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By Mike George
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Beretta engineers tend to be conservative guys, believing in the gradual improvement of strong and proven designs rather than radical departures into completely new territory.
So in 2008, when the SV10 first appeared on the market, it had much in common with the long-established “600” series – but also a number of very well thought-out new features.
From a casual glance at the outside there was little to show that this was a different gun.
Certainly the interface between the back of the action and the stock had different lines, the outside of the action bore cosmetic changes and, on close examination, it looked a bit slimmer in the stock than previous models.
Get even closer and you would see that the top lever had been re-shaped, while the replaceable stub pins on which the barrels hinge were also new.
Internally there were other changes. Instead of there being a long stock bolt accessed through the butt pad, the stock was removed by undoing a trapdoor in the base of the pistol grip and inserting a Torx key – a key with a star-shaped end.
With the stock removed, the internal mechanism of the gun could be easily dropped out for easy cleaning.
The fore end iron was no longer made of steel, but of a lightweight aluminium alloy.
To counter problems usually associated with bearing surfaces of aluminium against steel, the aluminium had been given a ceramic coating.
The mechanism had also been designed to be self-adjusting.
The ejector mechanism was slightly different, and could be turned on and off with selector switches, and the fore end release lever had been lengthened to make operation easier.
The steel-proofed barrels came with three-inch (76mm) chambers – no surprise nowadays – while the tubes have Beretta’s Optima bore, with long forcing cones.
Long choke tubes, with knurled rims protruding from the muzzles, were colour-coded for easy recognition.
Overall, the new gun was very well received.
The Sporter version is called the Prevail, and it proved to be a fast-handling and reliable gun.
TECH SPEC
Boxlock with shallow action hinged on stub pins. Locking by Beretta’s traditional fork-shaped bolt.
Barrel lengths 28, 30 and 32in. Weight 7.1/2lb to 7.3/4lb depending on barrel choice.
Ventilated top rib tapers from 10mm to 8mm.
Stock length 14.3/4in; drops 1.3/4in and 2.1/4in at comb and heel respectively.
Kick-off recoil reduction system available at extra cost.
WHAT’S GOOD?
Refined design compared to the “600” series.
Fast handling. Ejectors can be turned off.
WHAT’S BAD?
Some shooters claim optional Kick-off system makes the gun butt-heavy.
WHAT TO PAY
Recommended retail price of new guns is £2,860 (or £3,075 with Kick-off option), but plenty of good deals about.
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