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Beretta Prevail ?

8K views 28 replies 15 participants last post by  Pijetro 
#1 ·
Yesterday I went to pick up my Browning 725 it came in. As I was there looking at the 725 the shop owner said why don't you look at the Beretta Prevail you my like it better.
The Prevail was a nice gun for sure. It felt a little lighter then the Browning and what I like about the Beretta was that it was not as much barrel heavy as the Browning.
Not that the Browning was bad not at all. What I like about the Prevail was the barrel weigh.
I told the owner at the shop let me think about it for a few days. He said OK
Both guns were 30" barrels but I had also a choice of 32" barrels if I wanted them.
So if any one has any input on the Beretta let me know.
 
#3 ·
Kraiza, I also seriously considered the Beretta SV10 Prevail when I decided to buy a new 32" 12 gauge target gun. Strongly stated, the SV10 is an outstanding gun at a very reasonable price tag. I went back and forth between the Prevail and the Browning 725. I had the pleasure of shooting the 725, but not the SV10 Prevail. In the end I chose the 725, because I prefer Brownings.

The SV10 handled like a fine Italian gun which it is, and I'm sure I could have been as happy with it as I am with my 725. Both are excellent guns at the same price point...
 
#4 ·
I do indeed have a Prevail. My shortlist back then included Zoli & CG but not Browning because the 725 hadn't arrived. I'd had the chance to try a few versions of the SV10 in the form of Perennias & Prevails in 28 & 30, some with KickOff some without. I wasn't comfortable with the K/O system and I thought (and still do think) that the Q-Stock and the other gizmos were just flummery, but there was obviously a pretty good gun under there trying to get out. Then, a guy I see occasionally turned up with a 32" Prevail and forced me to try it out......

It's just a bit better than the 68X family. The barrels are heavier overall than the Gold E but the monobloc is bigger too, and I have no doubt the fully vented tubes are just as light as the Gold E. The action is obviously more rugged than the 68Xs, the triggers are a shade crisper and the pulls are much more consistent. Total weight is a few ounces less than the Gold E and the balance point is fractionally ahead of the hinge but the thing that convinced me, and almost everyone who tries it, is the handling and pointability. It's a real step up IMO because it doesn't have the numbness in the hands that some people find with the Gold E.

Forget about the Q-Stock, the switchable ejectors and the nano ceramic whatever because all those things do is divert attention from it's real strengths.

It's a superb gun for sporting clays.
 
#6 ·
rlbnw said:
Trickster:
Can you (or any other Prevail user) furnish us with the actual weight of your Prevail?
Mine is a 32" with standard factory extended chokes and I don't have the K/O. On my digital scales it weighs 7lb 12oz which is light for a sporter, but, it doesn't kick any differently than my 8lb 1oz 686E, presumably due to the bore profile. The barrels are stamped 1.57Kg but as I said the monobloc is heftier than on the 68X and that no doubt accounts for the extra 200 or so gms.
 
#7 ·
I think Trickster summed things up very well in my experience.

I've had my Prevail 1, also 32" for a couple of months now and it's by far the best o/u I've owned to date. I've only been shooting sporting clays for 2 years but in that time I've got through an embarrassing amount/variety of guns to find one I feel fully happy with including Brownings and Mirokus as well as other Beretta models.

I'm not bashing any of the other guns I've bought and sold as they were all very good guns in their own right, but there is something about the Prevail that makes me feel more connected to it than I have with any of the previous guns and every time I shoot it I feel the connection getting stronger as well as my confidence and scores.

At the end of the day it's all about personal feel and what works for one may not work for another, so try to shoot as many as you can before making your decision and if possible put at least a box of shells through each as opposed to just a few.

Hope this helps.

Iggy.

Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine
 
#9 ·
I went to the gun shop today and did a lot of math on what I like it a gun. Barrel weight was more importance that barrel length for me.
I have had my left should operated on. It was a capsule shift. That were the shoulder socket get rotated to keep your shoulder from coming out of the socket. So holding a gun up for a long day of shooting my shoulder bothers me.

As much as I wanted to get another 32" gun I want with a 30" Pervail 3 over the 725.
The 725 and the Prevail in 30" the barrels weigh 3.5 lbs but the Browning had more of the weigh forward. So the Beretta felt better for me.
If I want to shoot a 32" gun I have a DT10L that the barrels weigh 3.5.3 lbs. That go's to show you that if you want a lighter barrel it can cost double or more for a high end gun.
Never the less the Browning 725 and the Beretta Pervail and very nice gun in there price range with out a doubt.
I did get to a sporting clays coarse today but I did shoot two rounds of trap.
48 out of 50 was way better then could even a margin with a new gun.
I was just surprised how well I was doing I just didn't keep my eye on the targets.

Oh the question on the Q wrench it's a torx on a T type wrench. I don't know what size.
 
#13 ·
Good for you and welcome to the club. I hope you like yours as much as I like mine. If I remember you've got a few other Beretta O/Us so I'll be interested in your thoughts when you've clocked up a few miles with it, especially the tightness of the opening/closing with the nifty forend tensioning thingy. I have a theory that keeping the action tight helps with recoil....but it's only a theory...
 
