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A futuristic, polymer-framed waterfowl semiauto and the reimagining of an American Classic headline the 2026 class of shotguns. There are other noteworthy introductions that aren't in Las Vegas this week but are still new for 2026, making this yet another interesting shotgun year. First, that polymer shotgun: based on Beretta’s experience with the very successful AR160 military rifle, they designed the 3 ½-inch AX800 gas gun with a one-piece polymer stock/receiver. Meanwhile, the Ruger Red Label returns (sort of) as the Ruger Red Label III. It’s an American-made O/U like the old Red Labels, but it’s built around a different action, with advantages all its own. If those two aren’t enough to get your attention, there’s a redesigned Benelli workhorse, smallbore Browning Citoris, an improved Savage slug gun, and a pile of new inertia guns.
Top New Shotguns for 2026
Beretta AX800
The receiver and stock of the AX800 are all one piece of tough polymer, save for a small steel plate for mounting optics. The polymer needs little oil, so the gun stays cleaner longer, and it will never corrode. The trigger is flat and light, the safety is huge, and shells slide into the magazine with ease—all great features in a duck gun. Aside from that, the gun has a new version of the Kick-Off reducer tuned for heavy loads and a rubber cheekpiece that slides on your skin rather than grabbing. The 3 ½-inch chambered barrel features a stepped rib that (for me) shot exactly where I looked with no need to float birds. Inside, the barrel features Beretta’s Steelium Pro contour for optimal patterning. It will start at around $2500 in black and $2600 in camo.
Ruger Red Label III
The third incarnation of Ruger’s O/U, the III, shares little with its predecessors except that it’s made in America. Ruger partnered with Connecticut Shotgun Manufacturing Company to revive the Red Label name. This time around, the gun is made in Connecticut on the familiar Brescia-style action seen in so many Italian O/Us. At a bit over 6 ½-pounds, it’s taller through the action but much lighter than the old, frankly overweight Red Labels, and the fit and finish is better, too. Like the original, it has an unadorned receiver with rounded edges and “Ruger Red Label III” engraved on the bottom. The gun has great lines, and a nice, relaxed semi-pistol grip and rounded forend. The first guns will be 3-inch 20-gauge, with 28- or 30-inch Tru-Choke barrels. They list for $3299.
Related: Hottest New Rifles from the 2026 SHOT Show
Benelli M2 Progressive Comfort
The choice of many hunters who want a simple, durable, inertia semiauto duck gun, and have no need for 3 ½-inch shells, the M2 gets an upgrade this year with the Progressive Comfort recoil-reducing system. An effective shock absorber in the stock combines with a soft cheek pad to soften the blow of 3-inch magnums. The M2 lineup already received a makeover two or three years ago, which added features like the Easy Locking bolt for greater reliability, and improved mag springs and shell latch for smoother loading. The Progressive Comfort M2s are available in 12- and 20-gauge, in black and camo patterns, for $1699 in black and $1829 in camo.
Savage 110 212/220 Harvester with AccuFit V2 stock
Savage brings back its bolt-action slug gun for 2026. The 212/220 Harvester retains the same accurate Model 110 action and adds its AccuFit V2 stock. The AccuFit V2 adjusts for length and comb height, now features interchangeable grips to fit any hands, and includes a thick Limbsaver pad to cushion the recoil of heavy slugs. The solid bolt-action features a fixed, rifled barrel and a long, one-piece rail for mounting any optic. The gun has the famous Savage Accu-Trigger, which delivers terrific pulls. It comes with a gray synthetic stock in 12- and 20-gauge, with the 20 available in right and left-handed actions. The 12-gauge lists for $925, the 20-gauge for $828.
Fabarm Elos N2 RS Sporting Gun
Fabarm offers the Elos N2 RS Sporting in 20- and 28-gauge this year. The 12-gauge version of this target O/U, which I have shot quite a bit, is a good buy and a very good gun. It’s a beefed-up version of the original Elos N2, with weight added between the shooter’s hands. The added weight of the RS frame should make the new small-bore models move very smoothly to the target while absorbing most of the 20- or 28-gauge recoil. The gun features an adjustable comb and Fabarm’s Exis chokes, which are made in-house. It’s a sporting gun, but I want one of the 20s for dove season. They come in 20- and 28-gauge with 30- or 32-inch barrels, and they list for $4195
Stoeger Model 3000 Sporting
Stoeger dresses up its Model 3000 inertia gun for the sporting clays course with the new Sporting model. It features XX-walnut, a silver receiver, and a 30-inch, blued, ported barrel with a red fiber-optic bead. The gun comes with five extended chokes. It also has an enlarged bolt handle and a closer button for easier reloading. At 7.5 pounds, it has enough heft to absorb the recoil of a 100-target round. The gun sells for $799.
