New For 2024: TriStar Arms Cypher

by
posted on July 6, 2024
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
Right side of the walnut-stocked TriStar Arms Cypher over-under shotgun.
Images courtesy of TriStar Arms.

Built on a foundation of semi-automatic and double-barrel models, TriStar Arms offers a large and diverse lineup of “reliable, functional and hardworking” shotguns, from lever-action .410s to unique home-defense models. New for 2024, the company is expanding its double-barrel offerings with the over-under Cypher.

The Cypher is offered in three versions, all of which share the same basic features, including a solid metal frame, mono-block barrel design with automatic ejectors, a fiber-optic front sight and a single selective trigger. The safety selector is located on the tang. When in the safe position, it can be moved to the right or left to select the upper or lower barrel. Stocks are made of deluxe oil-finished Turkish walnut with a 14.25” length-of-pull. Each shotgun is supplied with five extended screw-in choke tubes of the Beretta Mobil pattern—skeet, improved cylinder, modified, improved modified and full—along with a wrench to change them out.

Right side of the aluminum-frame TriStar Arms Cypher X shotgun.The Cypher X (pictured) uses aluminum receiver construction for a lighter shotgun.

The basic Cypher has a steel receiver, while the Cypher X uses an aluminum receiver to save weight. Both the Cypher and Cypher X are available in .410 bore, 28 gauge, 20 gauge, 16 gauge and 12 gauge with 3” chambers and 28” barrels. The shotguns weigh between 5.9 lbs. and 7 lbs. for Cypher models, with Cypher X models weighing about half a pound less in the same gauge. Both the Cypher and Cypher X have an MSRP of $960 for 12 ga., 16 ga. and 20 ga. models, and $975 for 28 ga. and .410 bore versions.

Right side of the TriStar Arms Cypher SP with an adjustable buttstock.The Cypher SP is a purpose-built shotgun chambered in 12 gauge with ported 30” barrels and an adjustable comb buttstock.

The Cypher SP is designed for sporting clay shooting. Its 30” barrels are ported with a target rib mounted on top and the walnut stock has an adjustable comb. The SP is available only in 12 gauge and weighs 7.25 lbs. with a steel receiver. The Cypher SP has an MSRP of $1,025. For more information, visit tristararms.com.

Latest

Icarry Taurus TX9 Compact 1
Icarry Taurus TX9 Compact 1

I Carry: Taurus TX9 Compact in a Galco Holster

In our latest "I Carry" segment, we pair the new Taurus TX9 Compact with a leather Stow-N-Go holster from Galco, Inc. This compact, concealed-carry kit is rounded out with an Xolotl automatic knife produced by CRKT.

The Armed Citizen® March 13, 2026

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Review: Canik USA MC9 Prime

Canik USA built out its concealed-carry handgun lineup with the MC9 Prime, which is a larger, yet still slim, CCW gun that sits in the same category as other upsized micro-compacts.

U.S. Army Awards Mossberg Contract for Additional 590A1 Pump-Action Shotguns

The U.S. Army has awarded O.F. Mossberg & Sons a contract for approximately $11.6 million dollars to supply the U.S. Army with additional Mossberg 590A1 pump-action shotguns.

250 Years of the U.S. Army: Bolt-Actions & Semi-Automatics on the Battlefield

In just a few decades, the U.S. Army would see itself go from a single-shot, blackpowder design in the form of the Trapdoor Springfield to a modern, semi-automatic fighting rifle in the M1 Garand.

Modernized & Economical Muzzleloaders: The CVA Optima XP & XP-SB

CVA's longest-lasting muzzleloader design, the Optima, has been updated in 2026 with "modern ergonomics and modularity."

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.