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Hey peep's,
This is kind of a mixed review, rant, lesson & vendor dealing I had this past week and thought I'd share.
This past week my wife deemed that for Christmas I could get my hands on a new autoloading shotgun for my upcoming dove hunt in south Texas. I will be going out two days after Christmas for four days with a friend of mine and his father and thought that it would best to replace my pump action Model 88 Mossberg that I've outfitted for home defense. I have hunted with this gun before, and have been to the skeet range with it a half a dozen times. It eats my cheek and eventually wears out my jaw after half a case... it's a cheap gun, it has served me well, but I thought it was time to actually move up to an actual field gun.
After careful consideration, traveling around town to all the pawn shops and outdoor suppliers while also reading up on the best autoloaders I settled for a Beretta 390 at Gander Mountain. This gun comes with some prestige and very little negative reviews. I actually had to choose from a Franchi I-12 and the Beretta, but after further digging decided the Beretta would eat lighter loads if I ever decided to feed them. I actually liked the pull of the Franchi, the action and the price more than the Beretta, but decided that Beretta had the better reputation in the long run. I didn't pay list though, the gun had been on the shelf just long enough to reach clearance status.
Got the gun new off the shelf and took it to the range the next day. After loading up, setting up the automated trap system, and sending out my first set of clays, the 390 would just not cycle the rounds. I ended up spending thirty minutes on my phone, gun in arm broken down trying to figure out what the heck was wrong. I decided that it was time to head home and really dig in to the issue. From what I could tell at the time, I was missing parts. Mainly the washer that controls gas flow at the end of the piston housing.
I get to Gander that night and am told the gun guys are out and to come back in the next morning.
Initiate rage level one.
I venture in at opening the next day and after two hours of standing at the counter we found the issue. Someone who stocked the gun in the show rack had assembled the gun incorrectly. When I say "incorrectly", I mean bat shit backwards. Coming from an engineering degree, I understand that not all diagrams and literature shipped with product are correct... So I assumed some minor configurations may have been different on my model versus the one the book is written for. Once we broke down the exact same model in camo, I began to understand the real issue. Someone had put the exhaust blow off valve inside the piston opposed to outside of it. Not a mistake to be made by anyone who has any understanding of how these firearms work. The gas was being directed to the wrong side of the piston -and to top it off, once they bolted it all together the washer which is slightly larger in diameter than the inside of the piston was jammed inside. 30 minutes of hammering on the brand new firearm finally proved our suspicions correct.
The bottom shows a free moving piston, and the upper spring with the correct washer configuration. The upper barrel (mine) shows the jammed piston with the washer stuck inside.
Once free, we found the washer.
Initiate rage level two.
With a new piston and washer (Gander RMA'ed my crap parts in the camo gun so I could keep mine), I went right out to the range to get acquainted with my new gun. Happy as I could be I shot a round of clays no issue and began working on my next set, when problem two set in. *CLICK* *CLICK*.... Rounds chambered but were developing a dent on the rear end of the rim of the shell, the extractor was beating the shells and not locking into place. Upon further inspection my extractor had not broken but was locked in the closed position because the extractor plunger had broke free and was now extruding into the receiver.
I really wasn't all that mad leaving the range... it wasn't until I entered Gander's facility when it all set in.
Initiate rage level three.
The guy's behind the counter really sympathized. They were sick of this gun nearly as much as I was.
Which is now why I am the owner of an Winchester SX3 for the price of a clearance model Beretta 390.
They made it right, and had me on my way. I can't say enough about the guys working at Gander, I mean they really dug into the issue and got the understanding required to repair and keep me happy.
As for me, I am no longer a fan of the Beretta's. I don't know if my first issue was related to the second issue, but something about the 390 just left a terrible taste in my mouth. I sure am glad though that I do not have to depend on that firearm to perform anymore... nothing is worse than sporting with equipment you don't trust.
This is kind of a mixed review, rant, lesson & vendor dealing I had this past week and thought I'd share.
This past week my wife deemed that for Christmas I could get my hands on a new autoloading shotgun for my upcoming dove hunt in south Texas. I will be going out two days after Christmas for four days with a friend of mine and his father and thought that it would best to replace my pump action Model 88 Mossberg that I've outfitted for home defense. I have hunted with this gun before, and have been to the skeet range with it a half a dozen times. It eats my cheek and eventually wears out my jaw after half a case... it's a cheap gun, it has served me well, but I thought it was time to actually move up to an actual field gun.
After careful consideration, traveling around town to all the pawn shops and outdoor suppliers while also reading up on the best autoloaders I settled for a Beretta 390 at Gander Mountain. This gun comes with some prestige and very little negative reviews. I actually had to choose from a Franchi I-12 and the Beretta, but after further digging decided the Beretta would eat lighter loads if I ever decided to feed them. I actually liked the pull of the Franchi, the action and the price more than the Beretta, but decided that Beretta had the better reputation in the long run. I didn't pay list though, the gun had been on the shelf just long enough to reach clearance status.
Got the gun new off the shelf and took it to the range the next day. After loading up, setting up the automated trap system, and sending out my first set of clays, the 390 would just not cycle the rounds. I ended up spending thirty minutes on my phone, gun in arm broken down trying to figure out what the heck was wrong. I decided that it was time to head home and really dig in to the issue. From what I could tell at the time, I was missing parts. Mainly the washer that controls gas flow at the end of the piston housing.
I get to Gander that night and am told the gun guys are out and to come back in the next morning.
Initiate rage level one.
I venture in at opening the next day and after two hours of standing at the counter we found the issue. Someone who stocked the gun in the show rack had assembled the gun incorrectly. When I say "incorrectly", I mean bat shit backwards. Coming from an engineering degree, I understand that not all diagrams and literature shipped with product are correct... So I assumed some minor configurations may have been different on my model versus the one the book is written for. Once we broke down the exact same model in camo, I began to understand the real issue. Someone had put the exhaust blow off valve inside the piston opposed to outside of it. Not a mistake to be made by anyone who has any understanding of how these firearms work. The gas was being directed to the wrong side of the piston -and to top it off, once they bolted it all together the washer which is slightly larger in diameter than the inside of the piston was jammed inside. 30 minutes of hammering on the brand new firearm finally proved our suspicions correct.
The bottom shows a free moving piston, and the upper spring with the correct washer configuration. The upper barrel (mine) shows the jammed piston with the washer stuck inside.
Once free, we found the washer.
Initiate rage level two.
With a new piston and washer (Gander RMA'ed my crap parts in the camo gun so I could keep mine), I went right out to the range to get acquainted with my new gun. Happy as I could be I shot a round of clays no issue and began working on my next set, when problem two set in. *CLICK* *CLICK*.... Rounds chambered but were developing a dent on the rear end of the rim of the shell, the extractor was beating the shells and not locking into place. Upon further inspection my extractor had not broken but was locked in the closed position because the extractor plunger had broke free and was now extruding into the receiver.
I really wasn't all that mad leaving the range... it wasn't until I entered Gander's facility when it all set in.
Initiate rage level three.
The guy's behind the counter really sympathized. They were sick of this gun nearly as much as I was.
Which is now why I am the owner of an Winchester SX3 for the price of a clearance model Beretta 390.
They made it right, and had me on my way. I can't say enough about the guys working at Gander, I mean they really dug into the issue and got the understanding required to repair and keep me happy.
As for me, I am no longer a fan of the Beretta's. I don't know if my first issue was related to the second issue, but something about the 390 just left a terrible taste in my mouth. I sure am glad though that I do not have to depend on that firearm to perform anymore... nothing is worse than sporting with equipment you don't trust.
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