Shotgun Review: OL Ranks the Best New Shotguns of 2011

By John B. Snow

Posted on May 13, 2011

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn More ›

httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2011photo1001321579newshotgun1.jpg — Is the domestic shotgun market dead? No, but the only truly new shotgun that can claim to be made in the U.S. is the Remington Versa Max, a solid waterfowl gun built on a cleverly simple gas-recoil system. Its prospects look good. The other shotguns in the field are imports, either from Europe or, in a couple of cases, from Turkey. Despite their offshore origins, these guns have been intelligently configured with American shooters in mind, though the quirky CZ autoloader might have a difficult time fitting in. Two are high-end Italian over/under guns that are a very good value despite having price tags north of $5,000. The field is rounded out by a number of semi-autos, including a couple of new 3 1⁄2-inch guns that have good features for the price and are free of any fatal flaws that sometimes go with European imports. Thank you, Darwin. Here's a breakdown of the shotguns we tested ranked in order from the highest score to the lowest score. Also see: New Shotguns 2013

httpswww.outdoorlife.comsitesoutdoorlife.comfilesimport2014importImage2011photo30010ShotgunChart.jpg — Find More Results from Outdoor Life's Guns and Optics Tests: VIDEO: Best New Shotguns 2011
VIDEO:Best New Optics 2011

Gun Test: New Rifles 2011
Optics Test: New Rifle Scopes 2011
Optics Test: New Binoculars 2011
Optics Test: New Spotting Scopes 2011

We torture tested eight new shotguns in our 2011 Gun Test. When the dust settled, Weatherby and Caesar Guerini came out on top.

Summary

We torture tested eight new shotguns in our 2011 Gun Test.

John B. Snow

Shooting Editor

John B. Snow is Shooting Editor of Outdoor Life, where he oversees the publication’s firearms and shooting coverage. This includes gear reviews, features on technical innovations, stories on shooting techniques and general hunting coverage with the occasional fishing story thrown into the mix.

Learn more about Outdoorlife.com Editorial Standards