The Beretta A400 Solo vs A400 Xtreme Plus comparison began at 8:15 in the morning, when the thermometer already showed 84 degrees and the air felt thick enough to reload.
By 10:00, the temperature had passed 90. The wooden bench was hot, the ammunition boxes were softening at the corners, and our blonde range influencer had abandoned any pretense that this was going to resemble a polished hunting commercial.
Her tan cap was stained around the brim. Damp strands of hair had escaped her ponytail, and perspiration had darkened the collar and back of her olive range shirt.
“If one of these costs more because it comes with air conditioning,” she said, “that one wins.”
Neither did.
A400 Solo vs A400 Xtreme Plus Specifications
The A400 Solo is Beretta’s three-inch, general-purpose semiautomatic hunting shotgun. The A400 Xtreme Plus is the company’s heavier-duty waterfowl gun with a 3½-inch chamber and more aggressive recoil management.
Feature
A400 Solo
A400 Xtreme Plus
Gauge
12 gauge
12 or 20 gauge
Chamber
3 inches
3½ inches in 12 gauge
Gas system
B-Link Pro
B-Link Plus
Recoil system
Kick-Off Plus
Kick-Off Mega
Claimed recoil reduction
Up to 40 percent
Up to 70 percent
Barrel
Steelium
Steelium Plus
Forcing cone
80mm double cone
320mm triple cone
Receiver
Aluminum, optics ready
Aluminum
Stock
Synthetic
Synthetic
Chokes
OptimaChoke HP
OptimaChoke HP
Both test guns were 12 gauge with 28-inch barrels. We installed Modified OptimaChoke HP tubes and used the same ammunition in both shotguns wherever chamber length permitted.
The Solo felt slimmer through the fore-end and noticeably more lively when brought to the shoulder. The Xtreme Plus felt like a serious waterfowl gun: substantial, steady and designed by somebody who assumed the weather would be terrible.
Ammunition and Test Procedure
We brought three types of ammunition:
- 2¾-inch, 1⅛-ounce target loads
- Three-inch steel waterfowl loads
- Three-inch turkey loads
The Xtreme Plus also received three 3½-inch waterfowl shells at the end of the session.
Each shotgun fired 75 target loads, 25 steel loads and five turkey loads. We fired patterns at 25 and 40 yards, then used the remaining target ammunition on hand-thrown clay birds.
The guns were cleaned and lightly lubricated before the test. No adjustments or cleaning were performed once firing began.
The influencer measured the targets while I stapled paper to the backer. She drew two circles and declared both to be 30 inches.
One measured 31 inches. The other was not so much a circle as an opinion.
It was already too hot to argue with her.
Beretta A400 Solo 40-Yard Pattern
The A400 Solo produced the more evenly distributed 40-yard pattern with our three-inch steel load.
Pellet coverage remained consistent across the circle without a large empty area. The center contained enough density for waterfowl, but the pattern did not concentrate an excessive number of pellets into a small core.
That makes sense for a general-purpose hunting shotgun. A broad, even pattern provides useful forgiveness when a bird does not follow the exact flight path discussed during the drive to the range.
The Solo uses Beretta’s Steelium barrel with an 80mm forcing cone. Beretta says the gradual transition helps limit pellet deformation and produce uniform patterns.
Our target supported that claim. The Solo pattern was not spectacularly tight, but it was balanced and practical.
When we walked downrange, the influencer wiped her forehead with the back of her arm and leaned toward the camera to point out three pellet-free areas near the upper edge.
“These are the only places the duck could have lived,” she said.
“That is not how pattern analysis works.”
“It is exactly how duck analysis works.”
Beretta A400 Xtreme Plus 40-Yard Pattern
The A400 Xtreme Plus produced a tighter central core with the same choke and ammunition.
Its Steelium Plus barrel uses a considerably longer 320mm triple forcing cone. The densest portion of the pattern remained close to the aiming point, with fewer pellets spreading toward the outer edge of the circle.
For longer waterfowl shots, the Xtreme Plus target was more impressive. The pattern looked deliberate, with a concentrated center surrounded by enough secondary coverage to remain useful.
The Solo placed pellets more evenly throughout the circle. The Xtreme Plus placed more pellets where the bead had been pointed.
Neither shotgun produced a bad pattern. They produced different patterns that matched their intended roles surprisingly well.
The Xtreme Plus behaved like a specialized waterfowl shotgun. The Solo behaved like a shotgun intended to do almost everything.
Which A400 Has Less Recoil?
The A400 Xtreme Plus won the recoil comparison.
With ordinary 2¾-inch target loads, the difference was present but not dramatic. Both guns were comfortable, and neither produced the sharp rearward impact associated with lighter fixed-breech shotguns.
The A400 Solo’s Kick-Off Plus system softened the initial impulse and controlled muzzle movement. After several boxes, however, the Xtreme Plus remained slightly easier on the shoulder.
