I’ve had my 694 for a little over 2 years. I’m at about the 10k round count and it has been an absolute tank so far. Yes, my fore end did crack, but Cole’s fixed me up under the Beretta warranty. Extremely happy with this O/U.
Great review Matt. I have an adjustable 31inch 694 sporter. Couldn't put it down after mounting it in the shop. The stock and palm swell are like no other gun I had held. It's probably more gun than I'll ever need and the 10 year warranty upgrade was a bonus. In short I love shooting mine and am very, very happy with it.
Another excellent review Matthew. I'm delighted you did it because I'm hugely impressed with the 694. I migrated from Beretta to Browning/Miroku some years back but my son bought a 694 last year. As you say it fits lovely in the hand with a well designed palm swell. He also bought a 32" and I was very surprised at how well it balanced and a very modern looking gun as you say. You have raised an interesting point on the groves design which we haven't heard until your review.
I'm new to the sport and new to the channel, had about 3 taster sessions over the years and recently got into it a little more seriously with a mate of mine. Having shot his guns I was struggling with gun fit being a left hander and so we went on a tour of the local gun shops, picked up a 694 LH with adjustable comb and it felt like putting a glove on so I bought it, the only problem was that I also picked up a DT11 and that felt oh so good. Looking forward to shooting it this Sunday . Watching hundreds of you tube videos on everything to do with clay shooting from cleaning and maintenance to lead and gun mount and finding it very exciting. Need to start hitting a few more clays now!!
Thank you for your comment, I hope that you are enjoying the channel. The 694 is an excellent gun and will pave the way very well for a DT11 I am sure. Kind regards, Matthew
I have the 31" GMK 50th special edition, beyond happy with the performance of it, shoot it twice a week. The only issue I've had is the forend cracked by the iron - I do put 10k~ shells through it a year and had it for about 18 months now. Resolved that but it's a bit of a flaw in the design, I see a refresh of the forend design at some point, people who shoot volume like that are going to shoot a DT11 probably. A bit of epoxy sorted it, and I will continue to use it for years to come. The special edition does not come with barrel weights or the adjustable comb, but does have the B-Fast stock weights. It's a brilliant gun and shoots like a dream.
Matt, Nice review. I have owned a 694 for about a year and a half. I am NOT disappointed. I would not wish a black version as the black on my 690 wore off the bottom of the receiver in 6 months time and Beretta would not warranty it. It was my main reason for moving up to the 694 and the Nissan finish. I do wish the comb was lower however and ended up customizing mine by taking it down at the heel about 5/8 of an inch. I love this gun ! I enjoy your reviews. Keep up the good work and best regards, JZ
Thank you for your comment and kind words. I too have experienced a few 690 Blacks that did not wear well on the action bluing. No such issues with the Nissan finish though. It is also worth noting that the 694 sporter was actually available in 3 different stock dimensions. I am glad that you are enjoying the channel. Kind regards, Matthew
The 694 is my favourite Beretta offering today, arguably best gun dollar to dollar they make, has a bit of the 682 gold e about it, which is the highlight beretta for me, i regularly shoot alongside one- and it is a great gun, but comparing it to my Mk10 competition sporter, very hard to find the extra 200% plus what my mk10 cost
I bought a 694. wood has cracks all over it. Beat me up pretty bad. First tournament I had to shoot it broken. Was warming up in five stand and the latch spring broke. Not even a month old. Gave it to my dad all the b fast comb hardware broke. I take very good care of my guns. I bought a k80. And I’m in love. Very cheap components and the wood was faulty. I found out about all the crack when my dad sent the gun in to have a gloss finish put on the stock. Fore grip was not repairable. I tried different pitch adjustments. And nothing fixed the cheek slap. But I shot well with it. So warning lol.
Thank you for your comment. Sorry to hear that you had a bad experience with your 694. I have been around these guns and had hundreds through my hands since they were launched. I have mainly heard and experienced positive things. Kind regards, Matthew
Have one myself with 32inch barrels here in Canada, I considered a used DT11 at the time but found it heavier than I wanted for an all around gun to do the clay shooting at the club and occasional hunting ventures. I've used it on the skeet field, duck blind and even in layout blinds for Canada geese just to change things up a bit from running the A400 in that setting and it was great in all settings for me.
