi-auto shotguns.

The trouble is the price - anything over £1,000 and you start getting into over-under territory.

That said, if you're a semi-auto fan the Stonecoat is certainly worth a second look. I just wish they would ditch that horrible green badge on the action.

Build quality: 9

Handling: 8

Styling: 8

Value for money: 7