Shotgun Review: OL Ranks the Best New Shotguns of 2011

By John B. Snow

Posted on May 13, 2011

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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

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