5 Best Budget-Friendly Semi-Auto Shotguns for a Grand (or Less)

Shotgun prices, along with the price of pretty much everything else, have continued to creep up these last few years. The reality is that a quality, mid-priced semi-auto shotgun now costs about a thousand dollars. Old-time wingshooters might scoff at that statement, but a simple inflation calculation can tell you that $500 in the year 2000 is the equivalent of about $1,000 today. 

I’ve shot and hunted with all variety of semi-auto shotguns and in my experience you don’t want to spend less than about $700 to $1,000 on this platform. When you go too cheap, you will start to run into reliability issues during extensive shooting or inclement weather. You’re more than welcome to spend more for the additional features, recoil reduction system, and extra coatings that top-end shotguns offer. But from a performance standpoint in the semi-auto shotgun world, $1,000 is the sweet spot for a lot of hunters and shooters.

Here we gathered up the hunting and tactical shotguns that cost about a grand, and that performed the best in our extensive shotgun evaluations over the years. 

Best Hunting Semi-Autos

Best Tactical Semi-Autos

Hunting Semi-Autos

Beretta A300 Ultima

As you can see in our shootout video above, the A300 Ultima turned out to be our favorite affordable semi-auto hunting shotgun in the 2025 shotgun test. The Ultima boasts over-sized controls, a larger loading port, and Beretta’s Kick-Off recoil reduction system. The newest version includes an optic-ready receiver for mounting a red dot (which makes this gun even more versatile for those turkey hunters who want one do-it-all shotgun). Those are nice touches that not all shotguns in this price bracket offer. 

The OL team has range-tested the A300 twice over the last few years and in our testing the shotgun produced mediocre patterns on the range, but it functioned reliably (read the full A300 Ultima review here). What we love most about this gun is how well it handles and how light-recoiling it is. We hunted with it during the Texas early-teal season and also shot clays with it. In total, we probably put two cases of ammo through two different A300s without any problems. However, some shooters and media outlets have reported problems with the A300 Ultima triggers failing to reset and others have had issues with the guns not cycling properly. We have not been able to produce any of these issues in our shooting. 

Interestingly, the iconic Italian gunmaker is producing its A300 shotguns at its American factory in Gallatin, Tennessee. —AR

Winchester SX4

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Pros

• Excellent track record
• Light for a gas gun
• Variety of options for finish and camo patterns

Cons

• Mediocre aesthetics and finish

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Key Features

• 
  Gauges: 12, 20

• 
  Barrel Length: 24 to 28 inches

• 
  Overall Length: 49 inches (28-inch barrel)

• 
  Weight: 7 pounds (12 gauge)

• 
  Stock: Black synthetic and camo options available

• 
  Receiver Finish: Matte black

• 
  Chokes Included: I, M, F (Invector Plus, flush)

• 
  Front Sight: Red bar

• 
  Price: $776

• 
  Made in Portugal

I have a diehard duck hunting buddy who shoots nothing but the SX4 platform. I’ve seen him kill ducks near and far in howling blizzards and muddy marshes. He very rarely has issues with his shotgun functioning properly. And that’s a common theme for Winchester SX4 shooters, as these gas-operated shotguns have a reputation for running without fail and hitting where you point them. Any time that we’ve included the SX4 in our panel-scored shotgun tests, shooters have taken to it naturally and shot it well. From a pure performance standpoint, the SX4 is still a hell of a good bargain. In our pattern testing of the best duck hunting shotguns, the SX4 produced the best patterns for all semi-autos in its price bracket. 

The SX4 is relatively light and slim for a gas gun. To my eye, the aesthetics and finish of the SX4 are a bit rough, even for a sub-$1,000 gun. There are a variety of iterations of the SX4, including waterfowl and upland models that look a bit nicer but they are also more expensive. If you’re going for maximum price savings, just go with the standard, black version. Read our full Winchester SX4 review. —AR

Retay ACE

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Pros

• Excellent value
• Reliable operation
• Versatile

Cons

• Harsh recoil with game loads

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Key Features

• 
  Gauges:

  
  12, 20, 28

• 
  Barrel Length:

  
  26 or 28 inches

• 
  Overall Length:

  
  49.75 inches (28-inch barrel)

• 
  Weight:

  
  7.22 pounds

• 
  Stock:

  
  Black composite, Airy recoil pad

• 
  Included Chokes:

  
  Cyl, IC, MOD, IM, F, and extended IM

• 
  Front Sight:

  
  Red Bar

• 
  Price:

  
  $1049

• 
  Made in Turkey

Retay has a smart formula that works. The company makes Benelli clones built in Turkey at attractive prices. The quality of these shotguns — from a purely functional standpoint — has been quite good in our experience — and we’ve tested four different Retays over the last few years. Benelli still makes a better overall gun in terms of fit and finish, aesthetics, and workmanship — but Retay checks all the boxes when it comes to the basics, and price.

