THIS JUST IN: SKB announces brand new RS400T with a high trap rib. As many of you know, the biggest outdoor industry event is taking place this week in Las Vegas. SHOT Show 2025 is underway! Many manufacturers announce their new products and put them on display for thousands of industry professionals. SBK sent us this shotgun ahead of time to have a review ready to go for when they announce this new shotgun. Today, (1/21/25) SKB announced the high trap rib RS400T. So if you're reading this, you are among the first to know about it! Let's jump into the review.

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

The RS400T was designed for trap shooting.

SKB RS400T HIGH TRAP RIB

• Specs

  • 12 Gauge semi-auto with hybrid gas operating system.
  • 3" chamber.
  • Comes with 3 chokes (M, IM, F) Also in the box is a choke tube wrench, a forend cap wrench, and a tool to assist in removing the bolt handle.
  • The weight with the 30" barrel came out to about 8lbs 8oz. This high rib version comes out about 10oz heavier than the standard version creating a smooth swing with the extra weight out front.
  • This shotgun has a handful of variations with right and left-handed models, right or left-side ejection, as well as compact stocks.
  • The standard stock has a LOP ranging from 13 3/4" - 15 1/2" - This is adjusted very easily VIA the threaded butt-pad. This shotgun comes with multiple shims, spacers, and posts (for comb height)
  • The pad can also be adjusted in an up-and-down direction to ensure proper eye alignment to the sighting plane.
  • One change from the RS300 is that the new RS400 has a parallel comb. (Optimized for trap shooters)
  • One thing we love about SKB shotguns is their wide range of adjustability. There are not many guns out there that can be adjusted to fit you as easily as the SKB.
  • Our average trigger pull weight was 6lbs 8oz.
  • MSRP is $1,349. 

• Ergonomics

  • As we mentioned, the high trap rib causes this shotgun to be a bit forward-heavy. For trap, we find this to have a good balance. 
  • The pistol grip is medium/medium small with no palm swell.
  • The forend is very basic with a nice line of checkering down the center. The consistent shape throughout the entire length of the forend allows for many shooters with varying shooting styles to hold it as they see fit. We see the 'bare-bones' build of SKB shotguns as a positive as pretty much anyone can shoot their guns comfortably.
  • The safety is cross-bolt, triangular, and mounted behind the trigger.
  • This RS400T has oversized controls. The bolt handle and bolt release are very easy to use. We love the paddle-style bolt release.
  • The loading port is milled out and has an extra cut on the left side of the receiver (Making it easier to load on this right-handed model)
  • This high trap rib sports a brass mid-bead and a small white bead on the front.
  • The simple ergonomics of this RS400T make it highly functional for shooters of all types. We love how SKB consistently offers easy-to-use designs across their shotgun line-up.
  • Our ergonomic highlight is how easy this shotgun is to load.

• Recoil and Reliability

  • This hybrid gas operating system makes the recoil of our 1oz trap loads almost non-existent. Trap loads are always light on recoil but for a 12 gauge, we were very impressed.
  • We hardly noticed any difference in recoil when we jumped to 1 1/8oz loads.
  • SKB did a great job on this operating system. Their claim that it could shoot a wide range of loads certainly stood true, and the recoil was minimal across the board. This was somewhat of a surprise to us as we've shot guns in the past with similar adjustable stock setups. We've experienced significant recoil from other highly adjustable guns. The RS400T managed recoil better than many. 
  • If you watch the review and jump ahead to the recoil portion (13:01), you will see with your own eyes that there is basically no muzzle jump regardless of the load we were shooting.
  • If you're a serious trap shooter who shoots hundreds of rounds at a time, a Falcon Strike recoil reduction pad may be worth your consideration. This SKB is already light on recoil, so imagine if you could reduce it even more! A Falcon Strike would make this shotgun hard to put down. 

• Breakdown/Quality of Build

  • In regard to quality, we've never had an issue with SKB. They've consistently put out great products at very reasonable prices. 
  • The tolerances of this shotgun are good. We didn't experience wiggle anywhere.
  • Being that this is a new shotgun, we had some trouble removing the barrel, but over time this shotgun should break in and come apart with no issue. 
  • Single pin design to remove the trigger group.
  • This SKB has a hybrid system. It has a rotating bolt head like an inertia shotgun that works in conjunction with a small gas piston to make the shotgun cycle. The piston has 4 gas ports - this entire gas system is housed within the barrel making disassembly very easy.
  • This unique hybrid system has worked very well for us. Minimal recoil with no cycling issues. What else could you ask for?
  • We have no reason to believe that this shotgun won't hold up over time if properly cared for. Very solid. 

• Trap Shooting The RS400T

  • As with any new gun, it took us a bit to get used to shooting the RS400T. After two rounds of trap, we had gotten into a nice groove.
  • Again, the recoil was a highlight. The swing was excellent as well.
  • We're not 100% sure what the point of impact is, but we'd guess it's between a 60/40 and a 70/30 POI.

We loved shooting this SKB RS 400T High Trap Rib. Once we figured out the POI, we started shooting it much more consistently. This SKB is hard to beat with all the value packed into its very reasonable price point. We believe that SKB is among the best when it comes to making reliable, adjustable, and functional shotguns. For youth shooters, SKB is a good option as you can adjust the dimensions to fit a growing kid. Above all else SKB knows how to consistently make robust, easy-to-use, highly functional shotguns. This RS400T High Trap Rib is a fantastic option for trap shooters of all kinds. Check it out! Huge shoutout to SKB for seeing the value in getting their products in front of consumers VIA video! We are honored to have had the opportunity to be the first to review this awesome shotgun.

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