I’m a shotgun nerd. I like shotguns, big and small and in a multitude of calibers. Shotguns just rule. Just when you think we have shotguns figured out, someone can come to SHOT and bring out a new model or two. In fact, this year, we were able to find five new shotguns that mix both sporting and tactical needs. Let’s dive into 2024’s best new shotguns.
Palmetto State Armory’s 570
I, like many, had no earthly idea PSA would bring a pump-action shotgun to the market. However, they didn’t just bring a pump-action shotgun; they brought to bear a gun that’s quite revolutionary. The PSA 570 is a pump action 12 gauge that blends features and elements from the Mossberg 500 and Remington 870 series with a few rather nice touches from the minds at Palmetto State Armory.
The 570 is a clever name for PSA’s shotgun. While the gun uses a tang safety similar to Mossberg’s design, it’s not compatible with Mossberg safeties.
The gun is compatible with Remington 870 furniture. Ultimately, PSA didn’t just rehash a simple pump shotgun; they took it to the next level. For example, they added a receiver optics cut for direct mounting of optics. Up front, we have a sight that’s compatible with Glock front sights.
The guns are designed to be fully user-serviceable. Much like PSA’s AR-15s, the 570 series is designed for the user to build the gun from the ground up. You can just purchase a receiver and build the gun you want. Overall, it’s the only shotgun I know of that’s been produced with this level of customization. PSA plans to build an entire line of shotgun accessories and parts after the gun is released.
At SHOT, the gun proved to be fairly light, with a super slick action and a great set of furniture from PSA. They’ve more or less made their own Magpul SGA-style furniture for the guns, which you can’t help but love.
Beretta 1301 Mod.2
The Beretta 1301 isn’t a new gun, but it conquered the world of tactical shotguns. With that success, Beretta has been very active in upgrading the 1301, and the latest model is known as the Mod.2. The Mod.2 retains the classic BLINK gas system that’s crazy fast and ultra-reliable. The guns are fairly light with a serious lack of recoil.
With the Mod.2, we get a few new features and a fairly new stock option that make it rank among the best new shotguns. The basic improvements include M-LOK on the handguard, an aluminum top rail, a shrouded bolt release, and more aggressive stippling on the forend.
The more involved and less seen improvements include a Pro Lifter, easily interchangeable front sight, and one-piece seven-round magazine tube.
The Beretta 1301 Mod.2 is also coming with the Chisel Machining stock. In fact, there are two models: folding and collapsing and collapsing only. These pistol grip stocks are fascinating. They’re made from machined metal and incorporate a simple optics mount that allows the shooter to co-witness with their iron sights.
Heritage Badlander
Heritage Manufacturing is well known for its simple Rough Rider series. These .22 LR revolvers are super cheap, easy to find, and a ton of fun to shoot. For this year, Heritage Manufacturing expanded beyond the Rough Rider revolvers and into the world of shotguns. The Heritage Badlander is a side-by-side double barrel, 12-gauge shotgun cut down to traditional coach gun length and size.
The Heritage Badlander is super simple, as well as short and lightweight. This boxlock shotgun with internal hammers features a fairly nice trigger. You don’t expect — or even need — a good trigger with a shotgun, but the Heritage Badlander is surprisingly smooth. In fact, all of the controls were smooth.
The barrel lock was smooth as was the tang safety. The gun breaks open slightly stiff, but that’s normal for new shotguns. The short 18.5-inch barrel allows you to play coach rider and pretend to protect the fortunes of Wells Fargo from highwaymen. If shooting SASS isn’t your game, then the Badlander is still an affordable double-barrel option for the end user. It’s a great working gun, or even a good hunting option, although the chokes are fixed cylinder bore designs. I imagine that much like the Rough Riders, the Badlander will be an affordable and fun gun that’s robust and reliable.
KelTec KSG 410
The KelTec KSG intoduced an entirely new genre of shotguns. The concept of a bullpup shotgun wasn’t new, but the KSG proved it was viable. The KelTec KS 410 delivers you the same dual tube design that’s now shrunk down to a micro-sized bore. The KelTec KSG chambered in .410 holds up to 14 rounds of 2.5-inch shells,. More than just a different shotgun chambering, the entire gun has been shrunk and downsized.
It’s super lightweight with hardly any bulk or excess. The KSG weighs 5.4 pounds and is only 1.7 inches wide. This creates a super lightweight and manageable shotgun that still packs a decent wallop with the .410 cartridge. If one can’t do it, then 14 certainly will. The gun retains the same KSG design in terms of ergonomics, as well as its optic’s ready nature.
On range day, it proved to be very easy to handle with almost zero recoil. The gun barely barked as you pulled the trigger. With slugs, the gun was easy to manage. I could ring steel at the far end of the KelTec booth with a set of flip-up iron sights and nothing more. While the .410 KSG seems odd, it’s effectively one of the most compact shotguns with very little recoil and the ability to hold 14 rounds. What’s not to love?
The Rev .410
While another .410 for the market, the Rev .410 is radically different. The “Rev” stands for revolver. That’s right, it’s a shotgun with a revolving cylinder. It’s not a handgun and certainly not a Judge clone. The Rev is actually a smooth-bore shotgun that allows you to pack five .410 rounds in a fairly small and light weapon.
The Rev .410 comes in a sporting configuration with a wood stock and long 24-inch barrel. It’s a really good-looking gun with excellent wooden furniture. In addition, there’s a tactical model available complete with a shorter barrel, M-LOK handguard, pistol grip, and adjustable stock. Both guns feature blast shields to prevent the cylinder and barrel from scorching your arm.
These are Turkish and I’m always cautious with Turkish shotguns. Frankly, some can be absolute junk and I hope that’s not the case here. These double-action guns sport exposed hammers, so you can always cock the gun for a more accurate shot with a lighter trigger pull. I have high hopes for these guns and think the sporting version might be an awesome and fun shotgun for hunting small game.
Scatter Guns For All
SHOT Show 2024 didn’t disappoint with a wide variety of shotguns on display. We saw a nice mix of different gauges, action types, and more. Outside of the best new shotguns, we even got a dose of 20-gauge Federal Flitecontrol, but that’s another article for another day. Today, we are focusing on hardware and, as you can see, there’s plenty of it.
