Beretta O/U

pck823 · September 15, 2010, 01:32 PM

I've got a really nice Beretta Pointer II from Kevin's in Thomasville, GA and noticed after buying it that it only has one bead on the rib - on the muzzle end. I'm accustomed to also having a mid-rib bead and I'm finding that I'm constantly either over or under my targets (dove in this case).

I want to install a mid-rib bead....think this is something I can pull off at home? Worth having a gunsmith do it? Any recommendations for a smith in West Georgia? I'm kind of hinky about letting this gun out of my sight...it cost me dearly...

If I choose to do it myself, where should I be looking to get the bead (brass)? Thanks!!

.300 Weatherby Mag · September 15, 2010, 01:35 PM

Have a smith do it...

Sphawley · September 15, 2010, 01:45 PM

I'm not an expert, but I would have a smith do it. When you pay in that price range for a shotgun you might as well spend the money for a smith. Wouldn't want to mess your investment up.

oneounceload · September 15, 2010, 02:02 PM

First things first - you should not be looking at the bead or you will miss your target. If you can't get the line of sight to be correct, it sounds like the stock does not fit you - therefore just adding a mid bead will not correct the problem.

Field guns like this typically come with one bead.

You might need to have the comb height or similar adjusted to get a better fit.

Kevin's is a first rate place - they should have someone who can help you with that, or at least recommend someone. (Hopefully, you went upstairs to the really cool gun library)

Doyle · September 15, 2010, 02:14 PM

Larry Potterfield has a video on how to add a mid-bead. There is a little tool you use to make sure the hole is centered side-to-side on the rib. After that, it is a simple tap and die job.

BigJimP · September 15, 2010, 02:14 PM

+1 on what OneOunce said ...

having someone install a mid-rib bead in my area is usually around $ 25 - and typically something you can have them do / and just wait for the gun if they're not too busy.

Doyle · September 15, 2010, 02:18 PM

PCK823, are you from T'ville? Kevin's has nice guns but I can't imagine anybody from outside that area driving to them to buy. They tend to like their guns a little too much for my pocket book.

zippy13 · September 15, 2010, 02:47 PM

Installing a mid-rib bead isn't hard to do, but it's easy to mess up. Some rib designs are such that there's a longitudinal valley in the exact center. If yours is like that, you cloud try a temporary bead with just a dash of cement and a trimmed white-headed garment pin.

pck823 · September 15, 2010, 06:48 PM

Oneounce -

I think you're right about the drop...the gal that pulls at the skeet range made a similar observation. That said, I guess I'm sort of stuck unless I add some sort of cheek pad to decrease the drop. Actually thinking about a new stock - got some other issues with it that I'll start a new thread to discuss.

I think more than anything the mid-rib just serves as a gauge to determine drop (at least in my case).

I hunt down in that area every quail season and made a side trip to Kevin's and found a model that's exclusive to their shop (since they're a Beretta elite dealer). In hindsight, it was sort of an impulse purchase and I didn't buy it on the spot-thought about a day or two and ordered over the phone after the fact. Buyer's remorse? Yes...live and learn...

oneounceload · September 15, 2010, 07:12 PM

There are stick-on pads that will raise the comb very cheaply - some nicer one are naugahyde or similar; otherwise, you can take moleskin or cheap foam and use something for a cover to make it work until you figure out how thick it needs to be - after that, you can get the measurement and always translate it into a permanent adjustable comb or butt plate

Good luck

Dave McC · September 16, 2010, 02:48 PM

Any shotgunner's Best Friend is the patterning board. A session will let you know what changes your gun needs,if any, instead of what you THINK it needs.

Mid beads(and there's a few here) are for when one premounts the gun as in trap to make sure the master eye is in the right place.

As for dove, Pop's advice still works. "Try to hit them in the beak".....

