Retay ACE-R Paloma

We have already reviewed the standard Retay ACE and really liked it, so the Paloma showing up was an easy yes. The ACE itself is not new, but the Paloma is a new model within that lineup, and it carries a lot of the same DNA with a few changes worth talking about.

Retay aims this one squarely at the dove and pigeon hunter, and shooting 28 gauge at doves sounds like an awful lot of fun. Although that is the intended purpose, I think this is a lot more of a crossover model than the box lets on. You could take it clay shooting, you could take it wingshooting, and it would be right at home doing either one.

• MSRP: $1,099.00
• Operation: Inertia driven (Retay Inertia Plus)
• Available Gauges: 12, 20, and 28 gauge
• Barrel Length Options: 28" or 30" in 12 gauge, 28" only in 20 and 28 gauge (30" tested)
• Chamber Size: 3"
• Weight: 6 lbs 14 oz to 6 lbs 15 oz on our scale (Retay lists 6 lbs 5 oz)
• Length of Pull: 14.5" out of the box
• Stock: Shim-adjustable drop and cast, shim kit included in the choke tube box
• Trigger: Removable drop-out trigger group, measured at 7 lbs 0.8 oz on our gauge
• Chokes: One extended improved cylinder plus five flush mount tubes
• Extras: Airy recoil pad, ported barrel, stepped up rib with brass mid bead and fiber optic front bead, Easy Out magazine unloading, sling swivels

Ergonomics

Let's start at the butt end with the Airy recoil pad, which I think is really nice and is quickly removable. That is a feature I love, especially when you are doing maintenance on your gun. What I do not know yet is longevity, so if you own an ACE or a gun with a pad like this, tell us how it has held up over time. One note for the recoil sensitive crowd. FalconStrike makes an adapter for these, so if you want to add one after the fact, you can do exactly that.

Moving forward you get a soft comb with a stippling texture that carries onto the grip and the fore end. The receiver is polished black with some matte black spots, and it reads Air Control Extreme R across the side. Air Control Extreme is where ACE comes from, and the R has to do with the raised back. The bolt handle is large and easy to operate, and the bolt release paddle is oversized and just as easy. One of my favorite things on the ACE models is the quick unload. With a round sitting in the magazine, you just pull the bolt release back toward you and that shell comes right out. The loading port is cut up into the receiver, which I absolutely love. Now if I had a complaint about this gun, this is it. Those inside edges of the receiver are a bit sharp, and as you push a shell in, you can catch your fingers and end up with a little bit of a bloody finger. To be transparent, I have shot a whole bunch of ACE models and that was the first time it has happened to me. It is not a make or break deal by any stretch. I would just like to see those edges rounded a little more.

The fore end is very ergonomically pleasing, with grooves across the top and contours that are really nice to get your hands on. You get the same stippling up front, a standard fore end cap, and swivels if you want to hang a sling on it.

Here is the part I was most excited about. The blued 30 inch barrel wears a stepped up rib with a brass mid bead and a small fiber optic front bead, and I feel more comfortable behind a stepped up rib than I do the standard ACE setup.

It also ships with an extended choke, which I am fairly confident is an improved cylinder, along with five more flush mounted tubes. That is plenty of choke for a dove gun right out of the box. I am taking this one down to Texas for doves here in a few weeks, and I will probably add a Carlsons to the mix.

As far as feel in the hands, I like it. The reach is maybe a bit long and my hand rubs just slightly right at the reach, which is not totally uncommon, but it is worth a note if you have shorter arms. One more thing on weight. Retay lists this gun at 6 lbs 5 oz, but I put it on my own scale and came up closer to 6 lbs 15 ounces. Right around seven pounds, which if you ask me is a pretty nice spot to be in, especially with a 30 inch barrel hanging off the front.

That barrel does make it feel slightly forward heavy, and I do not mind that one bit. It mounts up well and the balance point sits right about where I want it.

Recoil and Reliability

I have reviewed several of the ACE models now, and one thing has proven true across all of them. They are pretty decent on recoil. How much of that is the Airy pad, how much is fit, and how much is simply weight, I honestly cannot tell you.

Retay says the Airy pad cuts felt recoil by up to 30%. We ran Federal Top Gun ounce and an eighth through it with no issues at all, and recoil felt moderate to low for an inertia gun.

I have shot heavier loads through the ACE platform before, but I skipped that on this one. If you are shooting doves or clays, you are realistically running an ounce or an ounce and an eighth anyway.

We did run our usual reliability check and tried to shoot it upside down over the head. It did not do all that well, which is not all that surprising, because inertia guns generally do not like that with lighter target loads. I would imagine with a firm grip and shooting from the hip, it would not be a problem at all.

Want even less recoil? We love the FalconStrike recoil reduction systems.

Breakdown / Quality of Build

Taking this gun apart is probably my favorite feature of the whole ACE platform. The barrel and fore end come off, the bolt slides right out, and then you get to the part that makes this gun special. Normally on a semi-auto you have to dig out a punch and pop some pins to pull a trigger group. On the ACE, you finesse one button and the entire trigger group comes right out. I absolutely love that. It goes back together just as simply. The maintenance on these shotguns is about as painless as it gets, and being able to truly clean and service the gun without tools is not something you find at this price.

Now to be fair, I would love to hear from people who own an ACE about whether they have had any issues with that dropout system long term. I have not had a single one, but I am one guy doing one review. When you share, we all get better, so drop your experience in the comments. Here is the honest limitation on this review. As of filming, I had not had this gun out on an actual hunt yet. That kind of experience is what feeds into our Best Of series every fall, once I have had a full season to hunt with these guns and get real exposure.

Shooting Experience

We set up some clays to mimic doves, because that is what this gun was built for. The first one was a going away bird absolutely cooking, and the follow up shot broke somewhere around 50 yards. That felt good. From there we ran a quartering bird, then a fifth bird that has had me on the struggle bus for a while now. Both dead. This gun is shooting nice and moving really nice, and the recoil felt great the whole way through.

Before putting it on the clock, we shot the pattern plate three times to check point of impact. My guess going in was slightly high or right around a fifty fifty, and we ended up calling it a fifty fifty. That improved cylinder threw a big, wide spread with good distribution of pellets. We are not breaking out a magnifying glass here, but it is a fairly flat shooting gun and I am super happy with that. Then we put it on the clock, three clays as fast as we can run them. Inertia guns can be tricky here, because sometimes I do have a problem outrunning them. First run was 1.46 with a 28 and a 43 split, which is slower than I thought I was going. We tightened it up on the next run with a 24 and a 25, then a 20 and a 23 after that. The last run came in at 1.24 with a 21 and a 22 split. That is not blazing fast, but for an inertia gun, that is about what we shoot. For reference, an incredibly fast split is right around a 15.

What stood out through all of it is how manageable the gun stayed. Muzzle jump is not bad, recoil is very manageable, and it moves beautifully between targets. The trigger is a little heavy, and at just over seven pounds with a touch of pre-travel, you do notice it when you are trying to run fast.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, this is the Retay ACE-R Paloma, available in 12, 20, and 28 gauge, and I am really loving this gun. Out of all the ACE models I have shot, this might be my favorite. A lot of that comes down to the stepped up rib, which I prefer over the standard ACE, and I like the ported barrel. Although I would love to hear where you land on porting, because I am not fully convinced it makes the difference people think it does. That might need to be its own video.

Retay calls this a dove and pigeon gun, and it is absolutely that. But if you are looking for a gun that will shoot doves, break clays, and go duck hunting with you at a reasonable price point, I think this one is worth a look.

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