I have a chance to buy a BL-4 from a buddy for a good price.

I did a search here and it sounds like a great gun, but I would love to hear your comments on the gun before I buy it.

So far I found that they are good guns, made from 67-73 and have hand-cut engraving and not the laser cut of today's guns.

I would appreciate your comments.

Thanks! Frank

I've had my BL-4 for almost 30 years.
My dream gun was always a Browning Superposed because it was my fathers dream gun until I actually had one. It never felt right and I never shot it very well. One day at a local shop I picked up the Beretta. Buying it and selling the Browning was one of my better moves. Browning is a great gun but fit is more important. I shoot the BL-4 well, it's pleasant to carry.
Mine is a skeet gun. It has a wide rib, 26" barrels and bored skeet/skeet. It has 2 3/4 chamgers. Only change I made was adding a pad. Kept dimensions the same.
It's what I use for almost everything other than waterfowl. While it may not be choked what could be considered ideal for pheasants, I've bagged more of them with it than any other gun. Just limit the range of my shots.
Mine has never burped. 100% reliability. Don't have a round count but a guess might be 7000. I don't shoot any magnum loads.
I don't know any specifics about the engraving other than it's there and looks OK. Some of the bluing on the receiver is getting a little plum color.
All in all it's been a good companion.
If the price is right and it fits you and you shoot it well you'll be set. Lots of if's/ands but that seems to be the case with shotguns.

I don't think Beretta has ever made a bad break-action shotgun.

I have a set of 28, 20 and 12 gauge Beretta BL5s a slight upgrade of the BL4. With coin finish receivers. They are reliable, well balanced and indeed guns with more hand fitting and engraving than the modern lower grade offers. I shot BL4s and found them to be an excellent value, liked them so much I put together the set I have now. They also made BL1s, 2s. 3s, and 6s.
The 6s had false side plates, the 1s, 2s, and 3s are extractor guns and also reliable with the same proportions and balance.
Go for it.

Thanks for the comments fellas.

My friend wants $600 cash for the gun, so I am going to buy it next week.

I am impressed with the fact that it has real engraving and was made a while ago.

I'll post a pic when it's in hand.

Thanks!

quote:

Originally posted by Leopardtrack:
Thanks for the comments fellas.

My friend wants $600 cash for the gun, so I am going to buy it next week.

I am impressed with the fact that it has real engraving and was made a while ago.

I'll post a pic when it's in hand.

Thanks!

That is a great deal. 12ga? I got a 20ga S57e (a European BL5 with double triggers) for $600 a few months back. They are a great value, but are getting more popular (read more valuable). Post some pics when you get it.

Yes Storm it's a 12ga. The seller is my best friend and I shot the gun a few years back but I forgot about what the gun looks like.

He is the second owner and says that the gun is almost mint. The 1st owner was an old Italian guy (I am Italian so I can say this!) and those old piason's are rough on their guns, so I am hoping that my friend is correct!

Those old-timers veiw a gun strictly as a tool to kill things for the table...they never clean thier guns and just put them under the bed at the end of the day!

I have a couple of BL-3's, which is the same gun without ejectors and with a bit less engraving coverage. This shotgun is particularlay light for a 12-gauge, so you may want to use the very light target loads for most of your upland hunting to keep recoil managable. One of mine is a 28 gauge and I rarely bother to hunt doves with anything else. I've been hiding in wait for a 20 gauge in order to have a trifecta, but haven't found the right one yet.