Best Shotguns of 2012
Feb 1, 2012; 12:15 PM ET
Here is a look at some of the best shotguns of 2012, chosen by the editors of Field and Stream,
The Action: Beretta A400 XPLOR
Beretta's latest version of its new flagship semiauto, the A400 XPLOR, now comes in a field version with a copper-bronze colored receiver. Dubbed, the "Action," it weighs around 63/4 pounds and is chambered for 2 3/4 and 3-inch loads. Based on what I have seen from other Beretta A400s I've shot, this gun will cycle everything you feed it, down to the lightest sub-one ounce reloads and it will run for a few thousand rounds (or more) between cleanings.
The walnut has Beretta's enhanced Xtra wood grain with an oil finish. The Action offers the option of the very effective Kick-Off recoil reducer and Beretta's Grip Pod, a counter that keeps track of the rounds you fire, relative recoil, and temperature. The Grip Pod counter will come in handy for high volume South American dove shooting, but for those of us who don't jet off to Argentina every weekend, non-grip pod versions will be available soon. $1825 with Kick-Off $1620 without Kick-Off.
Fabarm XLRS Velocity
Earlier this year Caesar Guerini, known for its excellent O/Us, took an equity stake in another Italian gunmaker, Fabarm. The first result of the two companies' integration is the Fabarm XLRS Velocity semiauto. It's a nicely decorated crossover target semiauto for trap and sporting clays that, if you told me to imagine a Caesar Guerini semiauto, is the gun I would have envisioned.
The gun has an adjustable comb and a high post rib that adjusts from a flat 50/50 point of impact for sporting clays up to aggressively high for trap. I haven't shot one but the action is so beautifully polished and finished inside you have to believe it's going to work very well. With its $3,200 pricetag, the XLRS Velocity is a gamble, but there is nothing like it on the market right now.
For the complete list of the best shotguns of 2012, click here.
Dufner Closes out Byron Nelson with Birdie on 18 for Second Win in Three Weeks
With that long birdie on the final hole, Dufner avoided a playoff.
Outdoor > Golf
More Than 150,000 Methane Seeps Appear as Arctic Ice Retreats
Methane seeps in Alaska alone are releasing 250,000 metric tons of methane into the atmosphere each year, 50 to 70 percent more than previously estimated.
Outdoor > Beach & Marine
