Most Underrated Rifles & Shotguns (To Impress Your Friends)

The gun market is massive, and it's easy to get lost in a sea of ARs and Glocks, so we're bringing you the best underrated rifles and shotguns.

If you're a little bored of the current crop of firearms, then give these rifles and shotguns a look. They do something different, but they do it right.

Underrated Rifles & Shotguns Comparison Chart

How We Tested The Best Underrated Rifles and Shotguns

Our goal was to find a series of rifles and shotguns that perform at a high level in the basics while also offering something different, innovative, or at a better price point than the competition. We looked for guns with histories beyond our own experience.

We have a mix of rifles and shotguns we've taken to the range. Some at various firearm shows, some sitting in our gun safe. When testing these guns, we aimed to try them in their natural environment.

It doesn't make much sense to test a bird gun in tactical drills. Some shooting involved busting clays, some involved running drills, and others involved distance and sustained fire.

With shotguns, we measured their recoil by shooting a variety of rounds, their patterns with their intended loads, and how easy they were to get quickly on target.

With rifles, we tested accuracy at 100 yards with the same basic ammo that the vast majority of us shoot every day. We practiced shooting at both close and long range to get a feel for how these rifles perform in a versatile situation.

Best Underrated Rifles & Shotguns

1. Benelli SuperNova - Editor's Pick

Quick Verdict: Benelli took a big swing with the SuperNova and hit it out of the park. They made an exceptional shotgun with some standout features that make it tough to beat.

Editor's Pick

Benelli SuperNova Tactical

$549at Guns.com

Prices accurate at time of writing

$549at Guns.com

Sportsman's Warehouse (See Price)

Palmetto State Armory (See Price)

Specs

• Caliber: 12 gauge
• Action: Pump
• Barrel Length: 18.5 to 28 inches
• Overall Length: 40 to 29.5 inches
• Weight: 7.6 to 8 pounds
• Price: $599 to $699

What We Love

You probably know Benelli as a company that primarily produces semi-auto shotguns. That's their bread and butter, but the Nova series has limped along, often ignored and highly underrated.

There are three different Nova guns, but I think the SuperNova is by far the best.

The SuperNova series features a 2.5-inch chamber and comes in a ton of configurations -- bird hunting, deer hunting, and even tactical applications. It has something for everyone, but is often overshadowed by the American Remington 870 and Mossberg 500/590 series.

This series uses a primarily polymer and steel-reinforced receiver that trims the weight and price, making this an affordable shotgun. Inside, there's a rotating bolt that exerts a little extra force and allows for reliable extraction and ejection of all kinds of ammo regardless of its quality.

Built into the pump is a magazine disconnector. Press it and pull the pump rearward, and you can clear the chamber. This sets you up perfectly for a slug select drill for the more tactical shooters out there.

There are various sight options depending on use, and the guns use the Benelli optics pattern for attaching an optics rail and red dot.

The SuperNova is the only gun in the Nova series that allows you to swap stocks, which is a must to get away from the 14.5-inch length of pull. Its long stock is the SuperNova's biggest problem, but one Mesa Tactical Urbino stock later and the problem's solved.

Want to learn more? Check out our review of the Benelli SuperNova.

2. KelTec RDB - Best Underrated Bullpup

Quick Verdict: KelTec's RDB isn't just a great value; it's one of the better bullpups on the market. It uses AR mags, shoots 5.56, and offers an ambidextrous design, but it still can't overcome bullpup quirks.

Best Underrated Bullpup

KelTec RDB

$699at GrabAGun

Prices accurate at time of writing

$699at GrabAGun

Kygunco (See Price)

Palmetto State Armory (See Price)

Specs

• Caliber: 5.56
• Action: Semi-Auto
• Barrel Length: 16.1 to 20.5
• Overall Length: 26.1 to 30.5 inches
• Weight: 5.9 to 7 lbs
• Price: $999-1100

What We Love

Good ole KelTec is always making something a little different, and the RDB is their intermediate-caliber bullpup rifle. The bullpup discussion in the United States rarely mentions the RDB, but I'd argue it's the best bullpup on the market.

It's also one of the most affordable.

There are several RDB models, from the standard to the uber-light Survival, and the tactical-ready Defender model. While externally they are all different, internally they are all the same rifle.

The RDB uses a piston system that's not exactly long or short, but it's effective. You get a ton of adjustments for the gas system, so it can be made to run with suppressors or even help reduce recoil while maintaining reliability with your chosen ammunition.

