Trends in Upland Bird Guns

This is a market where tradition rules.

By Phil Bourjaily

If your store is in upland bird country, or if your customers travel to hunt birds, stock the guns uplanders want. Upland hunters are picky. They want guns that are light and easy to carry, quick to mount and, often, pretty to look at. Besides serving your upland clientele, walnut-and-steel upland guns add some variety and some eye-candy to a gun rack full of black and camo repeaters. Even customers who may not hunt birds much are drawn to attractive upland guns. For many people, an O/U or a side-by-side remains an aspirational choice, especially if the gun is there for them to see whenever they come into your store. There are several trends and fads among upland guns you should be aware of as you place your orders for the year.

Trends to Look For

Very few hunters want a pump for upland hunting anymore. Break-actions and semi-autos rule, and I’d guess that among semi-autos inertia guns are more popular than gas guns for upland hunting because they are trimmer, especially in the forearm. Also, upland hunters don’t shoot the heavy loads that waterfowl and turkey hunters prefer, so the recoil reduction of a gas gun isn’t as important to them.

Weight matters to bird hunters, and light guns are easy to sell. There are plenty of alloy-framed O/Us and ultralight semi-autos on the market now. People love the way they feel when they pick them up at the store.

While 12s and, especially 20s, are the most popular upland gauges, there has been a lot of interest in 28 gauges in recent years. Sixteen-gauge sales are up, too. Upland hunters love small-bore guns.

Side-by-side guns have enjoyed an uptick in popularity. Still, the majority of break-action sales will be in O/Us, which most people find easier to shoot.

Traditionally, upland hunters preferred shorter barrels, but 28 inches for break actions is standard now, and semi-auto buyers are split between 26- and 28-inch barrels, with some even preferring 24-inch guns. Some thick-cover grouse and woodcock hunters still believe in shorter barrels, though, so take regional taste into account.

No doubt gunmakers will be adding new upland guns to their lineups for SHOT 2026. Based on existing lines, here are the booths you’ll want to visit and the lines you’ll want to examine as you search out upland shotguns for your customers.

Beretta

Over/unders are still the most popular break-action, and Beretta’s O/Us are great upland bird guns. Beretta’s 686 Silver Pigeon is a classic that received a makeover in 2025. A trim, lightweight O/U, it’s a bulletproof design. The chances of a customer having a problem with the gun are almost zero.

The Ultraleggero O/U is an ultralight 12-gauge gun that offers the versatility of a 12 with the weight of a smaller bore. It has cutouts in the steel frame filled with polymer panels to save weight, and, while non-traditional, it’s a good looking, easy-carrying gun.

Semi-auto fans will find a lot to like in the A400 lineup. These are some of the best gas guns made, and the 28-gauge A400 Upland and the A400 Xplor in 12 and 20 gauges are also very appealing choices.

Beretta

Benelli/Franchi

Benelli’s 828U O/U in 20 gauge appeals to Benelli fans, of whom there are a lot. The Montefeltro and Ethos inertia semi-autos, and especially the Montefeltro Ultra Light, make great upland guns.

Franchi shares a booth with parent company Benelli. There you will find both the Instinct O/Us and the Affinity semi-autos. The Instinct lineup comprises both steel and lightweight alloy-framed O/Us in 12, 16, 20 and 28 gauges. These are Italian O/Us at an attractive price.

The Affinity line, likewise, puts a quality Italian-made inertia gun in a hunter’s hands for much less than the price of a Benelli. Lightweight and sturdy, the Affinity makes a great choice for hunters who want the firepower of a semi-auto in a trim package at a price where it doesn’t hurt quite so much when you drag the gun through heavy cover.

Browning

Browning’s O/U lineup is full of good upland guns. The new 825 was available only in 12 gauge last year. I hunted with one of those 12s and loved it last fall. Browning may offer line extensions of the 825 for 2026. If not, its predecessor, the 725 comes in 12, 20, and 28 gauges, and in a “Feather” lightweight version with an alloy receiver that is of special interest to uplanders.

Both the Sweet 16 and 20-gauge A5 inertia semi-autos are terrific bird guns weighing under six pounds, making them among the lightest of upland shotguns.

Browning almost always has a wide selection of its O/U and semi-auto guns as “SHOT Show special” limited runs found only at the show, and it’s a good bet there will be upland guns among them.

CZ-USA

CZ’s line of Turkish-made O/Us and side-by-sides has a following among upland hunters who find the guns to be reliable and priced right around the $1,000 sweet spot. The Bobwhite is a traditional, two-trigger, no-frills side-by-side available in 12, 20, and 28 gauges. The Sharptail adds a single trigger and a pistol grip to the side-by-side action. CZ has O/Us, too, particularly the Redhead, the Drake, and the Quail, which is a scaled-down gun that’s good fit for many smaller hunters and some women.

Dickinson

Dickinson guns are made by Akus/Komando, one of Turkey’s very finest gunmakers. The Estate and Plantation side-by-sides are beautifully finished guns with traditional looks but modern metallurgy that is safe with steel shot. The Estate, especially, is a lot of gun for the money. The Planation adds decorative sideplates that elevate both the price and the gun’s appearance. The guns come in all five gauges built on proportional frames, too.

Mossberg

Best known for the Model 500 pump (a good budget upland gun in 20 gauge in its own right), Mossberg imports Turkish O/Us in its Gold and Silver Reserve series, which offers all the gauges at prices starting below $1,000. The Turkish-made SA gas semi-auto in 20 or 28 gauge also makes a very good upland bird gun.

Retay

Retay built its name in the waterfowl market with reliable, well-fit-and-finished inertia semi-autos. Those same guns clean up nicely for upland work, once they’re given Turkish walnut stocks. Both the entry-level Gordion and the higher-end Masai Mara can be ordered with handsome wood stocks in 12 and 20 gauges at very reasonable prices.

Savage

The Stevens 555 and 555E O/Us are feather light thanks to alloy receivers, and they come in all five gauges. The 555 is the base model. The E adds a silver receiver and some engraving. Either is a handsome gun in that $800 to $1,000 price range that seems to sell well.

Tristar

Tristar’s Phoenix is priced in reach of almost anybody who wants the nostalgic looks of a side-by-side without a big double-gun price tag. The Turkish-made gun has a single trigger, extractors, gloss walnut, and case-colored receiver. It comes in 12 and 20 gauges. Tristar also offers a slightly higher-grade Bristol side-by-side for a bit more than $1,000.

Winchester

Winchester’s Super X4 gas semi-auto is one of the best buys around, and often the gun I recommend to first-time shotgun buyers no matter what they want a gun for. While not strictly a field gun, there is a wood-stocked field model in 12 and 20, along with compact and true left-hand versions and a dressed up Upland Field Model with an engraved silver receiver. They aren’t super light, but they are great all-around shotguns that work in the uplands, the wetlands, and on the range.