Best Upland Shotguns for 2025

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Technically, the upland bird hunting season is still open as this is written with quail seasons continuing for a few more days this month in the desert southwest, some of the South, and in Oklahoma and Texas. But for the most part, it’s time to oil shotguns, train bird dogs and look at what you’ll need for next fall.

Of course, you can also dream of a new upland bird hunting shotgun. And, that's a good thing because there are several models to choose from this year. We found a few at the recent 2025 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, and we’ve found a few more since then. And with some late-breaking news on the upland bird gun front the past several days, there’s no shortage of shotguns available for wingshooters already dreaming of sharptails, grouse, woodcock, pheasants and quail next fall. 

Remington 1816 Precision Double and 1816 Precision Field

Remington Firearms resurrected the iconic Remington firearms brand a few years back. They're doing the same in the near future with the announcement a few days ago about production of the Remington Model 1816 Precision Double, a single-trigger, side-by-side shotgun, and the Remington Model 1816 Precision Field over-and-under shotgun.

Both classic-looking shotguns harken back to the company's roots and its past history of producing some of the nation's top scatterguns, with everything from the Model 870 Wingmaster to the Model 1100 semi-auto.

"One of the first questions we got at Remington Firearms was when we were going to bring back some classic side-by-side and over-and-under shotguns" said Jeff Galloway, the company's product manager, in an interview with West Virginia outdoor writer and frequent OSG contributor Larry Case.

"We searched everywhere for the best answer. The Model 1816 Precision Double and the Model 1816 Precision Field by Remington were the choice for today's classic, modern needs," Galloway continued. "Under our strict quality requirements, we were able to have some of the finest shotguns produced currently in the world. Side-by-side and over-and-under shotguns require a lot of hands-on work and timing. No machine in the world can duplicate the hand fitment and attention to detail of our partnered master gunsmiths.

What are the specs for these two Remington twin barrels? To start with, the 1816 Precision Double side-by-side comes in 20-gauge with 28-inch blued steel barrels, a Grade 2 Turkish walnut stock, an overall length of 46-inches and checks in with a weight of 6.4 pounds. Add in 3-inch chambers, ejectors, a manual safety and barrel selector, a single gold trigger, a Prince of Wales straight cast stock, a fitted recoil pad, a splinter forend, hand checkering 24 LPI, a hand rubbed oil stock finish, case hardened receiver with engraving, a front brass bead sight, and five chokes (skeet, improved cylinder, light modified, modified, and full), and this is far more than your great-great grandaddy's old Remington double.

For the Model 1816 Precision Field over-and-under, this stack barrel checks in with a 12-gauge model featuring 28-inch vent-ribbed, blue steel barrels, Grade 2 Turkish walnut, an overall length of 46-inches, and a weight of 7 pounds. Sporting 3-inch chambers, this scattergun sports ejectors, a manual safety and barrel selector, a single gold trigger, a pistol grip straight cast stock, a fitted recoil pad, a Schnabel forend, hand checkering 24 LPI, a hand rubbed oil stock finish, a front ivory bead sight, a case hardened receiver with engraving, and five chokes (skeet, improved cylinder, light modified, modified, and full).

While there’s no price point announced just yet, and the guns are coming later this year, this announcement is a bold reentry into the classic shotgun realm once occupied by Remington, and either gun will be a stylish contender for top gun honors in a crowded field of upland scatterguns. MSRP: TBD

Benelli Ethos Upland AI

The gunmakers at Benelli have made their ETHOS Upland Series even better, adding the superior corrosion protection of BE.S.T. barrels to a gun that already features Benelli's Inertia Driven System for reliable cycling of shotshells. 

Add in a 28-inch-long 12-gauge barrel, a red fiber-optic front sight, a progressive comfort stock configuration, an anodized gray receiver finish, and a AA-Grade satin walnut stock finish, and this gun is a first class looker. And with little things added in like an enlarged bolt handle and bolt-release lever, it's also a high performance upland gun that will get the job done as you hustle down the corn field edge to a pointer locked up on a big rooster 100-yards away. 

Add in the Crio System that combines a barrel frozen to -300 degrees Fahrenheit with a specially longer choke tube that is cryogenically treated, and you'll find denser and more uniform shot patterns downrange.