687 694 and DT11 are all great well-built guns. Just got a 687 III special combo. Felt like i was improving throughout the day after shooting doubles for practice. Wasn't super heavy and bulky. Beretta has as different feel and look, it's a good change from my other Competition guns.
Great review and was the last one I watched before becoming the proud owner of a 694 adj 32 .. odd thing is I am vertically challenged 5.4 but the balance of this gun meant the 32 barrels felt way better than the 30 for me . I shot it better than the 30 Inch version or my 30in browning.. no idea why just felt great
Thank you for your comment and I am pleased that you found the review helpful in terms of making an informed purchase of a 694. Sharing my knowledge and advice is very much the aim of the channel. Kind regards, Matthew
Great presentation Matt, such a refreshing change from some other reviewers that just seem to push their own interests blowing smoke up their sponsors backsides. Liking your "new" video presentations mate, keep 'em rolling.👍
Great review Matt. Been following your reviews for a while and really enjoy the honest and direct feedback you share. I have had the 694 for a year and have been absolutely impressed with the gun. Unfortunately, the fore-end cracked while I was shooting on Saturday. From other peoples feedback below it seems like this is a known design issue. Hoping GMK will replace the fore-end under warranty and return the gun back to me soon. Pls can you also review some of the cartridge brands like Fiocchi and B&P primary for clays. Looking forward to more reviews. Thank You - Best Wishes, Harmeet.
Thank you for your comment and kind words. I am pleased that you are enjoying the videos. I am sure that GMK will sort the forend for you. They are a great company to deal with. Kind regards, Matthew
I’ve had a 694 for almost a year as well. The stock on mine cracked behind the trigger. I sent it directly to Beretta. They replaced the stock and fore-end under warranty, but it took almost 4 months to get it back. Hopefully a third party can turn it around faster.
Just purchased one a month ago.to upgrade from my silver pigeon and I love it.really like your reviews.I live in Canada and here with taxes they are very close to 8 grand Canadian. looking forward to your video on the DT 11 . out of my price range but we can all dream.thanks.
Thank you for your comment and kind words. There are a couple of DT11 reviews on the channel so be sure to check them out. I can also assist with export. Kind regards, Matthew
Another great review Matthew of this cracking gun, I as you know have the skeet version and love it, so smooth to shoot. Thinking of getting the sporter to add to my collection…😊
Thank you for your comment. I am pleased that you enjoyed the review. Beretta are onto a winner with the 694 although I think the 692 is a good gun also. Kind regards, Matthew
Great `Blockie` Gan!! I have one you originally sold to a lady ... It has the best bit of wood Ive ever seen on a 694 !!! Better than some SO`s. Shot it today skeet n 1/4 chokes Wacked stuff at 40+yds with 24/26 gms...
Great review Matt. Absolutely love mine. Even makes me look good on occasion 😃. Though Mr Mumby would disagree with that. All the best. Andy from Crawfords Scunthorpe
I have one in 32 inch and absolutely love it. Been shooting field trials with it and it has performed flawlessly. Wondering what oil to use on the stock though, do you have any recommendations?
Thank you for your comment. I am pleased that you are enjoying your 694. My recommendation for stock oil would be Trade Secrets which is a product that will be making an appearance on the channel so stay tuned... Kind regards, Matthew
Great review. If Beretta launches a Black Edition of the 694, lets hope they stay clear of using Carbon fibre on it, like on the DT11 black. That certainly did nothing well for the DT11´s reputation.
Thank you for your comment. I am pleased that you enjoyed the video. I think the carbon fibre rib was very much a 'marmite' edition to the 692 and DT11 Black Edition ranges of guns. Kind regards, Matthew
Good review of the 694. You might want to research about oversized locking bolts for the 694, they are not available. When this 694 has about 45,000-50,000 rounds through it , the barrel holes have to be welded up to bring the gun back to normal lockup. this is not a high round count gun.
