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Best Shotgun Brands

Explore the Best Shotgun Brands and Manufacturers

A good shotgun can be a trusted part of your hunting, home defense, recreation, and more. But not all shotguns are created equal: you need to make sure you have a reliable firearm that is built for your intended purpose. There are several shotgun brands that are known to create high quality shotguns consistently, and we’ve compiled a list here for you.

Selecting the Best Shotgun Brand

When you're looking for the best shotgun, you're looking for the best shotgun brand. Whether you'll be gearing up for home defense, waterfowl hunting, or other purposes, you'll need a shotgun that is durable, affordable, and easy to use. The most trusted shotgun manufacturers will offer an array of shotguns for beginners and experts for any purpose. When choosing a shotgun brand, the primary factors are:

  1. Reliability
  2. Durability
  3. Ergonomics
  4. Affordability
  5. Variety

Our Top Picks

The best shotgun for you is going to depend on what type of shooting you’ll be doing, as well as your personal skill level and preferences. Still, there are a few manufacturers that consistently hit the mark in producing above-average shotguns. Following you’ll find a few of our favorite shotgun manufacturers, including . If you want a longer list to choose from, we’ve also included a table detailing specifics of all leading manufacturers of shotguns below.

1. Benelli

Benelli is an Italian gunmaker, and they are best known for their high-quality shotguns. These firearms are used by military, law enforcement, hunters, and home defenders alike. If you’re looking for a semi-automatic shotgun, the Benelli Super Black Eagle was one of the first that was able to fire shotgun shells from 2.75” to 3.5”.

Benelli M2 Field Left Hand Black 12 Gauge 3in Semi Automatic Shotgun

Benelli has a wide range of semi-automatic shotguns, but you can also find over/under and pump action shotguns. Benelli even offers convertible shotguns, which allow you to swap out the action. The Benelli M3 is a particularly popular convertible shotgun.

2. Beretta

If you want a trusted brand that’s going to give you a world of options, Beretta is an excellent place to look. They’ve also been in the business longer than any other firearms manufacturer across the globe, after opening their doors in 1526. Another Italian company, Beretta’s firearms are utilized by military, law enforcement, and civilians for tactics, hunting, home defense, and more.

Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I Vittoria 20 Gauge Over Under Shotgun

The Beretta Xtrema2 is a popular choice for waterfowlers thanks to its simplicity and light recoil. Their selection includes semi-automatic, over/under, and side by side shotguns.

3. Remington

Remington may not go all the way back to medieval times like Beretta, but they’re still one of the older manufacturers around. Remington was founded in 1816 and has been a creator of high-quality firearms with an excellent reputation ever since.

Remington 870 Special Purpose Marine Magnum Electroless Nickel-Plated 12 Gauge 3in Pump Action Shotgun

Remington is known for a variety of firearms, including rifles that offer a classic feel to hunters. But their best-selling gun of all time is in fact the Remington Model 870, originally introduced in 1950 and still serving military, law enforcement, and sportsmen today.

4. Winchester

Winchester is one of the best-known names in firearms and ammunition, so it’s no surprise that they top the list for shotguns as well. Based in New Haven, Connecticut, Winchester offers a range of shotguns, including some based on designs of John Browning.

Winchester 101 Deluxe Field Gloss Black AAA Maple 12 Gauge 3in Over Under Shotgun

Their shotgun models can be used for hunting, home defense, and more. Their lines include the Super X4 Autoloading Shotguns, Super X Pump Pump-Action Shotguns, Super X3 Autoloading Shotguns, and Model 101 Over and Under Shotguns.

5. Browning

Browning is a trusted manufacturer of shotguns, rifles, and pistols, as well as fishing supplies and accessories. Their founder John Browning was a renowned firearm designer, and in fact created the semi-automatic shotgun and the modern version of the over/under shotgun.

Browning Citori CXS White 20/28 Gauge Combo 3in Blued/Walnut Over Under Shotgun

These designs have evolved to bring you some of the best shotgun options on the market today. Browning’s most popular offerings include the BPS pump-action shotgun and the Auto-5 semi-automatic shotgun. Browning also offers a line of shotguns specifically for trap shooters.

And A Few More…

While we’ve highlighted these manufacturers as our favorites, this doesn’t scratch the surface of excellent shotgun production worldwide. This chart will help you compare brands quickly and decide where to start your search – so start clicking through the pages of Sportsman’s Warehouse to find the shotgun that’s perfect for you.

