Beretta A400 Solo Review: This New Duck Gun Brings Topline Features and Incredible Value
To celebrate its 500th birthday, Beretta has rolled out a mid-priced semi-auto waterfowl shotgun that will surely be found in duck blinds all across America before too long. The company’s new A400 Solo is packed with features that diehard waterfowlers have come to expect, and it does so for about $500 less than topshelf shotguns.
The Outdoor Life shotgun test team got to shoot the A400 Solo earlier this summer and we were all impressed by this gas gun’s handling and recoil mitigation. In fact, it ran away with our Best Value award.
Here’s a deep dive into what this new shotgun brings to the table and our initial impressions of how it performs.
A400 Solo Specs & Key Features
- Gauge: 12
- Chamber: 3 inches
- Action: Semi-auto (gas)
- Weight: 7.7 pounds
- Trigger weight: 3.5 pounds
- Barrel: 26, 28 (tested), 30 inches
- Overall length: 50 inches (adjustable)
- LOP: 14.37 inches (adjustable)
- Stock: Synthetic (black or camo)
- Price: $1,649 (MSRP)
Key Features
- Kick-Off Plus recoil reduction
- Improved gas system
- Steelium barrel
- Receiver is optic-ready
- Made in Italy
Middle of the Beretta Pack
The introduction of the A400 Solo does not mean the end for the popular A400 Xtreme Plus. Rather, the new Solo is meant to sit between the higher-end Xtreme Plus and the bargain-priced A300 Ultima. Beretta’s semi-auto waterfowl roster will now look like this:
- AX800 Suprema ($2,499)
- A400 Xtreme Plus ($2,149)
- A400 Solo ($1,649)
- A300 Ultima ($1,099)
Notable Features
Even though the Solo is a mid-priced gun, it shares several features with Beretta’s topline AX800. This includes, most obviously, the extra-large loading port and controls (I think it is safe to say that Beretta wins the award for biggest bolt-release paddles and safeties). You can wear the thickest gloves you like and you’ll still have no problem loading this gun and getting into the trigger guard.
A less obvious upgrade, but perhaps more important, is that the Solo has a new, optimized gas system called the B-Link Pro. Beretta says the new system requires less gas and also has an internal PVD coating. This is all designed to increase efficiency and decrease fouling (Beretta promises it will run 36 percent faster and 46 percent cleaner). This new gas system is the same one used in the AX800. We only have a couple hundred rounds through the A400 Solo at this point, so it’s too early for us to say if this system works as advertised. But I can say that the gun runs quickly and we’ve not had any cycling issues with it.
The A400 Solo also features Beretta’s Kick-Off Plus recoil reduction system. Essentially, there are three shock absorbers inside the stock that soak up felt recoil. It’s a slightly less sophisticated system than the Kick-Off Mega, which the A400 Xtreme Plus utilizes, but it works well.
The moment you pick the shotgun up you’ll notice the aggressive texturing on the grip, which is similar to what you might see on tactical shotguns. The forend is flat-sided and beefy, but not in a bad way. This is to fit the gas system and is typical on all Beretta semi-autos.
The receiver is drilled and tapped and also has a section of dovetail for attaching a red dot. The Steelium barrel has a 7X7mm stepped rib with a mid bead. The choke system is the typical OptimaHP, and the gun comes with three extended tubes (improved cylinder, modified, and full).
The Solo will be offered in a bunch of different flavors, from Sitka Optifade Marsh to Mossy Oak Original Bottomland to straight black. You’ll find it only in 12 gauge (at least to start) with either a 26-, 28-, or 30-inch barrel. The stock is adjustable with a pair of shims and it’s also adjustable for length-of-pull with a spacer.
Performance on the Range
On the clays range the A400 Solo wowed our group of test shooters. The gun mounted easily, pointed naturally, and swung through targets like a samurai sword. Over the years I have noticed this is the case with all Beretta A400s. They feel a bit stocky in hand, especially when compared to their inertia-driven Benelli cousins. And at 7.7 pounds, this is not a light shotgun to carry in the field.
But that weight helps the gun swing smoothly on long crossing shots and eats up felt recoil, too. We found making followup shots and transitioning to second targets is swift with the Solo.
We were mostly shooting 1⅛-ounce target loads, which the gun devoured without hesitation. Notably, it did also cycle 1-ounce target loads. (The AX800 that we had in the shotgun test would not cycle these lighter loads reliably, which was not really a surprise given its 3.5-inch chamber).
At the patterning board the Solo delivered a 60/40 pattern at 16 yards, which I think is perfect for shooting ducks and upland birds.
Final Thoughts
So where does the A400 Solo stand in the world of gas-operated waterfowl guns? It’s superior to both the Winchester SX4 and Mossberg 940, at least in my opinion. I expect that it will give the Browning Maxus II a run for its money, especially given that the Solo is substantially cheaper than that gun.
I do not think the fact that the Solo has only a 3-inch chamber hurts it. In most cases, shooting 3.5-inch 12-gauge loads does more harm than good. The teeth-rattling recoil is usually not worth the heavier payload as most 12 gauges don’t pattern 3.5-inch duck loads all that efficiently anyway.
The upshot is that the A400 Solo is an ideal waterfowl hunting shotgun that’s being offered at a very fair price. Whether you like it or not, these days flagship duck guns will set you back two grand or more. And I’ll bet that the A400 Solo will kill just as many ducks for you as any of those pricier guns.
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