Beretta A400 XCEL Sporting | 12 Gauge Shotgun Review

Beretta has been making guns for a VERY long time. Today, I'm putting their 500 years of experience to the test with this all-new A400 XCEL Sporting Model. This gun was designed with busting clays in mind. Which is great because as you may know, that's one of my favorite things to do!

The A400 XCEL has an MSRP of  $1,979. I was able to get it for less from (REEDS SPORTS)

Quick Specs

• 12 gauge (Blink gas system)
• 3" chamber
• 28", 32" or this 30" Steelium Barrell (Come with Optima-Choke HP System and comes with 3 extended chokes)  
• 7lbs 7oz 
• Length of Pull 14 1/4" Out of the Box
• Drop at Comb 1 1/2" 
• Drop at Heel 2 1/4" (Adjustable)
• Cast is also adjustable

Ergonomics/Look & Feel

• I liked that the pistol grip was a bit larger. I'd normally prefer it smaller on my field guns, but for sporting, this is a good feel
• I wish there was a bit more indentation on the forearm for those that grip with a pointed finger on the forearm
• Oversized charging handle and bolt release are smooth - the bolt release is very soft and easy to utilize - The bolt is a very obvious blue color. Very unique!
• Balance was frontward - the magazine cap actually comes in different weights to achieve a customizable swing - I love this!
• Has the famous kick-off system for recoil
• Loading port is milled out (As it should be)
• I like this new receiver a lot (Aqua-Tech Sheild) I believe it is an upgrade from the previously all-blue one. 
• Reversible cross-bolt safety in front of the trigger - I prefer rear-mounted safetys
• Loading port is milled and very nice - magazine tube has a green cap to ensure that the gun is empty
• Mid bead and white front bead - I like the low profile bead for minimized distractions

Trigger 

• 4lbs 15.7oz (Average)
• I noticed a little bit of sponge
• Didn't totally love the way it felt, but I enjoyed how light it was 
• The trigger itself was really rounded. I felt like I slipped more than usual - this is a total personal preference thing

Quality of Build

• I always look at the quality of the build relative to the price. The A400 XCEL overall lives up to the price point
• Steelium barrel is drilled, reamed, and cold hammer forged
• Very nice tolerances all around. It feels great in the hand on the skeet course

Ease of Breakdown

• Very simple to break down for a gas gun. 
• There are guide-lines in the receiver for removing the rotating bolt assembly - super easy stuff
• The bolt, spring, and sleeve come out as a single unit to simplify it even firther 

Recoil

• This gun sports the Kick-Off recoil reduction system and claims 70% reduction
• No problems whatsoever when shooting 3" Target loads. 
• Feels awesome shooting air, and clays
• Overall, I'm really liking this recoil technology. Super manageable and easy to stay on target
• I did notice some minor muzzle jump 

Reliability

• From the shoulder, this gun handled pretty much everything I threw at it
• I don't anticipate any problems with this gun especially if you save it for the competitive course and take good care of it as you should 

Speed Shooting

• I was able to accomplish shooting 3 hand thrown clays in 1.20 seconds. This gun is fast! Funny enough, I shot the A400 Xtreme Plus at the very same speed!

In summary, I definitely enjoyed shooting this A400 XCEL. It performed very consistently in areas that I look for in a shotgun and I think it will continue to do so on the range and skeet course. 

Whether our targets in the field or our targets in life, we will only hit what we are focused on so live the #targetfocusedlife

Stay Target Focused,

Steve