Beretta 694 Competition Shotgun
Beretta has introduced a new competition shotgun: the Beretta 694. The 694 was designed in collaboration with the Beretta Shooting Team to create a shotgun that features specifically for competition.
Lock
The newly designed steel action has a sporting look with side panels featuring a mirrored profile and diagonal lines underlined by a blue graphic design. The bottom of the action is decorated with Beretta’s three arrows and the 694 logo. The steel top lever features a new low-profile and an anti-glare finish. It is designed to be ergonomic and easy-to-operate for both right- and left-handed shooters.
The redesigned, self-adjustable auget button reduces the movement of forend over time and reduces the surface area that may get overheated during long days on the range.
Stock
The 694 features an improved stock that increases the field of vision and a new pistol grip design that is only on this model. The redesigned stock is available with drops of 35/50 mm and 35/55mm, and the latter also features a B-Fast adjustable heel and a round or Schnabel forend. It also features a length-of-pull of 375 mm with an 18 mm MicroCore® recoil pad and centrally-positioned trigger.
The B-Fast stock is featured on other Beretta models and allows for further customization of the shotgun. The first part of the B-Fast system is an adjustable comb with two stainless steel posts that allow the comb to be adjusted in multiple directions. You can adjust the vertical drop of the stock by moving the check comb up and down. Adjustments can also be made parallel to the stock as well to adjust for cast on or cast off. Essentially the comb can be adjusted to any preference that you might have.
The other adjustment the B-Fast offers, besides the comb, is the ability to tune the balance of the shotgun. You can insert 20-gram metal weights in the back of the stock to change the balance point. You can add as much as 100 grams, or five weights, to the stock.
Barrel
Steelium Plus Optima HP barrels are featured on the 694. Steelium barrels are cold hammer-forged and are designed specifically for competition with a forcing cone around 12 inches long. This allows for the transition between the chamber and the barrel to be smoother, resulting in more dense and uniform patterns with very high penetration. The elongated progressive triple cone design also delivers more power downrange with less recoil and muzzle jump.
Fitted to the end of the barrels are Optima HP Chokes used on most Beretta competition shotguns. First introduced in 2008, the Optima HP chokes were designed for extended use with heavy payloads of steel/metal alloy shot while being able to retain the weight-saving and handling characteristics of the lighter Optima-Choke barrel contour.
The Beretta 694 also features newly designed ejectors that are fitted with powerful springs positioned behind the ejector slide and under the stop pads.
The 694 will be available in a 12 gauge caliber in 30” and 32” barrel lengths, with or without the adjustable B-Fast stock, and retails for an MSRP of $4,500.
Jeremy Mallette is co-founder of International Sportsman. An avid hunter and outdoorsman, he has spent more than a decade in the outdoor industry, from hiking and camping to silencers and hunting. His father taught him to shoot at age six, and he received his first firearm at age eight — a 1942 Colt Commando .38 special revolver. He enjoys yearly trips to Kansas for pheasant hunting, spending time with his children at the deer lease, and collecting unique firearms.