Gun Review: The Kemen Suprema Titanium

From our September/October 2026 issue

I handle and shoot many extraordinary shotguns. But with the Kemen Suprema Titanium 20-gauge, I may have reached my zenith. At $60,105, the Suprema approaches the stratosphere of price. Kemen mated superior steel barrels to a lightweight titanium receiver and has delivered a triumph of traditional handcraft and modern technology. I luxuriated in the gun’s beauty and marveled at its adroit blend of titanium, steel and walnut—and was reluctant to return it . . . .

Djamel Talha’s article “The Kemen Connection” (Sept/Oct ’25) enlightened me about Kemen, which means “strength” or “stability” in the Basque language of Spain’s Eibar region. The company makes glorious side-by-sides but is best known for its Boss-action over/unders. The firm’s story begins in 1959 in the workshop of Francisco Sarriugarte, who began by making side-by-sides but quickly turned to over/unders. Francisco’s sons, Juan Cruz and Arcadio, joined the company, and in 1989 they relaunched the business as Armas Kemen. In 1992 the firm launched the KM-4 over/under, fashioned after the Perazzi MX8, and since then has introduced a variety of sporting and field models in both O/U and side-by-side configurations. In 2022 the Sarriugarte family partnered with Pat and Drew Lieske to establish Kemen USA, in Michigan. According to Kemen’s website, the company makes “luxury" shotguns for those who “crave heritage, elegance, and something that stirs the spirit each time it is shouldered.” With the Suprema, the maker has met and exceeded this objective.

The steel-proofed, chrome-lined 29" barrels on our gun were deep-drilled, honed and heat-treated chromoly steel. Heat treating increases strength, hardness and wear resistance. The tubes were hand struck, and the black finish had a lovely, muted shine. The polished muzzles sported a gapless fit at the rib end plugs. The 7mm hand-filed, ventilated top rib had parallel strokes of consistent depth and a high-post brass bead. A solid rib ran between the barrels. The barrels were joined to the monoblock with visible-yet-flush seams touched with circular engraving. I assiduously looked for anomalies in the jointures. There were none. 

The blued top portion of the monoblock had “Titanium Suprema” in gold on the left, “Kemen” on the right and decorative scroll at the edges. The lower portion was polished white steel with crisp machining for the draws, hooks and bites. The ejectors were precise and tight and consistently fired empties three feet over my right arm during test-firing. The polished breach face was stunning.

The 3" chambers (2¾" are available) transitioned to Kemen’s proprietary “progressive forcing cone system.” According to Drew Lieske, this “barrel-design feature improves shot-pattern consistency, reduces recoil and enhances overall shooting performance” by eliminating “the short, abrupt transition between the chamber and bore.” These are familiar promises, and I will defer to Lieske’s expertise on the issue. 

The 20-gauge barrels were overbored to .626" from the nominal .615". Kemen uses Briley Thin Wall technology for its multi-choke barrels. Our gun came with 2½" Improved Cylinder and Modified Briley S-13 chokes. Constrictions were noted on the shafts, and there were wrench cut-outs on the ends but no notches to indicate constriction. The chokes screwed in and out easily and settled a touch below the muzzle. The Improved Cylinder measured spot on at .009", as did the Modified at .015". They came in a plastic case with a steel wrench built for a lifetime of use. 

The magic with this gun lies in the titanium receiver. Titanium is 40% lighter than steel, yet its high strength-to-weight ratio makes it stronger than traditional steel receivers. Milling titanium takes not only time, but also expensive and precise machines. Hand-engraving titanium is a Herculean task requiring ultra-hard carbide tools, proper lubrication and a skilled artisan with the patience of Job. The Suprema features Kemen’s proprietary Baco engraving pattern, and it is a testament to artistry and technology. It must be seen in person to be appreciated. The silver deep-relief floral, leaf and vine motif bursts from a textured matte-black background. The flowers on our gun were exquisite. The coverage extended across false sideplates and to the knuckle. Three slotted screws in the sideplates were disguised with engraving, making them nearly invisible. The pattern was broken on both sides by polished recesses that defined the bolsters and engraved fences.

The interior was matte gray with flawless machining for the knuckle and locking wedges. In this Boss-style action, a stout white steel cocking bar runs through the center of the well. Two steel replaceable trunnions are incorporated at the knuckle. The locking wedges engage draws in the monoblock. The barrels swing on the steel trunnions, and rectangular steel bolt stubs emerge from the face to engage bites in the monoblock. The action is unbeatable in terms of strength and longevity.

The engraved steel toplever opened effortlessly, and the gun closed with a reassuring snick. A long, thin, angled steel bar attached to the bolt activated the automatic safety. The crosshatched external safety switch was engraved near the top with a fancy little leaf. The safety was positive and smooth, with a definitive click on and off. There was no barrel selector, and the bottom barrel always fired first. The firing pins were set deep in the action. 

An unengraved aperture in the receiver secured the drop-out trigger. As I’ve said in the past, detachable triggers can be an invitation for compulsive tinkering. The engineering and tolerances must be tight, and the parts need to be protected and secure to withstand the indignities of removal and insertion. Kemen has accomplished this with aplomb. To drop the trigger, a small key inserts under the trigger guard to move a tiny detent activator. The trigger group simply pulls down and out. It is intuitive, with no acrobatics involving the safety and trigger. Installation is equally simple. 

