The new version of Beretta's Ultraleggero (which translates to “Ultralight”) adds the Kick-Off recoil-reducer to the company's lightweight O/U. On paper, it’s a great idea. In practice, it adds weight to the gun, which does reduce recoil, but there’s a trade-off: The added weight turns an “Ultraleggero” into a plain “leggero.” It is still a very well-made O/U and an interesting gun to consider. I tested the new Ultraleggero Kick-Off on my local range and in the field, and here is my full review.
Beretta Ultraleggero Kick-Off Specs
Length: 45.75”
Weight: 7 pounds, 3 ounces with 28-inch barrels
Barrel: 26- or28-inch barrels, nickel bead, no mid-rib, five Optima HP flush-mounted chokes
Action: Break-action over/under
Trigger: 5 pounds, 12 ounces
Capacity: 2
Finish: Blued barrels, matte steel frame, scroll-engraved, with plastic inserts
Stock: Semi-gloss walnut
Chambering: 3-inch 12-gauge
Price: $3,259
Beretta Ultraleggero Kick-Off Overview
The gun is built on Beretta’s 690-series frame. Like so many Beretta O/Us made ever since the 1960s, it locks up by means of two conical pins projecting out of the breech face to engage into recesses between the top and bottom barrels. It is a very strong action, and it results in a low-profile frame that makes Beretta O/Us natural pointers. While Beretta has used an alloy frame with this same action in previous lightweight guns, the Ultraleggero has a skeletonized steel frame to save weight. Cutouts in the side and bottom of the receiver save ounces, and lightweight polymer inserts fill the holes. In further weight-saving measures, the forend latch is plastic with a little bit of steel. Much of the forend iron is aluminum, and there is no mid-rib between the barrels.
The forend is a standard design with a rounded tip. The stock, on the other hand, consists of three pieces of walnut. A rubber sleeve between two of them allows the Kick-Off absorber to compress and soak up recoil. The stock is also cut in two at the wrist to allow the use of a plastic shim to alter fit, as is common on semiautos and seen only on one other O/U, the Benelli 828U. You can choose two different degrees of drop and right- or left-hand cast with a Phillips screwdriver and a long-handled 6mm allen wrench.
As for appearance, the walnut is fairly plain, but attractive, with a semigloss finish and a conventional checkering pattern. The steel in the receiver, tang, lever, and safety is matte-blued to better contrast with the black polymer inserts with their eye-catching scroll patterns, which I still maintain look better than many shallowly laser-engraved steel frames I have seen. The separated barrels are blued a deep blue-black. Like the original, this Ultraleggero looks unconventionally good.
Beretta Ultraleggero Kick-Off Range Results
The biggest change between the Ultraleggero and Ultraleggero Kick-Off is the recoil (which we’ll get to) and the weight and balance. The Ultraleggero I shot for a half a season a few years ago weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces, with much of the weight reduction due to a radically hollowed-out buttstock. It made the gun light overall, easy to carry, and also easy to swing, as the balance point was out in front of the hingepin. The Ultraleggero Kick-Off stock weighs 13 ounces more than the original, giving the gun a weight of 7 pounds, 3 ounces. The weight in the stock moves the balance point back behind the hingepin, giving this gun a muzzle-light feel.
From the bench, the gun patterned 5 inches high at 40 yards, which is quite fine, especially for a gun that will likely be used on flushing birds. The trigger broke at a totally-normal-for-a-field-gun 5.75 pounds. The barrels are threaded for Beretta’s Optima HP barrels, and they shot even patterns with nice, dense cores. The Kick-Off works, but at the expense of a lighter muzzle that wants to rise. And, despite the recoil reduction, I can tell you this isn’t a gun you want to shoot 3-inch duck loads out of, because I tried that. It would be a good fit for the 1 ¼-ounce upland game loads that I found a bit too stout in the regular Ultraleggero.
Final Thoughts on the new Ultraleggero Kick-Off
Pros:
Stock shim system
Solid Beretta action and quality
Cons:
Kick-Off adds too much weight and alters balance
Personally, I loved the original the Ultraleggero. Once I found the right loads for it, it was a light and deadly pheasant and quail gun for me. I was hoping Beretta would make a 20-gauge, but I was very excited to try this gun. Once I shot it, I couldn’t warm to its extra weight and rearward balance. That’s me, however. It's clearly a well-made O/U, and I recommend shooting one to see if the balance suits you. I do think the stock-shim system is something we may see on an increasing number of break-actions and that the Ultraleggero Kick-Off is chock-full of innovation. It’s still a decent carrying weight, and won’t rattle your teeth when you empty it at a mass flush of roosters.
