doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com V. Bernardelli Doubles

Larry Brown had an article in SSM within the last year or two, devoted either exclusivly or heavily to V. Bernardelli guns.

I have a VB hammergun, the Italia. I really like it. It is very strong (double under lugs, crossbolt and third fastener), has chrome lined barrels and is Briley thinwall choked and can shoot steel. Thus it is very versatile and makes a great travel gun.

I have a 26 inch 20 gauge Roma 4 which I've been shooting about a year now, having acquired it used but well cared for. The workmanship isn't superb, but then the price was more than reasonable. I must admit that it's one of my favorite guns.

One reason that Bernardellis got hard to find in the US is the rise in the Euro in recent years vs. the value of the US dollar. They were at one time very reasonable--comparable to similar grade Spanish doubles. No longer.

I found my 16-bore hammer VB lightly used in a gunshop in Bologna, and spent almost as much getting it to the US as I spent buying it in the first place; apparently hammer 16s are as unfashionable there as here!

I believe you can still go to the factory in Brescia and order a "semi-custom" shotgun (specify model, stock type, rib, chokes, triggers, barrel length, tubes, etc) and have it delivered in the US. That was true a couple of years ago. If you're in Italy, Brescia and Val Trompia in general is a great place to visit. Shotgun Central!

I too have a Bernardelli Italia hammer 12 and a Brescia hammer 28. Both are very well made guns, IMO. The current doubles I've seen from V. B. are comparatively junky. JL

Last 20br SLE (25" or 26" barrels with Churchill rib) I have seen looked more Turkish then Italian. It would throw snap caps 20+ft away and one needed a sturdy knee to break it open!

Thanks for the replies. I looked at the website and it does list the other doubles such as the Uberto, Roma, Holland, Italia, etc., but it did not provide much information about any of them. The website does describe the guns as having "barrels without monoblock." What does this mean?

I started reading SSM last fall and have not seen the VB article. I would love to obtain a copy if anyone can tell me which issue it was in.

Steve Atkinson said his Italia had chromed bores. Did the other VBs also have this feature?

The used VBs I have seen all seemed pretty well built. I have looked at some Fox Sterlingworths, too, but the only ones that looked as nice had been re-finished or would need to be, and thus would cost more but be worth less. That is a quirk I can live without.

For more info read 'The Guns of Vincenzo Bernardelli' in Sept/Oct 2003 issue of SSM.

I think it's to distinguish them from Beretta-style monoblocks, where the tubes are inserted into a solid breech block (with a visible joint at the front of the chambers). The VBs have traditional chopper lump barrels.

riflecat, what you will live without if you buy a Sterlingworth is it ain't gonna break! Bobby

My 1931 hammer 16 doesn't have chrome-plated bores; the other two VBs I have shot do. They are great until you decide to add tubes or re-choke. Then you need a savvy gunsmith who is familiar with Italian doubles and has the tools to cut the chrome plating. I have been told that the hard chrome can eat ordinary reamers, with some ugly side effects on the area of the barrel being cut.

Any truth to this, or is it just another myth?

Since my two came with chokes that I like, I haven't tried to modify them.