
NEWSEditor's NoteIn observance of Veteran's Day next Wednesday, we will not be publishing our regular Wednesday editions. The Outdoor Wire will return Thursday, November 12 and the Shooting Wire on Friday. In order to make certain your news will appear before the holiday, it must reach us no later than 4 p.m. EST on Monday, November 9. Items received after that time will appear in the Thursday, November 12 edition of The Outdoor Wire. Beretta Extends Extrema2 Gear Promotion
Henry Repeating Arms Releases Golden Boy "Military Service" Tribute Edition
Beretta Unveils New A400 Xplor Unico Shotgun In Worldwide Web Reveal
Carl Zeiss Sports Optics Announces Holiday Promotion
Glock Introduces G19 and G23 RTF Pistols
FEATUREXplor 4000 UNICO Rolls Out
Today, I can actually write about a shotgun I've been talking to my friends about since testing it in South Dakota just over two weeks ago. Beretta has now officially rolled out their new A400 Xplor UNICO shotgun, a 12-gauge, semiautomatic that sports several new features, including a system that has virtually tamed recoil for anything fired through it - including 3 1/2 waterfowl loads.
Two days before the test, I'd been shooting a variety of Remington high-powered rifles - in .338 Lapua. After more than a hundred rounds of that, I wasn't really sore, but I was certainly more than conscious of recoil. In fact, I'd been concerned that I might not be able to shoot much because of my tenderness - and my inherent aversion to recoil.
The first thing I noticed was the cycling speed. I was missing - twice- in what seemed to be record speed for me. According to Beretta's Mike Vrooman, that's due to the new gas operating system. Appropriately called BLINK, it's supposed to be thirty six percent faster than the next fastest system.
For me, the most attractive part of the shotgun was the Kick-off 3 recoil reduction system. Two hydraulic dampers in the butt of the stock reduce initial recoil, a third in the stock bolt further dampens by absorbing the bolt return recoil. That reduces both felt recoil and mechanical stress. There are other distinctive features of this shotgun, from the specially forged steel to the recoil pad, but the first thing you'll notice will be the color. This shotgun has a green receiver. Yes, it's environmentally friendly, but it's green. I'm told it is the result of a new anodization process, but it is a decidedly different finish. With the ability to shoot that wide variety of loads, the A400 Xplor could quite easily be your single shotgun. From home defense to sporting clays or even duck blinds, it can handle any load you chose to put in it. That's not by accident - Beretta has created a new category called UNICO. It's not an engineering acronym; it's Italian for "unique, multipurpose, universal, the sole, the one and only". In other words, a gun that's light enough for upland hunting with 3-inch shells and the capability to shoot 3 1/2 inch as well. And the units I tested performed like champions with each one. MSRPs are $1725 for the Kick-Off3 recoil system or $1625 without (spend the extra hundred bucks). Beretta officials tell me this isn't the last new product they'll be rolling out - and others in the pipeline that will be announced soon. As always, we'll keep you posted. --Jim Shepherd |