Firearms · Shotgun Comparison
Beretta A300 vs Franchi Affinity 3
Everybody tells you the Beretta is the budget gun and the Franchi costs a couple hundred more. Both list at $999, and at the counter the Franchi is the cheaper one. The price argument for this matchup is backwards.
Every spec, price and warranty term read off Beretta's and Franchi's own pages, August 2026. Both guns bought at retail and hunted two full seasons
The Direct Answer
Buy the Beretta A300 Ultima if this is your only shotgun. It shoots softer, and its gas action cycles the light target loads a dove field and a clays course run on. Buy the Franchi Affinity 3 if you carry the gun more than you shoot it, or you hate cleaning guns. It is three quarters of a pound lighter, it stays clean, and its warranty runs seven years instead of one.
I own both of these shotguns because the last one I trusted quit on me.
A couple of seasons back I bought a guided hunt with a few buddies. We got to the blind, I pulled my shotgun out, went to rack the bolt, and nothing happened. Frozen solid. My once reliable gun was a block of junk at the start of a paid hunt, and nobody could get it moving. Somebody had a spare, which is the only reason I shot that morning at all.
That sent me looking at mid range semi-autos, and I ended up stuck between the Beretta A300 Ultima and the Franchi Affinity 3. I could not decide. So I bought both, and I have hunted them side by side for two full seasons since.
Here is what changed while I was doing that. Nearly every Beretta A300 vs Franchi Affinity 3 comparison still tells you the Beretta is the cheap one and the Franchi costs a few hundred more. Both guns now list at $999, and those pages have not caught up. So this one publishes numbers instead of adjectives: recoil computed from the standard equation, prices read off both makers' own sites and a real retailer's shelf, and both warranty documents quoted rather than summarized.
Start HereWhich One Is For You
Pick the Beretta if this is the only shotgun you own, because it will cycle anything you put in it. Pick the Franchi if you walk a lot, hunt in bad weather, or resent cleaning. The price is the same either way, which is exactly why this decision is easier than it looks.
Buy the Beretta
A300 Ultima
- It is your only shotgun. Doves in September, clays in July, ducks in January. The gas action has no published minimum load, so cheap 1 oz promo shells run fine.
- You shoot volume. 10.4% less free recoil, and a gas system that stretches the push out instead of spiking it.
- You are recoil sensitive, or buying for a smaller or younger shooter.
- You want the mid bead. The 7x7mm stepped rib ships with one. The Franchi has no mid bead.
- You like a planted gun. The extra three quarters of a pound steadies a swing on pass shots.
Buy the Franchi
Affinity 3
- You walk in. 6.9 lb against 7.62 lb is the difference you notice first, and the slim forend points quicker.
- You hate cleaning guns. An inertia action does not vent powder gas back into itself, so it stays clean for far longer.
- You want the longer warranty. 7 years, and you do not have to register anything to get it.
- You want the fourth shell. 4+1 against 3+1, which matters once the plug comes out in the spring.
- You shoot heavy loads anyway. The published load floor never touches a duck hunter.
Fit both columns? Plenty of people do. Go shoulder both before you decide, because fit affects your hit rate more than any spec on this page, and these two feel genuinely different in the hands despite costing the same money.
The CorrectionWhat They Actually Cost
They cost the same. Both makers list $999 for black synthetic and $1,099 for camo. At the counter the Franchi is the cheaper gun, not the Beretta. If you came here believing the A300 undercuts the Affinity by $200 to $300, that is the most repeated error in this matchup.
| Configuration | Beretta A300 Ultima | Franchi Affinity 3 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP, Black Synthetic | $999 | $999 |
| MSRP, Camo | $1,099 | $1,099 |
| MSRP, Walnut | $1,399 (Sporting Walnut) | $1,329 (A-Grade Satin) |
| Street, 12ga 28 in black | $899.99 | $879.00 |
| Street, 12ga 28 in camo | $999.99 | $999.00 |
| Cheapest way in | $899.99 | $879.00 |
List prices are the manufacturers' own published figures, read off beretta.com A300 family pricing and the franchiusa.com Affinity 3 specification table on Aug 5, 2026. Street prices are Sportsman's Warehouse listings for the Beretta A300 Ultima 12 Gauge Black 28 in and the Franchi Affinity 3 12 Gauge Black 28 in, plus the matching Mossy Oak Bottomland guns, all checked Aug 5, 2026 and all in stock. Prices move constantly; check before you buy.
