Beretta A400 Xtreme Plus unboxing and thoughts... 

Thanks Andrew! I know you will be itching to get it out in the field or on the range. Let me know what you think of it however I am sure that you will love it!

You are welcome and thanks for the feedback!

You are very welcome Si. I love my 682 gold E X Trap (high rib) too and I guess you could say I am a fan of good quality, affordable firearms. You won’t regret purchasing an Xtreme over a Beneli for the fact that it will double as a great soft shooting sporter that can light loads. I hear you guys are going all steel shot. We went through the same period of anxiety years ago now. Have no fear that the steel will still knock the pheasants over and you will find the recoil similar or less than the 20 bore. Best of luck with round 2 of lockdown. It’s a great opportunity to hang out with family and read lots of books 😜

@@kiwifleapit thanks mate. I get over to FNQ in Oz twice year to see my son) both cancelled) and had planned a trip to NZ this year, for the first time as well 🙄. Next year, fingers crossed. Take care.

Hey brother I'm like you except I just got this shotgun... it is hands down the best shotgun I've ever shot. There is basically no recoil and it has cycle anything from 2.75 to 3.5 flawlessly. I'm a bigger guy so I don't mind the size and it is intuitive to aim. Bravo beretta this 1 is a winner

I’ve had it 3 yrs now and it has never let me down. Most of the lads that I shoot with now have this gun. Bloody awesome!

You are very welcome Dylan. You will have to let me know what you think of the gun after you have had a chance to shoot it. Kind regards, Kiwifleapit.

Thanks Rick! Enjoy your new shotgun 😉

Thanks mate. I did point that out however I’m hesitant to advise this given the fact that someone will be stupid enough to forget that they have loaded their firearm, haha.

@@kiwifleapit to remove the limiter just use a pair of needle nose pliers and just grab it and pull it out :)

Thanks Laughing Hawg. Both are great guns! Would be keen to get your view on the differences in perceived recoil. Most people take a while to get used to the kickoff working as they fire. It doesn’t activate much for trap loads but certainly kicks in with the heavy loads. I guarantee your shoulder will be grateful so long as you keep the gun in tight. Happy hunting!!

@@kiwifleapit Haven't had a chance to shoot it yet. I do plan on trying all loads from light trap loads to 3.5" heavy goose loads and patterning it. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to tell the difference, or at least I hope so! I'll try and remember to get back to you once I get that done.

S.I. Yes, unfortunately we are at the mercy of politicians! Get the a400, you will not regret it. After shooting it for three weekends I can honestly say this is an awesome firearm.

@@kiwifleapit Looking forward to goose season in a month or so. Overall a nice gun, forend seems a little cheap but I guess they need to save weight where they can. The receiver is nicely machined and the barrel is a work of art, much easier to appreciate in the blued finish over the camo. Can't complain about the accessories and case, though I do find the gun oddly long for a 28". Giving this video a re-watch. Thanks again for the time taken to make this.

S.I. Yes, the length of the shotgun is much longer than any of my other shotguns, mostly because of the extended choke I suspect. The stock is what you would expect from a plastic stock I guess and it is very robust like all modern plastics used in firearms.

I'd suggest money means quite a lot to them...they just see it as a means to an end and not of value in and of itself

Yes, for now! Thanks for the feedback!

Just read New Zealand government has passed a law to make firearm registration law. Sorry mate. You'll loose your semi auto and pump actions very soon. 😓

@@mytimetoshine94aussie21 No doubt they will try!

@@kiwifleapit the government will try and the government will win. You'll lose your pumps and semis soon. Paintball will go. No air soft. Kiss it all goodbye mate. The government wanted a slice of the cake, now they'll take the whole thing. Mark my words.

