As the price of flagship semiautos climbs, gun shops are having a harder time selling $2000 duck guns. Granted, I don’t live in a waterfowl hotbed, but the Super Black Eagle 3s, the Maxus IIs, and the A400 Xtremes sit on the shelf at the store where I do most of my shopping. Beretta’s solution is the new A400 Solo, a 3-inch version of the 3 ½-inch Xtreme Plus. The A400 Solo sells for $400-$500 less than Xtreme Plus, yet it’s the same gun, albeit with a couple of features borrowed from the new AX800 and a few styling tweaks.
Inside, the A400 Solo is almost identical to the A400 Xtreme. This new gun, Beretta tells me, is part of a marketing strategy to offer guns at several price points, beginning with the A300 at $1000 and topping out with the new AX800 at $2500. At $1550-$1650, the A400 Solo seems like an attractive alternative to the $2000 3 ½-inch guns. I had a chance to test the new A400 Solo at my local range. Here is my full review.
Quick Overview
Specs
- Length: 49.5″ with 28-inch barrels
- Weight: 9 pounds, 12 ounces with 28-inch barrels in 12-gauge
- Barrel: 28-inch barrel (tested), with stepped rib, front and middle bead, extended chokes
- Action: Gas semiauto
- Trigger: 4 pounds, 12 ounces
- Capacity: 2+1
- Finish: Max-7 camo (tested) walnut, black and other patterns available
- Stock: Synthetic, with hard plastic modular grip and rubber cheekpiece plus Kick-Off recoil reducer
- Chambering: 3-inch 12-gauge
- Price: $1549 (black), $1649 camo
Pros
- Easy loading
- Soft Shooting
- Flat trigger
- Heavier than the competition
Cons
- Bulky forend could be too big for shooters with smaller hands
- Safety at the front of the trigger guard
As a 3-inch A400, the Solo looks very similar to the A400 Xtreme. It has the same stepped rib, the same in-stock Kick-Off recoil reducer, and, overall, the familiar slightly bulky lines and feel. It also borrows what I suspect to be some common parts from the new AX800. It has the AX800’s flat trigger, the angular trigger guard, and a modular plastic grip that can be changed out with others not yet available. The receiver is both grooved and drilled and tapped for optics.
Inside, the A400 Solo has the same B-Link gas-operated action as the A400: a piston that fits inside the barrel ring, and a buffer tube connected to action bars that drive the bolt open as expanding gases tapped from the barrel push on the piston. The action spring that returns the rotary bolt to battery fits around the magazine tube, unlike many other springs that hide in tubes inside the stock. The gun does have the redesigned gas valve found on the AX800, which can be disassembled for cleaning if need be, although Beretta says don’t do it at home unless you’re a gunsmith.
Under recoil, the shock-absorber that Beretta calls “Kick-Off” compresses and bounces back, absorbing much of the gun’s recoil. The barrel has a stepped rib, front and mid-beads, and it comes with extended choke tubes. Shims and optional spacers let you alter the stock dimensions somewhat. The gun also features the magazine cap of the A400, which unlocks with a push and a half turn, and it is conveniently bright green inside so you can find it when you drop it in the weeds.
Test Results
Before I took the gun to the range, I tested the flat trigger, which breaks at 4 ¾ pounds and, because of the flat profile, feels lighter because you have greater leverage on it than with a curved trigger. The first stop at the range was a bench, where I could rest the gun and test it for point of impact. It shot 1 ¼ inches high at 25 yards with the twin beads lined up. That would put it roughly two inches high at 40 yards, which is about perfect. After patterning the gun with Migra’s 24/7 Funeral Pack 2x4s with a Modified choke at 40 yards, I counted 80 percent of the pellets in the 30-inch circle, which would be good for Full choke, much less a Modified. The Steelium barrel seems to pattern very efficiently.
Through rounds of low-gun skeet, I found the gun to be very soft-shooting and, once shimmed down to the largest amount of drop the shim set allows, right on target for me. The A400s are heavier than most duck guns—this one weighs 7 ¾ pounds—and they have a bulky feel in hand. The trend is to ever-lighter duck guns, I know, but heavy guns are easy to shoot and softer on your shoulder, too. The weight and bulky feel agree with me. I have always liked shooting A400s.
I liked loading this gun, too. It has a relaxed magazine spring, a cut-out port, and a lifter that remains in the raised position as you thumb shells in the magazine so it never snags you. Some people with small hands and shorter fingers may not like the safety in front of the trigger guard, but I liked it and found it big and easy to press. I would agree in general, though, that safeties belong behind the trigger, not in front, but for me, safety location isn’t a deal-breaker.
The gun cycled target loads easily out of the box, right down to Federal 7/8-ounce, 1200 fps Top Gun ammo. However, when I went even lighter, with Clever 7/8-ounce, 1150 fps shells, it would not cycle.
Final Thoughts
The A400 has always felt awkward and bulky when I pick it up, then moves as if on its own to targets when I shoot it. The Kick-Off reducer works, the guns are reliable, and they run for many rounds between cleanings. The only thing I didn’t like about the A400 Xtreme was its $2000-and-up price tag. The A400 Solo checks every gas gun box for me. I already liked the A400 Xtreme, and this is the same gun, plus a flat trigger, minus the 3 ½-inch chamber, and minus $400-$500 in price. I last shot a 3 ½-inch shell in, I think, 2016, so what’s not to love about a less expensive, 3-inch A400? The Solo one of my favorite new guns in a while.
Why Trust Us
For more than 125 years, Field & Stream has been providing readers with honest and authentic coverage of outdoor gear. Our writers and editors eat, sleep, and breathe the outdoors, and that passion comes through in our product reviews. You can count on F&S to keep you up to date on the best new gear. And when we write about a product—whether it’s a bass lure or a backpack—we cover the good and the bad, so you know exactly what to expect before you decide to make a purchase.
content_shotguns
THE 1871 CLUB
Recommended Products
Read the full article here
