I picked up a used 694 Sporting Bfast 32". I have been using my SO4 or DT10 for trap. I found the the 694 was now my go to gun for trap. The 694 is lighter and I have not noticed a recoil problem. I usually shoot 4 rounds of trap at one time. The 694 is a little lighter and at age 80 the lighter gun helps. I find the view down the barrel eases picking up the clay. Only a few thousand rounds so far and have had no problems. I have tried it a few times at 5 stand and sporting clalys. It handled nicely. I will try it more when the range opens after it gets rid of the 1000 plus trees that fell in the storm, Asheville NC area. I have tried it at skeet and found it too big a gun for me. I have a Beretta 682 four barrel skeet set smaller, lighter and faster swing.
I’ve got a left handed 32” b-fast 694. I’ve had it for 6 months. It’s my first competition gun and I love it. I shot some cheap federal loads one day and I felt like it really beat me up. I then shot some Fiocchi shooting dynamics and felt like I could shoot all day long. Love the feel and swing of the gun and the way the palm swell fits in the hand
I've owned two 694's, the first was a 32" right handed gun. I'm right handed but shoot shotguns lefty. It was the first right handed gun that I couldn't shoot left handed, just couldn't deal with the palm swell. So i sold it and bought a 30" left handed model. Best O/U I've ever owned. I shoot everything from 7/8oz to 11/8oz, 1150 to 1250fps. Recoil is mild, less that my 690 and 687 with the same loads. Also, both of the guns I owned would switch barrels with the safety on or off. First gun had the standard wood stock, the second has the B-Fast wood stock. Beretta doesn't believe in porting shotguns, none of their competition guns have it as an option.
I got a 694 from Cole’s with the TSK stock with there glove grip for my son last year. He was 12 when he first started shooting with it. He’s had it about 15 months and about 10,000 - 12,000 rounds through it so far and had no issues. Has been a great gun without spending DT11 money. Would highly recommend to anyone that shoots a large number of rounds.
I have owned my 694 for over 2 years now and it is holding up well. I bought the plain stock version and had a local stock specialist do the work to add the adjustable comb for a fraction of the price of what it cost for the factory version. I had to go back and get an adjustable butt plate installed due to the pad being a little high on my collarbone. The recoil with 1250fps 10z loads is great. I shot some 1 1/8 1250 FPS this weekend and I could feel it after I was done on a 100 bird course. I did have my barrels ported by Rhino and that was a game changer. The porting does not reduce recoil, but I can tell a big difference in muzzle rise on second shots.
Nice review. I have the 694 Bfast 30inch. Recoil is really not bad. Used it even duck and geese hunting and it was a blast. No issues or miss fires yet. The trigger screw does tend to come loose, loctite’d it. Only have around 500-1k rounds through it.
I have a 694 sporting with the B-Fast stock and 32" barrels. The wood is gorgeous and I only had to raise the comb a small amount to fit the way I wanted it. I have been shooting the gun for about 3 years with no problems and everything has stayed tight through I don't know how many thousands of rounds. The gun comes with two recoil pads so you have some adjustment as to length of pull. Other width pads are available. My barrel selector switch works fine with the safety either on or off and I've never moved it by accident. When I first got the gun the second trigger would not set reliably (worked about 80% of the time) with my light 7/8 oz reloads. Worked 100% with 1 oz and heavier loads. Contacted Beretta and they helped me get it sent back. Not sure what they did, but when I got it back it worked great, even with my really light 3/4 oz loads. That's sometimes the way of the world with inertia triggers. The recoil is very tame, even with 1 1/8 oz loads. Haven't tried anything heavier. If the barrel was ported I wouldn't have bought the gun. I don't need the extra noise and I hate shooting next to people with ported barrels. The people next to you notice the noise more than the shooter does. Have tried some ported guns and didn't notice that it really made any difference in recoil.
