Retay
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I was looking into the Retay compact 20 for my son but I stumbled into a nice CZ for him on this site. From the limited info I could find, they have pretty decent reviews.
That said, I really can't imagine they're on the same level as Beretta. I have an A400 that is the best gun I've ever owned. Not one single issue in over 10k rounds. It just keeps going and going. Their gas system is ridiculously clean.
Retay is inertia driven. Beretta is gas. Pretty sure the Retay system is another copy of the Benelli system that everyone has copied in recent years.
That said, I really can't imagine they're on the same level as Beretta. I have an A400 that is the best gun I've ever owned. Not one single issue in over 10k rounds. It just keeps going and going. Their gas system is ridiculously clean.
Retay is inertia driven. Beretta is gas. Pretty sure the Retay system is another copy of the Benelli system that everyone has copied in recent years.
txaggie1
Well-Known Member
We hunt with an outfitter in western Oklahoma every year for duck/geese and the owner uses them. So my step son and his father in-law joined the band wagon so to speak.
So first I'll say most guns used by outfitters/guides will be proven for durability. I can tell you his comments are the are more affordable, easy to disassemble/clean.
They are slender build on overall profile (furniture really) and pistol grip/forearm area compared to like a Beretta as you mention. They are inertia driven and would be more comparable if you will to Benelli style. I'm a Benelli man myself and not necessarily a snob for them either (they fit right for me is all) - I recently sold 2 Beretta A400's as I didn't like the bulk of the pistol grip but mainly because I'm left handed and they were RH shotguns the bolt on these things stick out so far it catches bulky duck hunting cold weather clothes from time to time.
The only downside I've experienced with them was on my son's 12 it would jam on lighter loads such as dove loads, magnums it extracted just fine no matter how long and it was shot plenty as he genuinely uses a shotgun. He has a super vinci i bought him for his 16th birthday and 12 years later had to replace a spring finally because he used for everything - lol. Anyway i that's one field report on one shotgun and to be fair of the 15-16 benelli's i've owned over the years that same thing happened to me with an M2 20ga model. I'm not sure what his ultimate descision will be. I don't need another shotgun but if i wanted a more affordable gun to do more hunting in the salt-water area the price point would be appealing to me over taking a 15-1800 shotgun.
So first I'll say most guns used by outfitters/guides will be proven for durability. I can tell you his comments are the are more affordable, easy to disassemble/clean.
They are slender build on overall profile (furniture really) and pistol grip/forearm area compared to like a Beretta as you mention. They are inertia driven and would be more comparable if you will to Benelli style. I'm a Benelli man myself and not necessarily a snob for them either (they fit right for me is all) - I recently sold 2 Beretta A400's as I didn't like the bulk of the pistol grip but mainly because I'm left handed and they were RH shotguns the bolt on these things stick out so far it catches bulky duck hunting cold weather clothes from time to time.
The only downside I've experienced with them was on my son's 12 it would jam on lighter loads such as dove loads, magnums it extracted just fine no matter how long and it was shot plenty as he genuinely uses a shotgun. He has a super vinci i bought him for his 16th birthday and 12 years later had to replace a spring finally because he used for everything - lol. Anyway i that's one field report on one shotgun and to be fair of the 15-16 benelli's i've owned over the years that same thing happened to me with an M2 20ga model. I'm not sure what his ultimate descision will be. I don't need another shotgun but if i wanted a more affordable gun to do more hunting in the salt-water area the price point would be appealing to me over taking a 15-1800 shotgun.
Lovellr653
Well-Known Member
No experience with Retay, but absolutely love my A400 Xtreme Plus. It's runs everything I've put through it from reduced recoil target loads to 3 1/2" turkey and Goose loads. Recoil is well managed with the gas system. If you can, go shoulder as many shotguns as you can, you might be surprised what you end up liking.
Have a friend who owns a Retay 20 ga. Had it break twice in the first year. The gun shot great but the magazine tube kept coming apart. It is a design issue. I own a Beretta A400 in 12 ga and love it, but I own two Franchi Affinity 3's in 20 ga. One with a Burris Fast Fire 3 that I use exclusively for turkey hunting and the other for rabbits, doves, etc.
I own both retay ( masai mara comfort) and a beretta ( a400 extreme ). Both have been well used. The retay fit me better and has a thinner profile overall so it's my primary since I bought it, the stock cracked at our 4th of July trap shoot, I called retay that next Monday shipped the entire gun back and had it in 2 weeks with a new stock and they fixed the fiber optic bead on the barrel I had smashed into something. They color matched the wood perfectly and has a 5 year warranty. The beretta is a nice gun and the only problem I ve had with it is when it's supper cold and there is a lot of moisture it doesn't like to cycle. Any other time it's worked great. As far as a youth gun I bought my wife a tristar youth 20 gauge and that little gun has ran perfect. We ran 200 rounds on day one straight out of the box it shipped in 2 years ago with 0 problems and has probably had another 500 since then with only some rem oil sprayed in the action the day we take it out.
Local GS will not sell them anymore due to failures,and returned guns.
CZ,s are made in Turkey, Retay is made in Africa. Turkish made shotguns are well made, very reliable.
Retay is made in turkey also according to the internet.
I do. Broke my Mossberg on a duck hunting trip, I'm very clumsy. Luckily my buddies shared their A400 and a Retay for the last 2 days. I really liked the A400 but had no issues with the Retay although a bit heavier. Both shot well, couldn't tell a difference in recoil. I just felt I shot better with the A400. I'm in the process of getting a left handed A400 gently used. I missed two ducks that would have crossed off my list of 41
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They may have moved production to Turkey, but at their start it was in Africa. I watched a video about it when they first started. Their first gun was called the Masia Mara. My not have spelled it correctly. But they were in Africa. May have been the reliability problems in the beginning.
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I've had great luck with my Retay Masai Mara. Stamped "Made in Turkey" right on the barrel. It does very well with AA shells that I reload, can't remember if I've used other ammo in it. 12ga with a 28" barrel. It's been a great gun considering the price. Stock is very nice.
I've only shot beretta . I've got a a391 teknys in 20 and a new a300 ultima I just bought two weeks ago. The 391 is just to nice a gun to hunt with. The 391 runs like a champ . The a300 ultima I was having failure to feed issues . I'm going to say it was probably my fault for now . I didn't give it a complete and thorough cleaning . I got overly excited to finally have 2 days off work to hunt the dove open.
