Beretta Xtreme - Beretta New Zealand

testfire
by Gary Girvan
A dangerous combination for
high-flying Canadas: Beretta
Xtreme and Craig Sapich.
OPPOSITE Beretta’s A400
Xtreme Unico
BERETTA’S A400 XTREME unico
Rugged and Refined
An Autoloader for the Most Extreme Environments
W
herever hard-core waterfowlers have pursued their quarry in the harshest of
conditions, the autoloader of choice for many of them has been Beretta’s heavy-duty,
specialist waterfowling autoloader, the AL391 Xtrema2. Its ability to tame the recoil of
the heaviest magnum and super-magnum high-velocity steel loads combined with its
rugged reliability have ensured its popularity. But the march of progress is inexorable.
ROD & RIFLE
59
In our last issue, Tom Lanauze reported on the wonderfully
successful hunts on Molesworth and St James stations that took
place that weekend. The Testfire Xtreme that Tom was using played
its part with distinction as you can see in the photograph.
L-R Chris Ziesler, Gary Girvan, Craig
Sapich, Brendan Coe. We all loved
the Xtreme but for this shot Sappo
couldn’t let go of his Benelli Super
Black Eagle. Benelli boys die hard.
Below top The new-design trigger
group features a larger safety
button.
Below middle The new bolt
assembly is lighter but has a more
robust firing pin.
BOTTOM The gas system operates
successfully with the heaviest game
loads such as these, but also with
target loads as light as 24 grams!
It was inevitable that the Xtrema2, first
introduced in 2002 as the Xtrema, would
eventually be replaced.
Its successor has big shoes to fill. Does
the new model live up to its predecessor’s
reputation as the ultimate waterfowling
autoloader in Beretta’s lineup?
The End of a Line
The arrival of the A400 Xtreme as a
replacement for the AL391 Xtrema2 is a
milestone in the development of Beretta
autoloading shotguns. It marks the end of
production in 12 gauge of the immensely
successful AL391 family of autoloaders, a line
which has been in production since 1999. In
12 gauge, the A400 series has completely
replaced the AL391. For the time being, the
391 will continue to be produced in 20 gauge
only, but this will cease once factory time
becomes available for the manufacture of a
20-gauge version of the A400.
In fact though, the Xtrema2 was so unlike
the other members of the AL391 family that
it could be best described as a precursor
of the A400 line. It introduced most of that
family’s new features, in particular the
rotating bolt head and the recoil spring’s
new location around the magazine tube. As
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ROD & RIFLE
well, it introduced Beretta’s recoil-taming
device, Kick-Off. As a result, the
new Xtreme is not so very different
from the Xtrema2. It represents a
significant development of the Xtrema2
rather than a completely new model.
We have reviewed the A400 Xplor in a
previous issue. This review will focus on the
ways in which the Xtreme differs from its
predecessor and from other members of the
A400 family.
What’s New
For me, the most significant development is
the latest version of Beretta’s recoil-taming
technology: Kick-Off Mega and Kick-Off³.
This system has two hydraulic dampers
in the rear of the butt stock to absorb the
initial recoil generated by the shot being
fired and a third one located where the stock
joins the receiver. This one softens the impact
as the bolt contacts the end of the receiver
at the end of its travel. As well as reducing
recoil, the third damper lessens mechanical
stress on the components. In combination
with a very soft new techno-polymer recoil
pad, the Kick-Off system is certainly effective
in reducing the felt effects of recoil and
in combating muzzle flip. Currently, there
are several autoloaders that
lay claim to being the softest
shooting. In my opinion, you
would be hard-pressed to beat
this one.
However, in the original version
of Kick-Off, a few shooters found
the rearward shuffle of the butt
stock against the face to be an
annoying distraction. Having fired
hundreds of high-recoil magnum loads
through my Xtrema2, I haven’t found this
to be the case for me, but nevertheless
the criticism is there. The new version,
which has been made possible by the
Xtreme’s synthetic stock, should overcome
this objection. The compression area is
now located not at the butt end but further
up the stock, just behind the pistol grip, so
that the area where your cheek contacts
the stock remains stationary. A flexible,
chevron-shaped, black synthetic gasket
covers the compression area and contributes
to the Xtreme’s very distinctive appearance.
