Avoid Beretta & Manurhin

I had been intrigued by the Manurhin revolvers the last few years but until lately didn't take the plunge. I found a "deal" on a brand new one for just over 2k on a GB auction, only one half assed picture on the one day auction but the seller had good reviews. Showed up with missing bluing on the bottom of the barrel and some really thin spots on the side. The vendor offered to take it back if Beretta didn't make it right, Beretta is the importer of Manurhin in the US. Also did I mention the SA trigger weighed nearly 5# out of the box lol, I thought the action was jammed for a second it was so heavy. Had I not gotten it for just over half price it would have been returned immediately. I was really hoping they would replace with a other brand new one and send this one back to France. 

Bottom of the barrel BEFORE return. 



Thin side bluing BEFORE return. 



Bottom of barrel AFTER their crappy repair which appeared to be just a light sanding that left lines and a cold blue. Probably 10 minutes on their tech's bench, and took roughly 6-7 weeks to get back. 



Here's the thin bluing on the side after it returned, I swear it got worse from the time it left till it got back. Seems like this pistol is shedding its bluing. 



To beat it all Beretta's customer service is horrendous, worst by far I've ever experienced with a firearms related company. I think they literally have one poor lady running it all. You have to wait 30-60 on hold to get through but at least they have an option to call you back without losing your place in line. They won't even attempt to return emails. Really makes me wish I didn't invest in a Beretta 694 last year but at least I got it used for a decent price so I can sell for my money back. To add insult to injury when I first got them on the phone they said finish related issues weren't covered under warranty, after explaining multiple times it was a new $4k MSRP revolver she changed her tune. 

Long story short the bluing is highly defective along with a ridiculous 5# trigger and non-existant service. Save your money. I might buy a used Korth with the return cash, at least the shop that sold it is doing the right thing.

I'm really sorry to hear about this Zane.  I've also been jonesing for a Manurhin and tempted to pick up the new ones.

Ok more fun facts, found the packing slip and read it. Says customer sent in for finish defects, "none found, within factory specs", apparently no bluing meets their specs. None found but they sanded and cold blued lol. 

As I mentioned the GB pics were one bad photo and was a bit oily looking which added to why I didn't see before transferring. I place some of this blame on the GB shop that sold it, I would be way more pissed off if they weren't offering to take it back. Just a good reminder to take a microfiber cloth with you and fully inspect firearms well before transferring to try and avoid these little surprises, especially finely finished ones that will carry some collector value. 

On a plus side I don't have to worry about spending any hard earned cash on any more Berettas or other brands they import.

Sad to hear. Manurhin is supposed to be a premium offering, maybe the hype is due to limited availability. Personally I don’t think I have ever seen any realized advantage of a Manurhin or Korth on the firing line. Looks like target revolvers are more and more becoming a lost art.

I'm sorry to see you got a bad one. That never should have left the factory in that condition.

My MR32 Match is flawless.

Interesting about yours, I personally have not seen one of the newer ones that Beretta imports.  I have owned several in the past, the biggest issue I have had is push off.  Have had this problem on several MR73's.  It is pretty easy to fix, just find the right gunsmith.  Never had the issue on a Korth which is one reason I guess I am more partial to them.

Bummer, I’ve been in the market for one of these.

I shot one today 10/18/23. It shot well, looked great. I'm told it was purchased new about a year ago.

I have several Manurhins, most of quite recent manufacture. The fit and finish is very nice on all of them. I very much prefer the Manurhin DA, compared to the Korth. But I admit that the Korth SA is very nice.

I totally agree regarding Beretta USA. No interest whatsoever in retail customers. 

Mind you, the Korth importer, Nighthawk Custom, is only marginally better.

My gunsmith told me that the Manurhin cylinders and chambers are very concentric and uniform, much better than a typical S&W, no reason to prefer one chamber for SF.

I just discovered that I got my DR Hard Leg at Atterbury this year using my Manurhin MR38. OK, it was not a great score, but it was good enough to get me 10 points. Yay!

One very nice feature of the MR series is that the target rear sight has removeable blades so it is relatively easy to switch notch width to suit individuals eyes.

New Korths come with a couple of different width front blades - which achieves almost the same result - but, again, I prefer the Manurhin.

YMMV

Seems like Beretta just keeps gobbling up all these great companies, imports the guns, and then just doesn't have a plan for what to do when they inevitably have problems here in the US. Trying to get parts for Tikka, or Sako, is just crazy now.

I spend a lot of time in the shotgun world where Beretta has a reputation for providing the worst customer service possible.  Browning tends to come in a close second.