Ninety-nine cents. That is the gap between these two guns in camo at a real retailer on a real day, and it is the single most useful line in this article. There is no budget option here. The old framing, where the Beretta was the value pick and the Franchi was the upgrade, described a price relationship that no longer exists.
Two things moved. The A300 Ultima now lists at $999 rather than the $799 it launched around, which is where the old "steal at $700 on sale" advice came from. And Franchi held the rebuilt Affinity at $999 instead of pushing it upmarket. The result is a dead heat, so any recommendation between these two that rests on price is out of date.
Where the Money Actually Goes
If you want the cheapest working version of either gun, buy black synthetic. The camo tax is $100 at list on both, and the finish does not change how either gun shoots. If you want the nicest version, the Franchi's A-Grade Satin Walnut at $1,329 undercuts Beretta's Sporting Walnut at $1,399, which is the one place either lineup has a clear price advantage over the other.
The NumbersHead to Head: What Actually Differs
Both are 12 gauge, chambered to 3 inches, and ship three flush chokes on a Beretta/Benelli Mobil thread. The differences that matter are weight, action type, capacity, minimum load, sights and warranty.
| Spec | Beretta A300 Ultima | Franchi Affinity 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Action | Gas operated | Inertia Driven |
| Weight, 12ga 28 in | 7.62 lb | 6.9 lb |
| Chamber | 3 in | 3 in |
| Barrel Lengths | 28 in (black synthetic) | 24, 26, 28 in |
| Magazine Capacity | 3+1 | 4+1 |
| Min. Recommended Load | None published | 3-dram, 1-1/8 oz |
| Choke System | MobilChoke | Beretta/Benelli Mobil |
| Included Chokes | IC, M, F | IC, M, F |
| Recoil Hardware | Kick-Off hydraulic dampers | TSA recoil pad |
| Free Recoil, 3 in steel | 37.8 ft-lbs | 41.7 ft-lbs |
| Front Sight | Fiber optic, plus mid bead | Orange bar, no mid bead |
| Rib | 7x7mm stepped | Standard |
| Length of Pull | 14.25 in | 14-3/8 in |
| Stock Shims | Yes, drop and cast | Yes, five drop and cast |
| Drilled and Tapped | Yes | Yes |
| Warranty | 1 year, 3 if registered | 7 years, no registration |
| Made In | USA, Gallatin TN | Italy |
Sources: beretta.com A300 family and A300 Ultima Black Synthetic product pages, and the franchiusa.com Affinity 3 specification table, item 42001, both read Aug 5, 2026. Beretta publishes no weight, no length of pull and no capacity on its US product pages, so those three figures come from the Sportsman's Warehouse spec table for the matching gun; Field & Stream independently weighed a 28 inch A300 Ultima at 7.7 lb. Kick-Off and the stepped rib with mid bead are standard on the A300 Ultima Black Synthetic, Mossy Oak Bottomland, Realtree and Turkey models, not on every gun in the A300 family. Franchi's feature page describes a fiber optic front sight while its specification table lists an orange bar front sight on the 12 gauge models; we have printed what the spec table says. Highlighted cells mark the measurable advantage on that row, not an overall winner.
MeasuredRecoil, With Actual Numbers
The Beretta produces 10.4% less free recoil energy than the Franchi at every load, entirely because it is 0.72 lb heavier. On a 3 inch steel load that is 37.8 ft-lbs against 41.7.
| Load | Beretta A300 (7.62 lb) | Franchi Affinity 3 (6.9 lb) | Franchi Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-3/4 in, 1 oz target | 15.5 ft-lbs | 17.1 ft-lbs | +10.4% |
| 2-3/4 in, 1-1/8 oz steel | 29.1 ft-lbs | 32.1 ft-lbs | +10.4% |
| 3 in, 1-1/4 oz steel | 37.8 ft-lbs | 41.7 ft-lbs | +10.4% |
Free recoil energy computed as Vg = (Ws x Vs + Wp x Vp) / (7000 x Wg), then E = Wg x Vg² / (2 x 32.174). Powder gas velocity taken at 4,700 fps, the conventional shotshell value. Powder charges estimated at 18, 26 and 34 grains, because no shotshell maker publishes charge weights; powder is a small term and does not change any conclusion here. The same script reproduces the widely published figure of about 19 ft-lbs for a 1-1/8 oz trap load in a 7.5 lb gun, which is how we know the formula is behaving. The penalty is identical on all three rows because free recoil energy is inversely proportional to gun weight, so the gap is exactly the weight ratio: 7.62 divided by 6.90, or 10.4%, whatever shell you load.
