Weatherby doesn’t rest on their laurels, and for evidence of this you need look no further than the new Weatherby Element II. It’s an upgrade over what was already a pretty good shotgun, but the upgrades are warranted and worthwhile.

Those upgrades include larger controls, and a competition cut that makes stuffing shells into the magazine tube faster and easier. The choke tubes have been switched from an IMC pattern to the more common and widely available CRIO Plus pattern, the same used on Weatherby’s Sorix and 18i shotguns.

Weatherby also upgraded the stock geometry. In particular, the pistol grip curves more steeply down, providing enough space for large hands and allowing for complete control of the gun. It’ssimilar to the steep grip angles found on some sporting shotguns, the theory being that the steeper pistol grip helps with swing and allows you to get ahead of moving targets quickly. I think grip angle is primarily a matter of taste (especially if you aren’t planning to compete on a high level), but everyone likes a pistol grip that fits their hand comfortably. The Weatherby does that. I also appreciate the unbroken checkering on the pistol grip. I think it’s more stylish than the checkering on the gen one gun.

Like the previous Element shotgun, the new model is made in turkey by ATA. There used to be a bias against Turkish guns, but that has changed dramatically in the last four years. There are good guns and bad guns made in every country, and CNC machines operate just the same regardless of their geographic location. Also, Weatherby isn’t going to import products that aren’t up to their standards. The fact that the Flying W logo has appeared on these guns for years speaks to the faith that Adam Weatherby and his team have in these guns, and it should come as no surprise that these autoloaders work well.

The reason they work is quite simple. In fact, it’s the very basic inertia-operated system that has become the standard in semiautos over the last couple decades. The Element II has fewer failure points than a traditional gas gun, and I find that you can pretty quickly diagnose and correct issues with inertia-operated guns—compared to sorting out the beasts that seem to plague the machinery inside some older gas guns.

The Weatherby Element II Shotgun

If you need a refresher on how the inertia system works, I’ll simplify as much as possible without overlooking the key aspects of the design. The bolt head in the Weatherby Element II “floats,” and that means it doesn’t move rearward with recoilwhen the shotgun is fired. This action compresses a spring that rotates the bolt head and allows it to separate from the barrel assembly. The bolt is then thrust rearward and then driven back into battery by a return spring which, in the case of theWeatherby Element II, is located in the stock. The bolt slides forward and picks up the next shell from the magazine, and the Element II is ready to fire another shot.

There are a few ways you can bog down this system. First, you can use a shell that’s outside the specified operating range. In almost every instance, this means someone is using a target shotshell that is so light it doesn’t effectively cycle the gun. Second, a buildup of gunk within the action can slow down the system and cause malfunctions, but this requires either a lot of firing (generally thousands of rounds) or overlubricating. The Element also comes with a chrome bolt body that is slick and operates smoothly. So, if you clean your shotgun with any regularity, you should be in good shape.

The Turkish walnut stock looks good with the black chrome barrel. The bore is chrome lined for long life, and while I like the checkering on the forearm, I wish that it was a bit trimmer. You can expect quality wood on these guns, with average grain and good metal-to-wood fit. The satin finish on the stock is nice and suitable for the field.

The bolt release “slammer” has been oversized so that it’s easy to access, and the crossbolt safety has been enlargedcompared to the original gun. This is a major benefit because the original Element’s safety was sometimes hard to locate. There should be no more searching for the safety with this gun.

The stock dimensions have changed slightly with the latestiteration of the Element. Length of pull for the Element II is 14.5, slightly less than the 14.625-inch LOP for the outgoing model. Drop at comb has also been adjusted from 1.625-inches to 1.5 on the Element II, and the drop at heel on the Element IIis adjustable thanks to the included shim kit.

The Weatherby Element has put on a bit of weight as it’s gotten older, too. The original gun weighed 6.75-pounds in 12-gauge with a 28-inch barrel. The new gun weighs in at 6.9 pounds, which isn’t a change you’relikely to feel while carrying the gun in the field. It seems to help a bit with recoil as the new gun seems slightly less snappy than the previous model.

Reviewing the Weatherby Element II

The version of the Element II that I tested was the Upland model, but of course there are lots of versions of the gun available with polymer stocks. The Waterfowler version comes slathered in camo, and there’s a Tungsten version that features a black synthetic stock and a Tungsten Cerakote finish. There’s also a black synthetic version.

The Element II comes in 12- and 20-gauge, both of which have a three-inch chamber. The 12-gauge version I tested weighed, as mentioned, just under seven pounds. The smaller 20-gauge gun weighs just 6.4-pounds. Both are on the heavy side for inertia-operated semiautos, but neither is so heavy that it would preclude you from carrying it long distances, although if I were hunting the wide openpublic lands of North Dakota or climbing for chukar in piles of lava rock, you can rest assured I’d prefer the 20-gauge gun and the half-pound it saves.

The 12-gauge gun that I tested was a beautiful all-arounder. It’s not feather light, but the new stock design and moderate heft means this is a gun that you can shoot comfortably when spending the day breaking clays. If you’ve ever shot a round of sporting clays with a light gun, you know how brutal they can be. That’s not the Weatherby’snature, though. It occupies the middle ground between light carry guns and heavy target guns. I think it’s well-positioned for shooters who like to hunt but don’t exclusively chase birds in the high country and who like to break clays but aren’tchasing a state title. In other words, this semiauto shotgun is extremely well-rounded.

It's no longer a secret that inertia guns work well and last for thousands of rounds when they are built properly. I think the Element II is slightly more shooter-friendly based on the controls and stock geometry upgrades it has received, but like the original gun, it runs well. The competition cut does make it easier and faster to reload the gun, and the oversized controls are indeed larger without looking ridiculous.

The magazine tube holds four rounds (two with the included plug), and the magazine tube is designed so that you can easily add an extension if you’re planning a high-volume hunt. A new tool-less recoil spring design also makes it simpler to replace or repair the recoil spring. That indicates to me that Weatherby has fired these guns enough to know that they will last the entire life of an inertia spring and anticipate shooters needing to replace their worn-out spring with a new one. If you get there with your Weatherby, you’ll have no problem swapping out for a new spring.

When Weatherby initially indicated that they were upgrading the Element, I instantly wondered why. The original gun was good and competed well with modern semiauto shotguns. However, I do believe that the upgrades have been worth-while. Choke tubes are an afterthought for many hunters, but high-quality aftermarket chokes can sometimes produce exceptional results. I did not, however, have any issues with the Weatherby’s point of impact.

The Element II is a prime example of how good gun companies maintain their position as industry leaders. Weatherby didn’t have to replace the original Element, but the new gun is even better than the one it replaces. However, the MSRP on the Upland version remains the same: just $799. It’s not the cheapest semiauto shotgun on the market, but the Element II is a standout for all the right reasons. As we begin a new huntingseason, we do so with a new Weatherby Element shotgun on the shelf, but I think the Weatherby Element II is a more than worthy follow-up to the shotgun that came before.