Today we're reviewing a very sleek semi-auto shotgun - The Breda B3.5SM. This is another Italian manufacturer that has an interesting connection to another "Big B" Italian brand: Benelli. You may have never heard of Breda. That's because they just began importing to the United States again through the folks that import Retay shotguns. This Breda may have some similarities to its Italian counterparts, but a couple of extra details really made this shotgun stand out. Let's check it out. 

If you have experience with Fabarm shotguns please let us know your thoughts on the TFL COMMUNITY!   

The B3.5SM was designed to be a waterfowl shotgun.

Breda B3.5SM

Breda began as a locomotive manufacturer and eventually dabbled in defense contracting. In 1947 they made their first long recoil shotgun. At one time, Breda was an owner of the Benelli company and was the initial developer and license holder of their inertia bolt system made famous by Benelli. 

• Specs

  • 12 gauge inertia shotgun.
  • 3 1/2"
  • 28" barrel (30" available)
  • Comes with 5 flush-mounted chokes. Looking for aftermarket chokes? Check out Carlson's Chokes Use Code "targetfocused20" for 20% off.
  • The length of is 14 1/4" 
  • Drop at comb 1 1/2" 
  • Drop at heel 2 1/4"
  • This Breda comes with shims to adjust the stock including it's cast
  • There are no spacers included with this shotgun to adjust LOP.
  • 7lbs 5.6oz
  • We got an average trigger pull weight of 5 lbs 5oz. 
  • Overall the trigger felt quite nice. Our speed shooting test at the end will shed more light on the quality of the trigger.
  • MSRP is $2,100 (For synthetic)

• Ergonomics

  • This is a very well-balanced shotgun that feels great in the hands
  • This Breda has a soft tough finish that provides a very nice grip. Much better feeling than a standard plastic grip-wise.
  • The grip radius isn't quite large enough to get good contact on the trigger without some rubbing on the receiver. Not a big deal for a hunting gun.
  • The contours and grip of the forend make getting a good hold of this shotgun very easy. Somewhat similar to the SBE3 but...better.
  • Being an inertia gun, the weight is balanced a bit rearward. This Breda mounts and swings very nicely.
  • The stock sports a nice rubber cheekpiece. 
  • This is a very sharp and clean-looking shotgun with nice geometry for both looks and practical use. 
  • The rib is vented, flat, and drops down right where it meets the receiver. Bonus points for this as the point of this design is to minimize visual distractions.
  • Single red fiber on front.
  • The rear-mounted cross-bolt safety is the most "standard" aspect of this shotgun's ergonomics. Nothing fancy but it does its job.
  • This Breda has sling mounts as well.
  • The receiver is cut on top for optic capabilities. 
  • The overall ergonomics and build of this gun are great. It feels great in the hands, has tight tolerance, and is balanced nicely. The high point would be the soft touch grip feature.       

• Recoil and Reliability

  
  
  • This Breda is an interia-driven 3.5-inch shotgun. This combination of factors generally results in slightly slower cycle times. (Especially when shooting target loads as they aren't as hot, fast, and heavy as a hunting load). Other guns with this combination often struggle to spit out light loads fast and consistently. Surprisingly, this was not the case with this Breda.
  • This B3.5SM cycled a wide variety of loads and fast speeds. This thing was kind of a tank. 
  • Also to our surprise, the recoil was quite manageable. Now it wouldn't be a top option for target shooting, but for your waterfowl scenarios, the recoil wasn't an issue. In fact, it was better than a lot of other inertia shotguns. If you wanted to bring it to the next level,  A  Falcon Strike recoil pad would make this Breda hard to put down.
  • This shotgun mounted and swung nicely, and was very reliable at cycling shells. No misfires or failed ejections. (With the hunting loads)
  • When we tried the duck and pheasant loads, the recoil management was spot on. Right back into the shoulder with minimal punch. 
  • This was a very positive experience. Speed shooting is going to be a lot of fun.
  • If you can speak to the reliability of a Breda, please let us know how it's held up on the  TFL COMMUNITY!    

• Breakdown/Quality of Build

  • As you may know, inertia shotguns are usually a breeze to take apart due to their lack of a gas recoil system. Even better yet are those Italian inertia guns. This Breda was intuitive and easy to field strip.
  • By simply removing the forend cap, we were able to remove the barrel, forend, top of receiver, and bolt. (The top of the receiver is integrated with the barrel)
  • This feature also allows you to access internal components including the trigger assembly without taking apart the entire gun. Very cool setup. 
  • If you wanted to take it down even further and take out the trigger assembly, it would be as simple as popping a single pin. We're not sure it gets any easier than this.
  • The overall construction was very nice and very solid. 
  • Another unique aspect of this Breda is that you can access the inside of the stock by simply popping off the butt pad - No tools required.
  • This Breda goes back together just as easily as it comes apart. This may be the easiest gun out there to take apart and clean
  • On the topic of build quality, Breda drills their barrels rather than hammering them. There are a lot of different techniques that manufacturers are now using to eliminate the possibility of imperfections and weak points that may occur from hammering (I.E Benelli does a crio treatment using freezing temperatures). It's hard to say what's best when every company has their own strategy but, it seems to make sense that their drilling process would result in better, more consistent patterns, as well as better overall longevity of the barrel.
  • We have only one complaint about this shotgun. There is a bit of a sharp lip right where the stock meets the back of the receiver (This is where the shims go) This could be easily fixed if you chose to do so. This is a SMALL deal. We are shaping up to love this shotgun.

• Speed Shooting The L4S

  • In every review, we typically do a speed shooting test where we hand throw 3 clays and record the time it takes to get on the clays, and shoot all of them. This test reveals a lot about the functionality of the gun such as mountability, target acquisition, trigger, recoil, and reliability. 
  • Between the awesome soft touch grip, and the super manageable recoil, this Breda was shooting better than most 3.5 inch inertia guns. 
  • Like every new gun, it took a bit to figure out how to mount it up comfortably and get on target with it not fitting perfectly. But when we did, this Breda was a beast.
  • Eventually, we busted 3 clays in 1.06 seconds which is quite fast. Our fast split time (time between two consecutive shots) was .18 seconds. For the viewers at home, this is wicked fast for a 3.5 inch inertia shotgun. This may be our best score with a gun of this type. 

In conclusion, this Breda B3.5SM was an absolute tank of an interia shotgun. The recoil and reliability were much better than adjacent guns in this category. In fact, this Breda was better in just about every category when compared to other 3.5-inch inertias. Not to mention it was very fast. Again, the soft touch grip is a definite highlight. It may not be the first "B" name shotgun you think of, but you may want to remember this one the next time you're considering a "B" name Italian shotgun. It's the Breda B3.5SM... and we love it. Let us know your thoughts!

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