Ported barrels are loud and most people I know who own them say they do not reduce the recoil that much and did I mention they are LOUD ! I had a Beretta 690 and I liked it but the black finish wore off of the receiver after less than 6 months. Beretta would do NOTHING ,but I loved my Beretta so I sold it and bought the 694. I have had it almost 2 years and recently I have had to replace the forend which cracked badly through no fault of mine but at my expense. I think their forend design needs a better engineer. However , I do love that gun and I find recoil to be negligible. I also have a little bit of weight in the stock and on the barrel. This does not mean I would not like to try other guns, however some of us must live within our means or "hide it from the wife" ! Regards
Really liked your video on the 694. I have a sporter model with non adjustable wood stock with 30" barrels. I normally shoot Trap but wanted to get into sporting clays. I liked that I mounted the gun and it FIT and felt good. I shot a couple of boxes and yes the recoil was more than my DT-11. I had a Kick-Eeez pad put on and that made a big difference in felt recoil. I got a set of full length Briley 20ga tubes for an option while shooting sporting clays and it was great! The trigger would not reset with the 20ga but before having the trigger converted to mechanical, I read that someone just cleaned the trigger and it worked. I removed the stock and cleaned the grease from the trigger and lightly oiled it and it reset EVERY time. Overall I am very happy with the 694 and am looking forward to more sporting clays.
Personally I’d put the cg over the 694 since the 694 has quality issues such as the forearm cracking, receiver not taking factory barrels, beretta not honoring warranty, etc,
Ironically I have a $1k franchi and I'm a bird hunter not a target shooter. I also had issues with the selector on my shotgun when i got it and sent it in for warranty. I chalked it up as a cost of saving a thousand dollars off a berretta. But the more i handle and hear and read about berrettas that cost thousands more i realize im not missing much.
I too am very surprised that the barrels aren’t ported. That’s one feature that I really noticed helped my shooting on sporting clays with my Browning 725 vs my non ported CZ O/U’s
I had a 686 SP 3 it kicked the shit out of me. I skipped the 694 and went straight to the DT-11 and man what a difference. Shot 6 boxes the other day and no issues with cheek pain or should pain. Everyone else I was shooting with had citori 725,s and a Bengali 826 and they had to stop because they hurt. It was a shit load of money but worth it.
I watch a good deal of ISSF International Trap and Skeet. Almost all competitors, male or female, use either Beretta DT11's or Perazzis. There are a few shooters, mostly Americans, who use Krieghoffs. A gentleman I shoot with has both a Beretta 694 and a DT11. He shoots the DT11 a little better, but I believe it's because the DT11 has a 32" barrel, while the 694 has a 30" barrel.
Doing some research I found out that the Beretta 694 Pro Sporting was developed in collaboration with the Beretta Shooting Team and other competitive shooters. It is specifically designed for competition shooting and is not a recreational firearm. At a price of $6,129.00 it must be designed for those that have perfected their game and need just the extra margin of performance to make it to the winner's circle. Curious if anyone has won any major sporting events using this shotgun? Once I looked at the price I lost all interest since I'm not a professional competitor.
You mention recoil several times, my friend with the both the DT11 and 694 has never had a problem with recoil, even with 1 1/8 oz loads. I've shot both, even though they're left-handed guns, with the B-Fast system, and recoil was negligible.
Hello, would be cool to see you do a budget review of the old JC Higgins model 20. In my opinion its the slickest shotgun ever made. Its kinda a hidden treasure.
i am looking at trying a 694, but realise you can get 3 stock sizes S,M, Large. so if you buy new then choose the stock, but looking at a used 694 then your stuck with what was ordered when new . also i see you can get different length posts for the comb. not sure what comes as standard? as stated in you review you ran out of adjustment so longer posts will suit a longer neck.
@@Sam-mu5xh I had the opportunity to shot both guns side by side a number of times. My friend has a 694. The 725 is a nice gun but it has more muzzle flip than the Beretta and I was continually getting hit by the trigger guard on my second finger. Both have combs and the 725 is ported.
694 Pro TSK 32" owner - My experience has been quite the opposite about recoil and muzzle jump as reported by your experiences. I ended up needing a longer TSK tube than what came stock (thank you Cole Gunsmithing!) to get my fit dialed in. One setup and a few thousand rounds through I really hit my stride with confidence and consistency. This is the lowest perceived recoil and steadiest shot-to-shot platform I have had the pleasure of shooting. It's significantly more stable / consistent on my shoulder than other options available to me. I regularly shoot with friends who own the A400 Multitarget, 686 Black, 692 B-Fast, and several Browning O/U options - although I have not had the opportunity to get comfortable with a DT11 series.
I use the same version of the 694 with TSK. The cheek slap you have has to be attributed to the pitch and the cheek pressure on the stock. Too much or too little cheek pressure will result in the it. Also to get your natural position of check on the stock drop the butt pad a bit. For the pitch - a couple of degrees and the drop a a few mm will make all the difference - strange - but true. Great video.
