Beretta Black Onyx??

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John Griff

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 3, 2018
Messages
52
Location
South Wales CF31 area.
Hi All,

I’m meant to be shooting a black onyx tomorrow at the weekly sporting shoot. Not my gun, but I’ve been told it’s for sale and I can use it. My question is,,,,,, what is a black onyx 😱🤦‍♂️? Is it a 686, if not any idea what model?

all the different name and number combinations are confusing for one manufacturer, let alone all of them! If anyone knows if it is a specific model, any idea on price? Ive been told it’s only a “couple of years old”?

cheers again, John.

 
It's a 686 and the model is "Black Onyx". I'm pretty sure there wasn't a sporter version so it will probably be quite light and have an auto safety.

They haven't been made for at least 7 or 8 years and back then it was the lowest priced Beretta. Not that price matters as all 686s and most 687s have the same action and the same build quality.

Over the years Beretta have played all sorts of games with names and cosmetic tweaks, especially with the 686s, so that everyone ended up totally confused. I see they're doing it again with the the plethora of new 69x models - but then no one ever accused Beretta of learning from their mistakes. 😛

 
i had a white onyx as my first gun (silver action ) the black onyx i think was the same with just a black action . its a 686 . they were basically the entry model of Beretta's . it is a sporter officially it did not have an auto safety and had a barrel selector.  but i found them too light for clay shooting you would feel it by the end of the day . couldn't recommend it to be honest 

 
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Cheers for the feedback. 

It actually turned out to be a 686 white (silver) onyx. Got to say, and beat in mind I’m a total noob, it felt great!! My last scores were both 27/60, shot 39/60 with it so I guess it must have done something right?

qucik question though is, would a 686 silver pigeon feel and shoot the same as the onyx? Any ideas on what the differences are, apart from cosmetic? 

Cheers in advance. John

 
Looked at one at Churchills a while ago and if I remember right, the guy in the gun shop said it's the same as a normal 686 just that the scrolling on it is incredibly plain (read virtually nothing!) which keeps the cost down. As above, the white onyx was normal silver, the black was obviously blackened.

 
I thought the Onyx was also cheap because it wasn’t real wood. Some wooden man made mix material. 

 
I thought the Onyx was also cheap because it wasn’t real wood. Some wooden man made mix material. 
ya it was "wood xtra" they called it . although to be fair it felt like real wood . i actually really liked the plain look of it im not a fan of scrolling . it wore well aswell , these were the pics when i sold it a few years back and it was probably 5-6 years old at that stage 

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The early White Onyx had XtraWood which is plain walnut with some figuring inked on. The Black, as the entry level 686 just had plain walnut. Beretta also used a thing called XtraGrain which is a preprinted plastic film glued on to who knows what kind of wood and used on the original Onyx Pro and some semis.

By 2011 both the White and Black Onyx guns had been discontinued but XtraWood lived on, albeit changed to a laser to scorching process, used on the Prevail 1 and some A400s.

IIRC The Black Onyx was only ever available as a game model but the White was certainly available in either sporter and game. The sporter was identical mechanically to the original 686E with the only difference being the engraving. As with almost all 686 sporters since about 2000, the White with 30" barrels should weigh within an ounce or so of 8lbs.

 
ya that was the problem i found with it . too light for clays . alright for the odd few clays , ideal if you were just a recreational shooter ,but not if you were shooting 100+
What’s the issue with a light gun and clays please? Why would that be an issue as I’d of thought a lighter gun would be easier to use over longer shoots? Total novice question I guess??

 
What’s the issue with a light gun and clays please? Why would that be an issue as I’d of thought a lighter gun would be easier to use over longer shoots? Total novice question I guess??
you feel the recoil a lot more on a light gun and for some people it makes them unsteady and they can be too fast after a target . you wont notice the recoil shooting a few clays but after a full day of shooting you would notice the difference . im 6ft 5 and over 20 stone and i found that i would feel it after a day shooting the onyx . the only other gun i felt was as bad was a browning cynergy 

 
you feel the recoil a lot more on a light gun and for some people it makes them unsteady and they can be too fast after a target . you wont notice the recoil shooting a few clays but after a full day of shooting you would notice the difference . im 6ft 5 and over 20 stone and i found that i would feel it after a day shooting the onyx . the only other gun i felt was as bad was a browning cynergy 
Thank you Davy_B, I understand what you’re saying better now, when I shot the gun I shot 60 shells and to be honest felt very little recoil, can’t say what doubling that would do? So much to consider and learn at the minute 🤷‍♂️

 
Thank you Davy_B, I understand what you’re saying better now, when I shot the gun I shot 60 shells and to be honest felt very little recoil, can’t say what doubling that would do? So much to consider and learn at the minute 🤷‍♂️
There's a long standing oft repeated belief that Berettas are relatively light guns but it's not necessarily true... I used to shoot with a guy who used a Browning 325 and one day I offered him a go with my 686E. He immediately handed it back and scoffed that it was far too light for him and he wouldn't be able to hit anything with it. A couple of weeks later we weighed both guns and found that my 686 was 1oz heavier than his 325.

A lot of it is in the mind; Berettas are slimmer and less bulky so they look less heavy and they have a very different feel and balance from the front heavy Brownings but most Beretta sporters are an acceptable weight for a full day of clays.

As for recoil, the actual kick might not bother you but it can be fatiguing after a lot of clays. Over a long day shooting, a heavier gun (8lbs plus) is less tiring than heavier recoil for a normal person whether male or female.

 
There's a long standing oft repeated belief that Berettas are relatively light guns but it's not necessarily true... I used to shoot with a guy who used a Browning 325 and one day I offered him a go with my 686E. He immediately handed it back and scoffed that it was far too light for him and he wouldn't be able to hit anything with it. A couple of weeks later we weighed both guns and found that my 686 was 1oz heavier than his 325.

A lot of it is in the mind; Berettas are slimmer and less bulky so they look less heavy and they have a very different feel and balance from the front heavy Brownings but most Beretta sporters are an acceptable weight for a full day of clays.

As for recoil, the actual kick might not bother you but it can be fatiguing after a lot of clays. Over a long day shooting, a heavier gun (8lbs plus) is less tiring than heavier recoil for a normal person whether male or female.
agree 100% with what you are saying about berettas in general feeling lighter with the exception of the DT10 and DT11 . and agreed that most berettas are perfect for clay shooting , just the onyx i felt was too light .

But john griff it it fits you and feels good for you then go for it . after you get a bit of experience you will likely want to change again anyway and the onyx do tend to be priced well so it could be a good starter gun for you if it fits you , everyone is different  :)

 
Think both the white and black Onyx were recently relaunched by Beretta. I presume as an effort to clear their old 686 stock with the arrival of the 690 series. Funny enough looked at one the other day, they have a couple of new ones in the West London Gun Room. Not sure if they are game or sporter models. 

 
Think both the white and black Onyx were recently relaunched by Beretta. I presume as an effort to clear their old 686 stock with the arrival of the 690 series. Funny enough looked at one the other day, they have a couple of new ones in the West London Gun Room. Not sure if they are game or sporter models. 
You could be right. Greenfields have a new sporter White which they describe as the return of a legend... Hmmm well... It's the same spec  as the SP1 sporter and it's listed at 8lb and I know that Greenfields weigh every gun they sell.

 
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