Shooting Times & Country Magazine
Beretta 486 Parallelo £5,450
Although change can be scary, this latest step up from Beretta not only looks beautiful but also handles incredibly well too, writes Jonny Carter
OUR VERDICT
There are two things you need to know about this gun. The first is that the 2022 update to the 486 Parallelo is an aesthetic one, with the engraving now being done in a much deeper and more modern style. Mechanically, the action has been the same since it was launched in 2012, and as we will discuss, this is a good thing. Secondly, this gun has a gravitational safety and so will not work upside down or on its side. So I’m sorry to inform you that this rules it out as your next trick shooting toy.
Engraving is subjective and so every time I hear of an update, I have mixed feelings. If it’s a gun that I find pleasing to the eye, my anxiety builds leading up to the release date, and I pray that it is better than, or at least the same as, the current model. When a gun is less so, I have nothing but excitement waiting for any scrap of information to drop on what it will look like.
The original 2012 engraving pattern was a classic, an inoffensive fine scroll
“The overall design is fantastic, and the gun has been extremely reliable since its release”
with a bouquet or two of roses on its surface. I liked this, as did the market. We are used to rose and scroll after all, and back in 2012 that was what one probably expected on a side-byside. But this is the brave and brazen world of 2022, so the fine scroll has been shelved and a more striking adornment added.
Both the old design and the new are done by a laser, but the technology used to engrave this new edition is superior, giving more depth and a continuous and complete covering to this round-action gun.
The action is predominantly covered in bold acanthus scroll,
with a few floral adornments and some less usual bordering and basketweave sections. This is what laser engraving is for, making beautiful patterns in steel, inspired by the old ways but not making exact copies.
If you haven’t noticed this gun over the past 10 years, let me give you a rundown. It is available in 12-bore, 20-bore and 28-bore, with 28in and 30in barrels and options for fixed or multichokes. These barrels are made using the triblock method. Instead of sticking two tubes into a monobloc, or sticking two tubes with preprepared flats together (demibloc), this method joins the two tubes and the lumps together separately. This gives the seamless look of the more expensive demibloc barrels but with the economy of a monobloc. They also come fully steel proofed.
The action is rounded and has a scalloped back, meaning the woodto-metal fit at the back of the action has a much more pleasing shape to the eye than a square joint. The gun has a trigger-plate action, powered by two V-springs. The overall design is fantastic, and the gun has been extremely reliable since its release. Although the gun is an ejector, it is easy to turn it into a non-ejector for those of us who don’t fancy digging around in the briar for our plastic waste.
There are two main options for stocks, a straight-hand or Englishstyle stock paired with a splinter foreend, or a pistol grip stock paired with a semi-beavertail fore-end. Those who want tradition and looks will probably go with the former, while those who predominantly shoot over-andunders will undoubtedly be attracted to the latter.