And when you're in position downrange and the rooster erupts into a cobalt blue autumn sky, you'll rest easier knowing that as you pull the trigger, the Benelli scattergun's Advanced Impact system enhances the shotshell's energy, gives a more uniform and tighter shot string, and delivers improved knock-down power at the impact point thanks to an improved pattern of pellet density. 

All of that means quicker limits in the field and a whole lot of "Hey, let me look at that shotgun!" requests back at the truck! MSRP: $3,099

Beretta Ultraleggero Kick-Off

Coming in 12-gauge versions featuring either a 28-inch or a 26-inch barrel, this exclusive series from long-time Italian gunmaker Beretta is specifically designed to be the lightest steel receiver shotgun out there, while still delivering the same strength and balance that scattergun enthusiasts have come to expect from Beretta.

Checking in at either 6.4 or 6.6 pounds, depending on the barrel length you chose, the Ultraleggero Kick-Off features the lighter steel receiver, techno-polymer receiver inserts (with a floral motif, or personalized and/or customized possibilities too), an Extralight recoil pad, and Stellium Optima-Bore HP barrels for top-flight performance and consistent shot patterns downrange.

Chambered for shotshells up to 3 inches, this over-and-under comes with an automatic safety, a 14.75-inch length of pull, Grade 2.5 wood on the stock and forend and Beretta's OptimaChoke HP choke tube system. 

In short, this Beretta stack barrel shotgun is tailor made for upland game bird hunters wanting a stylish, lightweight and fast-handling gun that will put a limit of chukars, shaprtails, ringneck roosters or ruffed grouse in the game vest. MSRP: $3,259 

Browning Citori 825 Field

As we’ve pointed out in this space before, Browning has a legendary history when it comes to over-and-under shotguns. That includes the famed Belgium-made Superposed to the more recent Cynergy lineup, including the Cynergy Wicked Wing model in several camo patterns including Mossy Oak's iconic Bottomland.

But recently, all of the chatter about the Utah gunmaker has tended to focus on the Browning Citori lineup and its 50-plus years of the Citori's legacy. That recent talk centers upon the Citori 825 Field model in 12-gauge, 3-inch shotshell editions, one with a 26-inch barrel and the other with a 28-inch barrel. 

Aimed at upland bird hunters, this stack barrel will also perform well in field hunting for geese and ducks, in addition to the duck blind. With a Grade II/III black walnut stock featuring a gloss oil finish and a silver nitride receiver finish, this shotgun features a chrome-plated chamber, a polished blue barrel finish, an Inflex 2 recoil pad, a gold-plated trigger, and full, modified, and improved cylinder screw-in chokes.

While it’s true that some might think it best to avoid taking this stylish over-and-under out into the harshest weather conditions, Outdoor Sportsman Group contributor Jace Bauserman proved otherwise when he tested the shotgun out on a ptarmigan hunt in Alaska. 

Built on Browning's famous stack barrel legacy, this shotgun should treat you well in the uplands and in hunting ducks and geese in the Lower 48 for years to come. MSRP: $3,145

Franchi Instinct Sideplate SPLX

If you watch "The Flush" upland bird hunting television show on Outdoor Channel, you probably notice host Travis Frank often carrying either a stylish stack barrel from Benelli or an over-and-under from its sister brand Franchi on his weekly quests for pheasants, sharptails, grouse, woodcock and more.

One of the best offerings from Franchi this year is the Instinct Sideplate SPLX—an over-and-under that comes in either 12- or 20-gauge models. This model is beautiful to behold, with pheasant and partridge engravings on the 12 gauge and quail and chukar engravings on the 20 gauge, along with a Prince of Wales grip on the stock, a slim and tapered Schnabel forend, and cut checkering on both pieces of the AA grade walnut furniture. Add in a gold single trigger and an unobtrusive recoil pad, and this gun will certainly get some attention at the pre- and post-hunt tailgate gatherings.

On the shooting side of this scattergun's frame are an aluminum alloy receiver finish, 28-inch long barrels, 3-inch chambering, auto ejectors, a horizontal barrel selector with on the tang-mounted safety (the latter is an auto-safety), vented barrels to assist with heat dissipation, a vent rib that helps with the heat as well as dampening mirage, a fiber-optic sight and five extended choke tubes (cylinder, improved cylinder, modified, improved modified and full). Other options are also available, including ported choke tubes and flush choke tubes.