The inertia-trigger group is a mechanical gem. The hand-fit parts were polished and arranged on a weighty steel platform that was jeweled on the sides and Baco engraved on the bottom. The immaculate white steel hammers, sears, leaf springs, lifter and inertia block were secured to a rugged blued center bar. Everything was compact and tight. The silver blade trigger was ensconced in an engraved steel trigger guard. There was about a millimeter of take-up and a touch of creep in the first pull of 3 pounds and no take-up or creep in the second pull of 3½ pounds. 

The Turkish-walnut stock popped with waves, speckles and splashes of dark figure and had strong, straight grain through the wrist. The wood-to-metal fit was appropriately proud and gap free. The satin hand-rubbed oil finish filled the grain and pores. The wood lacked finish under the sideplates and at the stock’s head. This was a disagreeable shortcut. The gently curved pistol grip settled at an angled knob, and the grip geometry was excellent. Palm swells on field guns do not bother me, provided they aren’t obnoxious. This one offered a gentle push into the hand. The stock had a 14⅞" length of pull to the back of a thin, textured KICK-EEZ pad. The comb was nearly parallel, with 1⅜" drop at comb and 1¾" drop at heel. There was 1/8" of cast-off and 4° of pitch.

The fine 24-lines-per-inchcheckering had exquisite flat-top points, but my satisfaction with it stopped there. The borders had inconsistent depth, unsightly overruns and unconsummated cuts, and there was an asymmetry at the points on the underside of the trigger. Some may find these imperfections the charming signature of handcraft. I feel that keen edges and symmetry are not too much to expect on a $60,000 shotgun.

The grooves on the slender forend allowed for a secure grip, and the exterior oil finish was excellent but lacking on the underside. The engraved knuckle hook’s fit was superb. The pushbutton release was unique. In lieu of a heavier rod, Kemen has substituted two thin steel parallel bars in a well-inlet channel that secure to a traditional iron. The forend attached and detached easily.

SNAPSHOT

Make & Model: Kemen Suprema Titanium

Gauge: 20 (also available in 12 and 28)

Action: Titanium Boss-style over/under with detachable trigger (steel receiver available for $10,000 less)

Chambering: 3"

Finish: Hand-engraved Baco style (custom engraving available)

Barrel Length: 29" (custom lengths available)

Weight: 6½ pounds

Chokes: Flush-mount Briley screw-in (fixed chokes available)

Stock: 147/8" LOP, 13/8" DAC, 1¾" DAH, 1/8" cast-off, 4° pitch (custom dimensions available)

Accessories: Negrini ABS case, chokes, owner’s manual and cloth sleeves

Warranty: Lifetime mechanical warranty and two-year stock warranty. Service by Kemen USA

Price as tested: $60,105

Similar to the checkering on the stock, that on the forend was lacking. The borders were asperous. A nifty engraved teardrop escutcheon was noticeably askew, and the dazzling engraved finial was sullied by filler to camouflage poor inletting. Disappointing, to say the least.

Alloy receivers, particularly titanium, can be tricky. Physics are immutable, so it is precarious to remove weight from a key component of a shotgun without compromising balance, handling and recoil. When done poorly, the result is a gun that handles like a medieval mace and kicks like Chuck Norris. Kemen takes pride in the “balance and pointability" of its shotguns, and the maker got things right with this gun. The Suprema balanced a touch behind the knuckle. Its 6½ pounds carried like 5, with the weight settling ideally between the hands. Shooting Winchester Super Target 1,200-fps, ⅞-oz loads of No. 7½ shot, the gun patterned 50/50 with perfect convergence. The recoil never occurred to me. The gun shot that softly. 

Carrying the Suprema was dreamy, and I wished I was in the field. The gun mounted effortlessly to the face and shoulder pocket. The barrels moved smoothly target to target, albeit with an inkling of whippiness that needed to be mastered. The triggers were extraordinary. All that said, my first day with the Suprema resulted in more misses than hits. I blame the gun’s dimensions. The comb was not to my liking, and I put the gun away with a scowl.

The following day a trapper convinced me that I was the problem, not the gun. I recalled my mentor, John Skinner, saying, “Stop engineering your shots." I remembered instructor Lars Jacob’s advice and slowed down and focused hard on the target. Lastly, Paula Moore, Orvis’s chief wingshooting instructor, reminded me: “It’s a gun. Shoot it." Instead of having me select targets, the trapper surprised me, and I intuitively shot better. I found the sweet spot on the bottom edge of a chandelle and dispatched it with ease. True pairs of going-away birds were smashed, as I moved gracefully from target to target. I established proper lead and maintained barrel speed on hard crossers. I came to realize that this is no ponderous target gun; it is a bird-slaying extension of the shooter. 

Our Kemen Suprema Titanium was an extraordinary shotgun with few shortcomings. If a gunmaker employs titanium as a mere novelty, then it is gratuitous. With this gun, the material is integrated with wood and steel to produce a masterpiece. As Kemen states, the Suprema is a “harmony of weight and balance" with a good measure of artistic beauty. This dedicated bird gun handles like a dream and would be the pride and joy of any wingshooter. Struggle as I did with the dimensions, if I were feeling plucky—and rich—I might have one built to my dimensions and revel in the experience of carrying it afield. 

For more information on Armas Kemen, visit kemen-usa.com.