The ACE, new for this year, is a solid 3.5-inch, 12-gauge, inertia gun. We couldn’t find any major faults with it. The controls are easy to operate and intuitive. The action ran smoothly for us with no glitches. And most importantly, it points and shoots great.

We found it to be incredibly intuitive to use. Granted, all of us are experienced Benelli shooters, but even so we think this gun deserves high marks for its simplicity.

As a do-it-all inertia operated bird gun few others match it for value. —JBS

Tactical Semi-Autos

Beretta A300 Patrol 

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Pros

• Excellent value
• Good feature set
• Easy to shoot fast and under control

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Key Features

• 
  Included chokes:

  
  IC (Mobil system)  

• 
  Barrel Finish:

  
  Matte black  

• 
  Stock:

  
  Synthetic (black)  

• 
  Included ghost ring sight

• 
  7-slot Picatinny rail  

• 
  3 M-Lok mounting points and 3 QD sling mounting points  

• 
  Includes stock spacer kit

• 
  7+1 capacity

• 
  Price:

  
  $1,149  

• 
  Made in USA

The A300 Patrol is the Beretta 1301 Tactical’s baby brother at a more attainable price. The main difference between the two is that the 1301 has a rotating bolt head and Beretta’s B-Link operating system, which is to say it’s faster and softer shooting. But the 1301 is substantially more expensive, and the A300 has all the features you could want in a tactical shotgun. 

The Patrol comes ready to accessorize with its 7-slot Picatinny rail on the receiver — though the included ghost-ring peep sights are very capable — and multiple M-Lok slots on the fore-end and on the barrel clamp — which also has QD cups to clip in a sling.

We really like the Patrol’s ergonomics. Over-sized controls and large loading port let you run the gun even with gloves on. The cross-bolt safety on the front of the trigger guard is one of our favorite designs. When running the A300 quickly, we found that it was softer shooting than its closest competitor (the Mossberg 940, which I’ll cover below). That makes it more fun to shoot, but also a bit faster.

Another thing we like about the Patrol is that, like other A300s, it is made in the U.S., which keeps costs down relative to Berettas made in Italy. —JBS

Mossberg 940 Pro Tactical Thunder Ranch 

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Pros

• Great value
• Reliable platform
• Smart feature set

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Key Features

• 
  Sight:

  
  Red bar, optics ready receiver cut  

• 
  Barrel Finish:

  
  Cerakote  

• 
  Stock:

  
  Synthetic, patriot brown

• 
  Includes:

  
  Fixed cylinder choke  

• 
  Capacity:

  
  7 +1

The Mossberg 940 series has been very successful since it debuted in 2020, and the tactical version is our favorite iteration. 

This specific model is a collaboration with Thunder Ranch, the renowned training facility that was launched by legendary instructor Clint Smith.

Smith’s no-nonsense approach to defensive firearms and training is evident in the 940 Pro Tactical Thunder Ranch. It is configured with what’s needed but no more. Take, for example, its fixed cylinder choke. While nearly all other new shotguns come with variable chokes, even tactical models, Smith rightly recognizes that they are unnecessary for defensive work and just one more thing to go wrong.

But what it does have is a simple bead for sighting with an optics cut in the receiver if you want to mount a red dot. It has an oversized charging handle, bolt release, an excellent tang-mounted safety, and a basic barrel clamp with M-Lok slots for a light.

During our evaluation we had no issue keeping the red dot on our target during drills with lots of transitions and while shooting quickly. The word that kept cropping up to describe the action was “snappy” and we never felt like we were in danger of outrunning the gun. It is super fast. —JBS

Final Thoughts on Affordable Semi-Autos

A grand should get you a shotgun that functions reliably, points where you shoot it, handles well, and includes some nice features. All of the shotguns on our list deliver just that. Which is best for you really comes down to personal taste and preference, as the practical performance differences between them are small.