Speaking of barrels porting, thank God they didn't do that! Good review, sir! (As for their QC... I bought a 694 a few months ago and couldn't assemble the barrels on the receiver. Had to return it. Can't figure out how did the Banco Nazionale Di Prova fire the gun without being able to assemble the barrels - because they stamped the gun as proffed!)
The 686 is actually their best gun but, they are purposely holding it back because the patient is over. So it doesn't get the steelium plus/ pro-X treatment. It's probably the most copied gun in the world. Weatherby orion is one example. Would love to shoot the new SL2 one day though.
I picked up a used 694 Sporting Bfast 32". I have been using my SO4 or DT10 for trap. I found the the 694 was now my go to gun for trap. The 694 is lighter and I have not noticed a recoil problem. I usually shoot 4 rounds of trap at one time. The 694 is a little lighter and at age 80 the lighter gun helps. I find the view down the barrel eases picking up the clay. Only a few thousand rounds so far and have had no problems.
I have tried it a few times at 5 stand and sporting clalys. It handled nicely. I will try it more when the range opens after it gets rid of the 1000 plus trees that fell in the storm, Asheville NC area.
I have tried it at skeet and found it too big a gun for me. I have a Beretta 682 four barrel skeet set smaller, lighter and faster swing.
I’ve got a left handed 32” b-fast 694. I’ve had it for 6 months. It’s my first competition gun and I love it. I shot some cheap federal loads one day and I felt like it really beat me up. I then shot some Fiocchi shooting dynamics and felt like I could shoot all day long. Love the feel and swing of the gun and the way the palm swell fits in the hand
I've owned two 694's, the first was a 32" right handed gun. I'm right handed but shoot shotguns lefty. It was the first right handed gun that I couldn't shoot left handed, just couldn't deal with the palm swell. So i sold it and bought a 30" left handed model. Best O/U I've ever owned. I shoot everything from 7/8oz to 11/8oz, 1150 to 1250fps. Recoil is mild, less that my 690 and 687 with the same loads. Also, both of the guns I owned would switch barrels with the safety on or off. First gun had the standard wood stock, the second has the B-Fast wood stock. Beretta doesn't believe in porting shotguns, none of their competition guns have it as an option.
Kudos for Beretta for not adding worthless ports in their shotgun barrels.
@@the45erINTERESTING, SOME GUYS BELIEVE IT HELPS WITH THEIR FOLLOW UP SHOTS
@@Plainsimple67WHY ARE YOU YELLING
@@Plainsimple67nothing more than a complete gimmick, always a mess around the porting and they’re nothing more than excessively noisy
I got a 694 from Cole’s with the TSK stock with there glove grip for my son last year. He was 12 when he first started shooting with it. He’s had it about 15 months and about 10,000 - 12,000 rounds through it so far and had no issues. Has been a great gun without spending DT11 money. Would highly recommend to anyone that shoots a large number of rounds.
I have owned my 694 for over 2 years now and it is holding up well. I bought the plain stock version and had a local stock specialist do the work to add the adjustable comb for a fraction of the price of what it cost for the factory version. I had to go back and get an adjustable butt plate installed due to the pad being a little high on my collarbone. The recoil with 1250fps 10z loads is great. I shot some 1 1/8 1250 FPS this weekend and I could feel it after I was done on a 100 bird course. I did have my barrels ported by Rhino and that was a game changer. The porting does not reduce recoil, but I can tell a big difference in muzzle rise on second shots.
To me if you’re buying it with the tsk stock you’re not worried about the wood otherwise you’d get the wooden stock
Nice review. I have the 694 Bfast 30inch. Recoil is really not bad. Used it even duck and geese hunting and it was a blast. No issues or miss fires yet. The trigger screw does tend to come loose, loctite’d it. Only have around 500-1k rounds through it.
I have a 694 sporting with the B-Fast stock and 32" barrels. The wood is gorgeous and I only had to raise the comb a small amount to fit the way I wanted it. I have been shooting the gun for about 3 years with no problems and everything has stayed tight through I don't know how many thousands of rounds. The gun comes with two recoil pads so you have some adjustment as to length of pull. Other width pads are available. My barrel selector switch works fine with the safety either on or off and I've never moved it by accident.
