Description
The Retay Ace Walnut 12 Gauge is the wood stocked version of Retay flagship inertia gun, chambered for 3.5 inch shells with a 28 inch barrel and a 3+1 magazine. It is a serious waterfowl and all round hunting shotgun that happens to look like a field gun from thirty years ago, which for a lot of buyers is exactly the point.
What You Get in the Retay Ace Walnut 12 Gauge
The Retay Ace Walnut 12 Gauge action is inertia driven rather than gas operated. Retay calls their system Inertia Plus, and the important part is a rollover torsion spring that positively rotates the bolt head into battery. The long standing complaint about inertia guns is that they can be jarred out of lockup when slung or knocked, and this is the mechanism that addresses it. There is no gas system, which means nothing to foul after a wet morning and less weight overall.
The Retay Ace Walnut 12 Gauge barrel is deep bore drilled from a straight blank rather than hammer forged around a mandrel, which Retay argues produces a more consistent bore. The forcing cone is lengthened at the factory, and that is the change you can actually measure on a pattern board, because it reduces pellet deformation as the shot column leaves the hull.
The Retay Ace Walnut 12 Gauge trigger group comes out at the push of a button with no tools, which turns field cleaning from a garage job into a tailgate job. It doubles as a home safety measure, since the shotgun cannot be fired with the trigger group removed and stored separately.
Chambering, Capacity and Fit
A 3.5 inch chamber in a Retay Ace Walnut 12 Gauge means you can run everything from light 2 3/4 inch target loads to the heaviest legal goose shells out of one gun. Capacity is 3+1, which is already compliant with federal migratory bird rules without a plug, and the receiver is drilled and tapped in 12 gauge so a rail and an optic are a straightforward addition.
A Retay Ace Walnut 12 Gauge weighs 7 pounds 7 ounces, which is the honest middle ground. It is heavier than the Upland Ultralight and lighter than most gas guns, which means it swings steadily on crossing birds without being a burden on a long walk. Six chokes ship with the gun, covering cylinder through full plus an extended long range waterfowl tube.
Length of pull is 14.5 inches and every Retay Ace Walnut 12 Gauge ships with a shim kit in the box for adjusting drop and cast. Wood stocks vary in grade, and Retay says so plainly, so expect some variation in figure from gun to gun. Take the time to fit it before the season rather than shooting around a stock that does not suit you.
Specifications
- UPC: 193212035721
- Model: ACEWAL-28
- Gauge: 12, 3.5 in chamber
- Barrel: 28 in, deep bore drilled, factory lengthened forcing cone
- Capacity: 3+1
- Action: Inertia Plus rotating bolt with rollover torsion spring
- Receiver: Drilled and tapped
- Trigger group: Push button removable, no tools
- Sight: Single fiber optic bead
- Chokes: Six tubes, cylinder through full plus extended long range waterfowl
- Stock: Turkish walnut, shim kit included
- Recoil pad: AIRY air pocket system
- Length of pull: 14.5 in with shims
- Weight: 7 lbs 7 oz
- Warranty: Retay USA limited lifetime
Who It Suits
Hunters who want one gun for everything are the clear fit. A Retay Ace Walnut 12 Gauge will shoot doves in September, ducks in November and turkeys in April without complaint, and the 3.5 inch chamber means you are never short of shell options.
It also appeals to shooters who simply prefer wood. Synthetic stocks are more practical in bad weather and nobody pretends otherwise, but a Retay Ace Walnut 12 Gauge costs the same as the camo versions and looks considerably better in a gun cabinet. That is a legitimate reason to buy a shotgun.
Where it is not the right answer is hard use in salt marsh or heavy rain, where a synthetic or camo dipped stock takes abuse better. And if you are only ever shooting 2 3/4 inch upland loads, the lighter Ace Upland Ultralight will be more pleasant to carry.
A few practical notes before ordering a Retay Ace Walnut 12 Gauge. Fit the stock with the shim kit first, since a proper fit matters more than any choke you can buy. Break it in with reasonably stout loads, because inertia actions need recoil energy to cycle and very light target shells can be marginal in a new gun. Keep the wood oiled if you hunt wet country. And use the removable trigger group after hard days, since field cleaning without a workbench is the whole reason Retay built it that way.
Full factory specifications are published on the Retay USA product page, and you can compare it against the Ace Upland Ultralight or browse our other shotguns.
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