When my Dad asked me to look at his Beretta A400 and suggest an update to the camo I knew that it would be more than a simple job.   He’s about as hardcore as it gets with a strong passion for waterfowl hunting and I know he is old school about hunting in the morning then throwing the gun in the back seat until the next hunt, which is probably the next morning.   His duck gun lives a hard life, dirt, mud, water, more dirt, mud and water, slung on his back with bags of decoys and the wear that comes from 3 months living in a pickup truck when not in the field.   When the gun made it to the shop it was just as I suspected, over ten years of ‘use’ and  ‘just enough to get by’ maintenance and cleaning.  

      I knew what that gun means to my Dad and how many hunts it has seen and the ducks it had both hit and missed.   I also know my Dad who lives ducks and only has this Beretta because it is the best in his mind and compliments his form of hunting.   I had to make it right, out of respect of him and for the history in the gun.  It deserved a second life and he deserved to have it with him when he chases ducks for another ten years..   

     The gun came with the factory Optifade camo finish.   It had held up well considering the use.   The first to go was where the finish was worn off from rubbing on whatever it was that he had on his back when he slung the gun over his neck.  There were places where the camo was completely gone on the stock just from use.  The barrel had stretches of wear down to the bare metal.   And of course there was nothing left around the safety.  

       And then there was the inside.   As long as the gun worked, all was good, and being a Beretta, it almost always worked despite the buildup of gunk throughout the working parts and in the nooks where it really doesn’t matter.   It took much more time to prep this gun than is normal but I knew how all of that grime got there and was almost honored to remove it.  

     I am not a gunsmith and don’t want to go there but I can replace stuff not critical to the working components like pads and rubber parts and other things that affect the overall appearance.   New external components compliment the new finish.    Years of heavy use wore down anything rubber on this gun so I ordered and replaced it all with  OEM.