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Beretta SO6EL Sporting, Near Exhibition Wood, 12 GA --3
Guns International #: 100629574 Seller's Inventory #: 34-2-15
Category: Beretta Shotguns - O/U - Shotguns - Italian Double
Seller's Information
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Seller: rcrwin70
Member Since: 9/26/07
First Name: Roger
State: Hawaii
Country: United States
Platinum Seller
Number of Active Listings: 0
Seller: Private Seller
Return Policy: 3 day inspection and return policy on used guns.
3 days
Payment Types Accepted: cashiers check or money order or pay pal plus 3%
Description:
Beretta SO6EL Sporting, Near Exhibition Wood, 12 GA – 3”, 28” bls, Near Mint with both cases
Beretta SO6EL Sporting, 12 GA (not offered in other gauges), 3” chambers, 28” Bohler Antinit steel barrels with finely file-cut matted ventilated rib and small steel front bead, with interchangeable wear-compensating shoulders. Beretta’s low profile true sidelock action with integral bridle, intercepting sears, gold washed pins, automatic ejectors, automatic top tang barrel-selector safety, hold-open toplever and beaded edge triggerguard with gold plated single selective trigger. Includes 5 Mobilchokes.
With highly figured European walnut briarwood stock with pistol grip and matching forearm with Deeley-release, hand-checkered in classic point patterns. This is Berettas’ absolute finest craftsmanship… grades above this are made no better just with more external embellishments.
The SO6EL is the only hand-built SO grade that Beretta makes with a stainless steel frame. With fine English rose and scroll engraving by D.Zanetti, it is engraved on both sidelocks with the Beretta name, and on the action floor: “Beretta Gardone, VT, Made in Italy” The lower tang is inscribed SO6EL and under the action lever, it is inscribed with the serial number and SO6EL. Length of pull is 14 5/8” to leather-covered recoil pad, weight 8 lbs. Comes with maker’s hard case and maker’s leather touring case with leather trade label, accessories and paperwork.
History:
In 1909, John Robertson and Bob Henderson patented what is still the greatest over and under design for the London firm, Boss & Co. For that design, the lumps are placed on either side of the lower barrel. The forend is easily detachable and bar action sidelocks are used. The key is that the then-new design created a low profile action, much lower than the popular Merkel 303s or its many Austrian copies. As Michael McIntosh of Gamefield Classics wrote: “Making an over/under action strong isn’t the trick, making it strong and slender is.” While the other over/unders simply adapted the side-by-side‘s barrel lump hinge and underbolt fastener, Robertson and Henderson chose a better approach. With side-mounted trunnions forming the hinge and a fastening bolt that engages the bites at the sides of the lower barrel, the frame is scarcely taller than the stacked barrels themselves. Still made today, a new one costs over $100,000. And expensive copies with minor deviations are made by Lebeau-Courally, Peter Nelson, Fabbri, Piotti, Bertuzzi and here at home by A.Galazan… all of which are incredibly expensive.
It wasn’t until 1935 when P. Beretta adapted this system and developed the SO1 that we had a popularly priced version of the low profile side-mounted trunnions and underbolt fastener in a true sidelock over/under. By 1948, with its popularity secure, Beretta introduced the SO2 and the SO3 as upgraded models. The SO3 sold for about 10% of the price of the Boss and its myriad of copies.
Besides the low profile trunnions, the SO series uses the best designs of both worlds, employing the Kersten crossbolt, as was used for the taller German and Austrian over/unders.
After the SO3, the grades continued to climb, SO4, then SO5 in both Competition and EELL configurations, followed by the SO6, in four grades: Competition (disc.2002), EL Field Grade, EL Sporting, EELL, and EESS. Today, the SO6 is only surpassed by the SO9 which retails for $46,775 and only surpasses the SO6 by finish embellishments. The SO10 is altogether a different model.
The manufacturer’s suggested retail price on the SO6EL Sporting is $27,500.00. Add extra for upgraded wood and leather covered recoil pad.
Condition:
For this Serial Number C15370B, bluing is 100%, wood is 99.9%, checkering is 100% and bores are new. The wood-to-metal fit is perfect.
Stock:
This EL Turkish walnut briarwood is highly figured and could easily be mistaken as EELL, with its marble-cake black and brown breath-taking figure, showing outstanding patterns and color on both sides and evenly distributed throughout the forearm as well. Hand-checkering is flawlessly executed with double border designs and wrapped around the forearm at 28 lpi, fine enough to allow the stock grain to show through.
From the leather covered recoil pad, the dimensions are 14 5/8” x 1 5/16” x 2 1/8” and the gun weighs in at 8 lbs.
From Beretta’s SO6 marketing: “The true sidelock has a low profile receiver that is graceful and slender, with a vault-like cross-bolt locking system designed for generations of use, and legendary for its crisp trigger pull and fast lock time. When shooting, the action’s low profile maximizes the balance and pointability of the shotgun by placing as little vertical space as possible between the plane of the dominant eye and that of the supporting hand.”
My Admiration for the SO6:
A few years ago when I was searching for the perfect Sporting Clays gun and asking around, Morris Hallowell of Hallowell Fine Sporting Guns, who has owned Fabbris, Bertuzzis, Famars, etc, all sorts of high-end expensive over and unders, when asked about Perazzis, he told me that his personal sporting clay gun was a Beretta SO6. Another avid Sporting Clays shooter told me “When I see someone at the match with a Beretta SO, I know he’s the one to beat.”
Seller is the author of The Rifleman’s Rifle (Winchester pre-64 Model 70s) and will furnish a Letter of Provenance that this gun is from his collection. Please check out author’s feedback on ebay under rcrwin70roger. 3-day non-firing inspection for full refund, shipping is $75 to buyer’s FFL, payment by MO, certified check , wire transfer or personal check with wait for validation. For questions, call (678) 971-4173 and ask for Roger.
SOLD