Now the part that matters more than the table. Free recoil is set by gun weight and load, and nothing else. It is identical for a gas gun and an inertia gun of the same weight, because total impulse is fixed by conservation of momentum. No action type can reduce the total recoil energy a given shell produces.
A gas system does not reduce recoil. It reduces peak force, by spending part of the impulse driving a bolt and stretching delivery over a longer interval. Your shoulder feels peak force, which is why the distinction matters.
So the Beretta wins this section twice: it is heavier, and it is gas operated. On top of that it ships Beretta's Kick-Off system, a pair of hydraulic dampers in the stock. In my hands that combination is noticeably softer over a long morning, and it is the single biggest reason to choose the A300.
One Honest Caveat on Kick-Off
Not everyone loves it. Field & Stream's tester found the A300 Ultima "hitting us harder than usual in the cheek" and reckoned the Kick-Off system "seemed to accentuate muzzle rise," concluding he would buy the gun and remove the recoil reducer. That is one experienced reviewer against my two seasons, and we disagree. Worth knowing before you assume the hydraulic stock is a free win, and worth shooting the gun before you decide.
The Franchi gives you something back for its 10.4%. It never vents powder gas into its own action, so it runs far longer between cleanings, and there is much less to strip when you finally do. That is the trade: the Beretta costs you less recoil, the Franchi costs you less maintenance.
OwnershipLiving With Them
Three things decide more real purchases here than the spec sheet does: how often you have to clean the gun, what the Franchi refuses to cycle, and how long each maker will stand behind it.
Maintenance, where the Franchi runs away with it
Gas guns are dirtier by design. Every shell routes hot, fouled gas back through a port, a piston and the action, and it accumulates. Skip enough cleanings on the A300 and you will eventually see it in cycling. The Affinity has no gas port and no piston, so there is simply no pathway for that fouling to exist. Across two seasons I went stretches on the Franchi that I would not have risked on the Beretta, and it never once failed to cycle. If you are the kind of hunter who puts the gun in the safe wet and thinks about it in July, this is your tiebreaker.
The load floor on the Franchi
Franchi publishes a minimum recommended load for the 12 gauge Affinity 3: 3-dram, 1-1/8 oz. Every steel waterfowl load on the shelf clears that comfortably, so it almost never touches a duck hunter. It bites in a September dove field or on a clays course, where 1 oz and 7/8 oz promotional loads are the whole point. The gas Beretta publishes no minimum, and that is precisely why our dove shotgun roundup puts the A300 Ultima first. If this is going to be your only shotgun, that single line is the strongest argument on the Beretta's side of the page.
Warranty, where the gap is bigger than you have been told
This is the other thing most comparisons get wrong, including the earlier version of this one. The commonly repeated figures are five years for Beretta against seven for Franchi. The actual documents say something else.
| Coverage | Beretta | Franchi |
|---|---|---|
| Base Term | 1 year | 7 years |
| Registration Needed? | Yes, for the extension | No |
| Extended Term | 3 years, if registered inside 30 days | 7 years, automatically |
| Finish Covered? | No, surface finish excluded | Defects in workmanship and materials |
| Transfers to 2nd Owner? | No | No |
Beretta USA warranty terms, read off the Beretta warranty registration portal Aug 5, 2026: "Beretta firearms carry a One-Year Limited Warranty to the original purchaser," extended by "an additional two (2) years, for a total of three (3) years" on registration, which "is required within 30 days of purchase." The same document states the warranty "does not apply to normal wear of any parts, including metal, wood, plastic, rubber, surface finish or other materials." Franchi terms from franchiusa.com: 7 years to the original retail purchaser, US authorized dealers, no registration required. Neither warranty covers a second owner.
