Description
The Beretta A400 Xplor Action in this configuration, part number J40AK18, brings together the 28 inch barrel and the Kick-Off hydraulic recoil stock. For a hunter who wants one 12 gauge that shoots heavy loads comfortably and swings well on open-country birds, this is the combination in the Xplor line.
Chamber is 3 inches, capacity is four plus one, the barrel is blued with a ventilated rib, and the walnut Kick-Off stock sits behind a bronze anodized aluminum receiver.
Barrel length and recoil control together
Twenty-eight inches is the length that most hunters end up preferring once they have shot both. The additional weight forward keeps the swing moving through a crossing bird, and the longer sighting plane makes a misaligned mount easier to notice. On doves over a cut field or pheasants breaking along a hedgerow, that steadiness is worth more than the fractional speed advantage of a shorter barrel.
Kick-Off handles the other side of the equation. Hydraulic dampers inside the buttstock spread the recoil impulse across a longer moment instead of delivering it as one sharp push. With 3 inch loads in an aluminum-receiver gun, that is a meaningful difference, and it is the reason shooters with this stock practice more than shooters without it.
Blink gas system and the fittings
The Blink gas system is shared with Beretta’s competition guns. It cycles fast, the piston is self-cleaning, and pressure venting lets light 2 3/4 inch target loads and 3 inch hunting shells run without any adjustment. The gas action also absorbs a share of the recoil before the Kick-Off system ever sees it.
Bronze anodizing over aluminum alloy keeps the carry weight honest and gives the gun its look. Walnut stock and checkered forend, a chrome-plated trigger, a two-position crossbolt safety, Optima HP choke tubes, and a fiber optic front sight round out the package.
Specifications
- Model: Beretta A400 Xplor Action, part number J40AK18
- Gauge: 12
- 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 Kick-Off recoil reduction
- Trigger: chrome plated
- Safety: two-position crossbolt
- Sights: fiber optic front
Why it is worth considering
- The barrel length most hunters settle on, paired with the recoil system that makes practice bearable.
- Gas operation on top of hydraulic damping, so very little impulse reaches the shoulder.
- Light enough to carry all day thanks to the aluminum alloy receiver.
- One gun that runs light target loads and 3 inch magnums with no changes.
- A fiber optic front sight for the first and last light of a hunting day.
Who it suits
This is the do-everything 12 gauge in the Xplor line. It covers doves, pheasants, and decoying ducks, handles a round of clays in the off season, and does all of it without punishing the shooter. It is the right pick for anyone who shoots enough heavy ammunition that recoil accumulates, and for shooters returning from a shoulder injury. Hunters working thick cover will prefer the 26 inch build, and anyone who does not need the hydraulic stock can save the money on the standard 28 inch gun.
Shells, chokes, and transfer notes
Shotshell dimensions and pressures are standardized by SAAMI, and the 3 inch chamber accepts both 2 3/4 and 3 inch 12 gauge shells. We stock 1 3/8 ounce number 5 pheasant loads and 1 1/8 ounce target loads for practice. Steel shot is safe through improved cylinder and modified Optima HP tubes but never through a full choke, and waterfowl hunters should confirm state non-toxic shot rules before the season.
Hunters in thick cover should compare the 26 inch Kick-Off build, and anyone who does not need the hydraulic stock can look at the standard 28 inch gun. 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.
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