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By Jason Harris
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
Beretta Sv10 Prevail shotgun: The Beretta Sv10 Prevail shotgun is a bit different. Fans of the Beretta 680 series of guns will like the all-new SV10 Prevail, because it's a slimmer, lighter, competition gun than the original.
Beretta Sv10 Prevail shotgun: That's because, for this gun, the famous Beretta action body has been re-designed and slimmed down to incorporate new replaceable hinge pins along with a re-shaped top lever, safety catch and trigger guard.
The trigger is made from titanium for lightness and strength and the whole trigger group can be dropped out relatively easily once you've removed the stock.
This is done quickly and neatly by inserting a Torx headed screw (supplied) through the base of the pistol grip, rather than a long-handled bolt key pushed through the butt plate.
Other changes include a fore-end iron which now made of a lightweight alloy.
Alloys and steel don't always react too well if they come into prolonged contact so to avoid this happening the metalwork in the fore-end has been treated to a virtually indestructible ceramic coating.
The fore-end iron also carries a self-adjusting mechanism to ensure constant opening pressure is maintained throughout a long working life.
In other words it stays as smooth and positive as the day it comes out of the box.
Finally, the actual fore-end release lever has been made longer for easier release.
Some ingenious design work has been lavished on the internal profile of the Optima bored barrels and hi-performance choke tubes to enable the makers to make the most of weight savings and enable them to fine tune the Prevail's balance and handling.
It's a steady gun to shoot with, but it handles quickly and points positively thanks to a top rib which tapers down from 10mm to 8mm at the muzzles.
The gun I tested came with 30in barrels but 28in and 32in barrels are available, all chambered for 3in cartridges and proofed for special steel magnum cartridges.
The strong ejectors and ejector kickers have been re-designed to be harder wearing and they can also be switched off for hand extraction if required - a nice touch that only takes a little twist with a screwdriver to turn on and off.
Sharp-eyed readers will notice that the Prevail is the Sporting version of the SV10 Perennia game model and shares the option to have the gun fitted with the Kick-off recoil reduction system - a feature that I found to be very effective in shooting trials last year.
Details:
- Weight is 7.3/4lb (30in version).
- Each gun is supplied with an ABS plastic case and accessories; choke tubes, stock spanner, and oil.
- Stock length is 14.3/4in with drops of 1.3/4in and 2.1/4in at comb and heel respectively.
JASON'S VERDICT
Thanks to the re-design this gun moves easily and points nicely.
If you're used to a heavier, chunkier, gun you will find that the Pervail is a fast handling model so much so that I can see it gaining a lot of favour with game and pigeon shooters who will also love its slimmed down stock and pistol grip.
Build Quality 9/10
Handling 9/10
Styling 9/10
Value for money 9/10
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