Overview
Beretta has been an autoloading shotgun maker for over 70 years, having introduced the pioneering gas-operated system Model 60 in 1955. Fast forward to the 1990s, and the company's superb AL390/391 series had picked up the mantle, but the company's shotgun dev team thought it could do better.
After three years of development, 8,000 hours of engineering, 2,000 hours of testing, and more than 100,000 shells fired through prototypes and production models, the A400 Xplor Unico debuted in November 2009. Incorporating Steelium barrels, the B-Link gas operating system, and a Kick-Off recoil reduction system that utilized hydraulic dampers inside the stock, the new shotgun was set up for success, and, by the start of 2026, Beretta had 19 different models in the A400 family, priced between $1,949 and $3,699.
We've covered the A400 story for over a decade and have extensively reviewed the most popular model, the A400 Xtreme Plus. They are good guns.
But now we have the new A400 Solo, which has a much lower starting price ($1,549 MSRP in black synthetic) while keeping the same Steelium, B-Link, and Kick-Off trinity that has made the series a success.
All models will be available in 26-, 28-, and 30-inch barrel variants, totaling 24 SKUs across the eight colorways. All models are 12-gauge, with a 3-inch magnum chamber.
For full disclosure, Beretta sent Guns.com this shotgun for review purposes. All testing was done on this one shotgun, which has been under evaluation since June 26.
Features
Reliability & Accuracy
In all, we ran a factory-fresh 250-shell case of Federal Top Gun (2.75 inch, 1,145 fps, 2/3/4 Dram, 1 1/8 ounce, No. 8 Shot), along with a clays pouch that held around 50 mixed shells we had in our clays pouch from about a dozen other loads. We went 250:250 with the Top Gun and had almost no issues to report with the random lot except for a single failure to extract on an ancient Estate low brass target hull.
When it comes to accuracy, we didn't get a chance to pattern the Solo since we only had it for a few weeks in the rainy South, but we did manage a couple of trap rounds, busting 19 and 21 out of 25, respectively, with Top Gun 8-shot at 16-yard singles. I'm a casual sporting clays and trap guy and should note that it is a bit over my average.
The Solo proved fast and reliable in testing, with all the recoil-taming features obviously working well, as witnessed from this short video of three shells, rapid.
The A400 Solo is no turtle when it comes to speed.
We'd like to keep up the shell count, pattern some of our favorite loads, possibly take the A400 on a dove hunt once the season opens, and will circle back to update this review with what we found.
A400 Solo vs. A400 Xtreme Plus
One might wonder how the new A400 Solo stacks next to the A400 Xtreme Plus, which is already on the market and well-liked. We show the math below:
Final Thoughts
Beretta has nothing further to prove on the A400 series when it comes to high-value and soft-recoiling hunting shotguns. Yet, the Italian-made A400 Solo was just introduced and includes some nice updates to the platform like the cleaner-running B-Link Pro gas system and improved trigger pack. What can you say, the company makes good shotguns.
The only rocks we can throw this far into the review are that the furniture feels smoother than one would like for a shotgun meant to go into muddy bottomland and see heavy field use. Plus, while it has sling studs pre-installed and included sling swivels, would it have really killed them to add a couple of QD cups for a more modern sling mounting system?
Overall, the A400 Solo stands ready for the marsh and field but wouldn't leave someone hanging at the local trap stand or clays course. We intend to take it to as many of those as we can in the following weeks, so watch this space for updates.
Chris Eger
Chris Eger is an NRA-certified firearms instructor in multiple disciplines with a background in law enforcement and as a security contractor to the federal government. He has been writing badly since 2006 and has a number of poorly-received books in print.
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