Read that fairly, because a warranty is not a reliability measurement. Both of these guns are built by Beretta Holding companies and both have earned their reputations. Beretta's one year is also fairly standard for the industry, and registering the gun is thirty seconds of work.
What it does say is narrower and still worth knowing before you spend the money: Franchi will stand behind this gun for seven years without you lifting a finger, and Beretta will stand behind that one for one year unless you remember to register it inside a month. For the same money, that is a four year difference in coverage.
Chokes: A Non-Issue, With One Caveat
Both guns take Beretta/Benelli Mobil tubes, so every aftermarket option from Carlson's, Patternmaster, Kick's and the rest fits both, and both ship IC, M and F. One caveat worth knowing: the earliest Affinity production runs used a Crio Plus thread instead. If you are buying used, drop a known Mobil tube in before you spend money on a set.
ScoredThe Scorecards
We score these two dead even at 9.1, and that is a finding rather than a dodge. They cost the same, they are built to the same standard, and each one wins exactly the categories the other loses. What separates them is not quality. It is what you hunt and what ammunition you shoot.
Beretta A300 Ultima
Gas · 12 Gauge · 3 in
Franchi Affinity 3
Inertia Driven · 12 Gauge · 3 in
Scores are editorial judgments across five categories weighted for a do-everything hunting shotgun, not an average of the bars. MSRP rows show the published list price for a 12 gauge black synthetic gun in each line. The identical 9.1 totals are deliberate: on price, build quality and field reliability we could not separate these two after two seasons.
What Changed on the Franchi in 2025 and 2026
The Affinity you buy today is not the one most reviews describe. Franchi rebuilt the platform for 2025, its first major revision in more than a decade, and added 15 more models across the Affinity 3 and 3.5 lines for 2026. The changes are real and all of them are ergonomic: a slimmer forend with reworked checkering, grip checkering moved higher and further back, a two-piece shell latch for smoother loading, a larger trigger guard for gloved hands, a redesigned magazine cap, a bigger higher-traction bolt release, and a length-of-pull adjustable TSA pad that Franchi rates at up to 50% felt recoil reduction. MSRP across the new 2026 models runs $999 to $1,579.
Bottom LineWhich Shotgun Should You Buy?
After two full seasons with both, I will not tell you one of these is better, because at the same money they are not. I will tell you they are different guns, and that the difference is easy to act on.
Buy the Beretta A300 Ultima if it is going to be the only shotgun in your safe. It shoots 10.4% softer, the Kick-Off stock takes more sting out over a long morning, the mid bead helps, and above all its gas action will digest the cheap light target loads that a dove opener or a clays round runs on. That flexibility is worth more than any single feature on either gun.
Buy the Franchi Affinity 3 if you already own something for the clays course, or if you walk to your hunting. Three quarters of a pound is a lot at the end of a mile, the slim forend genuinely points faster, the inertia action stays clean through use that would have the Beretta needing a strip down, and Franchi backs it for seven years instead of one. It is also, at this moment, the cheaper gun at the counter.
Quick AnswersBeretta A300 vs Franchi Affinity 3 FAQ
Neither, and we score them dead even at 9.1 each. They list at the same $999, they are built to the same standard, and they win opposite categories. Buy the Beretta if it will be your only shotgun, because its gas action cycles light target loads and it produces 10.4% less free recoil. Buy the Franchi if you carry the gun a lot or hate cleaning, because it is 0.72 lb lighter, it stays clean, and its warranty runs 7 years instead of 1.
There isn't one at list. Both makers publish $999 for a 12 gauge black synthetic gun and $1,099 for camo. At Sportsman's Warehouse on Aug 5, 2026 the Franchi 28 inch black was $879.00 and the matching Beretta was $899.99, and in Mossy Oak Bottomland they were 99 cents apart at $999.00 and $999.99. Older comparisons claiming the Beretta is $200 to $300 cheaper are out of date.
The Beretta, by 10.4% at every load. On a 3 inch steel load it produces 37.8 ft-lbs of free recoil energy against 41.7 ft-lbs for the Franchi, entirely because it is 0.72 lb heavier. On top of that the gas system spreads the impulse over a longer interval, which lowers peak force, and the Kick-Off stock adds hydraulic dampers. Worth noting that Field & Stream's tester disliked Kick-Off and felt it increased muzzle rise.
