Beretta Simgle-Barrel 12-bore folder

[CharlesHarris]

My most used shotgun is a simgle-barrel Beretta FS1 with 25-inch, chrome-lined full choke barrel anal 2-3/4" chamber. It shoots the Winchester Ranger Low Recoil 1-oz. slugs to point of aim at 25 yards, and deadly patterns with 00 buck. Most of the time I use the Champion 1-7/8", 5/8 oz. Loads of 7-1/2 shot which mitigate the recoil in a light gun and throw adequate patterns for trap shooting at 16 yards.

[Mortblanc]

I have a similar gun, not made by Beretta. It lives in the car, in its case with a bandolier of mixed buckshot and bird shot. It refuses to group slugs of any form or brand. At 25m it will not keep slugs on a one meter square. It has a good modified choke, what the British would call a 3/4 choke, and it groups buckshot nicely out to 35m-40m.

It is not really my most used gun. Due to the ammunition situation these days my shooting is restrained. My firearms are there and ready, just not shot much.

The one exception is the HW30. That is shot off the back porch at the target rack in the fence row almost daily, to keep the eyes in focus and the trigger finger properly trained.

[Skean Dhude]

Looks a very easy to carry gun. Ideal for me as the amount of times I've come across foxes and been unarmed is beyond count.

However in this mickey mouse country they are really difficult to get hold of.

[CharlesHarris]

The Beretta patents long expired, there are copies being produced in Turkey and maybe elsewhere. The one MB mentioned may be one of those. I heard that those made for screw-in choke tubes don't shoot slugs accurately and this may be MB's situation. I sought out the low recoil 1200 fps vs. 1600 fps slugs because of the light gun and found that they shot accurately and were effective on deer at driven with dogs swamp range where I hunt on the lowland Tidewater Virginia military ressrvations, Quantico Marine Base, Camp A.P. Hill, Fort Lee, etc.

[Mortblanc]

My copy is probably the cheapest firearm available in the US when I bought it. Made in Turkey.

It has a very tight Modified choke which I suspect is the reason it won't group slugs. That and the fact that I cast and reload my own slugs. They do fine in my slug specific guns but this particular shotgun does not like them.

I bought it specifically as a vehicle gun. I wanted something cheap since living in a vehicle is hard on a firearm so I usually keep a very cheap gun for roughing it with constant temperature and humidity changes doing its damage.

If I can find a big piece of leather cheap I might make a saddle boot so I can carry it on my motorcycle.

It replaced a MN 91/30 which had held the spot as truck gun for decades. I discovered that the MN had escalated in value from $50 to near $400 so it got to move inside the house.

[Midnitemo]

Pedretti folders were once common in the UK , mainly.410 but they were available as 12 bore

[CharlesHarris]

The Pedretti shotguns were copies of the Beretta folder, sold in the USA under the trade name Mavi. Good, solid, affordable utility grade farmer guns. My Beretta cost about twice as much, probably due to better wood and it's chrome-lined barrel.