Special Report

The 10 Most Popular Semi-Automatic Shotguns in America, and How Much They Cost

Samuel Stebbins

Published: July 26, 2023 1:34 pm

Last Updated: July 26, 2023 1:37 pm

Introduced in the early 20th century, the Browning Auto-5 was the first commercially successful autoloading shotgun. A revolutionary design at the time, the Auto-5 worked by harnessing the gasses of a discharge to cycle the bolt and reload the chamber, allowing a shooter to fire a round with each trigger pull, and nothing more. 

In the more than 100 years since their introduction, autoloading, or semi-automatic shotguns, have become favorites among waterfowlers and both competitive and casual trap and skeet shooters. 

While break-action double-barrel shotguns, which predate the autoloader by centuries, also allow for a follow up shot with no more than a second trigger pull, these guns are limited to a shell capacity of two. Most autoloaders, meanwhile, have a magazine capacity of two to three times that amount. 

The advantages offered by the autoloader do not stop there. Semi-automatic shotguns are known to have less recoil than break- or pump-action guns, as the bolt absorbs much of the energy of a discharge in order to cycle. With a high rate of fire, easy follow up shots, and reduced recoil, many autoloading models have ranked among the most popular shotguns in the U.S. for decades, and remain so today. (Here is a look at America’s top shotgun companies.)

Using a report from Gungenius, which compiled sales data from Gunbroker.com, an online firearm marketplace, 24/7 Wall St. identified the 10 most popular autoloading shotguns in America. Guns are ranked on 2022 online sales, though exact sales numbers were not provided.  

A testament to the popularity of autoloaders, four of the 10 shotguns on this list also rank among the 10 best selling shotgun of any type. These models include three shotguns from Italian gunmakers Beretta and Benelli. (Here is a look at the 10 shotguns people bought the most online last year.)

It is important to note that this list was compiled using online gun sales only. Unlike most items purchased online, firearms are generally not shipped directly to your door. Typically, the process requires buyers to have their firearm shipped to a Federally Licensed Firearm dealer – usually a local gun store – which will then run a background check before transferring the gun to the customer. Still, as is the case with online shopping in general, the convenience and inventory offered by online retailers is a major draw for gun buyers.

Click here to see 10 semi-automatic shotguns Americans are buying the most.

Click here to see our detailed methodology.

Source: Courtesy of Armscor

10. Armscor/Rock Island Armory VR Series
> Approx. base price: $400
> Popular usage(s): Home defense
> Chambered in: 12 ga, 20 ga
> Parent company: Squires Bingham Manufacturing, Inc.
> Parent company domestic shotgun production, 2016-2020: N/A
> Parent company U.S. headquarters: Pahrump, NV

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Source: Courtesy of Benelli USA via Facebook

9. Benelli Ethos
> Approx. base price: $2,200
> Popular usage(s): Hunting, target shooting
> Chambered in: 12 ga, 20 ga, 28 ga
> Parent company: Beretta Holding
> Parent company domestic shotgun production, 2016-2020: 104,338 (3.5% of all U.S. shotgun production)
> Parent company U.S. headquarters: Accokeek, MD

Source: Courtesy of Browning

8. Browning A5
> Approx. base price: $1,540
> Popular usage(s): Hunting, target shooting
> Chambered in: 12 ga, 16 ga
> Parent company: Herstal Group
> Parent company domestic shotgun production, 2016-2020: N/A
> Parent company U.S. headquarters: Morgan, UT (Browning)

Source: Courtesy of Mossberg

7. Mossberg Model 940 Shotguns
> Approx. base price: $960
> Popular usage(s): Hunting, home defense, target shooting
> Chambered in: 12 ga
> Parent company: O.F. Mossberg & Sons Inc.
> Parent company domestic shotgun production, 2016-2020: 1,357,000 (45.3% of all U.S. shotgun production)
> Parent company U.S. headquarters: North Haven, CT

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Source: Courtesy of Mossberg

6. Mossberg 930 Autoloader
> Approx. base price: $820
> Popular usage(s): Hunting, home defense
> Chambered in: 12 ga
> Parent company: O.F. Mossberg & Sons Inc.
> Parent company domestic shotgun production, 2016-2020: 1,357,000 (45.3% of all U.S. shotgun production)
> Parent company U.S. headquarters: North Haven, CT

Source: Courtesy of Benelli USA via Facebook

5. Benelli M2
> Approx. base price: $1,400
> Popular usage(s): Hunting, home defense, target shooting
> Chambered in: 12 ga, 20 ga
> Parent company: Beretta Holding
> Parent company domestic shotgun production, 2016-2020: 104,338 (3.5% of all U.S. shotgun production)
> Parent company U.S. headquarters: Accokeek, MD

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Source: Courtesy of Winchester

4. Winchester Super X4
> Approx. base price: $910
> Popular usage(s): Hunting, target shooting
> Chambered in: 12 ga, 20 ga
> Parent company: Herstal Group
> Parent company domestic shotgun production, 2016-2020: N/A
> Parent company U.S. headquarters: New Haven, CT (Winchester)

24/7 Wall St.
America’s Top 10 Shotgun Companies

Beretta-A400... (CC BY-SA 4.0) by Picanox

3. Beretta A400
> Approx. base price: $1,700
> Popular usage(s): Hunting, target shooting
> Chambered in: 12 ga, 20 ga
> Parent company: Beretta Holding
> Parent company domestic shotgun production, 2016-2020: 104,338 (3.5% of all U.S. shotgun production)
> Parent company U.S. headquarters: Accokeek, MD

Source: Courtesy of Beretta USA

2. Beretta 1301
> Approx. base price: $1,360
> Popular usage(s): Target shooting, home defense
> Chambered in: 12 ga
> Parent company: Beretta Holding
> Parent company domestic shotgun production, 2016-2020: 104,338 (3.5% of all U.S. shotgun production)
> Parent company U.S. headquarters: Accokeek, MD

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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

1. Benelli M4
> Approx. base price: $2,100
> Popular usage(s): Home defense
> Chambered in: 12 ga
> Parent company: Beretta Holding
> Parent company domestic shotgun production, 2016-2020: 104,338 (3.5% of all U.S. shotgun production)
> Parent company U.S. headquarters: Accokeek, MD

Methodology

To identify the best selling semi-automatic shotguns in America, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a report from Gungenius, which uses data from Gunbroker.com, an online firearm sales platform. The model or model families that make up the guns on this list are ranked by their 2022 unit sales on Gunbroker.com. 

Data on 2016-2020 U.S. gun manufacturing totals for the companies on this list is from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Tobacco. Domestic manufacturing data was not available for every company on this list. 

Approximate base price for each firearm is from the manufacturer’s website. Many of the model families on this list have variations, however, that are far more expensive than the price listed in this story.