Beretta A400 Xtreme Plus Bottomland 28in 12 Gauge — Superb Waterfowl Shotgun

Description

The Beretta A400 Xtreme Plus Bottomland 28in is the middle child of Beretta’s flooded-timber line, and for most hunters it is the one to buy. Twenty-eight inches is long enough to keep a swing honest on crossing birds but short enough that the gun does not fight you in a cramped blind. Mossy Oak Original Bottomland covers the receiver, barrel, stock and forend in the bark-and-mud pattern that has hidden waterfowlers in timber since 1993.

Built around a 3.5-inch chamber and a 2+1 magazine, the Beretta A400 Xtreme Plus Bottomland 28in carries Beretta part number J42XL18 and is a right gun with a vented rib and Kick-Off recoil reduction in the buttstock. The Blink gas system drives the action, and it cycles light target loads as readily as heavy magnums.

Where the Beretta A400 Xtreme Plus Bottomland 28in belongs

• Mossy Oak Original Bottomland across every external surface, including the barrel and vented rib
• 28-inch Steelium Plus barrel with an extended forcing cone for softer, more even patterns
• 3.5-inch chamber, with no adjustment needed to run lighter shells
• Kick-Off hydraulic dampers in the stock, which take the sting out of a long morning
• Blink gas operating system, built to keep cycling when the temperature drops
• Enlarged bolt handle, bolt release and safety that a gloved hand can still find

Why 28 inches is the default on the Beretta A400 Xtreme Plus Bottomland 28in

• Long enough to carry a swing through a crossing bird without stopping the gun
• Short enough to mount cleanly under a blind roof or from a seated position
• The barrel length most factory chokes and patterning data are developed around
• Balances close to the hinge pin, which is what most shooters describe as neutral
• Splits the difference between the quick 26-inch gun and the deliberate 30-inch goose gun

Specifications

• Manufacturer: Beretta USA
• Part number: J42XL18
• Gauge: 12
• Chamber: 3.5 inch
• Barrel length: 28 inches
• Barrel: Steelium Plus with vented rib
• Capacity: 2+1
• Stock: Mossy Oak Original Bottomland synthetic with Kick-Off
• Finish: Mossy Oak Original Bottomland, overall coverage
• Action: Blink gas-operated semi-automatic
• Hand: Right
• UPC: 082442027517

Loads, chokes and the 3.5-inch question

On the Beretta A400 Xtreme Plus Bottomland 28in the 3.5-inch chamber is headroom rather than an obligation. Most hunting is done with 3-inch shells, and the longest loads earn their place on late-season birds at distance. Shotshell dimensions and pressure ceilings are published by SAAMI, and staying inside them is the cheapest insurance a gas gun can have.

For non-toxic shot, Apex Waterfowl TSS Blend carries more energy downrange than its pellet count suggests, while B&P Dual Bismuth is kinder to older chokes and suits decoying birds inside 35 yards.

Keeping it running in the cold

A gas gun proves itself in the last hour of a freezing morning. The self-cleaning piston on the Beretta A400 Xtreme Plus Bottomland 28in pushes fouling forward instead of packing the gas cylinder, so the gun still cycles after three boxes of steel. Beretta’s Aqua Technology surface treatment stands up to salt spray and standing water better than a conventional finish, which matters on coastal hunts and in brackish marsh.

Maintenance is short. Wipe the exterior dry before the gun goes back in the case, run a patch through the bore, and clean the piston and gas cylinder every few hundred rounds. Leave the choke tube installed and lightly greased so the threads never seize.

Why this shotgun earns its place

• Full-coverage camouflage leaves no blued steel to rust and no gloss to flash in low sun
• A day of 3.5-inch loads through the Beretta A400 Xtreme Plus Bottomland 28in stays comfortable thanks to gas operation and Kick-Off
• Steelium Plus bore geometry comes from Beretta’s competition guns, not from the camo market
• Bottomland reads correctly in flooded timber, cypress and anywhere the background is bark and mud
• Chokes, parts and factory service are easy to find across the United States

The Beretta A400 Xtreme Plus Bottomland 28in is the safe choice for a hunter buying one gun for the whole season. If your ground is open marsh or grass, the Shadow Grass version hides better there, the 26-inch Bottomland is faster in tight cover, and the walnut-stocked A400 Upland puts the same action in a field gun.

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