The rifle uses standard AR-15 magazines and chambers .223 and 5.56. What's appealing to our left-handed brethren is the fact that the rifle ejects from the bottom of the rifle. This means no brass to the leftie's face and no need to swap ejection ports.

Recoil is fairly mild, and the gun is surprisingly accurate. What really stands out is that it's quite light. So many bullpups reach into the hefty territory. The RDB does not. Models like the Survival are crazy lightweight and easy to tote.

Sadly, outside of the Defender variant, you only get an optic's rail for accessory mounting. A few M-LOK slots can be hard to put into a handguard. Additionally, be ready to catch some brass between your body and gear while shooting.

We have a review of the RDB if you're looking for more info!

3. CZ Bren 2 - Best Underrated Tactical Rifle

Quick Verdict: The CZ Bren 2 isn't the SCAR at home, but a modern tactical rifle with a ton of nice features and a proven history of performance. The downside is a pricey and somewhat hefty design.

Best Underrated Tactical Rifle

CZ Bren 2 MS Carbine

$2159at GrabAGun

Prices accurate at time of writing

$2159at GrabAGun

Kygunco (See Price)

Guns.com (See Price)

Specs

• Caliber: 5.56
• Action: Semi-Auto
• Barrel Length: 16.5
• Overall Length: 35.6 inches
• Weight: 7.3 lbs
• Price: $2,199

What We Love

We can learn a lot from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and one of the things we've learned is that the Bren 2 has become quite popular among troops. The Czech government donated a ton of these things to Ukraine, and they quickly became a favorite.

Enough so that Ukraine licensed the design to make Bren 2 rifles in Ukraine. The Bren 2 has been around for a bit now, in both large-format pistol and rifle variants. A lot of people joke that it's a SCAR in a new skin, but to be fair, the SCAR is just an AR-18 in a new skin.

It does use a short-stroke gas piston system for excellent reliability at the cost of a little extra weight. Users can adjust this system to run reliably with suppressors, in adverse conditions, and more. The Bren 2 comes with a hard chrome-lined barrel with a guaranteed service life of 20,000 rounds, so you aren't going to wear it out.

The Bren 2 has all the modern features, including ambidextrous AR-type controls, a non-reciprocating, reversible charging handle, and a stock that both folds and collapses. Additionally, unlike a lot of short-stroke gas piston rifles, the Bren 2 carbines are lightweight at a hair under 6.5 pounds naked.

Unfortunately, like a lot of new short-stroke gas piston rifles, the Bren tends to be a bit pricey. That can make it a tough sale to a lot of shooters.

What do you think of the CZ Bren 2? Rate it below!

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4. Ruger Red Label - Best Underrated Over/Under Shotgun

Quick Verdict: The Ruger Red Label is back, giving us an American option in the world of fine over/under shotguns. Ruger has shed its working-man price of the Red Label to create a premium-grade shotgun.

Best Underrated Over/Under Shotgun

Ruger Red Label

$1999at Guns.com

Prices accurate at time of writing

$1999at Guns.com

Classic Firearms (See Price)

Sportsman's Outdoor Superstore (See Price)

Specs

• Caliber: 20 gauge
• Action: Over/under
• Barrel Length: 28-30 inches
• Overall Length: 45.5 to 47.5 inches
• Weight: 6.2 to 6.4 lbs
• Price: $3,299

What We Love

Amongst clay shooters, the dominant shotguns often start with B. Beretta and Browning rule that roost. Way back when Ruger entered that world with the Red Label, it was never as successful with clay shooters.

While it found some love amongst upland bird hunters, it was never a big success. In 2026, Ruger teamed up with the Connecticut Shotgun Manufacturing Company to bring the Red Label back as the Red Label III. The Red Label III made a few different changes to the design to better align with clay shooters' needs.

They swapped from a mechanical trigger to an inertia lock to get that crisp and refined trigger break offered by the big B shotguns. Ruger also redesigned the receiver to move away from cast to hand-fitted designs. The tight fit prevents the barrels from immediately flopping open as the user presses the release.

The company launched the Red Label III as a 20-gauge gun that weighs a mere 6.5 pounds. It's light, lithe, and easy to carry day in and day out. Picking this thing up at SHOT Show was a real joy.

You expect something a bit chunkier and heftier, but then it's as close to airweight as a double-barrel can get. Plus, it's gorgeous. Half of a double-gun's appeal seems to come from where it would place in a beauty pageant.

