FEATURE

Xplor 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.

Having been fortunate enough to have been one of the half-dozen writers given first run at the Xplor, I had the opportunity to shoot it in everything from flushing and blocking/driving pheasant hunting to sporting clays. It was an opportunity to try out the shotgun and the new features Beretta showed us prior to hitting the fields.

In everything from light loads to 3 1/2 inch waterfowl loads, the A400 Xplor was a pleasure to shoot.

I'm no shotgun expert, there were others there who were, but having spent years shooting plenty of heavy-caliber rifles and handguns, I can say the Xplor absolutely tamed felt recoil in every size shell we tested. In fact, one test of our sensitivity to recoil was shooting three shells ( 2 3/4 - 3 1/2-inch with 24g-64g charges) and then trying to guess the order in which they were loaded. I honestly couldn't tell - three of the other five were also fooled, and they're considerably more experienced shotgunners.

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.

Racked and ready...we didn't worry about which unit we fired, although each of us talked fondly of "my gun".

After the first few rounds, I realized that recoil wasn't going to be a problem- at all. For the next day and a half, I obligingly fired any shotgun handed to me in any situation suggested. And each of the dozen or so units we tested behaved perfectly with no failures that weren't either ammo or operator related.

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.

Approximately 200 rounds fired, this is how clean the internals stayed on a test gun. Less cleanup is good.

It's also extremely clean running. That's apparently due to a new system that keeps the internal part of the cylinder running clean, prevents gas from escaping through the valve, and allows half the gas inside compared to older gas models. If you've ever gunked up a shotgun and spent an inordinate amount of time cleaning up afterwards (like me), you'll certainly appreciate that factor.

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