Accokeek, Maryland– February 2023 – Beretta is pleased to present to the public a custom one-of-one shotgun at this year’s SCI Convention – the SL3 Tutankhamon.
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The SL3 Tutankhamon celebrates 100 years after the discovery of King Tutankhamon’s tomb by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon with its enriched engravings depicting common imagery from Egypt, symbols of the Egyptian civilization, and hieroglyphs found in Tutankhamon’s tomb.
This one-of-one shotgun is an SL3 EELL 12-gauge with a classic field configuration and Beretta proprietary Steelium hyper-polished 30-inch Optimabore-HP barrels. Made of an exhibition-grade 5 European walnut wood and hand checkered with a Tru-Oil finish, the SL3 Tutankhamon underwent 1,000 hours of hand engraving by master engraver Luca Casari.
The engraving has been done in the Bulino-style with a Gold, Green Gold, Silver, and Copper hand inlay, and features a hammer and chisel technique for the background beating.
The right sideplate of the SL3 Tutankhamon features three main gold-inlaid subjects, representing three main personalities of Ancient Egypt’s 18th Dynasty related to King Tut’s history (from left to right): the Pharaoh Tutankhamon, Queen Neferneferuaten Nefertiti (the Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten, who ruled before Tutankhamon), and Queen Ankhesenamun (the Great Royal Wife of Tutankhamon).
The background of these three subjects is enriched by imagery from Egypt and symbols of its powerful ancient civilization, also taken from the hieroglyphs in Tutankhamon’s tomb: desert caravans and oasis, the Great Sphinx of Giza, and on the left, the ankh or “key of life,” the ancient Egyptian symbol for life.
The golden cartouche placed above the decorated pin represents Tutankhamon’s prenomen or throne name Nebkheperura, one of the five names included in the Pharaoh’s royal titulary.
With a gold-inlay technique, the two main subjects of the left sideplate represent two of the main deities of Ancient Egypt: Horus and Anubis.
The shotgun is presented in a bespoke gun case notably designed and handcrafted by Pietro Beretta’s Custom Atelier featuring handmade wood construction and finished with fine Italian leather, pyrographed, and painted to recreate Tutankhamon’s sarcophagus.
The SL3 Tutankhamon will be presented to its new owner on the opening day of the 2023 SCI Convention.
Beretta, established in 1526, is the longest-standing industrial dynasty in the world, tracing its roots through 15 generations of continuous family ownership. Firearms bearing the Beretta name have been sold for almost 500 years. Beretta USA Corp. was founded in 1977 and provided the most widely deployed sidearm throughout the U.S. Armed Forces. Today, Beretta manufactures, distributes, and markets a complete line of firearms, accessories, and apparel. Beretta also owns and operates six retail Beretta Gallery stores worldwide. For additional information, visit www.Beretta.com.
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