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Retay Arms Gordion Waterfowl 12 Gauge Autoloading
Shotgun
By Randy
Wakeman
The
test article is the new for 2020 Retay USA Gordion in
Mossy Oak
Bottomland Camo,
with a 26 inch barrel. It is surprisingly light,
weighing in at just over 6-1/2 pounds (6 lbs., 9 oz.). The trigger is
excessively heavy, breaking at over five pounds if pulled briskly,
but if squeezed breaks at a heavier weight than the gun itself: 7 lbs.
This
Gordion
needs a trigger job badly.
The
Retay Gordion
has a $799 MSRP price in basic black, $899 MSRP in camo
(as tested) or walnut. The first question most will have is what the
differences are between the Retay Masai Mara and the value-priced
Gordion.
The
Gordion has a one-piece receiver as opposed to the more expensive to
machine Masai Mara two piece receiver assembly. The Gordion has a
machined alloy trigger array as does the Masai Mara, but only the
Masai Mara has the push-button quick-release feature.
The
Gordion has a bit cheaper recoil pad
which is not as quite as
generous as the Masai Mara pad. The Gordion has the same excellent
general build quality as the Masai Mara, has the “no Benelli
Click”
Inertia Plus bolt, and comes well-presented in a lockable hard case
with five choke tubes. This Gordion also has the same speed-unloading
as the Retay Masai Mara Air King models.
Retay's
published specifications for the Gordion are as follows.
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Chamber
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2-3/4" to 3" - 76mm
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Barrel
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Precision Drilled Steel
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Choke
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Removable Chokes S-IC-M-IM-F
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Recoil Pad
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Sculpted Ergonomic Comfort Recoil Pad
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Drop at Heel
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2.16”±.04”
adjustable to 1.77”-1.96”-2.36”
55±1mm adjustable to 45-50-60
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Drop at Comb
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1.45”±.04” -
37±1mm
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Weight
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6lbs 2.7oz - 2.800g
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Stock Finish
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Oiled, Hydrographic or Dye Molded
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Checkering
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Molded ABS
or Turkish Walnut With Laser Cut
Engraving
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Lower Receiver
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Aluminum, Anodized, Hydrographic
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Stock Fit
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Walnut or Molded ABS With Adjustable Fit Plate
and Shim System
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Magazine Capacity
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4+1 - 3" Shells
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Safety
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Cross Bolt Push Button Intercepter
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Trigger Group
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Aluminum Trigger Guard
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Trigger
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Automatic Anti-Repeat System
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Sight
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Single Bead TruGlo Fiber optic ( red )
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My initial
impression of the Gordion is that is an excellent lightweight shotgun
with the best inertia action in the industry, marred only by the
excessively heavy trigger and a mediocre recoil pad.
Lacking any
further information from Retay, the trigger was destined to pay a visit
to Precision Sports in Oshkosh, Wisconsin: https://www.thefirearmsspecialists.com/gunsmithing
. The trigger came back at a pleasing, clean, 4 pound break.
The MSRP starting
at $799 makes this shotgun an extremely strong value. Everyone will
appreciate the easy loading, the speed-unloading, and the advanced
no-click Inertia-Plus action. At about 6-1/2 lbs., if you are looking
for a pleasant to carry semi-auto,
this is it: it shaves a clean
one-half pound off (or more) off of most autoloaders. The previously
tested Franchi Affinity weighed 7 lbs., the Weatherby
Element Waterfowl
came in at 7-1/4 lbs., and so it goes. Those who want the
softest-shooting Retay are better off going with the superb 7-1/2 lb.
3-1/2 inch chambered Retay Masai Mara Air King.
You
can watch a video review of the Gordion here:
https://youtu.be/_HfExvoD1Qg . If you are interested in how Retay
shotguns are made, I went to Turkey to find out:
https://youtu.be/rSKEjofBBUM .
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Copyright 2020 by Randy Wakeman. All
Rights
Reserved.
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