@@mytimetoshine94aussie21 they've already targeted airsoft, you can't own a airsort gun unless you're a club member which is a lot of money for just a casual player. But by the looks of it we'll keep most of our guns, a majority of people are with us. In fact there bringing ar's back to farmers for pest control

Kia Ora Kennyrooo! Never tried an SBE3 sorry, only the M2. The benelli feels lighter and less front heavy but the beretta can’t be beaten for reliability and recoil reduction. If you use heavy loads and hate recoil go the a400. If you prefer light weight and good balance then go with benelli. You won’t regret either choice.

Hi Rob, thanks for your kind words. Yes I have used it for clay target shooting with 1 oz trap loads and it has functioned perfectly. There isn’t much to complain about with this firearm. Beretta have done a great job designing it. You won’t be disappointed! Cheers.

Hi Ata Moazzami, sorry I do not have the length of pull or drop measurements but I would assume that they are online somewhere. I can say that I am of an average athletic build, 187cm and 92kgs and the a400 fits me perfectly out of the box. You would have to assume that Beretta/Benelli design their shotguns to fit the average person. Both shotguns fit me well, however when I had my Beretta Xtrema2, I did adjust the cast slightly because it was shooting maybe 60% left of centre. Changing the shims was very straight forward although getting the main bolt for the stock correctly torqued is important as once I made the adjustment it did work itself loose, and that being said, with an aluminium receiver, you would certainly not want to over-tighten this bolt and damage the thread. For me, the main thing is to ensure that you are mounting the gun correctly and consistently, then pattern test it on a pattern board or big sheet of paper, then make any adjustments to the LOP, drop, cast, etc. I do like my LOP shorter on my field gun than I do my trap gun because of the bulky clothing that I sometimes wear but mostly so that I avoid the butt getting caught up when I mount the gun. For this reason, I have left the standard half inch spacer on the stock. When I shot my brothers a400, he has the larger one inch stock spacer installed, and to be honest I didn't feel like it made any difference, however I was shooting during summertime and therefore I was only wearing a light shirt. I hope this advice goes someway towards assisting you in making your decision. If you want the firearm to shoot only light field or heavy trap loads then either gun will be great. If you want to shoot mainly heavy field loads then you won't regret getting the a400. With both firearms, correctly mounting the shotgun is essential e.g. stock tight in the groove of the shoulder to prevent your shoulder taking a beating and cheek firmly on the comb to prevent bruising. That being said, this is easier said than done in a field shooting situation where you might be shooting straight up!

@@kiwifleapit thanks a lot for putting time and sending me a comprehensive answer. Cheers

Kia ora Nico Morales, I use the factory Improved Cylinder choke that is labelled IC with 3” steel, number 2’s or 3’s for river shooting and 4’s for the closer range pond shooting. To be fair I have been meaning to try the number 4’s on the river but I’m too scared to change haha. Have a look at my recent duck shooting video and you will see how the combo went. Cheers!

Jeremy Horn Nice one! You will love it I’m sure Jeremy. There is no real comparison between the beretta and the mossberg.

kiwifleapit I sure hope so! So have you or anyone else had any trouble with the forend cap by chance? Some say because it’s plastic they are really easy to tear up/break. If so, is there a better after market anywhere?

@@jeremyhorn1110 I don't know anyone who has had one break. I imagine that you would have to be pretty rough with your gear to break it given the nature of modern plastics. From memory, it is only the outside that is not metal (I will let you know if this is not the case). The cap can be quite tight and hard to turn so may take some getting used to. It is only a 1/4 turn and there is an audible click and you can feel it locking into place. To be fair, nothing is idiot proof so it is important to learn the ins and outs of your firearm first. Another tip - avoid dismantling firearms in the field because bits always fall in the mud or the long grass, etc.

kiwifleapit That’s what I was hoping to hear. I’ve saw/heard a couple incidents of where guys were saying “it broke” “its plastic and doesn’t last long” etc. looked like from pictures these guys must have attempted to wrap their shotgun around a tree or knock over a tree with it.