The difference became more obvious with three-inch steel ammunition. The Xtreme Plus produced a longer, softer push. The Solo delivered a quicker impulse that was still manageable but easier to notice during rapid follow-up shots.
The 3½-inch load ended the debate.
Our influencer fired one through the Xtreme Plus, lowered the gun and stood silently while sweat dripped from the edge of her cap.
“Well?” I asked.
“It needs the other 30 percent.”
She declined a second shot until reminded that it was her idea to compare magnum recoil.
The second shell produced the same result. The Xtreme Plus controlled the load remarkably well, but “reduced recoil” should not be confused with “no recoil.” Physics does not accept marketing literature.
A400 Solo Reliability and B-Link Pro
The A400 Solo fired all 105 shells without a stoppage.
The gun cycled light target ammunition, steel hunting loads and heavy turkey shells without adjustment. Ejection remained positive even after the receiver and gas system became hot enough to make handling uncomfortable.
The Xtreme Plus also completed its portion of the test without a malfunction.
Beretta claims the Solo’s B-Link Pro action cycles 36 percent faster than competing systems and produces 46 percent less fouling than earlier Beretta designs. Those percentages were not something we could measure with a timer and a folding table.
The more useful observation was that the Solo continued functioning as residue accumulated and the temperature climbed.
After the session, its gas components were dirty but not heavily packed with carbon. The B-Lok magazine cap allowed the fore-end and barrel to be removed quickly without a prolonged wrestling match.
That mattered because nobody wanted to stand in the sun performing detailed shotgun maintenance.
Handling, Loading and Controls
The Solo’s enlarged loading port and competition-style lifter made loading noticeably easier. Its oversized bolt handle and bolt release were simple to manipulate with sweaty hands.
The semi-flat trigger felt clean and predictable. Reset was short enough that the shotgun never seemed slow during pairs on clay targets.
The Xtreme Plus remained steady and absorbed movement well, but the Solo transitioned faster and felt less cumbersome during longer strings.
By the fourth box of target ammunition, the influencer’s shirt was visibly damp across the shoulders and lower back. She stopped between stations to drink water and hold a cold bottle against her neck.
The heat made the Solo’s easier handling more apparent. A weight difference that seems trivial inside a store becomes more persuasive after repeatedly mounting the shotgun under direct summer sun.
A400 Solo vs A400 Xtreme Plus for Duck Hunting
The A400 Xtreme Plus remains the stronger dedicated waterfowl gun.
Its advantages include:
- A 3½-inch chamber
- Kick-Off Mega recoil reduction
- A denser central pattern with our steel load
- Steelium Plus barrel construction
- Greater comfort with heavy ammunition
The A400 Solo is the better crossover shotgun.
Its advantages include:
- Faster, livelier handling
- Three-inch ammunition compatibility
- Effective recoil reduction
- Optics-ready receiver
- Improved loading controls
- Better suitability for turkey, upland hunting, clays and ordinary duck hunting
Most hunters do not need a 3½-inch chamber. Modern three-inch steel, bismuth and tungsten ammunition can provide excellent performance without increasing shotgun weight or turning every trigger pull into a disagreement with your shoulder.
Dedicated goose hunters may still value the additional capability. Everyone else should decide whether the longer chamber solves an actual problem.
Which Beretta A400 Should You Buy?
Choose the A400 Xtreme Plus if your priority is waterfowl hunting with heavy ammunition in miserable weather. It produced the tighter pattern, handled three-inch ammunition more comfortably and offered the option of 3½-inch shells.
Choose the A400 Solo if you want one premium semiautomatic shotgun for ducks, turkey, pheasant, clays and general field use.
The Solo completed the same practical test without a malfunction, produced the more evenly distributed pattern and remained easier to handle as the temperature climbed.
The A400 Solo is not merely a cheaper Xtreme Plus with features removed. It is a less specialized shotgun built around ammunition most hunters actually fire.
Final Verdict
The A400 Xtreme Plus won the recoil test and produced the denser center at 40 yards. It remains the better choice for heavy waterfowl loads and hunters who genuinely need a 3½-inch chamber.
The A400 Solo won the handling test. It patterned well, fired 105 shells without a stoppage and proved easier to carry, load and mount during a brutally hot morning.
By the end of the session, both guns were filthy, the target backer looked diseased and everyone had exhausted the water supply.
The influencer examined both targets one final time, leaned toward the camera and pointed at the dense center of the Xtreme Plus pattern.
“That one wins,” she said.
“Because of the pattern?”
“No. Because we’re leaving now.”
The Xtreme Plus is the better specialized waterfowl shotgun.
The Solo is the one I would rather own if I could have only one.
GarandThumb.com was established on May 4, 2012, to document my experiences trying to become a better marksman.