All this week I’ve been hunting ducks with Beretta’s brand-new AX800 Suprema. This tactical-esque gas gun is being touted as the new waterfowl gun, which is saying a lot considering Beretta is continuing to produce its excellent A400 Extreme. But there are a handful of differences, and dare I say improvements, folded into the AX800.
I go in-depth on the Suprema in the video above. But here’s a quick overview of what’s new and noteworthy about this wicked new shotgun.
Specs
- Action: Semi-Auto / Gas
- Gauge: 12
- Chamber: 3.5 inches
- Overall Length: 47.6 – 51.6 inches
- LOP: 14.25 inches (adjustable)
- Barrel Length: 28 inches
- Weight: 7.8 pounds (measured)
- Tigger Weight: 3.30 pounds (measured)
- Finish: Synthetic or Camo
- Receiver: Polymer
- Choke System: OCHP – Extended (CYL, IC, M, IM, F)
- MSRP: $2,500
Basic Features
Okay, so first let’s hit the looks department. For years gun makers have been incorporating tactical- and competition-style features into waterfowl specific guns. With the AX800 Suprema, Beretta has taken the plunge fully. The gun has massive controls including the safety, bolt release, and bolt handle. Running this shotgun with gloves will not be an issue.
The whole shotgun (minus the barrel) is texturized. There’s absolutely no glare coming off it to spook ducks. There’s rubberized molding on the fore-end and the grip, which is great when conditions are cold and wet.
Interestingly, the grip is replaceable and comes off by removing just one screw. This is fun to tinker with, but I think the grip is just fine as-is — but you can get extra grip profiles from Beretta if you want to change it up. I do love that the shotgun is optic-ready. Beretta will be selling special red-dot plates in four different footprints that can be mounted directly to the receiver.
Adding to the tactical vibe, the shotgun sports a flat trigger. Beyond just the shape of the trigger, Beretta says they improved this trigger over the A400’s for less pre-travel. I still felt a bit of creep in there, but that’s not really a big deal when it comes to blasting ducks. The trigger on my gun broke at about 3.3 pounds, which is excellent for a semi-auto.
Kick-Off Pro Stock
The stock has an all new design, but similar performance to the A400’s Kick-Off system — Beretta says both offer about 70 percent recoil reduction — but this new one is easier to adjust. This cheek piece comes off and you can get a higher one for running that red dot. The faux-leather material on the cheek piece is super soft and comfortable. It’s one of the best I’ve shot on a waterfowl gun. The stock is also adjustable for length of pull, with three spacer options.
Out of the box, it has a ½-inch spacer installed, but you can swap it for the 1-inch spacer that comes with the gun, or stack both if you require even more length of pull.
Importantly Beretta also changed the material of the buttpad. Apparently, those old ones would degrade over time, but this new material is meant to be more durable.
I also like the shape of the recoil pad, which is cut at an angle up top. That lessens the possibility of the butt hanging up on your jacket or waders when shoulding the gun.
Gas System
Beretta also redesigned the already excellent B-Link gas system to run cleaner. They accomplished this by making the operating system more efficient, which means it needs less gas to run, and adding a slick PVD coating to the works, which also delays buildup. If and when you need an extra deep cleaning on the gun and must get inside this assembly, you’ll need the help of a gunsmith to do that. But the interval for maintenance of that type should be longer than what you see with A400 because of the decreased fouling that Beretta promises.
We’ve only got about 75 rounds through this gun so I can’t really tell how clean it’s running, but if Beretta was able to develop a cleaner-running gas system, that would be a huge development. Only time (and many cases of shells) will tell.
Steelium Pro Barrel
This is a top-line barrel from Beretta, which is usually reserved for their DT11 competition guns. Those are the high end over/unders that have dominated in Olympic competition and are favored by serious shotgunners — and they start at around $12,000.
The key thing about this barrel is that it has a longer forcing cone; Beretta says it’s about 450mm compared to the forcing cone on the a400 xtreme which is 350mm, which itself is longer than most other duck guns on the market. A forcing cone is a taper that helps the shot column transition from the diameter at chamber to the diameter at the muzzle. A longer forcing cone makes that transition less jarring, which in theory should lead to better patterns and more lethality down range.
It’s worth noting that it’s difficult and expensive to extend a forcing cone down a barrel this far, which is why the majority of production shotguns — even high-end ones — don’t leverage the advantages of that design.
Field Performance
I’ve only had the gun for about a week, so I haven’t had the time to do a full range session with it. I did a simple point-of-impact test at 12 yards and found the gun shot a 60/40 pattern, which is about perfect. I also shot three patterns of No. 2, 1 ¼ ounce Remington Nitro Steel loads at 40 yards. The AX800 put an average of 112 pellets inside a 30-inch circle at that distance, which is solid performance and right in line with the better-patterning duck guns I’ve tested.
Even more telling has been the field performance. I’ve had it out on three hunts at this point and none of them offered especially easy shooting opportunities, but I still killed plenty of ducks. As you can see in the video above, most of our shots were at passing greenheads in the 30- to 45-yard range. (Welcome to hunting mid-season mallards on cloudy days with no wind.) And we were still crushing them.
Swinging on those long crossers felt natural with the AX800. Even though it’s a bit heavier than my SBE 3, it came to my shoulder swiftly. My buddies shot it well too.
The significant recoil-reduction built into the system is the key. The Kick-Off Pro stock works as advertised — and when there’s less recoil, it’s easier to shoot fast, stay on target, and transition to a second bird. Plus, it’s just more fun to shoot a light-recoiling gas gun. Your shooting form stays sharp, you flinch less, and you’re more prone to follow through on your shots.
I should note I had one cycling issue while shooting some light target loads where they failed to pick up and chamber the following shell. To be fair, this happened after we dropped the shotgun in muddy water (fully submerged). After putting a handful of rounds through the gun, which cleared the mud and debris from the action, it ran those light target loads like a champ.
Final Thoughts
I think the most telling point I can make about this shotgun is to say that it’s going to be my go-to duck gun for the rest of the season (and I’ve got a bunch of other options in the gun closet). I love the concepts that Beretta has incorporated into the AX800 Suprema. Yeah, it’s pretty dang expensive (about $500 more than the A400 Xtreme Plus) and that the tactical look won’t be appealing to all hunters. But, the performance benefits are legit. Shoot it for yourself and you will become a believer.
Read Next: The Best Duck Loads, Range Tested and Reviewed
While it’s probably too soon to declare the AX800 the ultimate duck hunting shotgun I wouldn’t be surprised if, after shooting it for a season or two, it earns the right to the crown.
Read the full article here
