Beretta A400 Xplor Action 28 Gauge 28in Bronze — Superb Small Bore Gun

Description

The Beretta A400 Xplor Action in 28 gauge with a 28 inch barrel, part number J40AA88, pairs the lightest bore Beretta chambers in this line with enough barrel to keep the swing steady. On a gun this light, that extra length is not a penalty; it is the thing that keeps you from stopping the gun on a crossing bird. Chamber is 2 3/4 inches, capacity is four plus one, the barrel is blued with a ventilated rib and a fiber optic front sight, and the walnut stock sits behind a bronze anodized aluminum receiver.

Light gun, long barrel, steady swing

The common complaint about small-bore autoloaders is that they feel whippy. There is so little mass out front that the muzzle starts and stops too easily, and a shooter who is even slightly rushed will stop the gun at the trigger pull. Twenty-eight inches of barrel is the straightforward fix: enough forward weight to carry the swing, not enough to make the gun tiring to carry.

The longer sighting plane helps as well. On a going-away or quartering bird, the additional distance between eye and bead makes a small misalignment visible before the shot rather than after it.

Blink gas system, receiver, and fittings

Blink is Beretta’s fast-cycling gas action, shared with the competition guns. A self-cleaning piston pushes carbon forward on each cycle instead of letting it build up, and the whole assembly is simple to strip. Combined with an already mild bore, the gas action makes recoil close to irrelevant, which is a large part of why people shoot 28 gauges well.

Bronze anodizing over an aluminum alloy receiver keeps the weight down and makes the gun immediately recognizable. Walnut stock and checkered forend, chrome-plated trigger, two-position crossbolt safety, Micro-Core recoil pad, and Optima HP choke tubes complete it.

Specifications

• Model: Beretta A400 Xplor Action, part number J40AA88
• Gauge: 28
• Chamber: 2 3/4 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 stop a light gun from feeling whippy on crossing birds.
• Recoil that essentially disappears between a small bore and a gas action.
• Four rounds on board, which most 28 gauge doubles cannot offer.
• Blink cycling and a self-cleaning piston from the competition line.
• Bronze over aluminum: light to carry and distinctive to look at.

Who it suits

This is the 28 gauge for open ground and for skeet: doves over cut fields, quail in reasonable cover, and a gun that makes a round of clays feel like recreation rather than work. It also suits a shooter who wants to keep hunting comfortably after a shoulder problem. The honest limits are range and supply. A 28 gauge pattern thins sooner than a 20 past forty yards, and ammunition costs more and disappears from shelves faster. For thick cover, the 26 inch build is the quicker choice.

Shells, chokes, and transfer notes

Shotshell dimensions and pressures are standardized by SAAMI. This chamber is 2 3/4 inches, so stay with standard 28 gauge loads and leave the 3 inch magnum shells alone. We stock 1 ounce number 6 upland loads for field work and 3/4 ounce 7.5 shot for quail and skeet. Availability is the bore’s weak point; buy ahead rather than the week before a trip.

Hunters working thick cover will handle the 26 inch build faster, and anyone who wants cheaper ammunition and a little more payload should compare the 28 inch 20 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.