September 15, 2010, 01:32 PM	#1
pck823 Member Join Date: July 6, 2007 Location: Georgia Posts: 73	Beretta O/U I've got a really nice Beretta Pointer II from Kevin's in Thomasville, GA and noticed after buying it that it only has one bead on the rib - on the muzzle end. I'm accustomed to also having a mid-rib bead and I'm finding that I'm constantly either over or under my targets (dove in this case). I want to install a mid-rib bead....think this is something I can pull off at home? Worth having a gunsmith do it? Any recommendations for a smith in West Georgia? I'm kind of hinky about letting this gun out of my sight...it cost me dearly... If I choose to do it myself, where should I be looking to get the bead (brass)? Thanks!!

September 15, 2010, 01:35 PM	#2
.300 Weatherby Mag Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2008 Posts: 1,777	Have a smith do it...

September 15, 2010, 01:45 PM	#3
Sphawley Senior Member Join Date: June 9, 2010 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 272	I'm not an expert, but I would have a smith do it. When you pay in that price range for a shotgun you might as well spend the money for a smith. Wouldn't want to mess your investment up.

September 15, 2010, 02:02 PM	#4
oneounceload Junior member Join Date: April 18, 2008 Location: N. Central Florida Posts: 8,518	First things first - you should not be looking at the bead or you will miss your target. If you can't get the line of sight to be correct, it sounds like the stock does not fit you - therefore just adding a mid bead will not correct the problem. Field guns like this typically come with one bead. You might need to have the comb height or similar adjusted to get a better fit. Kevin's is a first rate place - they should have someone who can help you with that, or at least recommend someone. (Hopefully, you went upstairs to the really cool gun library)

September 15, 2010, 02:14 PM	#5
Doyle Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2007 Location: Rainbow City, Alabama Posts: 7,167	Larry Potterfield has a video on how to add a mid-bead. There is a little tool you use to make sure the hole is centered side-to-side on the rib. After that, it is a simple tap and die job.

September 15, 2010, 02:14 PM	#6
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	+1 on what OneOunce said ... having someone install a mid-rib bead in my area is usually around $ 25 - and typically something you can have them do / and just wait for the gun if they're not too busy.

September 15, 2010, 02:18 PM	#7
Doyle Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2007 Location: Rainbow City, Alabama Posts: 7,167	PCK823, are you from T'ville? Kevin's has nice guns but I can't imagine anybody from outside that area driving to them to buy. They tend to like their guns a little too much for my pocket book.

September 15, 2010, 02:47 PM	#8
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,442	Installing a mid-rib bead isn't hard to do, but it's easy to mess up. Some rib designs are such that there's a longitudinal valley in the exact center. If yours is like that, you cloud try a temporary bead with just a dash of cement and a trimmed white-headed garment pin.

September 15, 2010, 06:48 PM	#9
pck823 Member Join Date: July 6, 2007 Location: Georgia Posts: 73	Oneounce - I think you're right about the drop...the gal that pulls at the skeet range made a similar observation. That said, I guess I'm sort of stuck unless I add some sort of cheek pad to decrease the drop. Actually thinking about a new stock - got some other issues with it that I'll start a new thread to discuss. I think more than anything the mid-rib just serves as a gauge to determine drop (at least in my case). I hunt down in that area every quail season and made a side trip to Kevin's and found a model that's exclusive to their shop (since they're a Beretta elite dealer). In hindsight, it was sort of an impulse purchase and I didn't buy it on the spot-thought about a day or two and ordered over the phone after the fact. Buyer's remorse? Yes...live and learn...

September 15, 2010, 07:12 PM	#10
oneounceload Junior member Join Date: April 18, 2008 Location: N. Central Florida Posts: 8,518	There are stick-on pads that will raise the comb very cheaply - some nicer one are naugahyde or similar; otherwise, you can take moleskin or cheap foam and use something for a cover to make it work until you figure out how thick it needs to be - after that, you can get the measurement and always translate it into a permanent adjustable comb or butt plate Good luck

September 16, 2010, 02:48 PM	#11
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	Any shotgunner's Best Friend is the patterning board. A session will let you know what changes your gun needs,if any, instead of what you THINK it needs. Mid beads(and there's a few here) are for when one premounts the gun as in trap to make sure the master eye is in the right place. As for dove, Pop's advice still works. "Try to hit them in the beak".....