Found – a great upland shotgun at an even better price!
Introduced in the ’60s, Beretta’s BL-grade over-under shotguns were imported into the US by the Garcia Corp through the ’70s. These guns were basically stripped-downed versions of the company’s ASE line of OUs.
The BLs feature a shallow, low profile boxlock action scaled to match the gauge. They were priced to be values – not cheap, but well made guns at fair prices. They came in a number of grades, with the BL-6s being the highest. All of them were rugged, reliable doubles, built to deliver a lot of quality for fair money.
Today, the Beretta BLs are pretty much steals, especially when they’re in this kind of condition. I know some guys are going to say the chokes on this one are too tight for an upland gun. To those guys I say “Just open them up to right where you want them!”
Beretta BL-4 20ga OU Shotgun: 28″ vented bbls., M/F, single select trigger, ejectors,fully engraved receiver with scroll & rosettes, engraved sides & upper receiver, premium grade European PG checkered walnut stock & forearm, 14 1/4″ LOP over factory buttplate, 99% blue, minor handling, light pecks on left carry side only, 5 pounds – 13 ounces. Price: $1,799
I think you are wrong on the BL-5 being the highest grade of the BL series. I had A BL-6 in 20ga. It had false side plates and nice wood but not anything like the current 680 series guns have. I bought this gun from my father un-fired in the early 90s. He purchased it “for my mother” and she wasn’t interested in shooting. He bought it in the mid 70s if memory serves me.
Regards, Gordon
Hey – you’re right. I just found this online:
http://www.pendletonfirearms.com/shotguns/sber0127.htm
I have a couple Garcia catalogs from the ’70s and the BL-5 is the highest grade they show.
Thanks for the clarification.
Gregg