The best semi-auto shotguns fire rounds reliably and cycle quickly. Even in lighter platforms, they soak up recoil and swing to birds and clays naturally. It’s no wonder that so many waterfowlers, upland bird hunters, and clays shooters opt for the modern semi-auto shotgun.
At Outdoor Life we’ve run through a ton of semi autos during our annual shotgun tests. Some have wowed us with their performance. Others … not so much. So to help you decide which is the ideal fit for you, I’ve picked my 10 favorite semi-auto shotguns on the market right now. Our team has shot all of these guns extensively on the range and in the field. Here I’ll distill our in-depth notes and observations into some simple takeaways. Also, the list below was made with price as an important consideration. There are certainly more expensive models out there with more bells and whistles, but all of the guns I’ve selected here bring a ton of performance for the price.
Best All-Around: Benelli SBE 3
See It
- Action: Inertia
- Chamber: 3-inch
- Overall Length: 49.5 inches
- Barrel Length: 28 inches
- Weight: 6.9 pounds
- Price: $1,800
The Super Black Eagle 3 has been my go-to duck hunting shotgun for several years now. It patterns well, functions reliably, and, most importantly, it mounts and swings naturally. This is a slender semi-auto which many shooters (myself included) seem to favor. Put an SBE 3 in almost any wingshooters’ hands and they’ll start dropping birds or busting clays with it.
At just under 7 pounds, it’s plenty light enough to carry in the uplands. The SBE 3s I’ve shot over the years have had no issue cycling target loads, so it would make a fine option for casual clays shooting as well. Throw an aftermarket turkey choke in it (and secure a red dot to the drilled and tapped receiver for good measure) and you’ve got a capable gobbler gun.
There are only two downsides to the SBE 3 platform that I’ve noticed. First, they tend to pattern quite high for many shooters. So you will want to pattern your gun and use the included shims to shift point of impact if needed. Second, the recoil is pretty stout with heavier payloads. If you’re recoil sensitive, then I’d suggest a gas gun (see below).
And while there are versions of this gun with more features (and higher price tags) I think the basic 3-inch model brings the most value for the all-around hunter and wingshooter.
Best for Duck Hunting: Beretta A400 Xtreme Plus
See It
- Action: Gas
- Chamber: 3.5 inches
- Overall Length: 49.5 inches
- Barrel Length: 28 inches
- Weight: 7.8 pounds
- Price: $1,940
A few years ago a couple other editors and I did a massive review of the best shotguns for duck hunting at a club in Texas. When all the guns had been shot and the feathers settled, the Beretta A400 Xtreme Plus stood out above the rest. This gun was extremely light recoiling and comfortable to shoot.
Because of its gas system, it’s a bit heavier and beefier than the SBE 3, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing in most duck hunting situations. Plus, the Beretta B-Link system is known for running reliably through the nasty conditions and frigid weather that usually make for the best duck hunting.
Beretta AX800 Suprema Review: Is This the New Top Duck Gun?
For years, the A400 Xtreme Plus was Beretta’s flagship duck gun, but late in 2025 the gunmaker introduced the AX800 Suprema, which has even more features and a price to match. I hunted with the AX800 for the second half of my 2025 season and absolutely loved it (you can see my full review in the video above). But it takes more than a half season to win the title. So for now I’m keeping the A400 at the top of my favorite duck gun list for its proven reliability and more affordable price. But the AX800 is a promising contender.
Best for Upland Hunting: Benelli Montefeltro
- Action: Inertia
- Chamber: 3 inch
- Overall Length: 47.5 inches
- Barrel Length: 26 inches
- Weight: 6.5 pounds
- Price: $1,500
Benelli updated its Montefeltro line in 2023 with an improved bolt system (no more “Benelli Click”) and slimmer ergonomics. Our team loved the way the gun handled and swung through targets during our 2023 shotgun test. In fact, the Montefeltro earned the highest value score for top-end shotguns.
It’s an ideal semi auto for upland bird hunting. At just over 6.5 pounds it’s plenty light for carrying through the fields all day. Despite its minimal weight and its inertia driven system, the shotgun mitigates recoil fairly well. We attributed this to the stock’s good geometry and its cushy recoil pad. So if you want to shoot heavy 3-inch loads at late-season roosters, the Montefeltro won’t punish you too badly. During our testing it threw a 70/30 pattern, which is about perfect for flushing-away birds. I’ve carried a Montefeltro on many successful pheasant hunts over the years and if I’m being totally honest, I like carrying it more than an over/under shotgun (sometimes you just need that third shell).
