Every year, Gunbroker releases data regarding firearms sold on their platform. It’s always something I look forward to. Admittedly, it’s only Gunbroker’s numbers, so you can argue it’s not complete or accurate. However, I think Gunbroker’s numbers give us a pretty good glimpse into what’s selling and what’s not. With that in mind, I’m a shotgun nut, and as such, I really love knowing what shotguns are selling to the average person. The best selling shotguns give us a glimpse of trends and evolutions, so let’s look at the top ten best selling repeating claymores.
The Best Selling Shotguns of 2023
Let’s not mince words: what are the top ten shotguns of 2023?
- Mossberg 590
- Remington 870
- Mossberg 500
- Beretta A300
- Mossberg Maverick
- Benelli M4
- Mossberg 940
- Benelli Super Black Eagle
- Beretta Model 1301
- Winchester Super X Pump
The Trends Of The Best Selling Shotguns of 2023
The best selling shotguns are all repeating shotguns, not a single double or single barrel on the list. This isn’t a huge surprise. There are tons and tons of different single and double-barrel guns of varying qualities, which waters the market down. It’s a market for skeet, trap, and bird hunters, and bird hunters, and all those people also use semi-auto and pump guns.
All American
What we can also see is that the majority of shotguns are American or Italian-made. When it comes to high-quality shotguns, the Americans and Italians make the best. Surprisingly, the only other country of origin is Turkey, which isn’t surprising since they make truckloads of shotguns. The Winchester Super X Pump is a Turkish shotgun, and to be fair, the Winchester guns tend to be the higher-end Turkish shotguns.
We can see that Mossberg had a bang-up year; the Mossberg 590, 500, 940, and Maverick all top the top ten list. Three of the top five shotguns are Mossbergs. They dominated shotgun sales this year. Admittedly, the Mossberg 940, 500, Maverick, and 590 come in a ton of different configurations. Each of these guns comes in hunting, defensive, tactical, and even competition options, which likely helps boost sales. The famed Remington 870 made the list as well.
The Beretta/Benelli group also dominated. Together, the two brands, both owned by Beretta, also occupy four spots on the list. The A300 is an interesting option since it made the top 5 and was also recently released as the A300 Ultima Patrol, an American-made tactical configuration of the A300. The A300 comes in a few different configurations, so it likely helped boost sales. The Benelli M4 and 1301 also made the list, and both are expensive tactical shotguns, so it’s surprising to see them make the top ten list.
Semi-Auto or Pump?
To me, the most interesting takeaway is that the list is split between semi-auto and pump shotguns. Pump shotguns occupy five slots, and semi-autos occupy the other five slots. This means that semi-auto shotguns are now neck and neck with pump actions. Semi-auto shotguns are more expensive than pump guns, and only one admittedly budget Beretta made the top 5. Still, it’s an interesting development for the world of shotguns.
Tactical guns seem to be ruling the best selling shotguns marketplace. While guns like the Mossberg 500 and Beretta A300 come in numerous variants, guns like the 590, the 1301, and Benelli M4 are all tactical shotguns and occupy three of the ten spots. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the tactical variants of the various guns outsold the sporting variants.
In terms of gauge, several of these best selling shotguns come in multiple gauges and its not clear if one sold more than the other. I’d guess that the 12 gauge outsold the rest. Guns like the Maverick, Benelli M4, 1301, Winchester Super X, and 940 are all 12 gauge guns, and the rest also come in 12 gauge variants.
The Shotgun Market
Shotguns have made a bit of a comeback in the modern era, and according to Gunbroker’s top 25 overall guns, they even made the number three spot with the Mossberg 590. Shotguns also haven’t been better. It’s great to see their revival, and it’s great to be a shotgun nut in this day and age.
