Gentlemen,
I have recently purchased a Beretta side by side shotgun that is turning out to be quite different than any I have bought or seen before. There are several features that strike me as different right away. It has factory sling swivels for one thing, next it has a short piece of top rib right in front of the breech then it dives down between the barrels as a concave rib. The gun has a hidden third fastener that consists of a round rod that extends out of the breech face after the barrels are closed. Neither the barrels nor the breach are marked in the traditional way with date coded Roman numerals but the water table is stamped 1951. This gun has a frosted looking nickle finish on the action with light border engraving. Last, it has a pistol grip on it and a button release on the bottom of the forend, a nickle plated button surrounded by a thin brass frame around it.
The barrels are proof marked with 1370Kg. I am assuming that this is per square centimeter? It is a 12 gauge and it weighs 6 pounds 8.6 ounces. It either does not reset the safety when opened or someone has removed the linkage to make it do so. The barrels measure 68.5 centimeters or 26 3/4 inches. Choke markings on the barrels are 17.7 and 17.3, I'm guessing around Improved and Modified but that is just a guess. I will take some pictures of it and get them on here later. In the meantime, I would really appreciate hearing any thoughts on the markings, the model of this gun, and what the chokes are. I'm sure it was built for the European trade and it has no importers mark on it. Thanks for your help on figuring this one out. Bob