Read Next: Best Shotguns for Bird Hunting
Best Mid-Priced: Retay Ace
- Action: Inertia
- Chamber: 3.5 inches
- Overall Length: 49.75 inches
- Barrel Length: 28 inches
- Weight: 7.22 pounds
- Price: $999
Over the last few years I’ve become a fan of the affordable Turkish-made semi-auto shotguns from Retay. They run reliably, shoot impressive patterns, and offer a ton of value. If you fancy Benelli shotguns, but don’t want to pay Benelli prices, the Retay Ace is a great option to consider. We tested the standard version (there’s also a version with a humpback-style receiver) in our 2025 shotgun test and granted it a unanimous Great Buy award.
Our Shooting editor John B. Snow wrote, “We found it to be incredibly intuitive to use. 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 bird gun few others match it for value. You can take this gun pretty much anywhere birds are hunted and not be handicapped.”
Best Cheap: CZ 712 G3
See It
- Action: Gas
- Chamber: 3 inches
- Overall Length: 49.75 inches
- Barrel Length: 28 inches
- Weight: 7.3 pounds
- Price: $593
There aren’t many semi-auto shotguns at the $600 price point that we would recommend. It’s usually smart to invest a little more money on the front end for a mid-priced shotgun in the $1,000 range.
Even if you consider your shotgun to be a tool and nothing more, you’re likely going to have that tool for many years, and perhaps a lifetime. If the gun doesn’t run reliably, that’s many years of misery.
So it was with a skeptical eye that we looked upon the CZ 712 G3 during our test in 2023. This is a Turkish-made gas gun with a design that requires the shooter to swap pistons when switching from light target loads to heavier game loads. Cause for skepticism abounded.
But we began to warm to the shotgun as we started breaking clays with it. The action is snappy and stiff (though not in a bad way). It certainly wasn’t the smoothest handling shotgun in our test but it wasn’t a total clunker either. After our initial testing I also took the shotgun teal hunting and it felt right at home in the marsh.
Most importantly, the gun ran. We had only a few minor cycling issues with light target loads when the CZ got dirty. But that problem was easily solved with a quick wipe down and some lube. I did notice that the CZ’s gas system gets dirty rather quickly. If you chose it as your go-to do-it-all shotgun you’ll want to strip and clean it regularly.
The only real downside is that we found it patterned to the right. On the patterning board it impacted about 8 inches off center at 13 yards with a variety of different target loads, but that could have been an issue with only our sample.
Best Tactical: Beretta 1301 Tactical C
See It
- Action: Gas
- Chamber: 3 inches
- Overall Length: 37 inches
- Barrel Length: 18.5 inches
- Weight: 7.28 pounds
- Price: $1,999
The Tactical C has the same bones as the previous Mod 2, but our test version swaps the Chisel Machine folding stock for the fixed stock. Also, there’s a version that has capacity knocked back to 5+1 (however the one we tested had a 7+1 capacity).
The gun comes with sturdy and effective ghost-ring sights, has M-Lok slots on the fore-end to mount accessories, and an adjustable comb to tune cheek piece height. With its 18.5-inch barrel, the shotgun is maneuverable. For the heck of it, I ran it on flying clays where it held its own, but the gun’s sweet spot is on a flat range smacking steel and punching paper.
It is a confidence-boosting gun that is fun to shoot and is a great option for home defense, competition, and general training.
Affordable Tactical: Mossberg 940 Pro Tactical Holosun Combo
See It
- Action: Gas
- Chamber: 3 inches
- Overall Length: 37 inches
- Barrel Length: 18.5 inches
- Weight: 7.25 pounds
- Price: $1,371 (includes red dot)
This tactical shotgun comes ready to go out of the box. Simply sight in the included Holosun red dot, attach accessories (like a sling and light) and you’ve got an extremely capable and reliable shotgun for self defense. Besides the red dot, the SPX version of this shotgun comes packed with features, including a cool-looking heat shield, multiple M-Lok slots, QD ports, a Vang Comp 6-shell carrier, and adjustable length of pull. Even if you don’t get the model with the Holosun included, the gun still has an optic cutout in the receiver for easy mounting (we ran a Trijicon dot on ours).
Tactical Shotgun Showdown: Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol vs Mossberg 940 Pro Tactical
In our testing, the comparable Beretta A300 Patrol ran more quickly and smoothly than the Mossberg, but the Mossberg shotgun offered more features for the price.