It's the kind of gun that makes you want to put on a shooting jacket and look into a finely made tobacco pipe as you dangle the gun open from your forearm.

Sadly, the Red Label did lose its working man's price point, and Ruger is quite proud of these new guns with an MSRP of $3299.

5. Smith & Wesson FPC 5.7 - Best Underrated Fun Gun

Quick Verdict: The 5.7x28mm round breathes new life into the S&W FPC. It opens up your range, lowers your recoil, and provides a fun shooting experience. The ammo does get pricey and doesn't have a versatile use case.

Best Underrated Fun Gun

Smith & Wesson FPC 5.7

$549at GrabAGun

Prices accurate at time of writing

$549at GrabAGun

Palmetto State Armory (See Price)

Sporstman's Warehouse (See Price)

Specs

• Caliber: 5.7x28mm
• Action: Semi-Auto
• Barrel Length: 16.25 inches
• Overall Length: 30.4 inches
• Weight: 4.08 lbs
• Price: $719

What We Love

FPC stands for Folding Pistol Carbine, but I don't think of the 5.7x28mm round as a pistol round. I consider it a light rifle round, kind of like the .30 Carbine. What's neat is that it can be easily shoved into blowback-operated PCCs without an issue.

It works really well from a blowback gun. It's a light round with low pressure, and therefore it has hardly any recoil, even from a direct blowback carbine. The magazines can still fit in the pistol grip, and unsurprisingly, the gun uses S&W M&P 5.7 magazines.

What's great about this gun is that it's super lightweight, has super low recoil, and offers you a flat-shooting cartridge out to 200 yards. I use a 17-yard zero that can hit an 8-inch plate out to 170 yards without issue. When I move out to 200 yards, I just hold a little high and can make my hits.

The FPC 5.7 can also fold in half, making it handy for storage. You can strap it to an ATV, toss it in the truck, or put it on your back, and you have a light, easy-to-tote rifle that's easy to shoot. Plus, the side-folding design makes it easy to add an optic, and I'd go with a lightweight 3X prism personally.

I see 9mm FPCs out there, but people really seem to sleep on the 5.7x28mm model. I think it's the better model, and while the ammo is pricier, if you shop around, it's cheaper than 5.56 these days.

If you want to check out our thoughts on the .22LR variant, head to our Smith & Wesson FPC Review.

6. Stoeger P3000 Tactical - Best Underrated Shotgun

Quick Verdict: The Stoeger P3000 Tactical stands out as one of the few out-of-the-box shotguns that are ready to rock and roll. Unfortunately, like most shotguns that aren't 870s or Mossy 500s, if you want to customize the gun, you're going to have a small market.

Best Underrated Shotgun

Stoeger P3000 Tactical

$432at Guns.com

Prices accurate at time of writing

$432at Guns.com

Palmetto State Armory (See Price)

Specs

• Caliber: 12 gauge
• Action: Pump
• Barrel Length: 18.5 inches
• Overall Length: 40 inches
• Weight: 6.4 lbs
• Price: $349

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What We Love

Like we said with the SuperNova, the only names in pump shotguns that seem to matter are Mossberg and Remington. To be fair, you gotta do something different or offer some serious benefit to make a mark as a pump shotgun.

What the new generation of the Stoeger P3000 Tactical series shotguns offers is a gun that's just about perfect out of the box. When I buy a Mossberg 590, I'm likely swapping the stock, adding an optic's rail, etc. I don't have to do that with the P3000 Tactical.

Out of the box, we get a stock that's doing its best impression of the Magpul SGA stock. It's got an aggressive pistol grip for good weight management of the gun, as well as an adjustable length of pull via spacers. The sides are decked out with sling points.

The gun comes with ghost ring sights and an optic's rail. The magazine tube offers a 4+1 and a 6+1 option, so you have choices. The pump has M-LOK slots for accessories, and even the safety is reversible for left-handed shooters.

How does it shoot? Surprisingly well. I wouldn't brag about the trigger, but it's fine for a tactical shotgun. With the right length of pull, I can engage a good/push pull and cycle the gun quickly and efficiently.

12-gauge recoil is also hefty, but the gun allows you to control it and engage efficiently.

Is it revolutionary? No, but out of the box it's ready; just load it with your chosen ammo and go! It certainly breaks out of the Mossberg and Remington dichotomy.

