I have been shooting the new Beretta Extrema 2 for over two years now and I think it is time for a long overdue appraisal.
This new Beretta shotgun gets a five star rating from the Guide to Game Pro Staff! It has performed flawlessly and with over two thousand round fired without cleaning has had no malfunctions whatsoever.
The gas system is fool proof with no o-rings or spacers to lose or wear out and seams to be somewhat self cleaning. This innovative gas system allows for the use of light trap loads all the way up to max load 3.5 shells with out a hiccup! Back bored barrels in various lengths from 24 to 28 inches using the very long taper Benelli like choke system allows for exceptional patterns and very little muzzle jump for fast follow ups.
My Extrema 2 is equipped with the Kick-Off recoil reduction system which features two hydraulic recoil dampers incorporated into stock “spacer” unit. This optional system reduces recoil by 44% and makes the Extrema 2 the lightest kicking 3.5 auto loader I have ever used, period! Not only that but it allows these tired old shoulders to enjoy shooting clays. something I have not been able to do for many years.
Another feature of the Extrema which really gets my crank turning is the optional SLUG BARREL. Of course we all know what kind of a SLUG GUN FANATIC that BIG RED is so I just had to have one of these 24 inch 1:28 twist cantilevered beauty’s for myself. And the good Guys down at Stoeger Canada were anxious to get me one of the first slug guns across the border, thanks John! The fact that all the barrels for the Extrema 2 shotguns have extral long barrel tangs that fit well back into the receivers makes for an unbelievably close fit between the barrel and reciever! Couple this with the optimum 24 inch barrel length and the 1:28 rate of twist makes this one of the most accurate slug guns ever tested on the Point Blank Range here at Guide to Game! This gun consistently shoots two inch groups with most sabots tested and shot three shot 1.5 inch groups with Federal XTP sabots at 100 yards, repeatedly!
Another feature that absolutely must be mentioned is the Aqua tech coating on all the metal parts. After watching more than one of my shotguns succumb to rust I really appreciate this Aqua technology which is an outstanding corrosion resistant coating that really works.
Well I guess you can tell by this review that I am more than pleased with the Extrema 2 from Beretta and why it gets the top rating of Five Stars. All the boys here at Guide to Game were involved in the testing and some of them were very reluctant to return the shotgun to my greedy paws. Don’t be afraid to spend the extra money on this shotgun if you are looking for the ultimate all around 3.5 shotgun made today. You have found it.
Big Red,
Have you ever changed the slug barrel for a bird barrel and back to the slug barrel? If so, how much adjustment was required to re-sight in the slug barrel?
Big Red,
Have you changed the rifled barrel for a bird barrel, then back to the rifled barrel after having sighted in? If so, how much work was required to re-sight in the shotgun?
Jeffrey
If the sights are are barrel-mounted, re sighting is unnecessary, provided you torque the barrel to the receiver with the same tension. As an addendum, you should always shoot a small group to check when changing up barrels from season to season. See the previous post on shotgun cleaning. 😉