Dozens of shotguns available today perform admirably in conditions encountered by the average waterfowler. Whether from a trusted domestic manufacturer, importer or a smaller brand, there’s a lot to like on the market.

The field of qualifiers narrows significantly when Mother Nature unleashes her furry, however. Autoloaders slow — or worse — charging handles get slippery, loading is a painful chore and standard-size controls are hard to operate when wearing gloves.      

Those capable of thriving through those challenges are a special breed that defy age and don’t require marketing hype. Customers may never harness the assets they provide, but shotguns designed to flourish in the extreme deliver the performance customers deserve in a rugged, long-lasting platform they’ll take pride in for decades. It doesn’t hurt when they mention they purchased it at your store, either.  

Breda’s Inertia Connection

The inertia-driven system of semi-automatic shotgun operation was introduced by Benelli Armi sometime around 1967. In no short order, it became legendary for uncompromising reliability and performance in conditions that drive even intrepid meteorologists indoors. Instead of using a more complicated gas-operated principle, it harnesses Newton’s first law of motion to minimize complexity. The fact that rechambering speed is enhanced is another bonus. 

What isn’t widely known is that Bruno Civolani, Italian gunsmith and firearm designer, invented the inertia-driven shotgun system. He fine-tuned it through the late 1950s and, once satisfied with the results, eagerly pitched it to some of his nation’s foremost manufacturers in the 1960s.

Beretta turned him down. So did Franchi and others. 

Perhaps out of desperation, he approached Benelli, an Italian motorcycle firm established in 1911. It was owned at the time by the Benelli brothers, and Civolani was likely relying on their passion for hunting, along with the fact that one of them designed an auto-loading shotgun in 1940.

The Benellis purchased the patent, but they recognized that manufacturing barrels and receivers isn’t the same as two-wheeled racers. So, it entered into an agreement with Breda. Founded by Ernesto Breda in 1886, the firm was widely acknowledged for its engineering prowess and military guns. On the heels of World War II — 1947 in fact — it introduced the Model 1001 and began exporting firearms to the United States. 

The partnership between Breda and Benelli, officially known as Benelli Armi, launched in 1967. That year, Breda stopped exporting civilian guns stateside.   

Meanwhile, Japanese imports were taking a toll on motorcycle sales in Europe, so the Benelli family slowly began selling its gun-company shares to Beretta to keep its other operation afloat. Beretta finally took control of the gun company in 1983 and acquired full ownership sometime around the turn of the century. In the end, Benelli of motorcycle fame filed for bankruptcy and closed its doors. Breda, however, continued manufacturing firearms, including inertia-driven shotguns, and OEM parts — primarily for the European market. Today it remains family owned. 

In 2023 Breda began working with Easton, Maryland-based Banshee Brands — an importer of Retay shotguns since 2017 that services everything in-house in the U.S. In 2024, a partnership was formed, and Breda performance once again became available to American sportsmen. 

One of the first of the models to hit the market is the Breda B3.5SM Black Waterfowl. It’s been a hot seller for some time in Europe, where it’s known as the Grizzly model. Most of its features will be familiar to fans of the early Super Black Eagles imported by Heckler & Koch in the 1990s. 

Here are a few of the key details that will undoubtedly make it a top choice among serious waterfowlers here in the United States as well.  

Compact 

The B3.5SM Black Waterfowl breaks down quickly in two separate pieces for compact storage or travel. Assembly is a headache-free breeze. Simply slide the upper receiver assembly (wearing the barrel) onto the lower (wearing the buttstock). 

Ensure the bolt remains aligned and in its proper position while doing so, then mate the pair snugly. Thread on the magazine cap, hand tighten and you’re ready to head afield. 

The gun ships in a lockable, hard-sided polymer case with preformed interior slots to secure the disassembled shotgun, accessories and more. Foam on the lid side prevents rattling or marring during transportation.

Speaking of Stocks

This stock is much better than most I’ve met. It is constructed from Rilsan fiberglass-reinforced polymer, making it durable and lightweight. It also resists heat, abrasion and impact, all the features mandatory in a gun destined for Mother Nature’s abuse. 

It somehow manages to provide a solid grip, even on surfaces far from the generous amount of wrist and forend checkering. It’s not sticky, but the Soft Touch finish has a confidence-building non-slip feel. “It feels a bit like holding rubber without the flexibility of rubber and retains the original rigidity of the furniture,” Rus Hinkle, lead gunsmith at Banshee, explained. In testing, there was never a concern over losing a solid purchase on the gun, even when sending multiple 3 1/2-inch shotshells downrange in rapid succession. 

