GMK has a new Beretta semi-automatic to put on UK counters at £1,584 in black and £1,801 in Realtree MAX-7, and a full review has arrived with the line that sells it: almost £1,000 less than the AX800, with the AX800’s best parts inside. Writing in Sporting Gun, Lloyd Pattison tested the A400 Solo over several weeks of Skeet and Sporting and found it “a distillation of all the bits that work and the addition of some new bits that enhance function and performance, at a price that puts it right in among many of its competitors while sporting features that set it above and apart”.

For the trade the Solo answers a familiar counter question. The customer who liked the AX800’s B-LINK Pro gas system, its trigger and its recoil pad but not its polymer receiver, its skeleton stock or its price now has a traditional aluminium-receiver A400 with the same parts, and a 12-bore with a 3in chamber and superior steel proof as the lead transition approaches.

What the A400 Solo is, and what it costs

The test gun was a 12-bore with a 30in Steelium barrel (28in and 26in are offered) carrying an 80mm double forcing cone, a 7mm by 7mm rib with a steel mid-bead and high-visibility red front bead, an extended Optima Plus choke, a 3in chamber proofed for superior steel, and a 14in stock with half-inch and 1in spacers in the box. It weighed 3.6kg. Finishes are Realtree MAX-7 camouflage or black, and the review names GMK as the contact.

From the AX800 it takes the B-LINK Pro piston under the fore-end, secured by the B-Lok magazine cap, which Beretta “claims the system cycles 36% faster than other shotguns in its category and 46% cleaner than any gas system released before”; the trigger group with its flat blade, large angled guard, competition lifter and oversized loading port; the interchangeable grip module on a Torx screw; and the B-uffer recoil pad. It keeps the A400 receiver, drilled and tapped for optics, with the oversized controls existing A400 owners know, and the Kick-Off Plus damper behind the grip.

What the review found that the counter can repeat

Reliability first. Pattison “tried a variety of loads from 24g fibre upwards and the gun never failed to cycle whatever I threw at it”. Cleanliness second: “the piston seemed noticeably less ‘coked up’ after shooting a slab of cartridges than those of other guns I have tested”, which he called “great news if you are lazy like me and hate cleaning gas guns”. On the trigger, “No need for any aftermarket gubbins here; it just works.”

Handling third, and a surprise to the reviewer. “I’ve not shot a 30in semi-auto in many years and I was pleasantly surprised by how well this gun handled,” he wrote; it “was handy while not being too whippy or too pendulous; ‘just right’, even though I couldn’t fit it in any of my gun slips”. That last clause is a slip sale waiting on the counter. The safety sits “right under the tip of the forefinger”, where Beretta semi-autos have always put it.

Who buys it, and the AX800 question

The Solo is a hunting gun that proved “extremely capable on clays” on test, and Pattison named its buyers: “wingshooters on the foreshore and those who like to look after crops from a hide should take note: this might well be your next favourite tool.” He also named its limit on a driven day, where a camouflage semi-auto raises eyebrows, which is where the black finish at £1,584 earns its place on the rack.

Against the AX800 the pitch is price and tradition: “almost a grand cheaper than the plastic fantastic AX800, it is much friendlier to the wallet too.” Against the rest of the mid-market semi-auto field the pitch is the parts list, and the review’s verdict that the gun “feels honest and purposeful” and will be “an easy gun to own”.

What happens next

The A400 Solo is available through GMK in black and Realtree MAX-7, with 26in, 28in and 30in barrels. The full test, with the specification and verdict, is on Sporting Gun. Beretta’s 500th-anniversary year has, in Pattison’s words, “rather pushed the boat out in terms of new product releases”, so dealers should expect more derivatives to follow.

Useful links

Sporting Gun – Beretta A400 Solo review: a semi-auto that borrows from the AX800, Lloyd Pattison’s original test

GMK – Beretta’s UK distributor, the contact the review gives

Beretta – the maker, celebrating its 500th anniversary in 2026

Frequently asked questions

What is the recommended retail price of the Beretta A400 Solo?

From £1,584 in black and £1,801 in Realtree MAX-7 through GMK, according to Sporting Gun’s review of 3 October 2026, almost £1,000 less than the AX800.

Is the A400 Solo proofed for steel shot?

Yes. It has a 3in chamber and superior steel proof, with an extended Optima Plus choke supplied.

What loads did the A400 Solo cycle on test?

Everything from 24g fibre upwards over several weeks of Skeet and Sporting, without a failure.

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Beretta BRX-1 Walnut – another Beretta derivative on the counter

SGC Group discusses Benelli and Franchi partnership – the rival Italian semi-auto brands and their UK route