Chance to get a 686 very cheap but has been lying up for 4 year. main things to look

Tikka391

As said above a friend has a 686 and wants to get rid of it. It got little use when in use and the last time he used it it would of been as new. Looked after well. But it is sitting in safe for 4 years now.
What do ye think assuming conditions in safe were good and dry would gun be still ok, would there be much issue re internal parts.
The price is to good to miss this opportunity. But I don't want to buy a stiff block of unmovable beratta parts.

Any advice would be great

Witcher

It's a Beretta so it's probably fine and if anything is worn you'll find a part easy enough anyway.

Depending on whether the gun was dry fired before it was put away you might need new firing pins springs, probably best to replace them either way.

Other than that check the inside of the barrels and strip and clean the insides of any old oil and grease and replace it.

Being honest it would probably work perfectly fine if you took it straight out and used it but there's no harm giving it a bit of attention.

Tikka391

Strider wrote: »

It's a Beretta so it's probably fine and if anything is worn you'll find a part easy enough anyway.

Depending on whether the gun was dry fired before it was put away you might need new firing pins springs, probably best to replace them either way.

Other than that check the inside of the barrels and strip and clean the insides of any old oil and grease and replace it.

Being honest it would probably work perfectly fine if you took it straight out and used it but there's no harm giving it a bit of attention.

Thanks will check about it been dry fired thanks.

deerhunter1

Tikka391 wrote: »

Thanks will check about it been dry fired thanks.

dry firing it a few times will not have done any harm to it.I would say it is safe to go right away without any replacements or repairs

Witcher

deerhunter1 wrote: »

dry firing it a few times will not have done any harm to it.I would say it is safe to go right away without any replacements or repairs

It's not that dry firing it would have damaged it, it may have been left cocked for the duration it was in the safe and the springs may be weak.

ronn

Couldn't go wrong with a beretta, and if something is wrong you'd get parts handy,
Take the hand off him if I was you,

useurowname

ronn wrote: »

Couldn't go wrong with a beretta, and if something is wrong you'd get parts handy,
Take the hand off him if I was you,

Beretta are a great gun, but any gun is only is good as it was maintained.

How to check the condition of a used shotgun (adapted from chuckhawks.com)

1. Look at the overall condition of the shotgun. Notice the condition of the bluing, stock finish, checkering, butt plate or recoil pad, pistol grip cap, and so on. The action, trigger guard, tang, and forearm screws should be tight and the screw heads un-marred. Look for rust pitting on external metal surfaces. The gun doesn't have to be perfect in every area, but it should show care rather than neglect. A shotgun could be rough on the outside, yet perfect on the inside, but the chances are that an owner who didn't care for the external parts of a gun also didn't care for the parts you can't see.
Look carefully down the external length of the barrel to see that it looks straight and there are no subtle bulges or dents. Don't buy any shotgun if you suspect that the barrel has been bulged, no matter how slightly, or is not straight.

2. The stock fit is the most important feature of any shotgun. It should be long enough to keep the thumb of your grip hand away from your face under recoil, and short enough not to snag under your armpit when you shoulder the gun.

3. Check the condition of the stock. There should not be any splits or cracks in the stock or forearm. Pay particular attention to the top and trigger guard tang areas, where recoil can cause hairline cracks to develop. Reject any shotgun that shows a crack or split in the stock. Scratches in the finish, worn checkering, and nicks in the stock will not affect the gun's function, but should lower the price.
Also look for discolored wood at the back of the action, top and bottom. This is a sign of an excessively oiled gun, and the oil has softened the wood. This is bad if it seems extensive and may eventually require replacement of the stock.

4. Get permission to dry fire the gun and check the trigger pull. Use dummy rounds or snap caps to protect the firing pins.

5. Check the action. You will need a couple of snap caps to do this. Double guns should be tight when closed and the opening lever should be centered or to the right of center (when viewed from behind or with the gun at the shoulder). Top levers to the left of center indicate a worn action. Some actions can be adjusted to take up wear.
Check the selective ejectors on double guns so equipped to insure that they eject the fired shell, but not the unfired shell. Ditto the single selective trigger on double guns. Again, use snap caps for this purpose.
Make sure the safety works correctly--the gun should not fire with the safety on, and should fire with it off. This is true of all types of shotguns.

6. Check the inside of the barrels. If dirty, ask that it be cleaned or for permission to clean it yourself. Do not oil the barrel after cleaning, and be suspicious of any barrel that has been oiled. The shine from the oil can hide minor barrel pitting and imperfections.
Once the barrel is reasonably clean, dry, and oil free, open the action or remove the barrel and look into it from both ends. A small amount of rust or pitting inside the barrel will ordinarily not seriously degrade performance in a shotgun, but it should lower the used price.

If the gun has interchangeable chokes, make sure that they can be screwed in and out, and that you get a full set. Usually this includes Full, Modified, and Improved Cylinder tubes. If the choke is fixed, see that there is some and that it at least roughly matches the amount of choke marked on the barrel.

Tikka391

useurowname wrote: »

Beretta are a great gun, but any gun is only is good as it was maintained.

How to check the condition of a used shotgun (adapted from chuckhawks.com)

1. Look at the overall condition of the shotgun. Notice the condition of the bluing, stock finish, checkering, butt plate or recoil pad, pistol grip cap, and so on. The action, trigger guard, tang, and forearm screws should be tight and the screw heads un-marred. Look for rust pitting on external metal surfaces. The gun doesn't have to be perfect in every area, but it should show care rather than neglect. A shotgun could be rough on the outside, yet perfect on the inside, but the chances are that an owner who didn't care for the external parts of a gun also didn't care for the parts you can't see.
Look carefully down the external length of the barrel to see that it looks straight and there are no subtle bulges or dents. Don't buy any shotgun if you suspect that the barrel has been bulged, no matter how slightly, or is not straight.