Whether you film an upland bird hunting TV show or not, this Italian-made shotgun is big on looks and performance, harking back to a time and place where shotgun making in Europe featured guns that functioned at the highest levels, while also looking elegant and sleek. Add in a custom-fitted hard case, and this stack barrel is top shelf indeed. MSRP: $2,849

Mossberg International Gold Reserve

Mossberg's over-and-under shotguns continue to be the perfect blend of function and price point value if you're in the market for a stack barreled scattergun, and the Mossberg International Gold Reserve certainly warrants a place near the top of the American gun making scattergun list.

Checking in with 30-inch barrels that are polished blue, this ejector-equipped 12 gauge comes with a polished silver receiver with gold inlay work, 3-inch chambering, a vent rib, a Grade A satin-finished black walnut stock, a 14-inch length of pull and a weight of 7.5 pounds.

Thanks to a tang-mounted safety and barrel selector switch on top, dual locking lugs, and jeweled actions and corrosion-resistant chrome-lined bores and chambers, this stylish twin barrel from Mossberg looks good on the gun rack above the fireplace mantle while also delivering plenty of shooting punch in the American uplands. MSRP: $1,135

Savage RENEGAUGE PRAIRIE

Not every upland bird hunter is on a quest to find a shotgun made in England or Italy. Some, who are looking for a gun that can pull waterfowl hunting double duty or handle a lot of upland bird hunting abuse, want something that performs extremely well, is reliable and gets the job done with a more modern look.

That’s where the American-made Savage RENEGAUGE PRAIRIE checks in with its feature-heavy model with 3-inch chambering, a D.R.I.V. gas operated semi-auto system that handles both low brass and high brass with less felt recoil, consistent shell ejection, and shot-after-shot dependability. The shotgun features oversized controls, an adjustable stock (for length of pull, comb height, and drop and cast), a stock rod buffer to reduce felt recoil, a carbon steel vent-ribbed barrel that is fluted with melonite finish and a red fiber-optic sight.

Along with this scattergun's TrueTimber Prairie stock and Desert Sand Cerakote receiver and barrel finish, the oversized controls and an easy to use loading magazine port, and four Beretta/Benelli Mobil chokes (improved cylinder, modified, full and extended turkey), and there isn't much that this shotgun doesn't deliver in either shooter fit or in-the-field operation as a big rooster vaults skyward on a windy, autumn day. MSRP: $1,349

Spandau Arms Premier Field

The good-looking Spandau Premier over-and-under shotgun checks in with a consumer-friendly price tag that isn't too much nor too little. Available in four gauges (12, 20, 28 and .410 bore), these shotguns come with 3-inch chambers with either 26 or 28-inch barrels.

With Turkish walnut furniture, this box lock action twin barrel also comes with a fiber-optic front bead, a mechanical single trigger, selectable firing order for the barrels, a length of pull of 14 3/8 inches, and a Benelli Mobil choke tube system. It doesn't have a lot of fancy engraving or checkering, but then again, nobody on a traditional block-and-push pheasant hunt in South Dakota is going to care much about that when you outshoot the orange army in a cut corn field!

FYI, if you’re looking for more information on this scattergun, Colton Heward with our Outdoor Sportsman Group sister publication Petersen’s Hunting recently did an in-depth review of this Spandau model. If you’re interested in this stack barrel, have a look. MSRP: $1350

Weatherby Orion Sub-Gauge Side by Sides

Yes, the Weatherby Orion Side-by-Side shotguns were introduced a couple of years ago and have received plenty of reviews by our OSG publications, including this one by yours truly here at Game & Fish magazine and this one from Brad Fitzpatrick over at Gun Dog Magazine. Weatherby recently announced that the box lock action side-by-side is now available in sub-gauge offerings of 28 gauge and .410 bore.

For the 28 gauge, the Orion side-by-side model checks in with the gun's classical styling with a straight English stock and splinter forend along with double triggers set in a long tang triggerguard. With 28-inch barrels featuring a swamp rib and brass bead sight, the barrels have a classic matte blued finish and an oil rubbed finish on the Grade A walnut furniture. With an overall length of 46 inches and a weight of 6.7 ponds, the 28-gauge model is chambered for up to 3-inch shotshells, has length of pull options between 13.75 and 14.75 inches, and comes with five Yildiz chokes (skeet, improved modified, improved cylinder, modified, and full).

The .410 version of the Orion features the same construction and finish details noted above for the 28-gauge, while also checking in with a weight of 6 pounds. MSRP: $999

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