REVIEWS
Beretta S682 Gold E Sporting
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What do you expect in a sporting clays gun? Or should we ask, what do you expect from a Beretta sporting clays gun? Ask 100 shooters the same question and you'll get 100 different answers. But there will be a common thread--the most popular and desirable features add up to one hell of a shotgun. The new Beretta S682 Gold E Sporting is all of that.
This newest 682, you might say, is a remodeled winner, thanks to four major design changes. For starters, Beretta has added what it calls Optima-Bore internal barrel configuration, which is said to improve shot pattern distribution, reduce felt recoil and optimize shot velocity.
Also new is the Optima-Choke system; a stable of tubes internally profiled to provide enhanced concentration and distribution of shot patterns. Our test gun was complete with a set of five extended tubes (standard on Sporting and Skeet models), all clearly marked for quick-change applications when target presentation warrants. This is a feature we all liked, especially when shooting simultaneous pairs at differing distances.
Beretta has also changed the distribution of mass on this new competition gun. Essentially, it balances on center and coaxial with the bottom barrel, which we found to definitely eliminate muzzle rise. This feature is said to aid in transitioning to a second target. While it likely does, a couple of us had a tough time following through on the first bird; with the "lighter feeling" muzzle, we tended to stop swinging once the trigger was slapped.
It took several targets to get back in the groove, which is a common part of the learning curve when shooting any new gun.
In any event, the gun came to shoulder for us with no problems, so we feel there are no real flaws with the balance. (However, because many a good sporting clays gun can double as a field gun for quail and especially dove shooting, we did shoot a number of heavy field loads on the sporting clays course at Raahauge's Shooting Enterprises in Norco, California. The recoil was significant with the heavier loads. This gun's home, we believe, is on the clays range--where it was designed to excel--and not in the field.) Lastly, the new S682 Gold E features a pre-set point of impact, depending on each model's intended use. Skeet and Sporting models feature a central point of impact, while Trap models feature a high point of impact, obviously.
Along with these features, the Gold E Sporting hosts a number of other refinements that one would expect from a Beretta product. The trigger is adjustable for draw length (an additional, canted trigger shoe is included), the front bead can be switched out with either of two spare fluorescent beads, and to stretch out the length of pull, the shotgun comes with an additional butt pad.
Other standard features include self-adjusting, dual conical locking lugs, replaceable hinge pins and barrel shoulders, and hard-chrome-lined barrels.
Externally, our test gun exemplified the quality one would expect in a gun with the Beretta logo on it. Fit and finish was very clean and the gun locked up nice and tight. And the low-profile receiver, finished in nickel alloy, was embellished with a unique ellipsis graphic motif that we found to be tasteful and elegant--including the non-obtrusive model designation and Beretta logo in gold inlay. The model's oval checkering on the grip and fore-end also provides a unique touch.
To wrap it all up, the Gold E Sporting (and all other models) come in a fitted hardcase to protect your $3,850 investment. Not a bad deal if the clay games are where your shooting attention is focused.