Besides reducing the shuffle effect, this
new system offers another more significant
advantage. It enables butt-stock spacers
of different thicknesses to be installed so
that length of pull can now be altered. The
Xtreme comes with two such spacers, one
of half an inch, the other, an inch. Length of
pull can now be modified from 14⅛ to 15⅝
inches (358 to 397mm). This, in combination
with the usual stock drop and cast shim kit
enables the gun’s dimensions to be tailored to
a remarkable degree, which was not possible
with the Xtrema2 and is not possible in woodstocked versions of the A400 family where
the Kick-Off is still located at the butt end of
the stock.
The other changes from the Xtrema2 are
more in the nature of refinements rather than
major innovations.
One convenient new feature is a quick-lock
system in the fore-end cap so that it can
now be installed or removed with a simple
quarter turn.
The safety button, located at the front of
the trigger guard, has been increased in
size for more convenient operation when
wearing gloves.
Like other members of the A400 family,
the Xtreme’s barrel has a slightly greater
degree of overboring – 18.6mm as opposed
to the Xtrema2’s 18.5mm. This OptimaBore HP (High Performance) is designed to
give optimum performance with steel shot,
especially in the larger pellet sizes. Our
patterning tests using Federal high-velocity
magnum loads – Black Cloud 1¼oz #2 steel
pellets – showed just how effectively the new
internal bore profile performed.
To ensure a perfect alignment of the barrel
with the receiver, the Xtreme now has a
guide ring located between the barrel and the
barrel extension.
Old and new butt-stock styles.
Top: Xtrema2; Bottom: Xtreme.
The gas-powered operating system has
been tweaked so that, even though the
Xtreme is designed as a specialist heavy-duty
waterfowling shotgun, it will cycle light target
loads reliably. Its versatility ranges from 24gram loads in 2¾-inch cases through to 63
grams (2¼oz) in the super-magnum 3½-inch
shell. An impressive performance, indeed!
The bolt on this model has a different
shape to that of the Xtrema2, so that it
is now lighter – presumably to assist the
reliable cycling with the lightest target loads.
At the same time, Beretta have taken the
opportunity to beef up the firing pin to ensure
even greater durability.
Handling
As reported in our previous issue, we gave
the Xtreme a thorough workout on clay
targets at Boomrock Lodge. My impression
there was that the gun was lighter and fasterhandling than my Xtrema2. In fact though,
there is very little difference in weight and
general dimensions between the two as I
discovered when I was able to make a direct
comparison between them. Even though its
receiver has been shortened somewhat, the
new model weighs only 100 grams less than
the old and is only slightly slimmer through
the fore-end.
What made the greatest difference to me
was the ability to shorten the length of pull.
My Xtrema2 had always been marginally too
long in the stock for me, particularly when I
was wearing heavy wet-weather gear, so that
the gun tended to feel a touch bulky. On the
Xtreme, being able to dispense with any of
the spacers and reduce the length of pull to
358mm made a different gun of it. Suddenly
it became markedly easier to handle and
quicker to point than my Xtrema2. The
improvement was quite remarkable. For me,
it provided the most significant enhancement
in performance.
Head 2 Head
Xtrema2 versus Xtreme
During our testing, the
question that many Xtrema2
owners asked us was whether
the latest Kick-Off Mega
system made the new gun
softer-shooting than the
old – a difficult question to
answer. Reaction to recoil
is a subjective and personal
thing. However, to attempt
to answer the question we
arranged a comparative test.
Five experienced shotgunners
were to shoot three different
high-velocity loads through
an Xtrema2 and an Xtreme
in turn: Federal Black Cloud,
3-inch, 1¼oz (1450fps);
Remington’s Hypersonic
Steel, 3-inch, 1¼oz (1700fps);
and a 3½-inch Federal load
of 1⅜oz #2 and BB tungsten/
steel pellets (1375fps). Every
shooter was to fire two shots
of each of these hard-hitting
cartridges from each gun in
turn, shooting at an easy pair
of clay targets. Their task was
to compare how each gun
handled the recoil and how
each controlled muzzle flip
so that both targets could be
broken. In this informal test,
all shooters fired 12 shells
and recorded their reactions.
I would have expected
the Xtreme to come out the
clear winner, but surprisingly,
the results were not so
conclusive. Of the five
shooters, three either found
the new gun the softer
shooting or couldn’t tell
the difference between the
two; two of them actually
considered the Xtrema2 to be
softer. However, all praised
both guns’ ability to control
muzzle flip so that the second
clay target could be broken
despite the hefty recoil
generated by each of the
loads used in the test.
