Anyone who has followed Beretta through 2026 could be forgiven a weary sigh at news of yet another new gun. The Italian maker is marking 500 years in business and has hardly held back on launches. The AX800, with its polymer receiver and skeleton stock, was the headline act, but its real value lies in the features underneath. Beretta has taken a handful of those and fitted them to this new model, the A400 Solo.
In Italian, solo means only, and the thinking is that this is the one gun you need for whatever kind of hunting you have in mind. That makes more sense in the US, where a gas semi-auto covers far more quarry and styles than it does here, and a camo auto will still raise eyebrows on a British driven day. For wildfowlers on the foreshore and anyone guarding crops from a pigeon hide, though, it deserves a serious look.
Much of the feedback on my AX800 test centred on the skeleton stock and how awkward it is to clear of mud. That matters little on dry ground but a lot to anyone who spends their shooting in the wet. The Solo sidesteps the problem with a conventional stock, and at close to a grand less than the AX800 it is kinder on the bank balance too.
Beretta A400 Solo specification
- Action: Gas-operated semi-automatic, B-LINK Pro piston
- Calibre: 12-bore
- Chamber: 3in, superior steel proof
- Barrel length: 30in on test; 28in and 26in also offered
- Barrel: Steelium, 80mm double forcing cone
- Rib: 7mm x 7mm, steel mid-bead, high-vis red front bead
- Chokes: Extended Optima Plus
- Weight: 3.6kg (8lb) as tested
- Length of pull: 14in, with ½in and 1in spacers supplied
- Finish: Realtree MAX-7 camo or black
- Price: From £1,584 in black; £1,801 in MAX-7 camo
- Contact: GMK Ltd, [email protected]
Prices are RRP at the time of publication and may since have changed.
What your money buys
The Solo is built on the A400, a platform that dates back to the A400 Xplor Unico of 2009 and grew out of the 300 series. Since then it has produced a long list of variants, from clay guns and practical models to guns aimed straight at the hunting market, and the Solo belongs firmly in that last group. That said, it proved very capable on clays during my test, which I will come back to. First, the gun itself.
Finish, barrel and chokes
My test gun wore Realtree MAX-7, the widely used pattern designed with waterfowlers in mind, which should suit the intended buyer well. Black is the only other option for now, though I would expect further camo patterns to follow for more specific terrain.
The barrel measures 30in, with 28in and 26in lengths also listed. A gently ramped 7mm x 7mm rib carries a steel mid-bead and a high-vis red bead at the muzzle, where an extended Optima Plus choke is fitted. At the breech there is a 3in chamber and superior steel proof. Beretta has used the established Steelium barrel with its 80mm double forcing cone rather than the Steelium Pro from the AX800. It is one of the ways the price has been held down, and I think it gives away very little in performance for the money.
The B-LINK Pro gas piston
The fore-end is substantial, with deep, square-cut chequering moulded into the polymer. It is clearly meant for gloved hands, yet I found it gave a sure grip bare-handed too. Take it off, by way of the B-Lok magazine cap, and you find the new B-LINK Pro piston. Beretta says it cycles 36% faster than rivals in its class and runs 46% cleaner than any gas system it has made before.
The speed claim is one I cannot test, but the cleanliness claim stood up. Both here and on the AX800, the piston came through a slab of cartridges with noticeably less fouling than other guns I have used, which is welcome news for anyone who dreads cleaning a gas gun as much as I do. The working parts carry a coating borrowed from motorsport that sheds dirt more readily, so there is more time for shooting and less for maintenance.
Receiver, trigger and safety
The aluminium receiver is standard A400 fare, with the oversized controls that owners of any recent variant will recognise. It is drilled and tapped on top, with inlets for an optic if you want one.
The trigger group comes straight from the AX800: a flat blade, a big angled trigger guard, a competition lifter and an enlarged loading port. The result is a gun that is simple to operate and easy to get along with from the first box of cartridges, with no need for aftermarket add-ons. The trigger is good by semi-auto standards. There is a little travel if, like me, you are used to very crisp competition triggers, but the weight is light and the reset short.
I have always thought Beretta puts the safety exactly where it should be on its semi-autos: under the tip of the trigger finger, rather than back under the second joint as on my Benelli M2. The Solo keeps it there.
Grip, spacers and recoil
As on the AX800, the grip module is interchangeable and fixed to the stock with a Torx screw, and it carries the same deep chequering as the fore-end. Again I found it comfortable without gloves, and it should come into its own in the weather it was built for.
At 14in, the length of pull is too short for me, as it is on most semi-autos. The good news is that ½in and 1in spacers come in the box, so you can make the gun fit without spending any more. The Kick-Off Plus system is a known quantity but works very well, and because the shock absorber sits behind the grip rather than in the butt, felt recoil at the face is far more comfortable, with the movement kept away from where you touch the gun. The soft-touch B-Steady comb should be welcome on a cold morning.
The butt is finished with the new B-uffer pad, another AX800 part. It is pleasantly soft and is said to wear better than earlier pads, which should mean buying replacements less often.
The Solo arrives in a cardboard box, and I am quite happy with that. The semi-autos I have owned with cases only ever saw the case on trips to and from the gun shop. A semi-auto is a working tool, and tools rarely live in a fitted case that has to be packed and unpacked every time.
How it shoots
Complete, the test gun weighed 8lb, and even with a 30in barrel it was very easy to pick up and shoot. I have not used a 30in semi-auto for years and was surprised by how well it handled: well balanced, lively without being whippy and steady without being sluggish, even if it would not fit in any of my slips. Sling mounts are fitted as standard. Over several weeks of Skeet and Sporting, across a wide mix of targets, it was a very easy gun to shoot well, and it cycled everything I put through it, from 24g fibre loads upwards, without a single failure.
Verdict: is the A400 Solo worth £1,584?
The dimensions and handling suited me very well, and I suspect most shooters will find the same. It will be an easy gun to live with.
It feels honest and purposeful: the proven parts of the A400 combined with the best of the AX800, at a price that sits it squarely among its rivals while giving it features they do not have.
- Best for: Wildfowlers and pigeon shooters who want one hard-working gas gun, and who may also take it to the clay ground
- Worth knowing: It uses the older Steelium barrel, not the Steelium Pro from the AX800, which helps keep the price down
- Price: From £1,584 in black, £1,801 in Realtree MAX-7
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Beretta A400 Solo cost?
At the time of publication the RRP starts at £1,584 in black and £1,801 in Realtree MAX-7 camo, roughly £1,000 below the AX800.
What does it share with the AX800?
The B-LINK Pro gas piston, the trigger group with its enlarged loading port and competition lifter, the interchangeable grip module and the B-uffer recoil pad. It keeps the conventional aluminium A400 receiver and a traditional stock, and uses the Steelium barrel with an 80mm forcing cone rather than Steelium Pro.
Can the A400 Solo shoot steel shot?
Yes. It has a 3in chamber and superior steel proof.
Will it cycle light clay loads?
On test it cycled every load tried, from 24g fibre upwards, over several weeks of Skeet and Sporting.
Who sells the A400 Solo in the UK?
GMK Ltd distributes Beretta in the UK ([email protected]), and the gun is sold through Beretta dealers.
Related articles
Beretta AX800 Suprema tested – the gun the Solo borrows its trigger group and piston from.
Beretta A400 Xplor Unico – where the A400 platform began.
Beretta A400 L review – a classic-styled member of the same family.
