doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com I know making this confession is destastefull

Pooch,

The early 50s SO series guns have a 7 pin lock along with a cocking indicator. Beretta reduced the complexity on the locks in '58 or '59. Nothing wrong with the 7 pin locks, but if they go wrong they are just harder to repair. The guns will be around 7+ pounds. The earlier guns will also have a solid rib; the later guns will have a vent rib. I don't see many early guns with a SST however, you can find DT guns.

I used to hunt with a mid-50s S3, but now hunt with a side-by-side. You should be able to find a good early SO series gun.

Ken

In answer to pooch, I haven't used the gun all that much but probably will more this year since I have a little bit of a bismuth stockpile.

I do like the solid rib on a field gun, and yes, it is a bit over 7 pounds. Plus, it was choked full and fuller and I had Kirk Merrington open them up and do a strip and clean. They lock up like a bank vault, not at all like the modern 686 conical pin lockup (although I own and like them). Mine was a gun show impulse buy/trade; it needed a little mechanical work and the stock refinished, but I couldn't resist. KDGJ is right, they are out there, but I got into mine even with the work for less than I see them priced at. It offset all the other bad deals I've made over time.

Bruce

More confessions: I happen to subscribe to the Howard Hill (The Music Man)method of shooting. If I really concentrate on the target I will hit it, and stay loose. On an incomer I like to shoot the tighter barrel first, most shots are for a bird going away, so open first. Hunting can be unpredictable sometimes. I don't want to think about the process manipulating the safety to changing barrels, don't want to be worried about which barrel is selected. These things break my concentration. With two triggers simply moving my finger forward or back will give me the wanted barrel.

Dumb I guess, but that's me.