Hunting shotguns: New products, tests, experience reports

We take you with us inside an exclusive event that Benelli has reserved in Urbino for the international press. A journey to discover the Magnifico Set of Five, the first set of fine guns in Benelli history made entirely in Italy – an ambassador of art and hunting in the world.

Silver Pigeon is the name of this ever-evolving hunting over-and-under shotgun. Now in its fifth iteration, it features state-of-the-art construction solutions and high-level finishes. It is also available in a dedicated Sporting version and in 20 gauge.

Let's discover together a series of extraordinary side-by-side shotguns: unique and numbered pieces that blend the historical experience of the two companies, Fratelli Poli and Bernardelli, to create truly exceptional products in terms of quality and beauty of the whole – at very attractive prices.

We have used the 28-gauge Fausti Class SLX over-and-under in the field on several occasions. A well-known classic for the fans of break-action guns, that in this small gauge version allowed us to have fun during our outings with dogs and on the shooting range during the ballistic tests that we are showing you in the video.

Extremely lightweight 12-ga shotguns have only been available with an aluminum receiver. With the Ultraleggero model, Beretta now claims to bring the lightest shotgun of this type with a steel action to the market. We tested the performance in practice.

One of Fausti's iconic shotguns, the Dea, was delivered to us in the 20 gauge version with a classic old silver finish and 71 cm barrels to evaluate its characteristics in the field. It's available in the Fausti catalog in all gauges and with different barrel lengths for those who are passionate about walked-up hunting.

It has been the star of the last trips of this hunting season – we are talking about the Fausti Class SLX over-and-under manufactured by the Italian company in all the main gauges, but we wanted to try it in the 28-gauge version, designed for walked-up hunting.

A  semi-automatic shotgun for clay shooting is a very particular type of gun that evolved in a precise direction to face the challenges of the sporting course, a discipline that simulates hunting. Let's take a closer look at the A400Xcel Sporting, the latest product lauch from the Italian company in this specialized segment of the sporting guns market. 

Benelli, like all Beretta Holding companies, did not take part in the SHOT Show 2022, but the photos and features of the new 28 gauge Super Black Eagle semiautomatic shotgun designed for American hunters, known to be waterfowl enthusiasts, have been leaked. 

Derya Arms is better known for its AR-style self-loading shotguns, but the Turkish gunmaker also offers the Meriva MR series of shotguns. This is of particular interest to hunters. all4hunters.com was able extensively test in the field the Meriva MR-100 in 12/76 gauge.

Here is a summary of the moments spent with our dogs in Fiordimonte Valley, Italy, during the Franchi Experience, to learn about the new Franchi Affinity 3 semi-automatic series, essential and functional shotguns for mixed hunting.

Beretta joins the celebrations for the 700th anniversary of Dante Alighieri's death with a special and, above all, unique version. A team of four engravers, coordinated by Luca Casari, has created a masterpiece inspired by the most significant verses of the Divine Comedy.

After the clay pigeon test in the sporting course, we received the F.A.I.R. Anniversario over-and-under in 20 gauge for a field test that we are going to tell you about. Watch our exclusive video too.

Born for the woods and instinctive shooting: let's talk about the two F.A.I.R. over-and-under shotguns designed for driven hunting, where safety but also speed and accuracy make the difference. Ideal for wild boar hunting with slugs, but they can also be perfectly used for woodcock hunting with normal shot shells. Let's talk about details:

Test & exclusive video: a whole day at the shooting range with Luca Gaeti testing the Cosmi semi-automatic shotguns. Learn all their secrets and extraordinary qualities with us here on all4shooters.com.

The latest addition to the 940 shotgun series inaugurated by the competition-ready 940 JM model is designed for hunting. It features a durable gas system that allows for up to 1500 rounds between cleaning, nickel boron-coated gas piston/rings, magazine tube, shell stop and hammer sear, and a user-configurable synthetic stock.