#19 ·
Remember this me and what I think about my new Beretta Prevail III.
Today I went to Mid Hudson Sporting clays not far from my home. I shot just about 300 rounds.
The prevail was a soft shooting gun and handle well enough that with more time and adjustable comb it could be a read shooter for me.
Likes are the soft recoil and nice trigger and a gun that works well with low gun shooting.
Dislike are the lack of a pom swell. The wrist of the gun was small and I didn't notice that until about 50 plus rounds. I don't hold my guns tight and my hand slide so my finger it the trigger guard.
I don't care for the spring loaded forearm it makes the gun hard to open and it may of caused the top ejector no to work. If I open the gun slow to catch the hulls because I reload. The bottom ejected Evey time but the top would only eject if I open the gun quick. Make no sense but it did.
The gun is at my gunsmith now and he not sure why it is doing it.
Yes we did remove the ejector and there was no dirt or anything that we think could cause it.
The gun can shoot right next to a 682 but it's not a 682. Just has a feeling and better trigger and barrel balance to make it move ahead. If the 682 Gold E is out of your price range you will not cut your self short with Prevail.
I did shoot my DT10L. It is a difference gun and you can feel the dollar difference in the workmanship.
Now for the surprise I also shot me Caesar Guerini Magnus 30 Sporter. Out of all the guns I shot to day the Guerini wins.
Less recoil, better trigger smother opening, better low and high gun shooting. As much as I like all my guns. The Guerini would be my pick if money was on the line.
 
#20 ·
my only concern with the Prevail is exactly what your dealer said, it's lighter, and reminds me a bit of a field gun. And, although I'm not a fan of heavy guns, personally, I prefer the heavier 32" 725 as a target gun, especially for occasional trap shooting. Just my 2 cents...
 
#21 ·
It made me hesitate too. I've never had a sporter at less the 8lbs and I wouldn't have bought it without trying one out first. As always though the weight distribution & balance are more important than the total poundage.

Incidentally, the UK spec 725 sporters in 32" also weigh in at 7lb 12oz. Exactly the same as the Prevail 32".

So why is the Prevail softer shooting than the 8lb Gold E? If you don't want my theory look away now.

I think that it's the spring loaded forend tensioner preventing any slop or lash in the gun when under recoil. :idea:
 
#22 ·
Kraiza said:
...
I don't care for the spring loaded forearm it makes the gun hard to open and it may of caused the top ejector no to work. If I open the gun slow to catch the hulls because I reload. The bottom ejected Evey time but the top would only eject if I open the gun quick. Make no sense but it did.
...
Kraiza,

I had a similar problem with my SV10 Prevail. The top ejector would not eject at the same time as the bottom. I would crack it open, the bottom would eject, but then wiggle it up and down a bit for the top to eject. Took it to a gunsmith who lightly grinded the ejector a bit so it's "timed" the same as the bottom ejector. Problem fixed. Less than $50.

This is a known problem with the SV10. There's a thread on here about it.
 
#23 ·
Kraiza, Just thought I'd add my 2 cents since I recently purchased a Prevail from a member on this site. I have shot the 686's through the 682's with various barrels. Typically all Berettas handle well; whether they are a field gun or a sporting gun. My Prevail III with 32" barrels is definately lighter than the 682's I have shot. By how much, I can't tell you. I can tell you mine points like a beast and is balanced incredibibly well. It fits me well and I think that is the bottom line. I'm a Beretta fan for many reasons but a big part of that is because they fit me so terribly well without a great deal of modification. . My first time out with this gun I nailed 39/50 sporting clays. Not extraordinary marks but not bad with a new never shot, gun. I think it says a lot for the gun and it's performance. I love mine.

Concerening the ejector issue: I had a similar problem but it didn't require a gunsmith. The screws that change ejection operate in a cam-like function. I had one that that was not completely turned in the appropriate direction. A little tweak, and all worked well.
 
#24 ·
I got my Prevail back from my gunsmith today. The problem was with timing under the ejector in the forearm. My gunsmith called Beretta for the fix. I'm not sure what the piece was called.

I also had a rubber Kick ezz palm swell up on my gun. It helped me keep my hand in place so that made the gun easer to handle for me.

As for why the gun feels softer felt recoil. I think it has something to do with the forcing comb and choke system.

I can't think any thing else when the gun is lighter than the 682 Gold E.
Why did I put the Prevail behind the 682 Gold E was because of the lack of a palm swell, no adjustable trigger, You can buy extra barrels for the gun. I did for my 682.

Yes this my be nick picking but remember it is me. My taste is what I like in a gun.
With some time and a just able comb I think I could shoot this gun as good as any gun in my safe.

If I didn't take some of my gun out to the range all at the same time I know I would of had a different feeling about the gun.

I like the Prevail and still think it one very good buy for the money
 
#26 ·
I think the Prevail is best appreciated when you run a lot of rounds through it. Like over 200 in a session. I know the screws in the forearm of the 686 Onyx and Pigeon get loose and you will get a rattle when you close the gun after a while. Its easy to tighten these up, but its not the case with the Prevail.

I liked the palm swell on the 725 a lot. That was one of the characteristics of that gun that I wish the prevail stock had when I was considering both. Pricing aside, the 725 is IMHO a "bigger" gun. The Prevail I Sporting is very easy to get very fond of on the clays course. I shoot a 30" barrel version and don't think there is a need to modify the palm. I just liked the way the 725 fit in the hand when I mounted it. Never shot one.

I'm also starting to believe that you can't just own one shotgun. They are all so very pleasant in their own ways.
 
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