Shotguns

The 16 gauge carries like a 20 and hits like a 12. Seven shotguns ranked, from a Stevens 555 under $700 to the Browning A5 Sweet Sixteen, with live prices.

The 28 gauge stopped being a rich man’s gauge. Seven shotguns ranked from a sub-$500 single shot to a Beretta worth keeping, with live prices.

Three hundred shells through the Stevens 555 over/under, which patterned 54 percent from a modified choke at 40 yards and carries at 6.2 pounds in 12 gauge. Savage lists it at the same $869 in 12, 16, 20, 28 and .410, with no sub gauge premium, and the 555 Trap that undercuts all of them on the shelf is a single barrel gun.

Four hundred shells through the Mossberg 510 Mini Super Bantam youth pump. A removable one inch spacer drops length of pull to 10.5 inches, so the gun fits a small shooter now and still fits after a growth spurt.

Fifteen retailers price the Beretta A400 Xtreme Plus at one of two numbers to the cent, $2,049.00 for black and $2,149.00 for camo, against a $2,249.00 list. One retailer had it at $1,793.99. We ran 1,000 shells through one.

Savage lists the Stevens 320 Security at $289 and it sells at $159.99, but every Security model is fixed cylinder and takes no choke tubes at all. The Field Grade lists at the same $289 and does. We ran 900 rounds through one.

Browning lists five Citori 725 models against twenty four of the newer Citori 825, and on the 725 Field the 12 gauge is the cheapest chambering by $370 while the sub gauges weigh exactly the same. We shot 1,200 shells through one.

The Benelli 828U puts a solid steel breech block in an aluminum receiver, weighs 6.6 lbs in 12 gauge and sells for $2,779.99 against a $3,799 list price. We shot 1,000 shells through one and read Benelli’s own spec chart.