Both are excellent duck guns and the Franchi's published minimum load never matters with steel waterfowl ammunition. Choose the Franchi if you walk into public water or pack decoys, because 6.9 lb against 7.62 lb is the difference you feel first, and it holds 4+1 to the Beretta's 3+1. Choose the Beretta for high volume goose shooting from one spot, where the softer recoil pays off. Gun fit matters more than either, so shoulder both.
Franchi publishes a minimum recommended load of 3-dram, 1-1/8 oz for the 12 gauge Affinity 3. Every steel waterfowl load clears that comfortably, so it almost never affects a duck hunter. It bites in a September dove field or on a clays course, where 1 oz and 7/8 oz promotional loads are the norm. The gas operated Beretta A300 Ultima publishes no minimum, which is why we pick it first for dove.
No. Both the A300 Ultima and the Affinity 3 are chambered for 2-3/4 inch and 3 inch shells only. If you want 3.5 inch capability, the Franchi Affinity 3.5 is the direct sibling, and Beretta's answer is the A400 Xtreme Plus rather than anything in the A300 family.
Franchi covers the Affinity 3 for 7 years to the original retail purchaser with no registration required. Beretta covers the A300 Ultima for 1 year, extended to 3 years only if you register the gun within 30 days of purchase, and its warranty explicitly excludes normal wear including surface finish. Neither warranty transfers to a second owner. The commonly repeated "5 years for Beretta" figure is wrong.
Franchi publishes 6.9 lb for the 12 gauge 28 inch Affinity 3 and 6.8 lb for the 26 inch. Beretta publishes no weight at all on its US product pages; Sportsman's Warehouse lists the matching 28 inch A300 Ultima at 7.62 lb and Field & Stream measured one at 7.7 lb. Call it three quarters of a pound, which is more than the half pound difference usually quoted.
Gas is better if you shoot high volume or want to shoot light loads, because it lowers peak recoil force and has no minimum load requirement. Inertia is better if you want less cleaning and less weight, because it does not vent powder gas back into the action. Neither is inherently more reliable in a well built gun. Note that free recoil energy is set by gun weight and load alone, so a gas gun feels softer without actually producing less total recoil.
Both use the Beretta/Benelli Mobil thread pattern, so aftermarket tubes from Carlson's, Patternmaster, Kick's and others interchange between them, and each ships with IC, M and F flush chokes plus a wrench. One caveat for used buyers: the earliest Franchi Affinity production used a Crio Plus thread instead, so test fit a known Mobil tube before buying a set.
Not the same gun, but closely related. Franchi and Benelli are both Beretta Holding companies, both build in Italy, and the Affinity uses the same Inertia Driven operating principle that made Benelli's reputation. Franchi USA and Beretta USA even share a campus in Accokeek, Maryland. The Affinity is best understood as that action at a working hunter's price rather than as a rebadged Benelli.
The Franchi Affinity 3 is made in Italy. The Beretta A300 Ultima is built in the United States at Beretta's Gallatin, Tennessee plant, though it is an Italian design. Accokeek, Maryland, which some comparisons list as the A300's birthplace, is the corporate and distribution campus shared by Beretta USA and Franchi USA rather than the factory.
Franchi rebuilt the Affinity platform for 2025, its first major revision in more than a decade, then added 15 new models across the Affinity 3 and 3.5 lines for 2026. The changes are a slimmer forend with new checkering, grip checkering moved higher and back, a two-piece shell latch, a larger trigger guard, a redesigned magazine cap, a bigger bolt release, and a length-of-pull adjustable TSA recoil pad rated at up to 50% felt recoil reduction. MSRP across the 2026 models runs $999 to $1,579.
Specs, prices and warranty terms were verified against beretta.com, franchiusa.com and Sportsman's Warehouse on Aug 5, 2026. Recoil figures are computed, not measured, using the standard free recoil equation and each gun's published weight. Prices change; confirm current pricing before you buy. Hunt Bums may earn a commission from links in this article at no cost to you. We only recommend gear we've actually used.
Good balanced review! I have had three different Berettas, very reliable. Gun fit is most important and both guns discussed have shims and the LOP can be adjusted.
Love the Beretta as well. Matt Heden is our resident Beretta guru and addict though….he loves ’em. I’m more of a Franchi fan myself, personally 😉