AMMUNITION TOLERANCE
>> Guns without adjustable gas valves were usually made to cycle the 32g (1.1/8oz) car- tridges, which were then the norm for clay and field shooting.
Many which would not cycle 28g (1oz) cartridges were modified to do so by gunsmiths – usu- ally by opening out the gas ports in the barrels.
So, if you are buying an early gun, it pays to try it with your favourite cartridge before you part with your cash.
GUN FIT
>> All late-model guns are supplied with shims which, when inserted between the rear of the receiver and the stock, alter the comb height.
A good second-hand gun will have the original shims with it, but if it doesn’t, the importers should be able to help.
HOW DO THEY WORK?
>> All Beretta semi-autos are gas fed. As the wad and shot travel up the barrel small ports in the tube allow high-pressure gas to flow into a cylinder and piston assembly inside the fore end.
The piston is connected by rods to the mechanism within the receiver, and as it moves to the rear it first unlocks the bolt, then moves it backwards.
An extractor claw on the bolt face withdraws the spent case until it is clear of the chamber, and a mechanism then flips it sideways and ejects it through the loading port.
As the bolt moves back it re-cocks the hammer for a second shot, while a fresh cartridge is lifted from the magazine tube and placed in front of the bolt.
The bolt then moves forwards under the pressure of a spring, chambering the new cartridge. With the cartridge fully home, the bolt locks and the second shot can be fired. WHAT DO THEY COST? If you are buying new, the Urika 2 series starts
at £1,390, the A400 series at £1,420, and the A391 series at £1,490.
These are importer’s recommended prices, and most retailers sell them more cheaply than that.
The guns hold their second-hand values very well.
A301s and A302s are on the market for £300 to
£400, and good A303s are generally around the £450 mark. A391 series guns are generally £600-plus, and a good Xtrema model can be well over £900. For details of Beretta semi-autos visit:
www.gmk.co.uk I Shoot and Fish E-Zine March 2012 45
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