Best for Clays: Beretta A400 Xcel Sporting
- Action: Gas
- Chamber: 3 inch
- Overall Length: 51.2 inches
- Barrel Length: 30 inches
- Weight: 7.75 pounds
- Price: $2,420
You can go wild in the world of high-end clays guns, but for a functional, feature-rich option, look no further than the A400 Xcel Sporting. This gas gun includes Beretta’s excellent Kick-Off system for reducing felt recoil, a Steelium plus barrel for better patterning, and optional weights for balancing the gun to your needs.
In our review of the best sporting clays shotguns, Phil Bourjaily describes it as “a target-breaking machine. A soft-kicking, fast-cycling gas gun with or without its optional Kick-Off recoil reducer, the A400 runs forever between cleanings, handles the lightest to the hottest target loads, and rarely malfunctions.”
Best for Turkey Hunting: Retay Gordion Turkey
See It
- Action: Inertia
- Chamber: 3 inch
- Overall Length: 43.5 inches
- Barrel Length: 22 inches
- Weight: 6.5 pounds
- Price: $900
You don’t need (or even really want) a fancy shotgun for turkey hunting. In fact, the perfect turkey gun will be simple, it will pattern well, and handle nicely in the woods. It should also have an easy mounting system for a red dot. The Retay Gordion Turkey delivers all of this for under a grand.
I’ve hunted with a 20-gauge Gordion Turkey for two seasons now and it’s become my go-to gobbler gun simply for how well it patterns. In fact, 20-gauge Gordion with a Jebs Headhunter choke (.565) puts more pellets in a 10-inch circle than many 12-gauge turkey guns with turkey chokes. (See all of my patterning data here).
So what’s the secret? If you ask Retay, it’s all about the barrel. The company uses a drilling process for producing barrels (as opposed to cold hammer forging).
Along with the stellar patterns, the shotgun also boasts a pistol grip, pic rail for optics mounting, and a surprisingly light trigger (a little over 3 pounds). Check out my full review of the Gordion turkey, here.
Best 16 Gauge: Browning A5 Sweet 16
See It
- Action: Inertia
- Chamber: 2.75 inches
- Overall Length: 28 inches
- Barrel Length: 49.25 inches
- Weight: 6.8 pounds
- Price: $2,100
This list simply wouldn’t be complete without Browning’s A5 shotgun, which I like best in the walnut stock version. There aren’t many shotgun companies still making a 16 gauge, which makes this light, Sweet 16 even more interesting. This shotgun handles wonderfully and its snappy “Kinematic Drive” action is a joy to shoot. The Invector DS chokes promise solid patterning performance.
Weighing less than seven pounds, this is an ideal upland bird gun. And sure, you could buy the A5 in a 20-gauge or 12-gauge, but the 16 is unique and plenty versatile. And happily, there are a bunch of good 16 gauge loads available.
Understanding Gas vs Inertia Systems
Almost all autoloaders are currently built using one of two different platforms: gas or inertia. Gas-operated semi autos use a specific amount of gas (any remaining gas is bled off, typically through ports in the barrel) generated by the shotshell propellant to operate a piston housed inside the fore-end. The piston drives the bolt backward in order to eject the spent hull. The carrier then picks up a fresh shotshell from the magazine tube and lifts it into the chamber as the return spring sends the bolt forward, placing the shotshell into battery.
Inertia-driven guns use recoil to operate the bolt. The explosion of the shell creates recoil, forcing the gun backward. Inertia guns briefly lock up the bolt with a tight spring, and then send it backward so the spent shell can be ejected. An inertia spring returns the bolt forward and a new shell is collected.
With any shotgun operating system there are trade-offs. Gas guns typically generate less felt recoil, but can also get dirtier because they use hot, carbon-rich gas to function, which can cause carbon buildup on the piston and action. You must be diligent about cleaning a gas gun. They are usually heavier than inertia-driven guns because there are more components to gas guns. Inertia autos are typically slimmer and lighter so they are nicer to carry, but generate more felt recoil. They run cleaner than gas guns, but you must make sure dirt and moisture don’t find their way into the action, or you might experience malfunctions. ——Joe Genzel
Final Thoughts on Semi-Auto Shotguns
There are a lot of great semi-auto shotguns out there and more models hit the market every year. But the ones that made our list have proven to be reliable over years of testing at the range and in the field. And when you’re selecting a semi auto, reliability is really what it’s all about. As we test more shotguns this year, we’ll keep adding to the list.
Read the full article here
