By Phil Bourjaily and Chris Jennings
Browning Citori 725 Medallion High Grade
For clay target shooters who would like to improve their performance at the range while also standing out from the crowd, Browning offers a new Citori 725 Medallion High Grade 12-gauge. Stocked in Grade IV Turkish walnut with a gloss oil finish, this over/under has an engraved receiver with gold accents and a medallion in the stock for your initials. The 30- or 32-inch barrels have Browning’s lengthened Vector Pro forcing cone and are back-bored for superior patterning. Comes with a padded Negrini case. browning.com
Browning A5 Wicked Wing Sweet 16
Browning gives 16-gauge fans another option for the duck blind with a Wicked Wing version of its A5 Sweet 16 semiauto. This lightweight inertia gun weighs around 6 pounds and is offered with a 26- or 28-inch barrel. The Wicked Wing version has Mossy Oak Shadow Grass camo on the synthetic furniture, bronze Cerakote on the barrel, and two-tone bronze Cerakote camo on the receiver. It has Browning’s effective Inflex recoil pad at one end and three extended choke tubes, which are made to look like goose bands, on the other. browning.com
Browning Maxus II Wicked Wing
The Maxus II lineup grows for 2022 with new models including a Wicked Wing version in Vintage Tan camo. Like all the Wicked Wing guns, it has a camo stock and forearm, extended choke tubes, and a bronze Cerakote finish with subtle camo on the receiver. The Maxus II is a very soft-shooting, improved version of the original Maxus. And now that it has a magazine cap, it can accept an extension for spring snow goose hunting. The Wicked Wing Maxus II is available in a 3 1/2-inch 12-gauge version with a 26- or 28-inch barrel. browning.com
Benelli Super Black Eagle 3 28-Gauge
Responding to the trend toward small-bore waterfowl guns, Benelli has introduced a 28-gauge to its venerable 3-inch Super Black Eagle 3 line. The scaled-down version of Benelli’s flagship semiauto weighs about 5 1/2 pounds and comes in 26- and 28-inch barrel lengths. The 28-gauge SBE3 has the same lines as the 20-gauge and all of the same features, including the Easy Locking Bolt System to prevent misfires, recoil-reducing ComforTech stock, and enlarged controls. Available in black, Mossy Oak Bottomland, Realtree Max-5, or OptiFade
Timber. benelliusa.com
Benelli 828 UnLimited Edition
Benelli’s innovative 828 U over/under shotgun comes in a limited-edition version this year. It features a heavier steel frame in place of the alloy frame found in other field versions. That frame is richly embellished with gold-highlighted engraving. The 28-inch barrels are coated with Benelli’s BE.S.T. treatment to prevent corrosion and resist abrasion. It has 3-inch chambers and weighs 7.4 pounds. Only 250 of these unique shotguns will be manufactured. benelliusa.com
Franchi Affinity 3 Cerakote
The popular Affinity 3 from Franchi is a 3-inch semiauto that comes in 12- and 20-gauge versions. This affordably priced, lightweight inertia gun has a TSA recoil pad and stepped rib with a fiber-optic bead, and it’s now available in two camo options: Mossy Oak Bottomland with Midnight Bronze Cerakote, and Max-5 camo with Patriot Brown Cerakote on the receiver and barrel. Twelve-gauge models come with 26-inch barrels, while 20-gauge guns have 28-inch barrels. franchiusa.com
Franchi Instinct Sideplate
Franchi has released an upgraded version of its Instinct over/under, featuring beautiful gold-accented sideplates with upland game bird designs. Although it is the most highly decorated of the Instinct series, and the costliest, it’s a good value when you compare it to other brands. These guns have steel frames and come in 3-inch 12- and 20-gauge versions, both with 28-inch barrels. A stock of AA grade walnut with a Prince of Wales grip and Schnable forearm complements the decorated steel. franchiusa.com
Fabarm XLR Chesapeake
The Fabarm XLR semiauto is well known to sporting clays shooters as a soft-kicking gas gun. For waterfowlers, Fabarm offers the 3-inch 12-gauge XLR model in a “Chesapeake” configuration with TrueTimber Strata camo synthetic furniture, a rubber comb insert, and Midnight Bronze Cerakote on the barrel and receiver. The receiver is also grooved for an optic mount in case you want to use the gun for turkeys as well. It comes with either a 28- or 30-inch barrel and in right- and left-handed versions. fabarmusa.com
