Beretta's A400 Xtreme Shotgun

Nearly 10 years ago the writers/editors of InterMedia Outdoors (known as Primedia at the time) were the first firearm/hunting industry journalists to get a look at the Xtrema 3.5-inch shotgun from Beretta. A prototype was shipped from Brescia, Italy to Raahauge's Shooting Club in Corona, CA where it was run through the paces by several hunting and shooting edit staff members. The firearm (and the Xtrema 2) would become well-known in duck blinds throughout the U.S. and Canada and has been Beretta's "point to" waterfowl offering for the last decade.

Once again the editors and writers of IMO were the first to get their hands on the A400 Xtreme, Beretta's new big-splash dedicated waterfowl offering, at the August 2011 Editor's Roundtable held in Barry, Illinois.

The Xtreme will shoot everything from 2 3/4- to 3.5-inch loads extremely quickly via Beretta's Blink gas-operated system that features a rotating bolt head and new feeding system. The gun will cycle 4 shells in under a second (if you can pull the trigger that fast!). Felt recoil is significantly reduced through Beretta's Kick-Off system, which places recoil dampers in the stock and grip area to mitigate recoil and muzzle rise.

Another improvement is Aqua Technology, a corrosion-proof finish that's applied to all external and internal metallic components, providing protection from the elements.

A slick feature is something called B-Lok, which is a new forend cap that makes assembly and disassembly a breeze. Simply make a 1/6 rotation with the cap to loosen it and do the same until you hear a "click" for a lock-tight fit.

These shotguns are available now at your big box sporting good stores (like Cabela's) and should be available at your small dealer by the first week of September. It would be worth your time to swing by and pick one up for an up close look.  MSRP ranges from $1,600 - $1,700.