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SKB’s RS 400 is a WINNER!
Posted by Junior Shooters
Ashley with her first turkey.
By Ashley Rumble
Hunting can be tricky. Many things have to go the way of the hunter in order to harvest an animal. This is especially true with turkey. They are known for being intelligent birds and are hard to bring in.
So, when I was asked to take the new SKB semi-auto shotgun with me on my first turkey hunt, I was not sure if it would be the best choice. However, it turned out to be just what I needed.
When I first received the shotgun, I noticed many nice key features about it. The adjustable buttstock and cheek rest really stood out to me. Anyone who has spent time shooting a lot of rounds through a 12-gauge knows that the fit is very important. Having a bruised shoulder is no fun. Having the ability to adjust the shotgun to the user is always a welcome addition.
A closer look at the checkering grip of this excellent shotgun.
Next up was the ease of use. Some semi-auto shotguns can be a little difficult to use at first. Their features may differ from one brand to another. Having one that is easy to get used to is important. I have used and written about another model from SKB and had a good idea what I was getting into.
After setting up the shotgun in order for it to be at least in the ballpark of comfortable, I was off to the hunt. Because of other demands on my time (school), I wasn’t able to shoot the gun beforehand, so despite the quality, I was still unsure of how it would shoot. With that in mind, I took along a basic over/under shotgun that we had. I knew, if nothing else, that the over/under was simple and I would not be unsure of it when the shot counted. I’d also shot the over/under in the past.
The adjustable butt stock and cheek hold stood out to me.
After several hours of sitting in a turkey blind and waiting for the calls to bring in a bird, the moment of truth arrived. As I brought up the over/under and fired at a turkey about 30 yards away, he took off. Next shot, the same result. My dad had the SKB and handed it over. By that time, the bird was on full sprint and moving away. With the first try, a hit and a kill. Whew! All was well. There was still one tom out there and one shot left in the SKB. My dad took the shotgun, did a quick aim, fired, and down went bird number two.
As it turned out, the SKB semi-auto was just what we needed. The longer barrel and an action that is dependable saved the day. Being able to take a shotgun that has never had a round fired through it and make two high-stress hits shows a lot. I was able to take the gun, throw it to my shoulder, do a quick aim, fire one shot, and hit a running bird at 30+ yards. Then, to simply hand it to my dad with circumstances that were not any better, hit his bird, too.
Obviously, the overall performance of the shotgun was spot on. The action was smooth and nothing about the gun really surprised me. Loading it was a simple task and everything needed was easy to access.
Federal Game Loads worked well in the RS 400 and cycled flawlessly.
The fit also played into it all, too. Even though we didn’t do anything more then a simple fitting at home, I was able to easily take aim and hit with it. I love having the ability to fit a shotgun to myself because they tend to beat up a person after a while if not. But, it also allows the shooter to settle into their aim and hit accurately with confidence.
I really can’t say enough about how happy I am with the performance of this shotgun. It was my first turkey hunt, first kill, and it was a fresh-out-of-the-box shotgun. What more can a person ask for? Thank you SKB for building such a dependable shotgun!
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