Century Arms Centurion Optio-III Shotgun

The Century Arms Centurion Optio-III is an ultra-affordable, semi-automatic, magazine-fed shotgun with an AR profile. It also has been our best-selling shotgun for several months this year.

Sound intriguing, but you’re still skeptical? We took it to the range and were impressed with the results from this imported budget firearm.

Table of Contents

Video Review
Breakdown
The Details
Pros & Cons
Conclusion

Video Review

Breakdown

The Optio-III is gas-operated, so it’s relatively gentle for a 12-gauge shotgun. I think the AR design helps the shooter absorb recoil better, because the impulse is all in one line.

Century Arms Centurion Optio-III — Century Arms is known for affordable imports that shoot reliably, and the Centurion Optio-III checks those boxes. (All photos: Don Summers/Guns.com)

The kit comes with two gas pistons, so you can tune it to function with different loads. The one that comes installed works with 2.75-inch shells, while the extra piston is for 3-inch shells.

Century Arms Centurion Optio-III choke kit — The Optio-III comes with a choke kit complete with a tool and case.

So, let’s go over what you get. Going front to back, there is a 20-inch smooth-bore barrel with an interchangeable choke system. Three chokes (cylinder, modified, and full) and a choke tool come in the package; there is even a carrying case for them.

Century Arms Centurion Optio-III sights — The rear sight is integrated into the carrying handle, while the AR-style front is bolted to the barrel.

An AR-style front sight is bolted to the barrel, but this is not the gas block. The gas piston is farther down the barrel under the A2-style handguard. Polymer Pic rails are located at 3 and 9 o’clock for accessories.

The Details

The handguard screw cap includes a sling attachment point. This is a slightly odd addition since there is no sling attachment option on the rear. The slots in the stock are not large enough to accommodate a standard 1-inch sling. There seems to be a place to install an aftermarket QD insert, but even if that were true, it is a different method of sling attachment than at the front.

Century Arms Centurion Optio-III handguard — The sling stud up front is a bit confusing given the lack of a sling attachment on the rear of the gun. Note the side Pic rail.

The A2-style rear peep sight is integrated into the carry handle. This handle is removable, and underneath is more Picatinny rail for mounting optics. The receiver itself is all one piece and does not have the split-open design of an actual AR. Takedown consists of locking the bolt back, flipping the shell ramp latch, unscrewing the handguard nut, and removing the handguard.

Century Arms Centurion Optio-III controls — But the controls are all AR-style.

The reciprocating bolt has a metal charging handle under a soft rubber cover. I ended up removing this rubber piece because it didn’t fit tightly and kept slipping off. The magazine, safety, and bolt lock/release are AR-like. An additional shell ramp latch located under the charging handle is used for disassembly.

Century Arms Centurion Optio-III trigger — It's a basic trigger but has a crisp pull, although the reset is a bit spongy.

The curved, single-stage metal trigger pulls at about 4 pounds. It’s fairly crisp, but the reset is spongy. The pistol grip seems like a standard AR-15 grip and looks like it’s replaceable. The buttstock, however, is unique. It’s a fixed stock with a 13.75-inch length of pull, adjustable cheek riser, and rubber butt pad. It’s comfortable, but it’s a little long for my taste. Because it’s integrated, I don’t know if you can switch it out.

Century Arms Centurion Optio-III buttstock — The stock isn't adjustable for length, but there is an adjustable cheek riser.

Shooting the Century Arms Centurion Optio-III — The fixed 13.75-inch LOP is a touch longer than I prefer, but otherwise, the gun was comfortable to shoot.

Overall, the gun weighs 7 pounds, 6 ounces, which I think is fairly light for a shotgun.

Pros & Cons

The gun I tested didn’t like the lightest loads, but anything with a velocity over 1,200 feet per second functioned. I even got fairly decent slug groups at 25 yards using the iron sights. I think the Optio-III would make a great range companion, home defense shotgun or even a hunting gun.

Century Arms Centurion Optio-III shotgun

Besides the issue with cycling light loads, the only thing I didn’t like about the Optio-III was the magazines.

magazine loaded with 12 gauge shotshells — I was a little disappointed the Optio-III only came with one five-round mag.

First, the gun only comes with one five-round magazine. The metal magazine seems sturdy, but having only one mag in the package kind of defeats the purpose of having a magazine-fed shotgun. You can’t do reloads with only one mag. There are 10-round and drum mags available, though.

Century Arms Centurion Optio-III mag release — The mag release on my test gun was tight and stiff.

Secondly, the magazine release button is stiff, so it’s difficult to insert and remove mags. Everything feels tight. Perhaps it will break in over time, but I’m just not sure.

target shot with 12-gauge slugs — I got fairly decent slug groups at 25 yards using the iron sights.

Pros:

Affordable
AR-style controls
Magazine-fed with 10-round and drum mags available
Lightweight
Low recoil for a 12 gauge
Picatinny rails for accessories

Cons:

Only one magazine included
Mag release is stiff
Did not reliably cycle light loads

Conclusion

All in all, I liked this shotgun much more than I expected. In all honesty, the first time I saw it, I thought it was a little cheesy. But after shooting it, I was very pleasantly surprised.

It’s a fun gun to shoot. It’s light and moves around quickly. With the Pic rails, you can add lots of accessories. For this price, I can see it being a go-to gun for when you want to show some friends a good time on the range. It’s perfect for blowing up watermelons and Coke bottles.

Video Review

Breakdown

The Details

Pros & Cons

Conclusion

Read More On:

Loading