There are plenty of ways to spend lots of money in the (for some of us) never-ending effort to break more clay targets. While practice, practice, and still more practice tends to pay off pretty reliably, buying a new shotgun is one of the more enjoyable options available to you.
Whether that will actually improve your scores is another matter entirely, but Beretta’s new(ish) 688 Performance XTrap over/under gives trap shooters some very enticing reasons to open their wallets.
At the top of that list of very good reasons to buy one is owning a beautifully made Italian shotgun, something the five century-old company is famously good at producing.
The price of the XTrap is $3,899. That actually qualifies as affordable in the world of competition shotguns, where perspective tends to disappear somewhere between the adjustable stock and the embroidered shooting vests.
The Beretta over/under competition guns have basically four tiers that start out with the 686 Silver Pigeons that begin at just under $3000 (and retail for between $2500 and $2750, depending on options. Then there are the 688 guns where we find ourselves here a relatively modest step up from the Silver Pigeons.
From there, we make a significant jump to the 694s (the 694 DLC Trap MSRPs at $6599. Things then top out with Beretta’s wonderfully knee-buckling, incredibly impressive DT11s that will run you comfortably into five figures.
Hence, the relative affordability of the 688 Performance XTrap that keeps the price (just barely) in the threes. For that kind of money, this full-featured trap gun givers you Beretta Steelium barrels, a sturdy steel low profile receiver, a B-Fast adjustable comb, and a laminated stock that’s built around breaking targets rather than looking pretty in a gun cabinet.
That last part will be immediately apparent when you see it. The gray laminate furniture and the orange-type-on-black receiver are not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. And the 688’s modern styling won’t satisfy those who think a shotgun should have deeply figured walnut and a few tastefully engraved birds or retrievers on the receiver.
Fair enough, but plenty of us — me included — think this is a good, clean look for a very capable sporting gun.
The 688 Performance XTrap clearly takes a more utilitarian — and affordable — approach. The emphasis here is on fit and function, with cosmetics that make no attempt to impersonate Grandpa’s favorite field gun.
Beretta builds the 688 around its established 680-series platform, with a wider, heavier receiver intended to improve stability and long-term performance.
Yes, that’s a lockable barrel selector on the safety. That set screw ensure it’s staying right where you want it. Those of us who want to make damne sure than the lower barrel always fires first in both singles and doubles will sleep a little easier at night knowing there’s no chance of the selector accidentally being inadvertently flipped to the top barrel first position.
If you’ve ever put a single round in the bottom tube, yelled ‘pull’ and then heard nothing but a disappointing click, you know that feeling.
If you didn’t know this shotgun was intended for shooting trap (though we certainly didn’t confine ourselves to that in our testing), that high vent rib with its mid bead should leave no doubts at all.
The 688 Performance XTrap comes fully kitted out, including a set of five Beretta Optimachoke HP extended tubes.
That grey laminate Monte Carlo stock gets Beretta’s B-Fast-equiped adjustment system.
That lets you customize the fit to get exactly the the upright head position most trap shooters like to use when shooting rising targets. The adjustments let you dial in just the right comb height and cast for your unique facial dimensions and get the consistent point of impact percentage above the front sight you like.
With a shotgun, your eye is effectively the rear sight, and a stock that puts that rear sight in the wrong place is going to make an expensive gun remarkably good at missing clays you should otherwise be busting.
With the stock MicroCore butt pad (which does a nice job of absorbing recoil), the length of pull is listed as 14.8 inches. That, however, is adjustable, too, thanks to the 688 Performance XTrap’s adjustable trigger. There’s also a modest, comfortable palm swell for a comfy grip.
While none of these, on their own, guarantees a perfect fit, as a whole, they give you a package of flexible options that give you every opportunity to fit the XTrap to you and make it feel like an extension of your body.
The XTrap’s trigger broke at an average of 3 pounds, 11 ounces on my Lyman trigger gauge with a clean release and almost no take-up.
The shotgun’s weight — listed as 8.6 pounds, but my scale says 8.8 — and near-perfect balance means those long, 32-inch barrels swing naturally and smoothly…exactly what you’re looking for in a good trap (or other clays) gun.
To sum up, the 688 Performance Trap is a very well-made, reasonably priced (for its feature set and pedigree) way to to get an Italian clay-busting trap gun that will let you get everything out of your level of dedication and abilities. It lets you do what’s needed to customize its fit to you, effectively taking away any non-shooter-related excuses for missing those left-to-right crossers.
If that’s what you want and you love shooting trap, the 688 Performance XTrap is a great tool for the job.
Specifications: Beretta 688 Performance XTrap Over/Under Shotgun
Caliber: 12 gauge
Chamber: 3 inches
Barrel Length: 32 inches (also a 32″/34″ mono barrel combo package available)
Overall Length: 48 inches
Weight: 8.6 pounds
Chokes: 5 Beretta Optima-Choke HP extended chokes included
Made In: Italy
Price: $3,899