This may come as a shock, but Beretta now makes shotguns. Once you wipe the surprise off your face, lets take a look at the offerings this year.
The new A400 Lite MAX-5 20-gauge, left, and flagship A400 Black, right.
A400 Light Camo
Beretta’s newest shotguns on display.
Overview
The A400 is now available in a lightweight 20-gauge configuration with a Realtree MAX-5 finish. Designed for new shooters and smaller-framed hunters the new A400 is designed to go unnoticed — in the field and on the shoulder.
Specifications
- Chamber: 20-gauge, 3-inch
- Choke: Beretta Optima HP
- Barrel length: 28 inches
- Weight: 6.6 pounds
Impressions
This is a serious waterfowl shotgun and it features Beretta’s Kick-Off hydraulic recoil reducing stocc. This drops felt recoil by as much as 50 percent, even with the lighter 20-gauge recoil. Anyone should be able to handle this set up. The stock also has spacers in it, allowing the end user to lengthen or shorten the gun as needed. This is sure to be a win for youth hunters.
Pricing
The suggested retail price for this is $1,700. Real-world pricing is always lower but this is the sort of gun you buy for life. For the dedicated waterfowl hunter looking for years of use, this is a contender.
A400 Sporting Black
Designed for hunting and competition shooting.
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A closer look reveals deluxe wood furniture and a carbon fiber rib.
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Overview
The A400 is Beretta’s newest Black-series shotgun based on their premium A400 action. Originally offered with a blue finish, due to customer demand Beretta decided to produce a Black version with a matte finish. It features oversized and enlarged controls for competition shooting and a carbon fiber vent rib.
Specifications
- Chamber: 12-gauge, 3-inch
- Barrel length: 26, 28 or 30 inches
- Choke: Beretta Optima HP
- Weight: 7.7 pounds
Impressions
This is one beautiful shotgun, which is what first caught my attention. The furniture is sexy, and I’m not afraid to say it. But they did mean sporting in calling it that. This A400 has the extended, competition-proven controls from the famous 1301, which took the 3-Gun market by storm. Additionally this should prove very helpful to anyone serious about sporting clays or industrial-level bird hunting.
Pricing
The A400 Black is up there but as Beretta’s flagship race shotgun that’s to be expected. MSRP is $2,200 but real-world prices should be under $2,000 by a good amount.
690 Field 1
The engraving is intended to blend modern and classic style.
Overview
A look at the underside of the shotgun.
The Field 1 is an updated shotgun based on the 690-series of guns. It feature’s Beretta’s Steelium barrels, an engraved steel receiver and highest-grade wood furniture. It also has a single selective trigger and a recoil-reducing Microcore buttpad.
Specifications
- Chambers: 12-gauge, 3-inch
- Barrel length: 26, 28 or 30 inches
- Chokes: Beretta Optima HP
- Engraving: Floral “Rinascimentale”
- Weight: 7.3 pounds
Impressions
I never felt I needed an over-under shotgun, but I really liked the feel of this one. Light, agile, and it points well. Need I say more? Fine. It also features some beautiful engraving, with quality on-par with much more expensive guns.
Pricing
The 690 Field 1 starts at $2900, which gets you a lot of gun for the money. When it comes to over-unders it’s fairly affordable for a gun that’s designed for as much hard use as it is designed to look wonderful.
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For more information about these and other Beretta products visit: https://www.beretta.com/