Bettinsoli Diamonline sport -Used  - 12 July 05

Bettinsoli Diamondline Used. 11 April 2005

The Bettinsoli diamondline hit our shores with the Bettinsoli distribution being re-established in this country by Dynamit Nobel, who have since become Ruag Ammotech.
Ruag are also well known for being distributors for Perazzi shotguns and Rottweill ammunition.
Prior to this there had been a lull in the fortunes of Bettinsoli in the UK.
Bettinsoli guns had disappeared off our market a few years before when Utting’s, a gunshop in Norwich had distributed.
The Bettinsoli is a second tier gun in terms of quality and price, though I think that they can hold their heads up amongst their peers.

The Diamondline was one of the first of a new range of models. It is made in both sporting and game configurations.
The sporter is 28” or 30” and is fitted with multichokes. It also has a wider top rib than the game gun. Approximately 10mm wide to the game guns 7mm.
The sporter also has ventilated side ribs.

Generally the guns were always sound from a mechanical point of view. And work on familiar principles.
The hammers pivot at the bottom of the trigger plate with the sears suspended from the top of the action. The hammers are powered by captive coil springs that give the hammers a rebounding property so that there is less chance of striker drag when the gun is opened after firing.
The single trigger is reset by inertia of the first shot being fired. And a simple selector block picks up the sears. Selection of the required barrel is by moving the entire safe from left to right.

The diamondline tends not to have an auto return safe fitted to the sporter version, but there is provision for this to be fitted for those that prefer.
The firing pins are simple and strong. With very strong return springs, so strong in fact that I replaced them on gun in the past to cure misfiring. This is because the strength in the return spring is such that it will take away much of the striking energy of the mainspring, resulting in a reduced powered firing action. Few guns, in fact no other that I can think of, have firing pin return spring quite as powerful as a Bettinsoli.
The top lever spring is also slightly unusual in that it is a torsion spring that is wrapped around the top lever pillar. The spring is tensioned up to its correct working strength by means of a small screw at the top of the action. These will sometimes come loose, so it is always worth checking if the top lever spring does not seem as lively as you would expect.
Occasionally a top lever spring will break as it can in any gun.
Ruag seem to be very good with the back up of spares, which will also help for some of the older model already in the field; as the mechanics of the guns are much the same as in the past.
The barrels hinge on stub pins at the front of the action frame. These pins appear to be replaceable should the gun become loose.
Lock up of the barrels to the action is achieved with a full width locking bolt that is housed in the bottom of the action. This engages with a full width bite in the bottom of the lump.
The ejectors are tripped by rods that run backwards and forwards with the travel of the hammers. These engage with a trip in the forend iron. The extractors themselves are directly sprung by coil springs housed in the barrel mono block.
The barrels are the more common mono block construction.
The Diamondline has 76mm chambers which go hand in glove with magnum proof.
So it will take most cartridges.
The chambers and bores are chromed throughout to give a high level of protection against the elements. The choke tubes are made of stainless steel and are clearly marked with notches to identify them. The tubes fit flush in the muzzle and so are neat when in the barrel. There is no trombone effect from the multichoke system in the barrel, which keeps the gun sleek looking.
When new there are 5 choke tubes supplied with the gun, and their key. Originally, the diamondline was supplied in an ABS plastic travel case.

The side ribs are ventilated as is the top rib; this helps reduce weight and disperse heat when shooting. The top rib is 10mm wide and matted with a criss-cross pattern to eliminate glare in bright sunlight.
A brass bead is fitted for a foresight.
Blacking is very good on the Bettinsoli, being a very high gloss finish.
Another nice finishing touch to the barrel flats is the engine turning. This is where the flats on the sides of the barrel are polished off and then small swirls are brushed onto the metal.

The action frame is decorated with a nicely executed acid etched bold scroll which surrounds a Duck on one side and a Partridge on the other. On the belly of the action frame there is a Goose, which is a little unusual but it looks fine. These birds are highlighted in gold. This gives the gun that “more expensive than it is” look. To compliment the engraved gold, the trigger is also gold plated. The action frame is otherwise silver, with the rest of the furniture is blacked to match the barrels.
The action frame has a light plating to give protection. This is quite common on many silver action mass produced guns.

Wood quality is generally fine on the Bettinsoli, and I have seen them with quite exceptional figure considering their price range.
Stock dimensions are pretty average on the standard guns at around 375mm long at centre. With about 60mm of drop at heel, and around 40mm at the comb. There is also about 2mm cast off for right shoulder.
One thing to be aware of is to take with the forend of the Bettinsoli. As with some other guns the wood is quite thin around the area where the ejector legs are covered. If the forend is removed or replaced harshly, this area can be split.
The chequer is of the stamped type rather than hand cut, but this is quite normal on a less expensive gun. And the pattern used is of a more traditional style.
The butt end is fitted with a thin polymer plate that is chequered for grip.
Overall weight of this gun is 7 ¾ lb. which makes it a sensible weight gun for sporting; not too heavy, yet light enough, I would say, as an all round game gun.
The fixed choke version of the gun would be slightly lighter.

The Diamondline makes a good all round gun, be it in its sporting or its game configuration.
It is attractive, handles well and is good value for money.

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