This month’s test gun is a Beretta DT11 Sport Black: one of the most popular high-level competition guns and used by both trap shooter Nathan Hales, who won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, and skeet silver medallist Amber Rutter. The latter almost secured gold too but was denied by a controversial decision during the shoot-off (a miss was called on a target that appeared to be visibly broken). Meantime, more than half of the shooting competitors at Paris 2024 were using Beretta shotguns, and 14 out of the 15 medal winners opted for the well-proven D11.

Although we have looked at the DT11 previously and been impressed, I thought it would be interesting, in light of this outstanding Olympic success, to explore one of the latest models. GMK was kind enough to supply us with a black-actioned DT11 Sporter. It has 30in barrels and weighs in just over 8½lb with a B-Fast adjustable stock. The gun is equipped with an 8mm to 10mm steel ventilated top rib (some black DT11s have a carbon-fibre rib), vented side ribs and 90mm Optima HP extended chokes. Our DT11 balances on the hinge point out of the box. Balance remains adjustable by means of the B-Fast system should owners wish to experiment but the hinge balance suited this 30in gun well. There is a 32in option too (here one might opt for a slightly more forward balance).

On first handling the DT11 you wlll note mass amidships as well as substantial overall weight typical of a modern competition gun, which needs mass to soak up recoil. This is a weighty but extremely comfortable gun. The Inertia trigger broke at just over 3lb on both pulls with no creep, and the (again adjustable) trigger-blade was also good. Moving on, the stock had a sensible length of pull at 14¾in, including an 18mm Microcore polymer recoil pad (with others available), and stock shapes are particularly agreeable. There is a full comb showing slight taper and a subtly shaped, hand-filling, palm-swell grip that is not too acutely radiused and does increase the sense of security when mounting. The fore-end is also a near-perfect rounded design with parallel sides – moving hand position does not affect the relationship with the barrels.

Aesthetically, Beretta seems to have got this model just right. The smart black action, which is satin finished with polished edges and caps, looks near my own ideal for a competition gun. I much prefer it to the usual silver finish – particularly considering the intended sporting purpose. There is no decoration bar a border line on the action wall panel to break up the lines of the side-panel but there is Italian design flair evident in abundance. This is clearly a quality product. With a recommended retail price of £9.645 (without the adjustable comb, which adds £70 to the bottom line), it is still less expensive than some of its main rivals.

Technically the gun is a tour de force.

We will consider the action mechanics shortly but the barrels are worthy of special consideration first. They incorporate a relatively new system for Beretta, with taper boring and subtle back-boring. Beretta calls it ‘Steelium Pro’. Three-quarters of the barrel length is tapered – imagine a massively extended forcing cone with a short section of parallel bore just before the chokes themselves are reached.  Sporters and trap models differ slightly. The former ends with a bore diameter of 18.6mm before the lead-in to the chokes; fixed-choke trap guns are bored just a little tighter.

Is it worth spending £10,000 on a competition gun? The simple answer is yes if the result is important to you and you want to eliminate any potential for excuses. Buy a gun like this, set it up at the pattern plates with your preferred point of impact (mine for sporting is 55:45 – in other words, a pattern thrown very slightly high) and you may devote all energies to watching the target and nothing but the target.

Technical

The DT11 has a long heritage. Beretta made a Boss-style over-and-under in the early 1930s before introducing its own SO sidelock a few years later. This had the trunnion hinging and trapezoidal shoulders dovetailing into the top of the action wall that have now become so familiar, as well as a cross-bolt possibly inspired by Merkel. Beretta marketed this gun in the mid-1930s, and just before the Second World War the company introduced a similar but non-sidelock competition gun – the ASE – with similar lock-up and profile. ASEs are the direct precursors of the DT10 and DT11. Both have detachable, V-spring trigger-locks and crisp, adjustable trigger-pulls. They also dispense with the conical bolts of the Silver Pigeon gun but retain a similar hinging system, as noted, with replaceable studs near the knuckles. Internally, the hammers are similar to an SO.

Shooting impressions

The test gun was shot at the West London Shooting School, a first-class facility for clay and game shooting. It dawned on me as I began the test that I have been visiting West London for 50 years. What immediately distinguished the new DT11 was a lack of felt recoil: a vital attribute in a competition gun. Stock shapes were generous: it was easy to hold securely and to direct. Good design aids purchase and prolonged shooting comfort, and the 8mm to 10mm rib was excellent too. The gun is quite wide in the breech because of the Kersten bolting system but the DT11 remains a superb clay-crushing tool – arguably the best yet made. It will remain in Beretta’s range for some years yet, although the manufacturer has a new and significantly more expensive competition gun – the SL2, eliminating the Kersten locking bolt – about to become available (the SL3 Game is already here.)

Beretta DT11 Sport Black Edition

GMK

The gun incorporates Steelium Pro barrels and the B-Fast adjustable stock