Indians For Guns

Has anyone tried the UGB25 Xcel?

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Visited the beretta gallery in manhattan today- they have a decent collection of Sako's, was looking for one in .300 win, and then got distracted by the shotguns. I was intrigued by the design, I've read about it and seen videos, but never got my hands on one. Of course, the sales person was all praise for it- but has anyone used it?

The mechanics were neat, but I wanted to know how it held up after a few hundred rounds.

Some good videos here
http://www.ugb25xcel.com/index.aspx?m=53&did=96

Neat package.... Love to own one though its limited only to a one round 'magazine'... in effect a very complicated way of delivering two shots!... I mean its over engineered - all that mechanical magic to send two measly shots down the tube. Not to mention that reloading is awkwardly slow.

...many say its a solution to a non existent problem.

The Cosmi Autoloader predated the break-open autoloader design by several years...why it even has a magazine crammed into the butt-stock... somewhat odd in design but quite an innovation though http://www.cosmi.net/uk/ukdescri-tecn.htm

regards,
cc

Yes, shot one when they were first introduced........about 4 years ago ?
Good handling but quite pricey.

The point of this design is ? Agree with CC

best

I guess to have two quick rounds but only a single barrel and no pump. overly complex indeed, but I just wanted to know if anyone had used it much.

This was not a gun designed for hunting. This is a special purpose gun meant for sports like trap. Most of the time you just need to shoot a single bird. However you will also have to shoot doubles. Usually when you have a over-under, the bottom barrel shoots below your sight plane. It could be the difference between winning a match and losing if you miss with the bottom barrel. This allows you to take those doubles and have the same point of aim for both shots.

However, I do agree that its way over engineered. More stuff to break or mess up when it absolutely has to function.

More from the Beretta Site:

The Beretta semiautomatic UGB25 Xcel features an innovative locking system with break-open barrel that allows operation in complete safety during competitions. Unlike conventional fixed-barrel semiautomatic shotguns, this new type of break-open design enables the shooter to move from one firing station to another while allowing others to see the gun clearly in "safe" mode with an open action. The second round is not hidden from view inside the magazine tube, but is always visible in its side cartridge carrier. The low-set single barrel offers the advantage of maintaining the same point of impact of the second shot exactly in line with that of the first shot, thus ensuring excellent performance.

xl_target wrote:This is a special purpose gun meant for sports like trap. Most of the time you just need to shoot a single bird. However you will also have to shoot doubles. Usually when you have a over-under, the bottom barrel shoots below your sight plane. It could be the difference between winning a match and losing if you miss with the bottom barrel. This allows you to take those doubles and have the same point of aim for both shots.

I disagree. A dedicated trap gun shoots ABOVE the sight plane with both barrels. It needs to compensate for a rapidly rising target. If we are talking about winning or losing matches, then I assume we are dealing with Trap guns per se and not converted sporters

Also, most shooters I know (that includes me), shoot the bottom, partly choked barrel first, before following it up, (if needed) with the tighter top barrel for a clay that is fast speeding away. If there are no barrel selectors, trap guns often automatically shoot bottom barrel first anyway.

Might I also add that having a two differently choked barrels together is a big plus, perhaps why semis are not popular for any competition.

Apparently someone at Beretta thinks otherwise. . There's got to be some advantage at having the same point of aim for both shots, as they claim. I don't know but I can't see what other purpose this design would serve.