@@jeremyhorn1110 I just had a good look at the nut and the internal mechanism is all metal and seems pretty bullet proof. I imagine that you can just use a standard nut as the mag tube still has normal threading to attach an extension. The sling attachment is a possible point of weakness however I imagine that this is likely connected to the internal metal components. I do think that some people just need to take better care of their stuff.

Hi Mher Ginosyan! Great questions. The serial number on mine, which is on the receiver by the safety has no resemblance to the numbers on the underside of the barrel (below the chamber). I have no idea why this is the case but you would have to assume that the serial type number on the barrel is for another reason such as a batch or manufacturing reference, perhaps? As for the user manual, yes there should have been an A400 specific Instruction Manual in the case, so I suggest you go back to the dealer and request one. Cheers!

Awesome! You will love it.

Sorry I can not offer you any advice on which scope to fit. It’s not something we do for hunting here in NZ. I would assume that the holes are suitable for fitting a picatinny rail which you could mount basically any optic.

Do you mean the end cap? You need to apply some downward pressure on the barrel and it does require a decent amount of torque to twist on. If it doesn’t click then it is likely to fall off! Please let me know how you get on and if this answers your question.

Yes, it is really designed with hunting in mind however there is no reason why you couldn’t use it for clay target competitions such as simulated field or skeet.

Yes, it does have the rubber over moulding.

Dave from Shooter Ready, Cambridge, NZ for $3300NZ. Any firearm retailer should be able to order one in, to be fair. Apparently they are in short supply here in New Zealand.

Hey Yuriy, sorry I couldn’t say for sure. The 24 gram loads are not particularly common for field shooting. Most competitive shooters here is NZ would be putting their 24gram loads through an under and over. Apparently the a400 will cycle this load.

Enjoy.

Not sure about the receiver however the bolts are different. Yes it cycles trap loads perfectly. Cheers.

Sorry, I don't have any scales to weigh the firearm. I can't find the weight specifications on the beretta website either. One review I read says 7lb 9oz for 28 inch model but then another says 8lb for a 26 inch model so that makes no sense. Sorry I can not be of more assistance.

Yes, just not in New Zealand!

@@kiwifleapit just wanted to know if it was possible

Hi William. I didn’t have to hand it in (my old extrema 2) however I had previously registered it as an ‘E’ category firearm, a category which includes any military style semiauto, so that I could use it for 3 gun competition. It allowed me to use an extended magazine tube holding more than 7 cartridges. I could have requested to transfer it back to an ‘A’ category firearm (standard licence) however I paid $2k for it and the government were offering $1750 and I wanted to upgrade 😉. Ideally they should have paid me at least what I had paid for it seeing as they were basically confiscating firearms from law abiding citizens.

I should add that in NZ we CAN currently use semi-auto shotguns but they are now limited to 5 rounds only. All semiauto centre fire rifles have effectively been banned with the exception of professional pest control, police and military applications. All this due to the actions of one person who was given a firearms licence by police when he should not have.

Oh that’s annoying. I’ve never used the Black Clouds as they are very expensive to buy here and I’ve also never used 3 1/2 inch shells. Could it be related to the black cloud ammo? Are you able to try another brand? Did they swap the gun or attempt to fix it?

@@kiwifleapit I sent the gun to the Beretta warranty canada service: they said they fixed the problem and sent it back... SAME problem. I will return the gun ... again ...

@@geraldbergeron That’s interesting. I would love to know what is actually causing the problem. Hopefully it is not a common fault. Good luck with getting it sorted second time round. Hopefully you don’t get messed around.

Takis Korov 28 inch model but if you add on the length of the extended choke then you have around 29 inches.

I know, right. Couldn't pass up the opportunity to upgrade. However, if I had the money, I would have kept the Xtrema to hand down to my son. I can only assume it has been turned into scrap metal by now.

Hi Clark! What COVID-19? Thankfully, we went took it very seriously first time round and as a result we haven't had any major issues since so no more nationwide lockdowns. We are very fortunate in that regard. How is life in your part of the world?