2. The stock fit is the most important feature of any shotgun. It should be long enough to keep the thumb of your grip hand away from your face under recoil, and short enough not to snag under your armpit when you shoulder the gun.

3. Check the condition of the stock. There should not be any splits or cracks in the stock or forearm. Pay particular attention to the top and trigger guard tang areas, where recoil can cause hairline cracks to develop. Reject any shotgun that shows a crack or split in the stock. Scratches in the finish, worn checkering, and nicks in the stock will not affect the gun's function, but should lower the price.
Also look for discolored wood at the back of the action, top and bottom. This is a sign of an excessively oiled gun, and the oil has softened the wood. This is bad if it seems extensive and may eventually require replacement of the stock.

4. Get permission to dry fire the gun and check the trigger pull. Use dummy rounds or snap caps to protect the firing pins.

5. Check the action. You will need a couple of snap caps to do this. Double guns should be tight when closed and the opening lever should be centered or to the right of center (when viewed from behind or with the gun at the shoulder). Top levers to the left of center indicate a worn action. Some actions can be adjusted to take up wear.
Check the selective ejectors on double guns so equipped to insure that they eject the fired shell, but not the unfired shell. Ditto the single selective trigger on double guns. Again, use snap caps for this purpose.
Make sure the safety works correctly--the gun should not fire with the safety on, and should fire with it off. This is true of all types of shotguns.

6. Check the inside of the barrels. If dirty, ask that it be cleaned or for permission to clean it yourself. Do not oil the barrel after cleaning, and be suspicious of any barrel that has been oiled. The shine from the oil can hide minor barrel pitting and imperfections.
Once the barrel is reasonably clean, dry, and oil free, open the action or remove the barrel and look into it from both ends. A small amount of rust or pitting inside the barrel will ordinarily not seriously degrade performance in a shotgun, but it should lower the used price.

If the gun has interchangeable chokes, make sure that they can be screwed in and out, and that you get a full set. Usually this includes Full, Modified, and Improved Cylinder tubes. If the choke is fixed, see that there is some and that it at least roughly matches the amount of choke marked on the barrel.

Thanks very much for the advice lads

J.R.

useurowname wrote: »

Beretta are a great gun, but any gun is only is good as it was maintained.

How to check the condition of a used shotgun (adapted from chuckhawks.com)

1. Look at the overall condition of the shotgun. Notice the condition of the bluing, stock finish, checkering, butt plate or recoil pad, pistol grip cap, and so on. The action, trigger guard, tang, and forearm screws should be tight and the screw heads un-marred. Look for rust pitting on external metal surfaces. The gun doesn't have to be perfect in every area, but it should show care rather than neglect. A shotgun could be rough on the outside, yet perfect on the inside, but the chances are that an owner who didn't care for the external parts of a gun also didn't care for the parts you can't see.
Look carefully down the external length of the barrel to see that it looks straight and there are no subtle bulges or dents. Don't buy any shotgun if you suspect that the barrel has been bulged, no matter how slightly, or is not straight.

2. The stock fit is the most important feature of any shotgun. It should be long enough to keep the thumb of your grip hand away from your face under recoil, and short enough not to snag under your armpit when you shoulder the gun.

3. Check the condition of the stock. There should not be any splits or cracks in the stock or forearm. Pay particular attention to the top and trigger guard tang areas, where recoil can cause hairline cracks to develop. Reject any shotgun that shows a crack or split in the stock. Scratches in the finish, worn checkering, and nicks in the stock will not affect the gun's function, but should lower the price.
Also look for discolored wood at the back of the action, top and bottom. This is a sign of an excessively oiled gun, and the oil has softened the wood. This is bad if it seems extensive and may eventually require replacement of the stock.

4. Get permission to dry fire the gun and check the trigger pull. Use dummy rounds or snap caps to protect the firing pins.

5. Check the action. You will need a couple of snap caps to do this. Double guns should be tight when closed and the opening lever should be centered or to the right of center (when viewed from behind or with the gun at the shoulder). Top levers to the left of center indicate a worn action. Some actions can be adjusted to take up wear.
Check the selective ejectors on double guns so equipped to insure that they eject the fired shell, but not the unfired shell. Ditto the single selective trigger on double guns. Again, use snap caps for this purpose.
Make sure the safety works correctly--the gun should not fire with the safety on, and should fire with it off. This is true of all types of shotguns.

6. Check the inside of the barrels. If dirty, ask that it be cleaned or for permission to clean it yourself. Do not oil the barrel after cleaning, and be suspicious of any barrel that has been oiled. The shine from the oil can hide minor barrel pitting and imperfections.
Once the barrel is reasonably clean, dry, and oil free, open the action or remove the barrel and look into it from both ends. A small amount of rust or pitting inside the barrel will ordinarily not seriously degrade performance in a shotgun, but it should lower the used price.

If the gun has interchangeable chokes, make sure that they can be screwed in and out, and that you get a full set. Usually this includes Full, Modified, and Improved Cylinder tubes. If the choke is fixed, see that there is some and that it at least roughly matches the amount of choke marked on the barrel.

Very thorough list...great for anybody thinking of purchasing second-hand.

I would just add to the end of no. 5 that if it's a game gun also ensure that when fired (with snapcaps) and opened that the safety returns back to safe position when closed. This will only happen with a game gun and not with a sporter, designed for clay shooting.