Today, we're reviewing a modern, sleek semi-auto shotgun - The Fabarm L4S Grey Hunter. This is our third Fabarm review, and we have had very positive experiences with their shotguns thus far. This is a lightweight, gas-operated hunting shotgun in 12 gauge. So if you're looking for a detailed and in-depth look at this shotgun, you've come to the right place. Let's go!

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

The L4S was designed to be a field shotgun.

Fabarm L4S Grey Hunter 12ga

• Specs

  • 12 gauge.
  • L4S is also offered in sporting models.
  • 2 3/4" Chamber (For trap loads)
  • 28" barrel (26" available)
  • Comes with 3 flush-mounted Inner HP chokes. (IC, M, F) Fabarm makes their own chokes. They are made to match the metal consistency of the barrel which they claim makes them last longer, and perform more accurately on the pattern board. Looking for aftermarket chokes? Check out Carlson's Chokes Use Code "targetfocused20" for 20% off.
  • The length of is 14 3/8" 
  • Drop at comb 1 3/8" 
  • Drop at heel 2 1/8"
  • The L4S comes with shims to adjust the stock including it's cast (for right or left-handed shooters)
  • There are no spacers included with this shotgun to adjust LOP.
  • 6lbs 13oz
  • We got an average trigger pull weight of 6lbs 6oz. This trigger felt heavier to pull than what the actual weight was on the trigger scale. This could be due to some pre-travel in the trigger.
  • Overall the trigger feels decent. our speed shooting test at the end will shed more light on the quality of the trigger.
  • MSRP is $2,250

• Ergonomics

  • This is a very well-balanced shotgun that feels great in the hands
  • There is a combination of checkering and stippling throughout the grip areas
  • The wood is finished nicely with an oil touch. They refer to this wood as "Semi-deluxe" Turkish walnut.
  • The receiver's titanium finish looks awesome and includes some pattern art as well as two engraved hunting scenes.
  • Standard Grade wood with modest but nice checkering.
  • Matte black finish on the barrel with a very small silver bead on the front. Love the simplicity.
  • The cross-bolt safety is located behind the trigger. Ergonomically, the trigger and trigger group is the stand-out low-light. Everything else is very nice and polished, and the trigger is a very generic design made of a black synthetic. 
  • The rib is flat and vented.
  • The Fabarm bolt release is unique across many of their shotguns including this L4S as its located on the left side of the receiver rather than the right side like 99% of shotguns. 
  • Rubber recoil pad is relatively small
  • It's taken some time to get used to the mag-latch release. This is a little component that when toggled, allows, or doesn't allow a shell to be loaded into the chamber. Nice little safety feature with a but of a learning curve. 
  • The overall ergonomics and build of this gun are great. It feels great in the hands, has tight tolerance, and is balanced nicely.     

• Recoil and Reliability

  • This shotgun has more recoil than anticipated.
  • The lighter weight of this shotgun is the primary reason for the more intense recoil. Everything is a trade-off though. If you're walking all day in the field with this shotgun as it's intended for, you're going to want the lighter weight. You may pay for it with the recoil though.
  • The slim recoil pad also doesn't help much. A  Falcon Strike recoil pad would make this gas gun comparable to others in its category. 
  • However, this shotgun did mount and swing nicely, and was very reliable at cycling shells. No misfires or failed ejections.
  • Up until this point we had only shot target loads. When we tried the duck and pheasant loads the recoil was very much apparent with this shotgun.
  • The positive is that the felt recoil in our testing was straight back into the shoulder. 
  • If you can speak to the reliability of an L4S  please let us know how it's held up on the  TFL COMMUNITY!    

• Breakdown/Quality of Build

  • First off, Fabarm makes a very high-quality gun. They pay a lot of attention to detail when it comes to the design and build of their shotguns. This L4S is no different. Everything fits together nicely with no edges or inconsistencies at connection points. 
  • A perfect example of this on the L4S is how the forend is seated in front of the receiver. The forend cap is attached to the forend and only acts as a shield for the internal components, as well as your grip (obviously). The genius of this design is that the spring tension of the barrel and gas system is held down by a separate nut that sits just below the external forend cap. This secondary nut takes the pressure off of the forend. On many other shotguns, that external forend cap holds everything in place with all the pressure being directed into the forend. This forend will never crack or weaken over time as its not required to hold any tension in place. 
  • This feature also allows you to access internal components including the trigger assembly without taking apart the entire gun.
  • And finally, because of this construction, the forend has absolutely no play, or wiggle in it. Once it's screwed in, it's on. And it's not going anywhere.
  • The L4S has a two-pin design. The only downside here is that the pins don't have a dimple. So getting good contact with the punch requires a bit more finesse.
  • The steel receiver is one of the more solid ones we've looked at in this price range. 
  • Another unique aspect of this gas system is that there is no spring in the stock of the gun. The entire cycle process takes place under the forend. 
  • The bolt handle was a pain to get out. Hopefully, this becomes easier over time.
  • In ergonomics, we mentioned the mag-latch release. This hardware can be found in the receiver. However, The extra metal makes it a bit more difficult to scrub out the entire receiver by hand. 
  • For a gas gun, disassembly was quite easy. All the components are very well-built and solid. Maybe with the exception of the trigger group which is average in comparison. 

• 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. 
  • Recoil seemed to become more of an issue the more we shot. Really hoping to figure out how to get a Falcon Strike on here because shooting it was very enjoyable.
  • Right out of the gate we were able to shoot 3 clays in 1.29 seconds. Not too shabby!
  • It took a bit to get used to the bolt release being on the left side of the receiver. 
  • Eventually, we busted 3 clays in 1.16 seconds which is quite fast. Our fast split time (time between two consecutive shots) was .17 seconds. Long story short, we're quite pleased with this shotgun.

In conclusion, there is a lot to like about this Fabarm L4S. Ergonomically it's one of the better shotguns we've seen in a while. What really hits it home with the L4S is the quality of build. Fabarm truly makes a great product that they stand behind. You can feel the attention to detail when you start to shoot this shotgun. Another plus is the light weight. This gun is meant for the field. So if you're walking all day the light weight will make that more enjoyable. The trade-off is a little bit more felt recoil. We believe that this shotgun is a great option for someone that primarily hunts, but may be interested in other pursuits every now and then light some fun clay shooting. You may not want it for waterfowl considering the recoil, but if that's not much of a factor for you, then we'd consider you check out the Fabarm L4S grey hunter!

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

Steve Gould