Brand Description
ATI American Tactical (ATI) is an American firearm manufacturer offering pump action, semi-automatic, over/under, single shot, single barrel, and double barrel shotguns. Some of the most popular ATI shotguns include the ATI Cavalry, which comes in 12GA, 20GA, .410GA, and 28GA, and the ATI Milsport 410GA.
Benelli Benelli USA is an American company manufacturing semi-automatic, pump action, hybrid semi-automatic and pump, and over/under shotguns in 12 gauge, 20 gauge, 28 gauge, and increments within 12 gauge. Some of the most popular Benelli shotguns include the Super Black Eagle 3, ETHOS Semi-Automatic, and 828U Over/Under.
Beretta Beretta is an Italian firearm manufacturer offering semi-automatic and over/under, and side by side shotguns. Many of Beretta's shotguns are very popular, including the Beretta Silver Pigeon III, the Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon 1 Sporter, and the Beretta 692.
Browning Browning Arms Company is an American company manufacturing semi-automatic, over/under, and pump action shotguns. The most popular of Browning's offerings include the Citori 725, Browning A5 Hunter High Grade, Browning Superposed, Browning BT-99, and Browning 2000.
CZ USA CZ USA is an American branch of a Czech company making semi-automatic, over/under, and side by side shotguns. Some of the most popular CZ USA shotguns include the CZ USA 612, the CZ All-American, the CZ All-Terrain Series, and the CZ Bobwhite G2 Project Upland.
Charles Daly Charles Daly is an Italian firearms brand offering semi-automatic, pump action, over/under, side by side, single barrel, and triple barrel shotguns. Charles Daly's most popular shotguns include Model 601, Model 500 series, and the unique Triple Crown 3 Barrel shotgun.
EAA European American Armory (EAA) is a Florida-based company manufacturing pump action, over/under, and side by side sporting and defense shotguns. EAA's most popular offerings include the Akkar Churchil 512, Akkar Churchill 812 series, and Girsan MC312 series.
Escort Escort Shotguns, a division of Hatsan Arms Company, makes high performance over/under, pump action, and semi-automatic shotguns in 12GA, 20GA, and 410Cal. Escort's most popular offerings include the Escort FieldHunter Turkey, Escort PS Turkey Hunter, and Escort BTS410 - Bullpup.
FN FN Herstal is a firearms manufacturer based in Belgium that offers over/under shotguns. They offer the FN SC 1 Over/under shotgun, available in 12-gauge 2 3/4" magnum in blue, black, or green models.
Fausti Fausti is an Italian company manufacturing side by side, over/under, and semi-automatic shotguns. Their most popular shotguns include the Fausti BC100 Over/Under and Fausti Classico Side by Side Hammer Gun.
Franchi Franchi is an Italian firearm manufacturer and subsidiary of Beretta, offering semi-automatic and over/under shotguns. Some of Franchi's most popular shotguns include the Franchi Affinity 3 Semiautomatic Shotgun, Franchi Instinct L Over/Under Shotgun, and the Franchi Afinity Elite 20-gauge.
Henry Henry Repeating Arms is an American company manufacturing single shot and lever action shotguns. Henry's most popular shotguns include the Henry Lever Action X Model .410 Shotgun, Henry Single Shot Shotgun, and Henry Lever Action .410 Gauge 20" Shotgun.
JTS JTS Group is a Texas-based firearms manufacturer offering inertia system, traditional, pump action, over/under, semi-automatic, and tactical shotguns. Some of JTS' most popular offerings include the JTS M12AR and M12AK shotgun series.
Kel-tec Kel-Tec is unquestionably one of the most successful innovators in the American gun industry. They are known for producing quality exotic gun designs at very affordable prices, including the Kel-Tec PMR-30, Kel-Tec SU-16 and Kel-Te Sub 2000.
Mossberg Mossberg is recognized as one the premier American manufacturers of quality tactical shotguns used by law enforcement and for home defense. Their most popular models include the Mossberg 590, Mossberg 500 pump-action and Mossberg 590 Shockave.
Pointer Pointer offers several shotgun options from competition shotguns to game-specific hunting application to home and self defense. Pointer shotguns are build tough and built to last. They offer several models including Acrius, Field Teck, Sport Tek, LUX and Pups.
Remington As one of America's oldest gun makers, Remington has earned a reputation of building high quality precision firearms that are built to last. Remington manufactures shotguns for waterfowl and turkey hunting, tactical, home defense, sport and competition.
Retay If you're looking for the perfect shotgun at the perfect price, think 'Retay'. Retay produces top-tier affordable shotguns that are lightweight, light recoiling and accurate. Retay might not be the biggest brand, but they certainly manufacture top performing shotguns.
Rizzini Rizzini offers some the finest field hunting and sport competition shotguns on the market today. The best way to describe Rizzini shotguns is 'state-of-the-art gunmaking meets old-school craftsmanship'. There is no substitute for a Rizzini shotgun.
Rock Island Armory Rock Island Armory combines time tested and proven shotgun design with state-of-the-art technology to produce shotguns that meet sporting, self defense and tactical needs. Shotguns options include semi auto, pump and break action.
Rossi When it comes to shotguns, Rossi leads the way in design, engineering and performance. Rossi shotguns are known for being both highly reliable and highly affordable. Rossi offers the timeless single shot open breech design with all the modern upgrades.
Savage Arms Savage Arms produces high quality semi-auto, bolt action, break action and single shot shotguns for a wide variety of applications including small game hunting, turkey hunting, waterfowl hunting, home defense, sport and competition.
Stevens From home defense to turkey hunting to trap shooting, Stevens offers a wide variety of shotgun styles, configurations and options to choose from. Stevens shotguns are know for being highly durable, reliable and accurate.
Stoeger With the performance of a Bennelli and reliability of a Remington, Stoeger shotguns are right there at the top of the pack. Best of all, you can typically pick up a Stoeger at a very reasonable price.
Tristar TriStar Arms is a top importer of quality shotguns for hunting, sport and competition. Not only does Tristar offer a quality shotgun, they provide unbeatable customer support and service, backed by a five year warranty.
Weatherby When people think 'guns', they think 'Weatherby'. When people think 'quality' they think 'Weatherby'. Weatherby produces some of most durable, reliable and accurate firearms in the industry--and their line of shotguns is no exception.
Winchester Winchester repeating arms offers a large selection of the highest quality autoloading, pump action, and over/under shotguns of any firearm manufacturer. Winchester shotguns are designed for a number of applications including hunting, sport and competition.
* The list of best shotgun brands above is limited to those brands carried by Sportsman's Warehouse. Brands are listed in alphabetical order.