As for comfort with those heavier loads, the Cervellati recoil pad soaked up energy like a sponge. It’s made from a closed-cell, high-density foam that refuses to hang up on clothing during mounting, yet it remains reassuringly soft to the touch.  

Then there’s the soft cheekpiece. It’s a nice touch, and the feel makes indexing for proper cheekweld fast and effortless. There’s no doubt it will become intuitive for owners.

Businesslike Looks

The test shotgun arrived dressed for a cameo in the movie “Men in Black.” The look is all business, with a Breda logo on the grip cap under the stock — also in black. 

The model name, Breda logo and “Made in Italy” are seen on both sides of the receiver, but the letter’s aren’t painfully huge. Other than serial numbers and a mention of inertia driven on the bolt, there’s nothing else that stands out. There is, after all, no reason for a firearm to betray your position as a flight approaches. 

It’s more than cosmetics, though. The two-piece receiver is constructed from 7075-T6 mil-spec aluminum alloy. It is then double anodized in black.

Twice because the gun is designed for torture testing in nature and, “Cerakote is currently the most resilient finish to the elements,” according to Hinkle. “Hunters will be taking their firearms into the harshest conditions for a firearm: mud and saltwater. Cerakote has proven to stand up to these harsh conditions so long as proper care of the firearm is maintained.”

Why a two-piece receiver? According to Hinkle, it’s for, “Ease of disassembly, manufacturing and maintenance. Think of an AR-15’s two-piece receiver, or a G3, FAL, STG.44, or even a Kalashnikov. Separation and precision fitment of the mechanical components allows for simpler overall manufacturing, less material waste and ease of maintenance. It is easier to field strip and service a firearm if everything is easy to access. This mentality of ease of assembly goes back to the original Breda model 1001 from 1947.”

The oversize charging handle and bolt release make operation a pleasure when wearing gloves. The crossbolt safety is in the familiar, behind-the trigger position.  

Barrel and Forcing Cone

The barrel, of course, gets a Cerakote finish. The real secret sauce is inside, however. 

It is manufactured with a deep-bore drilling process. According to Hinkle, that results in “a more homogenous barrel versus the hammer-forging process, allowing for superior patterning performance on a one-to-one comparison. Hammer forging does not result in a completely homogenous barrel, and the barrel’s density is not uniform down the barrel…. We have customers consistently and repeatedly take turkeys out to 100 yards and further with properly optimized chokes and shells.”

Add a factory back-bored chamber and optimized forcing cone and there’s little wonder a Banshee Chief Executive describes the shotgun as, “…more of a hand-fit product, small-batch, not a mass-produced gun.” 

Sights and More

Up front there’s a red fiber-optic tube, and a full-length hunter rib atop the barrel completes the sight picture. Grooves on the latter reduce glare when those early-morning flights arrive with the sun at their back. Then there’s the five extended choke tubes that ship with the gun, sling swivels and more. 

As for performance, it should come as no surprise the shotgun performed flawlessly. It chambered and cycled through 2 3/4-, 3- and 3 1/2-inch shotshells without a hiccup. Trigger let-off weight was consistent, and getting back on target was fast.

This gun’s going to be popular among diehard waterfowlers. That fact makes it worth serious consideration by hunting retailers. 

Breda B3.5SM Black Waterfowl

Operation: Semi-auto, inertia-driven

Chambering: 12 gauge (2 3/4 through 3 1/2), back-bored with optimized forcing cone

Receiver: 7075-T6 Leonardo SPA military-spec aluminum alloy, double anodized black

Weight: 7.05 pounds

Overall Length: 49 1/4 inches

Barrel: 28 inches proofed for steel shot, finished in black Cerakote

Magazine Capacity: Four 3-inch shotshells (magazine extensions available)

Trigger: 5 1/2 pound let-off weight

Sights: Fiber optic up front with full length hunting rib

Stock: Rilsan fiberglass-reinforced polymer with Soft Touch finish

Recoil Pad: Cervellati closed-cell high-density foam

Accessories: Five extended waterfowl choke tubes, choke key, two detachable sling swivels, two shims to adjust cant, hard-sided polymer case, manual

MSRP: $2,100