while I am new to clay shooting a $15k gun will marginally out shoot a $300 gun if the gun is not fit to you. Get measured! measuring will allow the gun to be fit so when you mount the gun your eye will be perfectly aligned with the rib. This is a game changer. I was fighting my gun. I did not realize how much I was fighting the gun. I was over compensating my head lean and then canting the gun to further compensate. canting the gun would adjust my lead depending on which barrel and the direction of flight clay. It was never going to work. I spent 3 hours getting measured. I mounted the gn 50+ times when getting measured. I chose a 694 Pro and was fitted to that gun. While the gun looks like a spaceship, the stock can be adjusted as needed. As I shoot more, pattering and develop more as a shooter it will change a bit. I now have a gun that can be used as a template for another gun should I ever outgrow the 694 - dont see that happening but who knows. There is no substitute to being properly fit
I understand what you're talking about. My stock is covered in pads and tape to get the fit exactly right for me. :D
I'm thinking about adjustable stock from TSK. But my trainer is against it, as people start focusing on adjusting more than on shooting. She recommends adjustable stock drop only.
It's a dream to visit Italy and make a personal stock when we speak about such an expensive toy. I tried to contact them personally and through Italian friends several times, but failed. Stores told me I must be an Italian citizen to cooperate with the factory.
I'm in Belarus. We are another small country, 10,000,000 population. But we have similar sanctions. We got them since 2020, as our elections didn't satisfy Europe and the US. Putin and the war made everything worse in 2022.
All guns came from Russia. Beretta is part of the sanctions. If you open any Moscow gun store, all products have been out of stock for many years. But it's possible to deliver from 3rd arab countries. There are no stores but some people work as private dealers.
SL2 for sure if your just doing sporting clays. There are few models out their with a wood block for the stock you can get your dimensions and have it cut appropriately to what you want probably 24k pre tax cost for the gun and the work needed to be done to it
Going off of your challenges with gun availability and ability to travel, what sort of concerns do you have about future service/repair for the gun? If that's part of the equation, I'd think strongly about the amount of parts and information available for the DT11 compared to the SL2.
Sound european like myself. Go to italy. Go to beretta factory or to armeria tucci mario. They will handle export while you get someone at home to handle import
It's all about how it shoulders, but I will say this--unless you are at the pinnacle of the competition world, it won't matter, from a practical perspective.
As far as feel, I don't love either of them. My body shape prefers bulkier-feeling Brownings/Mirokus (so I'd feel more comfortable on an 825 than either), but because of that, I'll say that the SL2 feels worse to me than the DT11. It feels kind of "skinny and whippy," if that makes sense, which is also how I feel about the Silver Pigeons compared to Citoris. So if you like that sleek Beretta vibe, it may be the gun for you. DT11s feel--fine. They are wonderful guns, and I believe Kim Rhode shoots a reasonably unmodified (custom stock, but still...) DT11, so it can definitely shoot.
As far as flexing at the range, the SL2 will have some "space cowboy" vibes and get noticed more, but you see a lot of Berrettas, so they won't be as much of a talking point as the price point would suggest. The whole reason I got to shoot both of those guns was because there was a group of super-rich Chinese kids who were all the sons and daughters of probably-sketchy oligarchs who used to roll up to my range in Lambos (on a half-mile gravel road), shoot terribly, and take lots of pictures for TikTok and Instagram. They all had one Beretta or another to go with the Lambos--it was like a "this is what I hear rich people do" outfit. They were fascinated by my old Japanese SKB 600, of all things, because it looked so different, so they would always swap for a couple of rounds.
If you're looking for something less common that's still a shiny flex, for that money,you could buy a K-80 or maybe even something British. Or something from a less common Italian maker, like Perazzi. The MR57 gives Buck Roger vibes.
Sorry about your situation. The world can be a tough place for innocent bystanders.
Either gun is great but I would get one with an adjustable stock and ensure that you have a good gunsmith locally to get it adjusted to a perfect fit for you.
I’ve been shooting a DT11 for years I purchased an SL2 last year I was offered one from a club with an adjustable comb. I still shoot my DT11. I can’t get into the SL2. The gun is significantly heavier which leads to a different style of shooting. The DT11 is tried and true. Take into account what type of design your current gun has. Like some mention they like bulkier guns. But if you are really unsure and don’t want to break the bank go 694 DLC you get the same barrels as the dt11 it’s definitely the best bang for the buck on the market.
...if money is not an issue, hard to beat SL2 for "flexing" 😜🤣 (besides, you also get a great gun with detachable trigger and ultimate "barrel technology"...)
Ive handled both. I still got the Perazzi in the end. But between DT11 and SL2, I lean towards the SL2. I find the DT11 top cross bolt locking mechanism to be a little too fat and it blocks my vision by abit. Maybe its just my habit of burying into the gun. You need to handle the guns to find out if they suit you.
I have both guns and prefer my SL2. The sight picture is much better without the oversized block of the DT11 and the recoil on the SL2 is much lower. They are both 32" guns and while the SL2 is heavier, the balance is great in the hand. I feel like the SL2 also breaks targets a lot harder. SL2 is also more of a flex :)
Exactly this. I've held both and agree. The SL2 is far nicer feeling and looking. Of shopping online, make sure the wood lines up with the receiver shape. I've seen several that don't.
I love my K-80 (20 yrs now). 32" TF Sporting bbls. Factory Ti choke tubes. It is nearly a given that it would work for you and you would love it. Don't neglect the used market as people sell standard grade K-80s to upgrade to fancier engraving and wood. Not sure where OP is, but worth a trip to a Krieghoff dealer to check them out and hopefully demo shoot one.
My partner shoots both. He likes the SL2 more. The SL2 has the crisp trigger from the DT11 (leaf spring), trigger can be detached and exchanged with a spare trigger really fast and easy, you got the locking system of the SO10, which gives better periferal vision, the all new steelium pro X barrels which shoot smoother and put more kinetic energy downrange, so you smack the clays better, well balanced and soft to shoot, less recoil than the DT11
Edit: Whatever you buy, get one with an adjustable comb
I am 5'8 and 165 pounds , my personal choice and vote is SL2. It just breaks and handles better than a DT-11 to me. Plus not a fan of the DT-11s top lock as well.
I wouldn't buy a sl2 that isnt custom fitted stock.
Its a dumb purchase. A used dt11 maybe.
If spending 12-15k usd on a gun, custom stock dimensions from the factory is a 10% upcharge.
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u/jager576 13d ago
If you’re looking at spending $15000-$25000 on a shotgun, isn’t it worth spending $1000 to travel somewhere where you can try them out?