[Kestrel]

I'm thinking about getting a Beretta 471 Silver Hawk. They only come with a single trigger and a trigger selector. Will I regret not having double triggers?

What are the pros and cons of each?

Thanks,
Steve

[Dave McCracken]

Good work is done with either. For clays, I'd rather have a single trigger.

For hunting,where I might want a good pattern further out or using a particular shell, double triggers give instantaneous choices.

One can adapt to either, and Rich Cole can switch most Berettas to double triggers on request.

Up to you...

[PJR]

Double triggers provide an instant choke selection in the field. If the bird gets up at a distance you can go to the back trigger for a tighter choke. My double trigger sxs is set up with skeet choke (.005" constriction) in the right and light modified (.015") in the left.

In practice I've found this attribute more talked about than utilized. One my most recent pheasant double I actually got the order reversed and hit the farther target with the more open barrel. Oops. But both birds dropped solidly.

One of the reasons people shy away from single triggers is that in English and Spanish guns they are not as reliable, particularly the selective single trigger -- an option incidentally not offered by Purdey in their most recent catalog. Beretta however understands the single selectable, has made millions of them ,and they work.

I like double triggers but wouldn't cite their absence as a reason to turn a gun down. In the price range, I think the Beretta is an excellent gun and to get something better you'd have to pay a lot more. A good friend of mine is absolutely dedicated to the 471 and has the means to buy whatever guns he wants.

Don't turn down the Beretta just because of a single trigger if it fits and you like the gun in other respects.

Paul

[Kestrel]

Thanks for the help, guys.

Dave, Who is Rich Cole? He works on Berettas? When I get it, I definitely want to have the automatic safety disabled. Do you have any contact info?

Thanks,
Steve

[PJR]

Not wanting to undercut Dave but Rich Cole can be found here:

http://www.colegun.com

Disabling the auto safety on a Beretta is a five minute job with a dremel tool. It's a very easy alteration.

Paul

[Kestrel]

PJR,

Dremel tool? I thought it was simply an arm that needed to be removed inside the action. Dremel sounds like something needs to be ground off. Is that true?

Steve

[Gearhead Jim]

Additional comment; the reset for the second barrel on a single trigger can be mechanical or inertial. The inertial type requires the recoil of the first shot to reset the trigger for the second shot. If the first shot is a dud, or very weak, or if you are not holding the gun firmly, then the second pull on the trigger will not get anything.

You can test for this by opening/closing the empty gun, pointing in a safe direction, and pulling the trigger twice. If you get a click both times you pull then the reset is mechanical. If only the first pull gives a click, then the reset is inertial.

There are probably advantages to the inertial reset that I'm not aware of, but as a guy who has done most of his shooting on police ranges, I'm seriously prejudiced against them.

P.S. When dry firing, you can reset an inertial trigger after clicking the first barrel, by bumping the buttstock on the floor to simulate recoil. Be sure to get the owner's permission first.....:scrutiny:

[Kestrel]

Gearhead,

That's good information. Thanks.

Steve