Redfield Vector 12 Shotgun Review: This Might Be the Best Cheap Semi-Auto on the Market
When most hunters hear “cheap semi-auto shotgun,” they almost immediately begin to question reliability. That’s fair enough. There are a variety of imported Turkish autoloaders on the market and not all of them run reliably in the field. But at Outdoor Life, we’ve tested tons of affordable shotguns through the years and we’ve found that there are plenty of diamonds in the rough.
Personally, I grew up shooting a budget shotgun. My first longbeard was taken with my father’s Remington 870 pump when I was 12. At 15, I was given a Stoeger M3000 semi-auto that I still hunt with to this day. The synthetic stock is worn to the point where the camo hydrodip is more of a distant memory. But I’ve killed more ducks, pheasants, doves, and turkeys with that shotgun than I can count. Honestly, budget shotguns are what I know, and only on rare occasions have they let me down.
So, when I was given the opportunity to test out the new Redfield Vector 12 this spring, I couldn’t say no. A sub-$500 semi-auto was shocking to me, but I was eager to see if this new offering would meet my expectations. After patterning it, hunting with it for the month of May, and taking it to a sporting clays course, here are my thoughts on this newcomer in the budget shotgun world.
Specs and Key Features
- Gauge: 12
- Chamber: 3 inches
- Action: Inertia driven
- Barrel Length: 28 inches
- Overall Length: 49.5 inches
- Length of Pull: 14.5 inches
- Weight: 7 pounds, 1 ounce (measured)
- Trigger Weight: 4 pounds, 13 ounces (measured)
- Price: $449.99
Key Features
- Stock and for-end are hydrodipped with Mossy Oak Bottomlands camo
- Fiber-optic front sight with brass mid-bead
- Five screw in Crio-pattern flush chokes included (C, IC, M, IM and F)
Patterning the Redfield Vector 12
After acquiring the Vector 12 just ahead of Pennsylvania’s spring turkey season, I rushed to the range to pattern the shotgun with the Crio-pattern full choke that was included with it. I considered an aftermarket choke, and the fact that it utilizes Benelli’s Crio pattern would give me plenty of options. But first I wanted to see how well this budget shotgun performed in the most-affordable way possible.
So I also chose to test an affordable shotshell, the Winchester Longbeard XR lead 4-shot. And, for the hardcore TSS crowd, I also ran some Federal Heavyweight TSS 9-shot to really see what the gun could do. For comparison’s sake, keep in mind that the Heavyweight TSS 9-shot contains approximately 634 pellets, while the Longbeard XR 4-shot contains approximately 238 pellets.
After shooting both loads at 40-yards, I measured the area with the densest number of pellet strikes near the aim point, drawing a 10-inch circle around that area. This was to help give the pattern a true score in case I pulled the shot a little left or right. I then counted the number of pellet strikes to give a true comparison. For reference, 100 hits inside a 10-inch circle is lethal performance (assuming you also have enough penetration), however, in my opinion, even 85 hits in a 10-inch circle is solid. With less than 85 strikes, there will be gaps in the pattern, which means a higher risk of wounding a bird.
Winchester Longbeard XR 4-Shot Results
The results of the Longbeard XR 4-shot at 40-yards actually surprised me a bit. I wasn’t expecting to dust the target, especially at that range, but the three shot average left me with 95-pellet strikes in the 10-inch circle. My takeaway was that I could ethically kill a longbeard at 40-yards with the Vector 12, stock full choke, and an affordable Longbeard XR shotshell. Given how affordable this semi-auto is, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t pleasantly surprised by that result. I also didn’t have any issues with cycling the next load after each shot, likely thanks to the 1 ¾-ounce payload.
Federal Heavyweight TSS 9-Shot Results
While the Longbeard XR results were pleasantly surprising, the results of the Federal Heavyweight TSS 9-shot absolutely blew me away. With an average of 176-pellet strikes in the 10-inch circle, the stock full choke performed above and beyond my expectations at 40-yards. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the TSS offers more pattern density, but I didn’t expect that many hits on target. With that setup, I feel confident that I could ethically kill turkeys at 50 yards — if I wanted to.
Taking the Redfield Vector 12 to the Field
As May rolled in, I spent as many mornings afield with the Vector 12 as possible. I chased mountain birds, field birds off the roost, and every gobbler in between, without so much as one interested party for most of the season. The Vector 12 sat through rain storms, saw plenty of mud and dirt, and even picked up a scratch or two along the fore-end. I’m notoriously rough on my shotguns, and the Vector 12 didn’t receive any special treatment.
Toward the end of the third week of May, after a long and nasty rain storm, I snuck out for a late morning hunt hoping to catch a gobbler out in a field. As luck would have it, as I snuck through the fog and I stumbled into a gobbler with two hens. Unfortunately, one of the hens busted me as I was moving into position, and the group split up. The gobbler made the mistake of running in the opposite direction from his hens, giving me the chance to make a quick move and set up in the direction the hens had gone. After a few minutes, and a few soft clucks and purrs, the tom was creeping through the sparse timber into range.
At 40 yards, I gave one sharp cluck, he stuck his head up, and that was that. The Vector 12 sent a perfect pattern down range with the Federal Heavyweight 9 shot TSS and I was able to tag a beautiful Pennsylvania mountain bird.
After a very wet season, I never had an issue cycling the heavier turkey loads or loading and unloading. I’ve been quite impressed with the action, despite it being a budget shotgun.
With that said, after my turkey season wrapped up, I tested the Vector 12 on a sporting clays course. However the shotgun did not cycle the lighter 1-ounce clay loads whatsoever, which was frustrating. I’ve experienced this before with other budget shotguns, so I wasn’t surprised, but I was a bit disappointed.
It’s fair to say that the Vector 12 is not a sporting clays gun but it does fine in the field with heavier game loads.
What the Redfield Vector 12 Does Well
Overall, I’ve been quite happy and impressed by the Vector 12. It’s been reliable, patterns extremely well with stock chokes, and cycles heavier loads with ease. It is also fairly well balanced and light, making it easier to lug around the turkey woods. The fact that it comes with five stock chokes to cover all of your needs is a great feature at this price point. I thought the action, trigger, safety, and general ergonomics all functioned properly and met my standards for a worthwhile shotgun.
What the Redfield Vector 12 Could Improve
Aside from the small hiccup at the sporting clays range, I don’t have much to say that’s negative about the shotgun. Admittedly, it does feel like a budget shotgun. There is some movement in the forend and a little wiggle in the charging handle. It also looks like a budget shotgun, and it does not have the same fit and finish as higher end inertia guns. If I were to want one single improvement, it would be a refined recoil spring that allows the Vector 12 to handle and cycle lighter loads for clay shooting purposes.
Final Thoughts on the Redfield Vector 12
I grew up shooting budget shotguns. I’ve learned what I like about them, and where they can fall short at times. In my opinion, the Vector 12 fits right in line with the other, slightly more expensive budget shotguns that I’ve hunted with. It performed well, it kept running after a wet and muddy spring gobbler season, and in the end, it helped me fill my tag when it mattered most. For anyone in the market for a new, sleeper budget shotgun, I recommend checking out the Redfield Vector 12.
The post Redfield Vector 12 Shotgun Review: This Might Be the Best Cheap Semi-Auto on the Market appeared first on Outdoor Life.