Beretta A400 Xplor Action 20 Gauge 28in Bronze — Superb Open Field Gun

Description

The Beretta A400 Xplor Action in 20 gauge with a 28 inch barrel, part number J40AA28, is the version to buy if your hunting happens in open country rather than thick cover. The extra length over the 26 inch gun steadies the swing on crossing birds without adding enough weight to make a 20 gauge feel like a 12.
Chamber is 3 inches, capacity is four plus one, the barrel is blued with a ventilated rib, and the walnut stock sits behind a bronze anodized aluminum receiver.

Barrel length on a light gun

Light guns are quick, and quick guns are easy to stop. That is the central problem with a short-barreled 20 gauge: it comes on target fast and then decelerates the moment the shooter touches the trigger. Two extra inches of barrel add just enough forward weight to resist that, and the difference shows up immediately on crossing doves and field-edge pheasants.

You still keep the essential advantage of the bore. A 28 inch 20 gauge on an aluminum receiver is lighter than nearly any 12 gauge, and lighter than plenty of 20 gauge guns built on steel. It carries like a small-bore and swings like a bigger one.

Blink gas system and the fittings

The Blink gas system comes straight from Beretta’s competition guns. A self-cleaning piston keeps carbon out of the cylinder over a long season, and pressure venting means light 2 3/4 inch target loads and 3 inch hunting shells both cycle without any adjustment. On a light gun the gas action also takes a real share of the recoil before it reaches your shoulder.

Bronze anodizing over aluminum alloy gives the gun its distinctive look and keeps the weight down. Behind it: walnut with a checkered forend, a chrome-plated trigger, a two-position crossbolt safety, a Micro-Core recoil pad, and a fiber optic front sight that earns its place in the half hour either side of legal light.

Specifications

• Model: Beretta A400 Xplor Action, part number J40AA28
• Gauge: 20
• Chamber: 3 inches
• Capacity: 4+1 rounds
• Barrel length: 28 inches, ventilated rib, blued
• Chokes: Optima HP
• Action: semi-automatic, Blink gas system with a self-cleaning piston
• Receiver: bronze anodized aluminum alloy
• Stock: walnut with a checkered forend
• Recoil pad: Micro-Core
• Trigger: chrome plated
• Safety: two-position crossbolt
• Sights: fiber optic front

Why it is worth considering

• Enough barrel to keep a light gun’s swing honest on crossing birds.
• Still lighter to carry than almost any comparable 12 gauge.
• Blink gas cycling and a self-cleaning piston, borrowed from the competition guns.
• Recoil that a smaller-framed shooter can handle through a full box without complaint.
• Bronze anodizing over aluminum, which looks distinctive and saves weight at the same time.

Who it suits

This is the open-country 20 gauge: doves over cut fields, pheasants along field edges, and decoying ducks with 3 inch loads. It is also a fine gun for a shooter who has decided that carrying a 12 gauge all day is no longer worth the payload difference. Hunters who spend their season in thick grouse and woodcock cover will be quicker with the 26 inch build, and anyone who needs real reach on late-season roosters in the open should stay with a 12 gauge.

Shells, chokes, and transfer notes

Shotshell dimensions and pressures are standardized by SAAMI, and the 3 inch chamber takes both 2 3/4 and 3 inch 20 gauge shells. We stock 1 ounce number 5 pheasant loads for hunting and 7/8 ounce 7.5 shot target loads for off-season practice. Steel shot is safe through improved cylinder and modified Optima HP tubes but not through a full choke, and waterfowlers should confirm state non-toxic requirements before opening day.

Hunters in thick cover should compare the quicker 26 inch build, and anyone who wants the same barrel length with more payload should look at the 28 inch 12 gauge. Every long gun we sell ships to a licensed FFL for transfer and background check, and Pennsylvania buyers should plan on the state point of contact check at pickup.