ARMSAN PARAGON GRANDE BLACK ARMS SHOTGUN

Barrel

The Paragon Grande comes only with a 28-inch barrel and multi choke system. There are 3 chokes included, cyl, ½ and full. These are blacked steel tubes of 70mm length, well finished and inner surfaces polished with a universal choke tube key supplied in a plastic case.

The barrel has an overall matt blued finish, which is practical and has that 3½-inch or 89mm chamber length. It is a gas operated system, so the bore is ported to allow the expanding gasses to vent into the piston chamber beneath the barrel. This Paragon model sports a heavy-duty piston system, for the magnum loads and has a red anodised piston collar that pushes back a twin action barred piston cup. All the inner workings have Arman’s quality feel about them.

The rib is vented, with nine vents that are even in length but decreasing in height towards the muzzle. The rib is 7mm width with a matt serrated finish and a single red Day-Glo element.

In the field

First up, it’s a magnum gun and, as such, likes heavier shot charges. Anything above 30-grams was fine, but below this, cycling was intermittent. I fitted a ½ choke and shot the pattern boards at 30-yards.

First up and a true magnum round was the Remington 3½-inch Premier High Velocity Magnum load. This is a large round in Remington’s typical green livery and high bras rim. It shoots a full 2 oz of No. 5 shot, at a velocity of 1300fps and is a buffered, coppered-plated lead shot load. Originally intended for Turkey shooting, this also makes a great wildfowl load too.

As expected, it functions flawlessly, although the recoil was noticeable! The Paragon felt very comfortable to shoot, so long as the cheek was rested on the stock. I had a total of 285 No. 5 pellet strikes on the board, with a good, even distribution to inner and outer sectors. There were 135 inner strikes and 150 other hits. Some clumping but overall the 30-inch board was very well peppered!

Next up was the Hull Steel Game load. This has a 70mm case with plastic wad and 32-grams of FE4 shot size and high velocity. Again, functionality through the action was good and recoil very manageable for a quick second shot. A total of 171 FE4 pellets struck the board and, as always, this steel load shot good patterns with 74 inner strikes and 97 outer hits and all well spread.

The Eley Alphamax is another powerful round and this time I had the BB loaded 2¾-inch case with a payload of 36-grams of shot. I had a couple of non-ejects but after 75 rounds the whole action had loosened up a bit, like all semi-automatic shotguns.

I had a total of only 75 BBs on the board with only 22 in the inner 15-inches and 53 in the outer regions, no doubt a full choke would be better.

Finally, I wanted to try a typical pigeon load, just in case. The Hull Special Pigeon offers long range performance and shoots a 32-gram load of No. 6 shot in its 70mm case. This fibre wadded load shot lovely, with 225 total pellet hits with a good, dense 88 inner hits and 137 outer strikes. Again, a few not quite ejected but this improved after the run-in period; just remember that.

Conclusion

The Paragon Grande is a full power 12g semi, built to Armsan’s usual good quality. Choose your ammo wisely, as this is a heavy-duty magnum action designed for magnum loads and longevity. The patterns prove that the barrel and choke system is concentric and the overall action remained clean, even after good use. It patterned well and is a good price at 500$