Stoeger V7000
Stoeger has a brand-new O/U for 2026. The V7000 is affordably priced and extremely lightweight thanks to an alloy receiver and separated barrels. The gun has a listed weight of just 6 pounds in 12-gauge with 28-inch barrels. It has auto safety, ejectors, and AA-walnut, all features of guns that usually cost much more. There’s a blued version for $949 and a silver receiver model for $999.
Redfield Vector Semi-Auto
“Redfield” doesn’t only stand for optics anymore. The Vector semi-auto shotgun is but one of a line of rifles and shotguns (the other shotgun is the “Drive” pump) sold by Academy Sports, owner of the Redfield brand. Made for Academy by Retay, the Vector is an inertia 3-inch 12-gauge semi-auto with black metal and camo synthetic furniture. The barrel has a stepped rib and a small red fiber-optic, and it weighs right at seven pounds with a 28-inch barrel. As you would expect with a gun branded “Redfield,” it is drilled and tapped for optic mounting. The gun has a big triangular safety and Benelli Crio-pattern chokes. Best of all, it lists for just $449.
Browning A5 20-Gauge Camo
New for this year, the 20-gauge A5 comes in a variety of camo patterns: Browning’s own Auric, old-school tan camo, Mossy Oak Bottomland and Habitat, and Realtree Max-7. Aside from the synthetic stock and dip job, it’s the same gun as the wood-stocked version I had a chance to hunt with last year. Even though it weighs under six pounds, the 20-gauge A5 proved easy to point, swing, and shoot at flushing pheasants. It should make a good over-decoys duck gun, too. The Inflex pad does a fine job of dampening recoil, and the Kinematic Drive (Browning’s name for “inertia”) works well. They list for $2279.
Browning 825 Smallbores
Browning makes the welcome addition of 20-, 28-gauge, and .410-bores to the Citori 825 O/U lineup. Last year, the 12-gauge version won our shotgun test for its clean lines, nice trigger, and all-around handiness and shootability in the uplands. The smallbores offer more of the same, with the trio all weighing in around 6 ½-pounds with 26- or 28-inch barrels and 3-inch chambers. The guns have silver-nitride receivers engraved with game scenes, and oil-finished Grade II/III walnut with slimmed-down versions of the Inflex II recoil pad. The 20s list for $3389.99, while the 28-gauge and .410 sell for $3469.99
Retay ACE and ACE-R
Retay follows up last year’s successful introduction of the ACE and ACE-R waterfowl guns with a slew of new models. New lines—and a choice of receiver profiles—as well as a reversible safety and Crio-pattern chokes did away with features that previously put some buyers off Retays. Now the ACEs come in several new versions, most with handsome walnut stocks, like the Upland UltraLight. The UltraLight features an eye-catching two-tone receiver, a shorter 24- or 26-inch barrel, and a shortened magazine tube to save weight for long walks in the uplands. It will be available in 12-, 20-, and 28-gauge, somewhere north of $1049.
Franchi Affinity
A favorite of hunters who prefer inertia reliability without the high price of top-of-the-line Benellis and Brownings, the Franchi Affinity received a makeover this year that now extends throughout the lineup. There are 17 refreshed models to look at, including a compact 20-gauge in black synthetic. The stock adjusts between 12 3/8 and 13 3/8 inches, and the gun has a 24-inch barrel. It’s drilled and tapped for an optic, too, so if you were to happen to buy it for a son or daughter who eventually outgrew it, it could become your own favorite turkey gun. It retails for $1049.
Mossberg International Maverick SA All-Purpose
Mossberg adds a pair of SA 12-gauge semiautos to its Maverick line for 2026. The SA guns have proven very popular for their reliability and affordability. These 12s shoot 2 ¾- and 3-inch shells interchangeably. Both have 28-inch barrels and stocks that adjust for length of pull with spacers (included). It comes in either satin walnut and blued metal ($623) or matte black metal and synthetic ($693).
