Every once in a while, we find something that just makes sense. And when it involves a shotgun, it has our undivided attention. We were so taken by two guns that we just had to share them with you.
The Beretta Xtrema 2 and the Browning 625 are both 12-gauge guns. The A391 Xtrema 2 is a semi-automatic 3 and 1/2 inch gun with a synthetic stock that is designed for hunting. The 625 is an over and under with 2 and 3/4 inch chambers with a wood stock that has a factory installed adjustable comb designed for target shooting. Both have some very unique shooter-friendly things that we think make each one a good choice for shooting both targets and game birds. If you want to know all the details about special coatings and trigger springs etc then go to their website and browse.
We want to share what we feel make these two guns shooter-friendly.
When we got our hands on the Xtrema 2 with the Kick-Off Recoil Reduction System, we immediately went to our training facility at American Shooting Centers in Houston. We gave them a quick clean and began to shoot them. Vicki was able to shoot this gun right out of the box and immediately commented about how little it kicked. We were using Rio Star Team 7/8oz. 12-gauge loads and the gun had no problem cycling them.
We both immediately went to the pro shop at ASC and bought the highest velocity, biggest payload, “baddest kickin’” shot shells we could find to test the recoil system. We don’t know any other way to say this: this gun with the Beretta Kick-Off recoil reducer system just does not kick.
That’s not true. It does kick. But it kicks the least amount of any gun we have shot to date in our careers.
We were at the 74 Ranch doing our Advance School in March, and we loaded buckshot, pigeon loads and target loads randomly in the magazine. The gun spit them out one right after the other. We even put an extended magazine on one of them we got from Briley Manufacturing in Houston so we could load nine shells in the magazine.
Again. the Xtrema performed flawlessly. Sounds too good to be true, we know, but it is. Shooter after shooter who shot these guns, upon firing their first shot, stopped in amazement at how little recoil this gun has.
Just for insurance purposes, we called on our friend and student Sam Puryear to do some further testing and compare this gun with the Beretta Tekny’s with the Kick Off system in it. Sam’s reaction was similar to ours – amazement with respect to the amount of recoil and the point ability of this gun. Out of the box the gun was a little short for Sam, so we installed a ½ inch spacer that can be purchased from Beretta. The fit was perfect.
Sam called us later with what he said was some bad news. He said that he had missed his first target today with this new gun. Did we mention that Sam shoots skeet? He was runner-up in the world in 2007 in the 12-gauge average. Who better to test a 12-gauge than someone who shoots a lot and can put the salve on the sore when it comes to hitting a moving target with a shotgun?
Although he said either gun would be a great gun to shoot anything with, Sam agreed with us that the Xtrema 2 had less recoil than the Tekny’s. Not a lot, but nevertheless, it did have less. In our opinion, the difference was the gas system in the Xtrema 2 because both guns had the Kick-Off Recoil Reduction System.
Being somewhat skeptical about the Xtrema 2’s reliability, we took the trigger group out to look at it. We were floored. The trigger mechanism has only 19 moving parts and they are all big. This gun has a surprisingly light, crisp trigger pull. Either gun is a pleasure to shoot.
If you are looking for a turkey gun or a waterfowl gun to shoot 3 or 3 & ½ inch loads in, look no farther. If you are looking for an all-around 12-gauge that will function no matter what load you put in it, look no farther.
It weighs 7 and 1/2 pounds, which could make it a little heavy for some. But you would be ahead of the game if you built your muscles up so you could shoot this gun. It is our experience that recoil is the enemy of every shotgun shooter, and there is no tradeoff in weight and recoil. Light guns kick and heavy guns don’t kick. If there is a drawback on this gun it is that it comes from the factory with a 14 and ¼ inch length of pull that can be lengthened, but not shortened. However, the Xtrema 2 is available without the kickoff system at a length of pull of 13 and ¼ from the factory and does come with two spacers that can adjust the length of pull to 13 and ¾ or 14 and ¼, which should accommodate a wide range of shooters. The Xtrema 2 gas system is a miser with recoil, even without the Kick-Off.
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