BEST BUYS

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.”

Immersive Optics 10x40 MD

Mike Morton gets immersed in the world of lightweight, short eye relief sights

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.

Anschütz 1761

OUR VERDICT

I tested an Anschütz 1761in .22 LR last year and was so impressed that I simply had to test this new walnut thumbhole stocked version in the flat-shooting .17 HMR round.

The new 1761 action design has proven itself a worthy successor to the older Anschütz rimfires and continues to be a superbly crafted vermin rifle. Add to this the all-new radical thumbhole stock design and a lovely high-grade walnut and it proves that Anschütz doesn’t do anything by halves. It retains the unerring Anschütz accuracy, as expected, crafted to a highly ergonomic but lightweight stock design.

Even with a scope and sound moderator fitted, this rifle is a delight to take hunting. Its weight is only 6.75lb, well balanced over its 35.75in length, largely due to the shorter 18in barrel. But it retains a sensible length of pull of 14.75in. This makes the rifle very manoeuvrable in the field and fatigue free, giving the

1761 a full-bore rifle feel but with carbine-like handling. Above all, there is that superb Anschütz match-grade barrel for accurate and consistent shots all day long.

As soon as you pick this rifle up, it feels just right, instilling confidence in its operation. This lets you concentrate on stalking your quarry.

ProHunt Trail Camera

The ProHunt Trail Camera is similar to its competitors, fi n d s Tom Cackett, until you come to position it

The ProHunt Trail Camera has the usual rear-facing mounting points for straps, cords or bungee ropes. It also comes supplied with a metal bracket that slides inside one of the mounting points, creating a metal anchor to which you can attach a padlock, chain or steel cord, so no opportunist passer-by can steal your precious camera.

The metal bracket is cleverly designed so that when it is in place it prevents access to the SD card, again preventing it from being stolen. This is a simple addition and seems quite effective. Overall, I found the

ProHunt camera easy to use, simple and compact. I could see people using these in bulk, in situations where they have multiple cameras deployed at once and need a no-frills option. Given the simplicity of the device, I don’t think it is priced overly competitively, but this may be because of the build quality of the camera, and it might be that this unit outlasts many of its cheaper competitors. Only a long-term test would answer that question.

The table below compares some of the features of the ProHunt camera to the Crenova trail camera

I have reviewed previously for Sporting Gun magazine. It is clear that with the ProHunt you benefit from a smaller and lighter unit, but this does come with reduced functionality. As with all things in life, there is a balance to be struck and you are bound to sacrifice something when reducing size and weight.

The anti-theft feature on the ProHunt is good, and is probably what would sway me towards this trail camera over any other. Personally, I can see myself using a ProHunt camera in situations where I felt my cameras were at real risk of being stolen. Anywhere else, I’d probably consider a camera with slightly more functionality.