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Review Roundup
BEST BUYS
Highlights of reviews from consumer magazines
Beretta SL3 20-bore
Solid in the hands though relatively light, this Premium gun felt different to a Silver Pigeon. Mike Yardley took it to the high tower to see what it can do Technical Beretta heritage is clear in the SL3, but it is an interesting new design nevertheless. Available in the UK as a 12-bore from 2018, the 20-bore arrived in 2019, the 28-bore and the .410 in 2020. The gun owes much to the DT11 without the drop-lock facility and with an auto-safe. The SL3, like the DT11, incorporates leaf springs to power the tumblers, which improve trigger pulls because there is less compromise with
sear angles. The Boss-like locking is nearly identical to an SO10 but with the improvement of two replaceable bites on the bottom of the barrel monobloc. If the gun becomes loose, these can be replaced. The ejection mechanism is also similar to the SO10. The ejector extractors are held in place with a small spring and plunger. To remove, one depresses them slightly, then you need to put a pin punch through an access hole to compress the concealed plunger.
Shooting Impressions The SL3 feels distinctly different in the hands to a Silver Pigeon. Although relatively light, it has a solid quality, pointing well with its 30in barrels. I liked the precise hinge-pin balance. The sighting rib is excellent. The full-length joining ribs contribute to good dynamics and it shoots well too. The first 20 birds (mid-range crossers) disappeared in clouds of dust. Recoil was less than expected. Quarter and full
chokes were fitted, but quarter seemed almost as effective as full with 25g of Lyalvale Express 6s. I had a couple of misses behind on the high tower until I realised that you needed to grip the SL3 a bit more firmly with its slim grip. This is a quality, bench-finished gun worth the extra money for its significantly improved mechanics. It might be considered more proof of Yardley’s dictum: “A 30in 20-bore is always right.”
NEED TO KNOW n MODEL Beretta SL3 20-bore n RRP £19,250 n GMK, Bear House, Concorde Way, Fareham, Hampshire PO15 5RL. n 01489 579999 n gmk.co.uk
GUN TEST
Immersive Optics 10x40 MD
RIFLESCOPE TEST
NEED TO KNOW
AIRGUN SHOOTER VERDICT “Immersive Optics’ 10x40 packs in a lot of features, notably that wide field of view and wonderfully bright sight picture, while managing to keep everything light and compact”
MANUFACTURER: immersive-scopes.co.uk SUPPLIED BY: thomasjacks.co.uk MAGNIFICATION: 10x OBJECTIVE LENS: 40mm EYE RELIEF: 17mm FIELD OF VIEW: 11.4m @ 100m MINIMUM FOCUS DISTANCE: 6m CLICK VALUE: 0.1 mil CLICKS PER REVOLUTION: 50 TRAVEL PER ROTATION: 5 mil MAX ELEVATION ADJUSTMENT: 28 mil MAX WINDAGE ADJUSTMENT: 28 mil SIGHT DIMENSIONS: 80mm x 60mm x 135mm WEIGHT WITH MOUNTS: 485g SRP: £292.95
Mike Yardley, Andrew Sydenham
I like the Mildot reticle. It has just enough aim points to be useful, while still maintaining a nice clean image. For those shooters wanting more aim points, especially in terms of windage, then this scope can be bought with the Mildot Extended reticle instead. Crosshair thickness is a personal thing, and I initially thought the hairs were a little thick. However, having shot my HW100 BP with this scope on numerous occasions I think Immersive Optics got it right. The crosshairs will cover both a .177 and .22 pellet hole at 30 yards, making it perfectly acceptable for target use. However, this optic is really intended for hunting, and the crosshair is thick enough to be placed over the killzone of a small quarry animal where it can be quickly and easily seen. This scope has an illuminated reticle in red, with six levels of brightness. The control is located on the side parallax turret, and one press of the button will turn on the IR function. Subsequent presses will toggle through the various levels of illumination, and an extended press will turn off the feature altogether. This is an accomplished scope that achieves its aim of delivering a wider than normal field of view in a lighter and shorter than normal overall package. And it does all this with really great glass. Some people will reject a scope like this because it’s unconventional. Perhaps it’s time to defy convention.
Mike Morton gets immersed in the world of lightweight, short eye relief sights