Winchester SXP Mossy Oak Bottomland
The SXP is one of the lightest pump guns made, and it has one of the fastest, slickest actions as well, thanks to a rotary bolt system. This year select dealers will offer a Mossy Oak Bottomland camo version of the gun in 3 1/2-inch 12-gauge and 3-inch 12- and 20-gauge versions. The gun weighs just 7 pounds even in 3 1/2-inch 12-gauge, and it has Browning/Winchester’s effective Inflex recoil pad on all versions. This SXP comes with a 26- or 28-inch barrel bored for the Invector-Plus choke system. winchesterguns.com
Winchester SX4 Left Hand
Left-handed shooters now have their own version of Winchester’s popular Super X4 semiauto. A soft-shooting, lightweight gas gun with a reputation for reliability and ease of maintenance, the left-handed SX4 has the same enlarged bolt handle, release, and safety as the right-handed version. The only difference is that the ejection port and safety are on the left side of the gun. It comes in both 3- and 3 1/2-inch 12-gauge versions with a choice of a 26- or 28-inch barrel in black synthetic. Winchester is also offering a limited run of walnut-stocked versions in 3-inch 12-gauge only. winchesterguns.com
Mossberg 940 Pro Field Autoloader
Mossberg’s 940 Pro Field shotgun incorporates the features of the 940 JM Pro—developed by champion shooter Jerry Miculek—for top performance at the range and in the marsh. The gun features an improved gas system that Mossberg claims can cycle up to 1,500 rounds between cleanings. Several of the internal parts are nickel-boron coated to resist rust, while the action spring is stainless steel. In addition, the bolt handle, closer, and bottom port have all been enlarged for faster, easier loading and unloading. The stock has length-of-pull spacers and shims to help adjust fit. The 3-inch 12-gauge version has a 28-inch barrel and black synthetic stock. mossberg.com
RETAY Masai Mara Mossy Oak Bottomland 20-Gauge
Retay now offers this svelte 20-gauge version of its Masai Mara semiauto in Mossy Oak Bottomland. This well-made Turkish inertia gun features a bolt designed to prevent out-of-battery “click” misfires, and it has a removable trigger group that comes out with the push of a button. The 20-gauge version weighs just 6 pounds, 6 ounces and comes with a 26- or 28-inch barrel. Each barrel comes with a long forcing cone, which helps improve performance, and five flush choke tubes. retayusa.com
CZ 1012 Synthetic Camo
CZ’s inertia-operated 1012 semiauto weighs just 6 1/2 pounds but delivers heavyweight reliability. In company torture tests, the 3-inch 12-gauge 1012 was able to shoot 5,000 rounds without cleaning or oil and recorded no malfunctions or broken parts. The Synthetic Camo version comes dressed in Mossy Oak Blades camo and is available with either a 26- or 28-inch barrel. The gun has a large, triangular safety located at the front of the trigger guard. An integral swivel stud in the stock is paired with a traditional metal swivel stud in the magazine cap. Three black extended choke tubes are included. cz-usa.com
Henry Lever Action X Model .410 Shotgun
The Model X has the makings of a fun, handy gun to keep around camp. Styled like a lever-action rifle, it holds six 2 1/2-inch .410 shells, making it perfect for plinking, pests, or short-range small-game hunting. Equipped with a durable synthetic stock with integral swivel studs, it has a rail for a light or laser and is drilled and tapped for a scope. The 19.8-inch barrel is threaded for choke tubes.henryusa.com
DU Shotgun of the Year
DU’s 2022 Shotgun of the Year is a special version of Benelli’s Super Black Eagle 3 20-gauge. This beautiful firearm features a walnut stock and an engraved silver receiver highlighted in gold and showcasing the DU logo and waterfowl scenes. The gun has a 28-inch blued barrel and extended choke tubes. Each gun will have its own special DU serial number and will come with a hard case. This unique shotgun is only available at DU events. To find an event near you, go to ducks.org/events.
Ducks Unlimited Visa
A portion of every purchase you make with the Ducks Unlimited Visa Card helps fund wetlands conservation efforts. For more information, visit Ducks.org/Visa.