Beretta sent me the 694 Sporting Black DLC shotgun on loan to review, and I have to say, every Beretta shotgun I pick up is like a dream come true. I’ve been obsessed with shotguns my whole life. I grew up duck hunting with a little 20-gauge pump-action shotgun that I still own to this day. I think that little girl would be smiling at how many shotguns I’ve been able to shoot and try out over the years. I’ve never gotten my hands on an over/under shotgun priced over $6,500, but I can promise you the price tag reflects the value and quality of this gun.
My friends, TC and Brittany, joined me for a super fun day on the range to review this shotgun. We had ammunition from Fiocchi and Federal, and we used the new Caldwell Claycopter Surface-to-Air machine to launch single and double targets for target practice. If you’re interested in a high-quality, reliable, and accurate clay shooting shotgun, read on as I dive into the 694 Sporting Black DLC.
Steelium Pro Barrels
The 694 Sporting Black DLC features Beretta’s Steelium Pro barrels, the same design used on their top-of-the-line competition DT11 Sporting shotgun. These barrels are made from tri-alloy steel, making them strong and accurate shot after shot. One of the new features of the 694 is the tram line on the rib, which results in a more natural sight alignment. This shotgun also features a long triple-forcing cone that helps mitigate felt recoil and combat muzzle rise. The forcing cone is the tapered section of the barrel immediately in front of the chamber. In shotguns without a long taper, when the shot is fired, the wad and pellets are squeezed into the bore all at once. With a taper, the pellets are gradually compressed and eased into the bore. The pressure is distributed over a slightly longer distance, moving the gun rearward more gradually, which is what makes the recoil impulse feel less sharp. This gradual taper also prevents the pellets from deforming as much, which means they fly more consistently.
The Steelium Pro Barrels are designed to use Beretta Optimachoke HP chokes. These chokes are corrosion-resistant and are available in an internal or extended version depending on the shooting discipline. Optimachoke HP chokes are fully interchangeable on all Beretta Optimabore HP barrels.
DLC Finish
If you’ve never had a gun with Diamond-Like Coating (DLC), you’re missing out. This finish makes a gun more durable when exposed to the elements, and since shotgun shooting sports are an outdoor game, this coating ensures durability throughout it all. The DLC on the receiver and trigger provides maximum corrosion and wear resistance. The Blued barrels tie the look of the gun together.
Adjustable Cheek Piece
When it comes to shotguns, a proper cheek weld is what matters most. Your dominant eye acts similar to a rear sight and needs to be aligned properly for an accurate shot. The shotgun’s cheek piece is what determines where your eye aligns with the rib and the front bead. When you adjust the cheek piece height, you can change the point of impact for your shot pattern. Depending on what shooting sport or hunting activity you plan to perform with a shotgun, it’s a good idea to set the cheek piece to the right height that delivers your desired pattern. To test this, start with the cheek piece in the lowest position and fire a shot on a bullseye target. Take note of where the pattern is spread on the target. I like to use a Sharpie to circle the shot pattern so I can visibly tell what has already been shot on the target. Raise the cheek height slightly and fire another shot. When you’re happy with the shot pattern location, ensure the cheek piece is tightened down. Competitive shooters will adjust their cheek piece height to shoot a specific way where more of the pattern is below the bullseye or above the bullseye to compensate for how clay targets fly.
694 Sporting Black DLC Over/Under Action
The 694 Sporting Black DLC is an over/under action that allows you to select which barrel fires first. The top lever allows you to “break” open the action to access the two barrels. Once you load one or two rounds in the gun, you can close the action to get ready to fire. The manual thumb safety mechanism is also where you can find the barrel selector. To operate the safety, push the mechanism forward to fire or rearward to put the gun on safe. Beretta equipped this shotgun with a visible “S” that tells you when the gun is on safe.
The smaller mechanism on the safety bar has two dots (one red, one white) that indicate which barrel fires first. You can change which barrel fires first by sliding this mechanism left or right.