When I first got the gun the second trigger would not set reliably (worked about 80% of the time) with my light 7/8 oz reloads. Worked 100% with 1 oz and heavier loads. Contacted Beretta and they helped me get it sent back. Not sure what they did, but when I got it back it worked great, even with my really light 3/4 oz loads. That's sometimes the way of the world with inertia triggers.
The recoil is very tame, even with 1 1/8 oz loads. Haven't tried anything heavier. If the barrel was ported I wouldn't have bought the gun. I don't need the extra noise and I hate shooting next to people with ported barrels. The people next to you notice the noise more than the shooter does. Have tried some ported guns and didn't notice that it really made any difference in recoil.
Ported barrels are loud and most people I know who own them say they do not reduce the recoil that much and did I mention they are LOUD ! I had a Beretta 690 and I liked it but the black finish wore off of the receiver after less than 6 months. Beretta would do NOTHING ,but I loved my Beretta so I sold it and bought the 694. I have had it almost 2 years and recently I have had to replace the forend which cracked badly through no fault of mine but at my expense. I think their forend design needs a better engineer. However , I do love that gun and I find recoil to be negligible. I also have a little bit of weight in the stock and on the barrel. This does not mean I would not like to try other guns, however some of us must live within our means or "hide it from the wife" ! Regards
Really liked your video on the 694. I have a sporter model with non adjustable wood stock with 30" barrels. I normally shoot Trap but wanted to get into sporting clays. I liked that I mounted the gun and it FIT and felt good. I shot a couple of boxes and yes the recoil was more than my DT-11. I had a Kick-Eeez pad put on and that made a big difference in felt recoil. I got a set of full length Briley 20ga tubes for an option while shooting sporting clays and it was great! The trigger would not reset with the 20ga but before having the trigger converted to mechanical, I read that someone just cleaned the trigger and it worked. I removed the stock and cleaned the grease from the trigger and lightly oiled it and it reset EVERY time. Overall I am very happy with the 694 and am looking forward to more sporting clays.
For the price of this gun, you are not being nit picky.
Personally I’d put the cg over the 694 since the 694 has quality issues such as the forearm cracking, receiver not taking factory barrels, beretta not honoring warranty, etc,
I picked one up for 3,300 used/mint on GB.
Just a thought, but maybe if you get that adjustable stock to recoil straight back the muzzle jump should disappear. Two problems solved.
Ironically I have a $1k franchi and I'm a bird hunter not a target shooter. I also had issues with the selector on my shotgun when i got it and sent it in for warranty. I chalked it up as a cost of saving a thousand dollars off a berretta. But the more i handle and hear and read about berrettas that cost thousands more i realize im not missing much.
I too am very surprised that the barrels aren’t ported. That’s one feature that I really noticed helped my shooting on sporting clays with my Browning 725 vs my non ported CZ O/U’s
Amazing review as always!!.
Enjoy your time at the range...
Love my 325 sporting!!!
I had a 686 SP 3 it kicked the shit out of me. I skipped the 694 and went straight to the DT-11 and man what a difference. Shot 6 boxes the other day and no issues with cheek pain or should pain. Everyone else I was shooting with had citori 725,s and a Bengali 826 and they had to stop because they hurt. It was a shit load of money but worth it.
I watch a good deal of ISSF International Trap and Skeet. Almost all competitors, male or female, use either Beretta DT11's or Perazzis. There are a few shooters, mostly Americans, who use Krieghoffs.
A gentleman I shoot with has both a Beretta 694 and a DT11. He shoots the DT11 a little better, but I believe it's because the DT11 has a 32" barrel, while the 694 has a 30" barrel.
Another great video! Can’t wait until you review a Beretta 687 SP V
Doing some research I found out that the Beretta 694 Pro Sporting was developed in collaboration with the Beretta Shooting Team and other competitive shooters. It is specifically designed for competition shooting and is not a recreational firearm. At a price of $6,129.00 it must be designed for those that have perfected their game and need just the extra margin of performance to make it to the winner's circle. Curious if anyone has won any major sporting events using this shotgun? Once I looked at the price I lost all interest since I'm not a professional competitor.
Right out of the box selector failure is unacceptable.
Can we please get the CZ Wingshooter Elite 🙏
Do yourself a huge favor, save your money and buy something better
Add some thread lock to the screws? Some low strength purple (easy to remove) should do the job
You mention recoil several times, my friend with the both the DT11 and 694 has never had a problem with recoil, even with 1 1/8 oz loads. I've shot both, even though they're left-handed guns, with the B-Fast system, and recoil was negligible.