Thank you for your comment and I am pleased that you enjoyed the video. Not entirely sure that I agree with the statement about not being a high round count gun but I do respect your opinion. I know shooters that have shot in excess of 100K shells through 694's with no need for welding. Ultimately though I would say that if you are going to shoot a huge amount of cartridges that a DT11 should be your choice. Kind regards, Matthew
I obviously got a bad one. Bought a new adjustable last year, it shot silly low, the fore end started to rattle after a while, the fore end wood shrank while the stock expanded & was catching the top lever. The action seemed to be badly adjusted & had to be slammed shut. Triggers were not consistent & there was loads of muzzle flip. I had to put it up for sale but will probably loose a lot of money. Out on the shoots I have asked other 694 owners about theirs & most have been returned for issues that should not happen. All things considered I couldn't recommend it.
Thank you for your comment. I am sorry to hear about your experience of the 694. I hope that the importer/supplier/distributor sorted all the issues for you. Kind regards, Matthew
Nice review Matt! Heard a few times about cracked forend wood and that the forend is a tight fit to the barrel - are the 2 things connected? If the forend is a loose (proper) fit to the barrels what is it that is making them crack?? Otherwise a super gun. Really like the ejector button system - makes maintenance a breeze.
Thank you for your comment. There were a few issues (teething problems) with the 694 but I believe that they are all sorted now. It's a good bit of kit. Kind regards, Matthew
Thank you for your comment and kind words. Sadly although I love Japanese guns the XS Pro is just too slim in the grip for a competition gun. The stock dimensions of the 694 are excellent. Based on feel and handling I would go Beretta. I hope this helps. Kind regards, Matthew
This is the gun that I have settled on. Although, I have been hearing quite a lot of rumblings that the fore end has been cracking or splitting. Can any of you confirm or deny this? It seems to me that even with that issue this is still the gun for me, I'd just hate for the warranty to expire then have to get this resolved. Thanks in advance.
Hi I had a 694 sporter after 12 months the fore end split but it was still replaced under warranty. It’s certainly a great gun but changed it for a DT11 and my scores have not reached the level they were with the 694.
Thank you for your comment. I have heard of a few forends splitting but they have all been replaced under warranty. GMK offer great service here in the UK. Kind regards, Matthew
I'm on my 3rd forend on my 696 pluss my stock got 2 small cracks, faulty ejetor on top barrel and the metal plate on adjustable comb snapped last year. Lovely gun to shoot shame on poor build quality. I am very disappointed
Thanks for the in-depth review Matt. Decided to buy one. Being a rank novice at sporting clays I was a bit worried about laying out the readies for such a gun, but now I feel the handing over of hard-earned cash was well worth it. I clamped on my Shotkam and took it to my local sporting clays club, here is a video of how a Beretta 694 Pro-Sporter changed my scores from barely adequate "C" grade to a comfortable "A" grade. Gun fit and ease of use is phenomenal. The 694 points where I am looking in a very natural way. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-aXivErs6yzA.html
Thank you for your comment, I am pleased that you enjoyed the video. Yes the 694 fixed stock sporter is available in 35/50 and 35/55 drops. Kind regards, Matthew
Nice review, thanks for sharing. I just got a brand new 694 Pro with TSK stock, and noticed that I cannot operate the barrel selector unless the safety is engaged. I have seen one other 694 with the same issue, but all the rest can be operated regardless of the safety position. Would any of the 694 owners or anyone with experience be able to comment on it? thanks!
Thank you for your comment. I am pleased that you enjoyed the video. I have not heard about this issue before but can only surmise that the stock may have not been correctly fitted and maybe to tight in some areas. I would suggest that you return the gun to your dealer or take it to a gunsmith. Kind regards, Matthew
It's a feature added to that model and the 31" barrel model, it's to stop accidental changing of the barrel selector..... not sure asto why the other variants don't have it...
Thank you for your comment. There are a few differences. The skeet gun has no centre rib and is supplied in 28 3/4" barrels. The skeet has a non selective trigger, fatter comb and slightly different grip radius. Ultimately this makes the skeet a lighter gun. I hope this helps. Kind regards, Matthew
Thank you for your comment, I am pleased that you enjoyed the review. Yes the 694 Sporting is available in left hand specification in several models. Please contact me directly if you would like further information. Kind regards, Matthew
Thank you for your comment. As per the video I know that aside from the cosmetic similarities between the 694 and the DT11 that they are completely different guns. Kind regards, Matthew