B-Fast Adjustable Weight System
No one shotgun is a perfect fit for everyone. With people’s height, weight, and body mechanics, it’s as important to set up a shotgun to the shooter as it is to set up a handgun or a rifle. To that end, the 694 has the B-Fast Adjustable Weight System, which allows the shooter to adjust the barrel weight to their needs. A set of weights can be attached to the side ribs, under the forend, or towards the muzzle. This allows the shooter to balance out the gun and set the weight to how they want it. Five and ten gram weights can be applied magnetically, and up to 15 gram weights can be clamped firmly into the available spaces in the side ribs (for Trap and Sporting shotguns). A well-balanced shotgun is easier to shoot, and the heavy weight can reduce felt recoil dramatically.
Federal Master Class 12 Gauge Ammunition
I always have specific loads I use for competition shooting and practice shooting, no matter if I’m using a handgun, rifle, or a shotgun. For shotgun shooting sports, you always need to read the rulebook of the shooting sport to ensure you’re using legal ammunition. I try to use as similar a load as possible for target practice as I do for competition, so I can replicate the shotgun’s performance as much as possible.
My go-to competition 12-gauge ammunition for sporting clays right now is the Federal Master Class load. It is a competition-grade load with a customized Podium wad, high-antimony lead shot, and straight-wall hulls. This load creates uniform patterns shot after shot and helps deliver a soft recoil impulse. It is 7.5 shot, 2 3/4 inches, 1 1/8 ounces, and runs about 1,235 feet per second.
My go-to training 12-gauge ammunition right now is Shooting Dynamics from Fiocchi. While the velocity is a little slower than the Federal Master Class, everything else is the same in terms of load specifications. It is also $2 cheaper a box, which is great for training ammunition.
Caldwell Claycopter Surface-to-Air Thrower
Every shotgun shooter needs the Caldwell Claycopter Surface-to-Air device to train at home or at the range. This launcher is battery-operated and can perform up to 300 launches on just one battery charge. It has both oscillating and wobble functions that the shooter can adjust to change the difficulty level. The Surface-to-Air can connect via Bluetooth to your phone and be used with the free Caldwell Clays App. You can connect up to 100 yards away so you can have clay targets shoot toward you, away from you, or from your left or right. With the app, you can also launch clays with a voice command rather than needing to use the remote.
It throws singles or doubles, and with the app, you can set up a flurry mode or have it listen to send a report pair. There are two different target sizes available: 90 mm and 110mm. Caldwell also designed UFO glowing targets, so if you can shoot shotguns somewhere safely in the dark, the Surface-to-Air device charges the targets using UV light for nighttime shooting. Brittany, TC, and I had an absolute blast using the Caldwell Claycopter Surface-to-Air. We all ended up hitting our doubles and enjoyed a little friendly competitive shotgunning!
Final Thoughts
I had to share a quote from my friend, TC, after a range day with the Beretta shotgun. Here’s what he had to say: “It’s a Beretta Over/Under, so the fit and finish is spot on. As for form and function, most O/Us are either really light with a lot of recoil that wears you down, especially when using for sporting clays, or really heavy and tiring… this one hits the spot and nails the middle ground of weight and maneuverability!”
I realize the 694 Sporting Black DLC shotgun isn’t in an average shotgun shooter’s budget and serves a very niche market. It is a shotgun designed for performance and to fit the needs of a competitive shotgun shooter. If that is you, I recommend checking out this shotgun. It is more than just a great-looking gun; it is very detail-oriented, ensuring the shooter can customize this shotgun out of the box as much as possible to fit their needs. I had an absolute blast reviewing this gun and hope to see more people on the range with a Beretta shotgun!
Are you going to buy one?
When I bought my m2 Benelli I had started out to buy an O/U. I budgeted up to 7 grand for the gun. What I found matched the article. They were either too light to shoot all day or getting too heavy to carry hunting.
My favorite hunt was quail and that means a lot of walking. The Benelli was a good middle ground. And it handled recoil better for those Dove days, 75 to 100 shells.