7. Rossi Rio Bravo Tactical - Best Underrated Lever-Action Rifle

Quick Verdict: The Rossi Rio Bravo is one of many lever-action rifles, but it's the only rimfire I know of that's tactically minded and optimized for suppressed use. The downside is the sacrilegious black furniture and shorter magazine tube.

Best Underrated Lever-Action Rifle

Rossi Rio Bravo Tactical

$349at GrabAGun

Prices accurate at time of writing

$349at GrabAGun

Palmetto State Armory (See Price)

Guns.com (See Price)

Specs

• Caliber: .22LR
• Action: Lever
• Barrel Length: 16.5 inches
• Overall Length: 34.5 inches
• Weight: 5.1 lbs
• Price: $399

What We Love

Rimfire rifles will always be a favorite of mine, and likely every other American shooter. We can get all types of rimfire rifles, but I've had a hard time finding one optimized for a suppressor. Rounds like the .22LR are super easy to suppress, but outside of a few bolt actions, none are what I wanted.

The Rio Bravo Tactical is exactly what I wanted. It combines a manual action to reduce the clack of a bolt moving back and forth with a threaded barrel and a short magazine tube. The Rio Bravo is a lever-action, and the shortened magazine tube allows us to load the tube without removing the suppressor.

We still get ten rounds of ammo and the rapid-cycling lever action to throw subsonic .22LRs without complaint. The Rio Bravo Tactical gives me the suppressor optimized for .22LR I've always wanted. (Need suppressor recs: check out our Best Rimfire Suppressors for inspiration!)

Beyond being great, the Rio Bravo Tactical is just fun to shoot. Show me any .22LR lever gun that's not fun to shoot. The Tactical comes with an optic's rail and M-LOK slots on the handguard. Tactical always means all-black furniture.

I do have some complaints. The length of pull is too long; just shorten it so anyone can comfortably shoot it. Second, it doesn't come with sights, so you need to add your own optic before you can shoot.

How to Choose Rifles and Shotguns That Don't Fit the Mold

The majority of underrated guns are considered underrated because they perform well but are ignored compared to established brands or designs. The way they become underrated is by offering a feature or features that make them stand out.

If I were looking for an underrated rifle or shotgun, I'd look at the innovation they offer and see if it's something I value.

If I can see value in the design that I don't see in other guns, that's a big green flag. I need an underrated gun to solve a problem because I'm going to have to deal with the downsides of that firearm. What does the Stoeger P3000 do for me?

Well, it comes geared up out of the box. I need to change nothing, so I can accept that trade-off.

Innovation can also be a trade-off when it comes to handling the rifle or shotgun. A lot of times, we build training plans, drills, skills, and techniques based on the most common platforms on the market. For example, the Benelli SuperNova gives you a magazine cut-off, making slug-select drills easy.

Sadly, our slug-select drills are built around guns like the 870, so they don't factor that in. The same could be said with reloading the bullpup RDB. It's entirely different from an AR-15. You'll have to figure out the best way to manipulate these guns for you.

If you're looking for an underrated rifle or shotgun for self-defense, some of their inherent features might make them quite suitable for that role. The S&W FPC in 5.7 gives you centerfire reliability with rimfire recoil. The downside is expensive ammunition.

Additionally, adding accessories to these firearms, like white lights, can be tricky because the aftermarket barely exists for these firearms.

If you're looking to compete with these guns or even hunt, the same issues might pop up. Accessorizing is difficult, and you'll often not be inside the'meta' established by longer-term competitors and hunters.

As a collector and advocate for underrated guns, the most common pitfall I see shooters fall into comes down to impulse purchasing. The gun looks great in the gun store or on your favorite gun-selling website, then it gets to you, and you have grand plans, only to get slapped in the face by reality.

That reality being the RDB's optic rail is so far forward you can't use your ACOG with it. Or the Ruger Red Label is absolutely gorgeous and wonderful, until the 6.5 nature beats you up at the range with recoil.

Take your time, do your research, and understand that once a gun leaves the commonly accepted formats, you'll have to deal with the consequences. Make sure your dreams can be a reality, and the only way to do that is to hit the Google machine and get in-depth with the gun you're interested in.

Final Thoughts

I love when a company does something different. It doesn't always succeed, but it at least shows the world that different can work.

Underrated guns are hidden gems, and they often offer specific features that can make them stand a step above the norm.

What are a few rifles and pistols you consider underrated? Let us know below! Want some more oddballs? Check out our Best 5.56 Rifles That Are Not AR-15s.