The Weatherby Element is one of the most successful, enduring lines of Turkish made Bruno Civolani semi-autos, having been on the market for ten years by now. I reviewed the 'original' Element 20 gauge in Deluxe trim back in 2015: https://chuckhawks.com/weatherby_element_deluxe.html . The Deluxe part was primarily the upgraded wood. Ten years ago, this model had a $1099 MSRP and a street price of around $900.

The new Element II Upland has a MSRP of $799 with street prices discounted from there: I've already seen it listed for $700. The black synthetic model sells at $595 street price. This example, with a 28 inch barrel, has several refinements present in the Element II line. Gone are the standard Invector choke tubes: now the barrels are threaded for the “Crio Plus” style. Three choke tubes are included. I measured the barrel bore at .615 inch.

The safety is slightly larger and easier to get off, the charging bolt and the bolt release are oversized, and the magazine tube now accepts aftermarket extensions.The receiver has a two-tone anodized finish, while the barrel is matte black chrome. The “competition cut” receiver makes this shotgun effortless to load, one of the best 20 gauges I've tested in this regard. You will not get a “Benelli Thumb” from this shotgun.

The trigger (on this example, anyway) is lighter, breaking at the 4-1/2 lb. level. The Weatherby warranty has been upgraded to five years. Out of the box, the Element II cycled 7/8 oz. 1210 fps Federal Top Gun loads with no issues. This gun shoots to point of aim, with a 50/50 pattern split. Testing with 1-1/4 oz. hunting loads, the recoil was not bothersome.

My sole niggle, as before, is the concave rubber recoil pad that is not easily replaceable, but is comfortable enough as is. The gun weighs 6 lbs. 7 oz. A terrific feature is the “castle nut” tool-less mainspring removal, so you can skip the smoke wrench and easily replace the mainspring or just clean the mainspring tube. Why didn't I think of that?

The Element II 20 gauge is absolutely ready to hunt right out of the box with no modifications. This is the gun that should make you think twice about paying a nickel more for any Turkish autoloader. The ten year track record of the Element is without peer from a functional standpoint, and the Element II is a significantly better, more refined shotgun than the original at a bargain price in 2025.