ROD & RIFLE
61
For me, the most significant development is
the latest version of Beretta’s recoil-taming
technology: Kick-Off Mega and Kick-Off
specs
Model Beretta A400
Xtreme Unico
Type Gas-operated
autoloading shotgun
Gauge 12 gauge
Tom Lanauze had a great
shoot with the Xtreme.
OPPOSITE Typical pattern
from Optima HP choke
tubes.
Field Test in the High Country
The weekend of the Rugby World Cup final
was not a good time to be a Canada goose in
the South Island high country, it seems. In
our last issue, Tom Lanauze reported on the
wonderfully successful hunts on Molesworth
and St James stations that took place that
weekend. The Testfire Xtreme that Tom was
using played its part with distinction as you
can see in the photograph.
At the same time, but further south,
we were on our annual high-country trip.
We were fortunate to be able to take
four Xtremes with us for Testfire: two in
camouflage, two in black synthetic. Two of
these guns were equipped with magazine
extensions (an optional extra), which gave
them a seven-shot capacity.
Our Xtremes proved their worth in the
different shooting challenges that highcountry Canada goose hunting provides.
Birds decoying in to tarns tests the gun’s
controllability under high-intensity, fast-firing
situations where you can empty a magazine
as quickly as you can pull the trigger. The
effectiveness of the Xtreme’s recoil-taming
technology comes to the fore in these
situations.
When you’re conducting block and drive
operations in wide river valleys you will often
be presented with a different challenge. Pass
shooting at small mobs flying 30–40 meters
high is a test of the gun’s steady handling
and the shooter’s ability. Success requires
tight chokes, big pellets, a steady swing
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ROD & RIFLE
and plenty of forward allowance. To pluck a
couple of Canadas out of a high-flying mob is
a very satisfying shotgunning achievement.
The weight and balance of the Xtreme are
ideally suited to this kind of shooting and,
once again, when you’re firing 3½-inch loads
of high-velocity, tungsten-iron #BBs, you
appreciate the gun’s ability to soften the recoil
generated by these super-magnum loads.
Conclusion
The gun comes with a smart, lined, ABS carry
case and a comprehensive set of accessories.
My only disappointment with the A400 Xtreme
is that only three choke tubes are provided:
Cylinder, Modified, and Full. In light of the
superb quality of the gun and its presentation,
this seems a bit niggardly. However, extra
Optima-Bore HP tubes in Improved-cylinder
and Improved-modified are available to
complete the set.
As a specialist waterfowling gun, the Xtreme
maintains the reputation of its forerunner.
It remains a big, heavy gun as you would
expect, but the improvements that have been
made enhance its superior performance,
particularly its handling. The synthetic stock
and corrosion proofing ensure its durability
in the wildest weather while the Kick-Off
technology, in combination with its gaspowered operating system, make it one of the
softest-shooting shotguns currently available.
Beretta enthusiasts and keen waterfowlers
will welcome the newcomer with the cry:
“Long live the King!”
Barrel 28-inch,
chambered for 3½-inch
(89mm) cartridges.
Chromed bore and
chamber. Optima-Bore HP:
18.6mm (0.732”)
Rib & sights 6mm
ventilated rib.
Red fluoro sighting bead
at muzzle.
Receiver Aluminium alloy.
Safety Large cross-bolt at
front of trigger guard.
Magazine capacity 2¾in: 5; 3-in: 4; 3½-in: 3.
Magazine cut-off fitted.
Magazine extension available.
Stock Synthetic with Max-4
camouflage finish. (Also
in black).
Dimensions
Length of pull Adjustable
from14⅛-in. to 15⅝-in.
(358 – 397mm)
Drop at Heel Adjustable
50–65mm.
Cast Adjustable for l-r-hand.
Kick-Off recoil reducer with
Micro-Core recoil pad.
Weight 3.54kg (7.8lb).
Accessories ABS carry case.
3 Optima HP choke tubes:
Cylinder, Modified, Full.
Choke wrench.
Stock drop and cast shim kit.
Two stock spacers. Quickdetachable sling swivels.
Beretta oil.
RRP $3,600
Distributor Beretta New
Zealand Ltd