Instead of using modified and improved modified use 2 light modified chokes. Break them out to 50 yards. It will raise your score.
We’re breaking serious targets out to 50and slightly beyond with SK and IC. Guys thinking they needs tighter chokes are only hurting their scores
Hello, would be cool to see you do a budget review of the old JC Higgins model 20. In my opinion its the slickest shotgun ever made. Its kinda a hidden treasure.
Isn’t the SL2 Beretta’s new flagship target shotgun?
In the further can you please make a video about the G force arms filthy pheasant or yildiz legacy HP please. 😬
i am looking at trying a 694, but realise you can get 3 stock sizes S,M, Large. so if you buy new then choose the stock, but looking at a used 694 then your stuck with what was ordered when new . also i see you can get different length posts for the comb. not sure what comes as standard? as stated in you review you ran out of adjustment so longer posts will suit a longer neck.
Good information
I have a ati with a similar barrel selection
Just not impressed with it being a $6,000 investment to be honest. Thanks for a great review
Can you put a Falcon Strike on it? For the tenth time, gaaad 😅
comb still looks too low considering the placement on your shoulder. great review!
I believe you can get taller posts for the TSK, it looks low
LOCTITE is your answer.
Sold my 725 and got a 694 best idea I have had in a while. Really like it.
Really, how would you compare? I am looking now..
@@Sam-mu5xh I had the opportunity to shot both guns side by side a number of times. My friend has a 694. The 725 is a nice gun but it has more muzzle flip than the Beretta and I was continually getting hit by the trigger guard on my second finger. Both have combs and the 725 is ported.
@@DaveThomspon
Thanks for the info, the c825 isn't ported and has been modernized a bit. I want to look at that one as well.
@@Sam-mu5xh the gun that fits is the gun you want. Good luck.
@@DaveThomspon
Always true, cheers man.
694 Pro TSK 32" owner - My experience has been quite the opposite about recoil and muzzle jump as reported by your experiences. I ended up needing a longer TSK tube than what came stock (thank you Cole Gunsmithing!) to get my fit dialed in. One setup and a few thousand rounds through I really hit my stride with confidence and consistency. This is the lowest perceived recoil and steadiest shot-to-shot platform I have had the pleasure of shooting. It's significantly more stable / consistent on my shoulder than other options available to me. I regularly shoot with friends who own the A400 Multitarget, 686 Black, 692 B-Fast, and several Browning O/U options - although I have not had the opportunity to get comfortable with a DT11 series.
6200 bucks and the screws fall out 😂 yikes
I was looking at these but I'll pass based on your review. Unacceptable QA (safety/selector), loose bolts and sub-par wood. Thanks for the review!
What would you choose instead
6k and you have tighten all of the bolts ?? Makes sense 🤷
Muy elegante arma amigos saludos belleza lindas
I use the same version of the 694 with TSK. The cheek slap you have has to be attributed to the pitch and the cheek pressure on the stock. Too much or too little cheek pressure will result in the it. Also to get your natural position of check on the stock drop the butt pad a bit. For the pitch - a couple of degrees and the drop a a few mm will make all the difference - strange - but true. Great video.
👌
Speaking of barrels porting, thank God they didn't do that!
Good review, sir!
(As for their QC... I bought a 694 a few months ago and couldn't assemble the barrels on the receiver. Had to return it. Can't figure out how did the Banco Nazionale Di Prova fire the gun without being able to assemble the barrels - because they stamped the gun as proffed!)
DT one one...... Lol lol lol lol
The 686 is actually their best gun but, they are purposely holding it back because the patient is over. So it doesn't get the steelium plus/ pro-X treatment. It's probably the most copied gun in the world. Weatherby orion is one example. Would love to shoot the new SL2 one day though.
😎👍
Love your videos, love from India!
I like the 690 it’s a bit of a step up from the 686 the SL2 is there top and clay gun
$62.29 😢
That stock looks janky.
The brand of Tim Walz! Figures that it came with defects.
No logic in owning that unless you earn a living using it
I can't listen to this any longer ...
Well I guess it's out of my range
🇪🇨🇪🇨🇪🇨
First comment nice looking shotgun
First
Contact cole's gunsmithing. Im prettty sure he has the solid wood adjustable stocks for purchase. That alone should help the recoil.
great budget clay gun.
There are better budget clay guns to be had.