there are few sports as iconic is hunting for many of us shotguns are some of the first firearms we were introduced to and indeed they make excellent guns for everything from training beginners to providing the ultimate gun for hunting for the avid hunter and new hunters as well.

A quality shotgun is of the highest importance things like weight balance overall length and the way your face rests on the comb of the stock are some of the most invaluable aspects of hunting shotguns semi-automatic shotguns tend to outperform others because they can fire quicker and require less movement for follow-up shots but when.

You're in the market for a new shotgun you'll quickly find there are a lot of options out there that's why we put together this list of the best hunting shotguns on the market we've spent many hours researching to narrow this list down to the very best of the best at a variety of price points and we feel confident recommending them to you if we.

Left off your favorite or you think there is a superior alternative to one in the list please let us know in the comments below the cz 1012 being the latest evolution in our semi-automatic shotgun line the 10-12 uses a gasless inertia operating system instead of redirecting the gas from the barrel to power the action the 10-12 uses a spring.

Within the bolt to store the energy during the shotguns recoil it uses this energy a split second later to rotate and unlock the twin lugs from the barrel extension and withdraw the spent shell additionally the gasless system itself is tuned to fire a wider variety of shells from light recoiling target loads clear up to the smoking-hot 3-inch.

Magnums currently on the market that means the cz 1012 will readily digest the vast majority of shot shells available to  today we're gonna take a look at the brand new froggy affinity compact 20 VH it has the same quality and reliability is the original froggy affinity but has.

Some great new features to it one of my favorite features is this fully adjustable stock you do that with the included shim kit to adjust drop and cast and what's really cool about this gun is it has an adjustable length of pull it's adjustable from 12 and 3/8 to 13 and 3/8 using these spacers they allow you to make adjustments in quarter.

Inch increments using a standard Phillips head screwdriver so this gun really grows with you and when you outgrow this stock you can change it over to a standard full-length stock the affinity compact has the same inertia operating system as the standard affinity as confute just as clean and just as reliably it's got a 24 inch.

Barrel making it lighter and easier to swing and at five-and-a-half pounds this gun is great for ladies and youth shooters not only is it light and easy to carry in the field but it's adjustable to shooters of any size comes in black and a PG finishes and it comes with a seven-year warranty the CZ red head premiered the flagship shotgun and.

The CZ over underlined the red head premiere is a true all-purpose shotgun with a one-piece cnc'd action and hand engraved details it's a great combination of modern technology and old-world craftsmanship not just available in 12-gauge the red head premiere can be had in 2028 and for 10 full size variants as well as a youth.

Sized 20 gauge whether you're spinning all day on the sporting clays course are chasing chucker in the mountains the red head premiere will take it all in stride the super black eagle 2 is a proven performer in even the harshest conditions whether you're shooting field boats at doves or Magnum shells at the world's largest geese the super black.

Eagle two's inertia driven system will cycle the rounds as fast as you can pull the trigger along with proven dependability the super black eagle 2 with come protect is also the softest kicking shot ever design the comfort tech stock has 11 soft vibration absorbing dampers a comb insert used to cushion the shooters.

Cheek and a totally unique gel pad designed to fit the human shoulder pocket and spread recoil over the widest area possible add to that the cryogenically treated barrel and choke tubes that are proven to put more shot on target and you have the lightest fastest and softest kickin shotgun ever made in 400 extreme is bred as.

Top-of-the-line semi-automatic shotgun and it's loaded with features that make this the ultimate shotgun for the extreme waterfowl er de 400 extreme features the world's most advanced recoil reduction system the combination of the kickoff mega and the kickoff cubed combined to reduce felt recoil by up to 70% Rico actually has.

Two distinct components kickoff cubed is the only device in the world that reduces the second recoil peak with kickoff mega the stock remains motionless against the shooters cheek and the recoil is isolated to the forward portion of the gun not only do you feel less recoil on your cheek and shoulder but you can get back on target.

Quicker for follow-up shots the 8,400 extreme can also be customized to the shooters needs right out of the box a shim system allows you to adjust the drop as well as the cast of the gun and another system of spacers allows you to adjust length of pole from just over 14 inches to just under 16 inches Berettas una cosa stem allows you to chamber up.

