Beretta A400 Xplor Action 12 Gauge 26in Bronze — Superb Walnut Field Gun

Description

The Beretta A400 Xplor Action is the hunting version of the A400 platform, and it is the one people notice across a gun club parking lot. The receiver is anodized in bronze rather than black or silver, which sounds like a gimmick until you see one in daylight next to a walnut stock. This is the 12 gauge build with a 26 inch vent rib barrel, part number J40AW16.
Chamber is 3 inches, capacity is four plus one, and the barrel is blued with a fiber optic front sight.

A hunting gun built on a competition action

The Xplor Action runs the same Blink gas system that Beretta puts in its clays guns. A self-cleaning piston keeps carbon from building up in the cylinder, and a pressure-venting design lets the gun cycle light 2 3/4 inch loads and 3 inch magnums without any adjustment. For a hunter that means one gun for doves in September and ducks in November.

Twenty-six inches is the shorter of the two barrel lengths offered. It carries easily, swings quickly through a bird that flushes underfoot, and clears brush without catching. Hunters working open fields may prefer the 28 inch version, but for walk-up work in cover this is the length that gets chosen.

Receiver, stock, and controls

The bronze anodizing is applied to an aluminum alloy receiver, which keeps the weight down where it matters least for handling. It pairs with a walnut stock and a checkered forend carrying the Beretta logo. Length of pull is 14.5 inches, and the Micro-Core recoil pad spreads the impulse well enough that 3 inch loads do not become a chore.

The safety is a two-position crossbolt in the trigger guard, the trigger itself is chrome plated, and the gun ships with Optima HP choke tubes. A fiber optic front sight gathers available light and gives a bright reference in the low light around dawn and dusk, when most birds are actually moving.

Specifications

• Model: Beretta A400 Xplor Action, part number J40AW16
• Gauge: 12
• Chamber: 3 inches
• Capacity: 4+1 rounds
• Barrel length: 26 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, checkered forend with the Beretta logo
• Length of pull: 14.5 inches
• Recoil pad: Micro-Core
• Trigger: chrome plated
• Safety: two-position crossbolt
• Sights: fiber optic front

Why it is worth considering

• Blink gas cycling, which is the same action Beretta puts in its competition guns.
• A bronze anodized receiver that looks like nothing else on the rack.
• Light weight from an aluminum alloy receiver, which matters on a long walk.
• A fiber optic front sight for the low light when birds actually fly.
• One gun that runs light target loads and 3 inch magnums with no adjustment.

Who it suits

This is a field gun for a hunter who cares how a gun looks as well as how it shoots. Doves, pheasants, grouse, and decoying ducks are all comfortably within what it does, and the 26 inch barrel keeps it quick in cover and easy to carry. It is not a dedicated clays gun; the shorter barrel and lighter weight work against a smooth swing on long crossers, and the Xcel Sporting exists for that. Hunters who spend most of their season in open country should compare the 28 inch version of this same model.

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. For upland birds we stock 1 3/8 ounce number 5 loads, and for practice on clays the 1 1/8 ounce heavy target load keeps costs sensible. Steel shot runs safely through improved cylinder and modified Optima HP tubes but never through a full choke, and waterfowl hunters should confirm their state non-toxic shot requirements.

Hunters who want a longer barrel for open-country work should compare the A400 Upland, and anyone shooting mostly clays should look at the A400 Xcel Sporting instead. 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.