Beretta’s Xplor shotgun a work of art

Last week I shared with you my prediction for the future of firearms, a future in which synthetic stocks and military looks will most certainly dominate the landscape. Even so, I don’t think those traits will completely displace beautiful firearms with clean lines, such as Beretta’s new A400 Xplor Unico.

If you’re looking for a shotgun you can hang on your wall along with your other artwork, the Xplor is worthy of consideration. Though it resembles other auto-loaders on the market, there is something about the Xplor that demands your attention. Something that calls to you and says, “Pick me!” So I did.

It was at one of the media events held in connection with the recent Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show. I walked under a canopy at the shotgun area of the Boulder Rifle & Pistol Club in Boulder City and there on the table was a wide array of shotguns in every imaginable configuration, but it was the A400 that caught my eye. And when the Beretta rep placed the gun in my hands, I was surprised. Not so much by what I felt when shouldering the gun, but at what I didn’t feel — weight.

At 6 pounds, 6 ounces, the Xplor is light, especially for an auto-loader, and comes quickly to the shoulder. You could even describe the gun as being fast. I expressed concern that a 12-gauge with so little weight behind it would probably give you a good beating by the end of an afternoon of shooting. “Not so,” exclaimed the Beretta man as he placed shells in my hand and pointed me toward the shooting line.

After breaking several clay pigeons, I was more than pleasantly surprised. The recoil was minimal, and my new friend explained that part of the reason for the reduced recoil was what Beretta calls its “kick-off system.” This system utilizes three springs and two hydraulic dampeners fitted underneath the recoil pad and recessed into the butt stock of the shotgun to absorb energy that would otherwise thump the shooter.

The Xplor is capable of shooting shells ranging from 23/4 to 31/2 inches and should be priced somewhere around $1,625. No, I don’t own one. Not yet, anyway.

Those of you who carry the Taurus Judge for personal protection might want to consider Winchester’s new offering, the PDX1 410. This shot shell is loaded with three flat discs — yes, I said flat discs — loaded over the top of 12 pellets of plated BB shot. When the Winchester rep told me the shell contained flat discs, I laughed out loud. He didn’t. Instead he just loaded up two rounds of standard 000 buckshot and two rounds of the PDX1.

Again I was directed to the shooting line. At 7 yards, the buckshot pattern spread across 6 inches of the target face. No surprise there. Then I fired the PDX1. I fully expected the three flat discs to catch air and scatter, but it didn’t happen. Instead, the discs from both shells formed a fairly tight group that I could easily cover with a dollar bill. The BB-size pellets filled in the gaps. Winchester calls the flat projectiles “Defense Discs.”

Freelance writer Doug Nielsen is a conservation educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. His “In the Outdoors” column, published Thursday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NDOW. Any opinions he states in his column are his own. He can be reached at dougnielsen@att.net.