Whether you are an avid hunter or a trap shooting champion it is hard to fulfill the necessary criteria without having a reliable tool to do it with. The Retay Masai Mara presents itself as top tier in terms of reliable cycling of a semi-automatic shotgun. I had the great opportunity to really put this thing through a day-long gauntlet. Let’s dive right into the Retay Masai Mara Upland Shotgun!
Specifications: Retay Masai Mara Upland
If you are in a situation that calls for a semi-automatic shotgun then the obvious trait that stands tall above all would be its reliability. That’s only half of it though! You need versatility as well and I think by the specifications listed below you will find this slick shotgun checks just about every box. The model I had the chance to work with was a 12 Gauge with a 28″ barrel.
- CALIBER – 12 GA, 20 GA
- CHAMBER – 3″
- BARREL – 12 GA Barrel: 24″, 26″, 28″, 30″ | 20 GA Barrel: 26″, 28″
- CHOKE SYSTEM – Retay Marapro Interchangeable
- CHOKE – Full, Improved Modified, Modified, Improved Cylinder, Skeet
- CAPACITY – 4 + 1 (2 3/4″)
- WEIGHT – 7 Lbs.
- STOCK & FOREND – Grade II or IV ($600 Difference) Oiled Turkish Walnut (Review Gun is Grade II)
- STOCK FIT – Adjustable Fit Plate and Shim Set
- LENGTH OF PULL – 14.37″
- DROP AT HEEL – 2.16″+/- .04″ Adjustable to 1.77″, 1.96″, 2.36″
- DROP AT COMB – 1.45″ +/- .04″
- RECOIL PAD – Sulpted Microcell Polyurethane
- SAFETY – Cross Bolt Push Button Interceptor and Push Button Removable Trigger System (RTS)
- CONTROLS – Polished Chrome
- BARREL MATERIAL – Drilled Bohler Steel/Chrome Lined
- RECEIVER – Anodized Aluminum
- RECEIVER FINISH – “Bronze Pure” Cerakote
- BARREL FINISH – Polished Black
- OPERATING SYSTEM – Inertia Piston with Inertia Plus Rotating Bolt
- SIGHTS – Red TruGlo Front Sight
- RIB – Flat Hunting Style 8mm
As you can see in the picture above and below the Retay Masai Mara comes packed with all sorts of gear and even in a compact hard case. Aside from the hard case and gun, it also comes with sling swivels, stock spacers, gun oil, choke tubes (listed above), choke wrench, magazine plug (already in the gun), and a manual. That’s all the basics you could want out of the box and you are set up right away!
The MSRP for the standard Retay Masai Mara Upland stands at $1,095. The one I had the opportunity to review was the Bronze finish model and the MSRP for that is $1,300. If you would rather go for the Grade IV walnut over the Grade II then the MSRP jumps to $1,900. I may be jumping the gun here by saying this, but I think this is all a very fair price for the value you get back. Those prices feel almost cheap once you really dig into the engineering and craftsmanship. Retay’s website says it best:
“The Masai Mara’s proprietary Removable Trigger System is a revolution in gun safety and maintenance. Milled from block aluminium and so simple to assemble and disassemble without the need for tools. Simply push and remove the trigger group for quick and easy cleaning and safer gun storage.
Inertia mechanism designed to handle both light and heavy cartridge loads with ease. Bold in your hand and light as a feather on your shoulder. Flexible performance for the way you shoot
The recoil pad is designed for comfort and fast shouldering with high-tech microcell material and mated with luxury grade Turkish walnuts. It’s not only a shotgun, it’s a luxury
The Masai Mara is mated with beautiful hand oiled Turkish walnut selected from among thousands of walnut ingots then machined using high-tech CNC lathes before being hand sanded to achieve the best surface and oiled for a rich luster.
It’s not only a shotgun, it’s an experience.“
Range Time: Retay Masai Mara Upland
I am just going to jump into it because I have probably given away the fact that this gun impressed me. I am the type of person who would typically lean towards some sort of manual shotgun because semi-automatic shotguns are hard to make completely reliable.
Most are geared towards light or heavy loads specifically or even need to be converted in some way to do the opposite of how they currently stand. I am not helpless to clearing jams, but I hate the idea that I would pay for a product that is inherently bound to malfunction more on average than say a semi-automatic rifle. This is not always to do with the firearm, but with the ammunition. Much like rimfire, shotgun shells have a degree of inconsistency that other types of cartridges do not stray to.
I put the Retay Masai Mara through the gauntlet over the summer of 2020. I had half an apple box of old, ill-kept, mixed shot size, 12 Gauge shotgun shells. Some of them were splitting at the business-end and some had light rust or corrosion of some sort on the brass.
I had a Champion Trap thrower for review over at our sister site TFB and I used the Retay Masai Mara to help me with it. The shotgun only malfunctioned once, and it was only a failure to eject and it was the last shell out of the tube. I probably put near 500 rounds through it and it only had that one oopsy. That was with garbage ammo, too!
Reliability rant aside, the function and feel of this gun was sheer quality. I never felt like the recoil was uncontrollable in this light package nor did I feel like my accuracy was being compromised in any way. The fiber optic front sight and slick feeling of that inertia plus system made this gun easy as can be to pop clays out of the air in rapid succession. The recoil pad and stock fit my shoulder nicely, the action worked smoothly, and the gun was light and maneuverable!
Final Thoughts: Retay Masai Mara Upland
All and all this gun gave me hope for modern semi-automatic shotguns. It is good and relieving to know affordable quality options are out there and if anyone ever asks me I would have no issue recommending this one. I cannot reiterate enough that the ammo that I feed this thing was dirt and old and unfit for a semi-automatic, but it ran pretty much flawlessly. Retay Masai Mara, you are okay in my book!
In closing, I want to say thank you to Retay for allowing AllOutdoor and myself the opportunity to try out their Masai Mara Upland Bronze. That is greatly appreciated. Also, we would like to know what all of you guys and gals think? Do you believe that this innovative inertia shotgun is something worth spending your money on? Would you take this semi-automatic shotgun out hunting? Would this be your go-to fun gun at the trap range? Let us know all of your thoughts in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.
