Beretta's Stoeger Air Rifle

Beretta with over 500 years of 'passion' in leading the gun industry, is today the largest and most respected sporting firearms company in the world. Four years ago, starting off with Benelli and Franchi, Beretta began purchasing and adding its design flare to other premium brands of firearms and accessories. While Sako, Tikka, and Burris soon followed, Beretta's brand purchases have not been restricted to expensive gear. Recognising the business volume in the 'value' end of the market (firearms needed for everyday use), Beretta next purchased the Stoeger brand which is best known here for the great Turkish manufactured versions of the Benelli inertia shotguns.

Stoeger, because it represents value, is the brand Beretta is using to enter the Air Rifle market. You could bet that with Beretta behind this project, Stoeger would come up trumps with a well designed and quality manufactured Air Rifle range - it did! Rather than just buy the leading brand and have the best weapon that only a few hunters could afford, Beretta 'head hunted' key design personnel like Andre Wirth from Germany's Diana airgun company, then to ensure affordability of manufacture it went to China and invested in China's best equipped airgun factory. The result is an affordable range of powerful and accurate Air Rifles, handsome in appearance and packed with features and innovation. Sounds good on paper but would it stand up to the scrutiny of a Kiwi not about to be easily impressed with a Chinese Air Rifle just because it had a European pedigree?

That's where Trevor Hynds from our Rotorua store came in. Politely described as a fussy firearms enthusiast (actually his work mates affectionetly say you could stretch the description of his knowledge and experience to that of 'nutter'). Trevor stood out as one who would let the rifle do the talking when it comes to accuracy and power - so here's what he reported...

All guns show good design and manufacture, they are well balanced with Monte Carlo style stocks making them easy to sight or 'hold' on a target. The automatic Safety is an excellent feature in a rifle that you do not need a firearms licence to own and the Catch itself is conveniently mounted at the rear of the action. The design means the Safety is very quick and easy to release - just push forward with the thumb as you raise the gun to your shoulder. This is a great feature when hunting and a quick shot is needed.

X20 models are fitted with recoil 'stop blocks' for scope mounts to lock into. This design prevents the reverse recoil of an air rifle from moving the scope during firing.

The cocking ergonomics are good as all models are fitted with a generous sized synthetic grip at the muzzle. This aids good control when cocking the Stoegers, even for younger or slightly built people.

The X5 is designed as a Junior Air Rifle and therefore is clocking an effective yet manageable 650 FPS (approximately) at the muzzle. The X20 models are more for adult use and they produced hunting velocities coming in between 1000 and 1100 FPS with standard weight pellets!

As with all new air rifles, the Stoegers tend to shoot tighter groups as the barrel settles in. However, the test guns showed good pellet placement right from the start, even when experimenting with a variety of brands of pellets.

Choosing the best stock option for the X20!... If you are a traditionalist or have larger hands the wood stocks will appeal to you with their slightly bigger feel at the pistol grip. However, for the rugged demands of our wet climate and for night hunting use where wear and tear is more of a consideration, the robust synthetic stocks come into their own.

The Two Stage Triggers feel a little stiff to start but soon improve with use. But these are very accurate rifles with good groups. Clean kills will be no problem if you choose a Stoeger as my test targets demonstrate.

The Verdict

Stoeger Air Rifles offer performance you'd expect to have to pay more for. Check out the advert on page 141 for more technical info. Packages run from $250 for the X5 Combo to $400 for the X20 Combos and reflect excellent value for your hard earned dollar. Some models are also available in 22cal. Designed in Europe, and made in China under strict control from Beretta, now available exclusively from Hunting & Fishing New Zealand. Do not purchase a new Air Rifle this summer before comparing it to the Stoeger!