Best of SHOT Show 2026
Published on February 17, 2026 by Browning Staff
SHOT Show is always a whirlwind, and the Browning booth is total chaos. Flashes on point-and-shoot cameras are firing, voice levels are elevated, and someone is always holding a new-for-the-year firearm while a second party records video. Browning’s booth always booms, and 2026 was no different.
According to Browning’s Senior Marketing Manager, Shaundi Campbell, the 2026 SHOT Show was one of the very best she can remember.
“It’s always difficult to judge how things went,” Campbell said. “We are usually running between meetings and don’t get to spend as much time watching how many people are at the booth and what their reactions are as we would like.”
Campbell went on to note that when she was able to roam the booth or peer out of a cubicle for a moment between meetings, the Browning vibe was “positive.”
“We created a lot of buzz this year,” Campbell continued. “We put a lot of work in, and we launched many new-for-the-year firearm options. New guns always help create a buzz. However, when you combine the history of proven rifle and shotgun lines and add exciting new products to those lines that serve specific purposes, the buzz intensifies. I think that’s what happened at this year’s SHOT Show, and we are excited to keep analyzing the numbers and see how well the buzz drove sales.”
Two shotgun lines that demanded attention and dominated the semi-auto and over/under Show talk were Browning’s new A5 20 Gauge Camo and 825 Citori Small Gauge shotguns.
Browning A5 Camo 20 Gauge
Waterfowlers asked for it, and Browning delivered. Not every hunt for migrators requires a 12-gauge, and with the sub-gauge craze in full swing, 2026 was the perfect time for Browning to drop 10 new A5 Camo 20 Gauge models. Available in 26 and 28-inch barrels across five (Auric, Vintage Tan, Mossy Oak Shadow Grass Habitat, Mossy Oak Bottomland, Realtree Max-7) camo offerings, the new A5 Camo 20 Gauge is light, feels excellent in hand, and slides to the shoulder quick and clean.
Whether you want a 20 gauge to go along with your 12-gauge arsenal or are a small-framed shooter who wants reduced recoil, the A5 Camo 20 Gauge delivers. It handles well and ensures ideal eye-to-barrel alignment via the legendary humpback receiver. Weighing just 5 pounds 13 ounces for the 26-inch barrel and 5 pounds 14 ounces for the 28-inch version, these lightweight shotguns ensure ease of carry throughout the day and provide excellent handling when birds approach.
Designed to be its best when Mother Nature is at her worst, Browning’s ultra-reliable Kinematic Drive System uses recoil to operate the action, reducing shoulder shock and ensuring clean cycling, even when the weather is foul. Browning is so confident in the Kinematic Drive System’s reliability that it backs every A5 with a 100,000-round or five-year guarantee. This design also reduces felt recoil even when shooting magnum 3-inch shotshells with heavy payloads.
A5 barrels are engineered to withstand the punishment of steel shot while still providing excellent patterns with other popular waterfowl metals like Bismuth and Tungsten. A tough, Black Nitride Surface Treatment is applied to the chamber and bore. Black Nitride hardens the surfaces for added protection against steel shot and corrosion.
Recoil is further reduced via back-boring, a technology that increases the inside bore diameter to its ideal, maximum allowable specification. Back-Bored Technology reduces friction between the shot cup and the barrel, allowing the energy developed by the powder to send the payload at a higher velocity.
A technology that doesn’t get as much limelight as it should, Ergo Balance ensures a fast swing and excellent feel from the Inflex II Recoil Pad to the muzzle. This shotgun was built to be a nightmare for waterfowl.
Citori 825 Sporting Small Gauge & Field Small Gauge
Building off the success of the 12-gauge 825 Sporting and 825 Field, Browning gives clay busters and small-game hunters a pair of excellent over/under offerings in gauges of 20, 28, and .410 bore.
The Sporting Small Gauge was built to help you top the podium when shooting sporting clays and skeet. Ideal for shooters seeking reduced recoil, lighter weight, and easier handling, the 825 Sporting Small Gauge features a low-profile receiver with sharp, modern lines, and the controls have been redesigned to enhance ease of use and overall functionality.
The gloss oil finish, Grade III/IV American walnut stock with close-radius grip and palm swell, promote ideal eye-to-rib alignment, and Browning’s innovative Inflex Technology recoil pad boosts comfort. The HiViz Pro Comp front sight with ivory mid-bead improves time to target.
The Triple Trigger System with three trigger shoes lets you fine-tune the finger-to-trigger reach. With wide checkered, narrow smooth, and wide smooth-canted shoes, positioning your shoe of choice to one of three spots boosts shooter customization.
The 825 Field Small Gauge is a stunner, but don’t let the gloss oil finish Grade II/III American walnut stock, game-scene engraved receiver with durable silver nitride finish fool you. This shotgun was built to handle everything from hard-flushing roosters to fast flying quail to flying orange discs.
The 825 Field Small Gauge’s 50/50 POI puts half of the shot pattern above the target and half below it. 20 and 28 gauge guns feature Vector Pro Lengthened Forcing Cones that reduce stress on the shot column as it passes into the bore, which results in reduced pellet deformation, resulting in excellent patterns. You won’t find factory chokes that trump Browning’s Invector choke tubes and paired with 50/50 POI and Vector Pro Length Forcing Cones, you’ll put more birds in the game bag.
If you’re looking for a lightweight, reduced recoil shotgun that fills limits and cracks clays, look no further than an 825 Field Small Gauge.
