You want a stylish, well-made shotgun that handles well and looks good – but you don’t want to spend a fortune. What do you buy?
Dan Bibb from Shooting Sports UK recommends you take a look at the Zoli range of over-and-unders. “Zoli isn’t a brand that’s as well known in the UK as, say, Perazzi. But that doesn’t take away from the quality and pedigree of the gun,” he says.
For clays, Dan pulls a Z Sport Black from the rack. It has a price tag of £5,300. “The action and barrels are where you’re spending your money on this gun. The barrels are silver soldered, and come with a lifetime warranty.”
He adds “These guns have a detachable trigger, which is important for a competition gun. The last thing you want in the middle of a competition is your trigger group failing.”
For game, Dan suggests the Zoli Pernice. This is an ex-demo gun, priced at £4,095; normal retail would be £4,900. “As you can see, this has a game stock and a round action. But there’s all the same great technology.”
“Zoli have taken all the technology from a high end sporting shotgun and built it into a game gun, and it shoots really nicely.”
Find out about the Zoli range of shotguns at ZoliAntonio.com.
Browse Shooting Sports UK’s range of guns and accessories at ShootingSportsUK.co.uk.
Search the UK’s gunshops for the shotgun you want at the price you want to pay – go to Kitfinder.co.uk
More on value-for-money shotguns from Fieldsports Channel and Fieldtester
The best O/Us for under £2,000
Gunshop owner Ian Hodge of Ian Hodge Fieldsports talks through his bestsellers. He explains that the Beretta Silver Pigeon 3 might exceed the £2,000 limit but these brands will provide a quality gun without breaking the bank: Lincoln, Caesar Guerini, Browning 525 SL, Marocchi Finn 612, Bettinsoli, and Beretta’s 686 White Onyx Sporting all make the list. Shooters want a modern shotgun that’s proofed for steel. So Ian looks at which guns are steel proofed too.
Best buy semi-auto shotguns 2022
Semi-autos handle and point well, and the mechanism soaks up recoil, making them well suited to young shots and beginners, as well as shooting heavy loads for wildfowling and the like. They also offer great value. You get a lot of gun for your money, too, as gunshop owner Ian Hodge explains in this video, where he picks out the top two most popular semi-autos chosen by serious users in his shop, typically as a second gun. Spoiler alert: he picks the latest model Browning Maxus and the Franchi Affinity. Read the full article, with the results of our reader survey, here.
Best steel proof O/Us under £5,000
So you’ve got £5,000 to spend on a new shotgun – lucky you! What are you going to choose? Obviously you’ll want your new gun proofed for steel shot. An over-and-under is the most popular choice, for good reason. But that still leaves a big range to choose from – so what would an expert recommend? We put Ian Hodge of Ian Hodge Fieldsports on the spot. He picks out a Caesar Guerini at £2,200, a Browning 525 Crown nearer £5,000, and a Beretta EELL at just a whisker under £5,000. Read the full article here.
On test: Rizzini Regal Deluxe
Paul Childerley puts the Rizzini Regal Deluxe shotgun through its paces on a driven pheasant shoot at the Mountgarret Shoot in North Yorkshire. Rizzini shotguns suit the birds, which are flying well, and Frank Boddy of Ripley Sporting puts on a lovely, relaxed day.
Breda Zenith L game O/U
Italian gunmaker Breda has made some cracking semi-autos over the past 100 years or so. More recently they’ve turned their skills to making over-and-unders – and the Zenith is going down well with clay and game shooters alike. This one is the game model, the Zenith L. It’s steel proofed of course, and comes with 30 or 32in fixed choke barrels chambered for 2 3/4in cartridges. “It’s designed specifically for shooting high birds,” says Andy Norris from distributors Viking Arms. “It retails around £2,700, and you’re getting a lot of gun for that money.”
Yildiz Pro Black reviewed
You can spend £10,000-plus on a competition sporting over-and-under shotgun, but for a fraction of that price Yildiz offer its value Pro Black, offering all the basic sporting features.
“The range starts at £1,349 for a grade 3 non-adjustable model, with the adjustable version selling at £1,899,” explains Richard Ryan of Yildiz importers Raytrade. “There’s nothing at that price point to touch it. It really is an awful lot of gun for the money.” Built around a shallow Boss-style action, the Pro Black comes with 28, 30 or 32in barrels, and with multichokes as standard. A fixed choke option is available. Read the full article here.