To three and a half inch shells in all 12 gauge modes from 7-8 sounds to two and one quarter ounce not only that it will cycle four rounds in under one second thanks to Brenna's patented blink technology beretta makes the best barrels in the world and in fact has been making barrels since 1526 steel ium barrels are proprietary blend of tri.

Alloy steel that goes through a unique manufacturing process deep hole drilling cold hammer-forged and vacuum distension create the best ballistic performance in the market today and because extreme duckers are faced with the harshest environments and take their gun out into all conditions beretta developed aqua technology which is a corrosion proof.

Barrier to protect against the elements the special optima bore HP geometry was conceived to offer the best performance even with steel shot the shot pattern remains perfect in uniform in every type of hunting situation calm clementa by the use of the optima choke HP choke tubes I'm here today to show you the brand new Franchi instinct L.

Shotgun it's a steel frame over and under with a colored case-hardened receiver and a great-looking walnut stop with a satin finish and checkering that gives you a solid grip it points well and is perfectly balanced the gun I'm showing you today is a 12-gauge Franchi also makes this gun in 20 gauge both are chambered for shells up to 3 inches long.

One of my favorite features of this gun is the automatic safety it also acts as a barrel selector another great feature are the injectors which are a great thing to have in the field this gun has mechanical triggers interchangeable chokes and comes with Franchi seven year warranty with a history of over 115 years of innovation.

Fab armed engineers have incorporated a long list of advantages that have never been available to hunters until now at the heart of the high performance XLR 5 platform is the revolutionary pulse piston system that acts as a progressive break thereby eliminating any valve system and allows for function of varying types of ammo this equates to a.

System that is simpler contains less parts is easy to clean and inevitably more reliable the breaking of the pulse system progressively slows the action with heavy loads reducing felt recoil most significantly the reduction in recoil and enhanced reliability is achieved in what is the fastest cycling semi-auto hunting gun on the planet at.

Chess point three one of a second for five rounds to maximize downrange performance we have incorporated fab arms proven tribe or HP barrel design this tapered bore allows for reduced recoil and improved pattern performance we have even created a special competition choke to the X SDK tuned for non-toxic ammo and the most popular.

Pellet sizes this choke in combination with the tribe war bear allows the XLR 5 to do what no other hunting shotgun can use a combination of steel shot ammo with up to extra full choke as an assurance of strength and durability every fab arm XLR 5 is tested by the Italian national crew vows to the highest possible rating of 1630 bar if.

Pure performance is the heart of the XLR 5 the extensive list of user-friendly features are the brains the oversized trigger guard safety magazine cut off an extended bolt handle are purposely designed to allow for full control of the firearm even with the bulkiest winter gloves the competition bred LR long rip concept as a top rig that.

Increases the sighting flame by four and a half inches and allows the shooter to see down the rib with a more comfortable head up posture to reduce glare the top surface of the rib provides a camo free matte black finish and we've added a high visibility fiber-optic front sight water and mud can destroy a shotgun quickly to reduce the possibility of.

Rust and corrosion the barrel extension and bores are chrome-plated we have also PVD coated the bolt nickel-plated the chokes and covered the external metal surfaces with camo for added protection the synthetic stock is also coated with a soft touch camo process to create a rubberized feel the Winchesters super x4 is the best yet.

It's even faster lighter smoother swinging and more organ ominous than ever the super x4 is proven active valve gas system offers incredible cycling speed to give you a lightning fast follow-up shot with any excess gases expelled out there Quadra vent boards with a larger bolt handle larger bolt release button larger trigger guard and.

Larger reversible safety the sx/4 is easy to operate the larger footprint of the in flex technology recoil pad helps take the bite out of felt recoil the super X fors vent ribbed barrel has a hard chrome plating on the chamber and bore for long life plus a true low fiber optic front sight back boring and interchangeable in vector plus choke.

Tubes provide dense consistent patterns soft recoil a smooth swing enhanced ergonomics and absolute reliability are the hallmarks of the super export from Winchester Repeating arms