BERETTA 1301 TACTICAL: A WEAPON OF CHOICE FOR HOME DEFENSE
The Beretta 1301 Tactical stands out as one of the finest semi-automatic shotguns on the market, blending Italian engineering precision with relentless reliability in a compact, fast-handling package that's equally at home defending your castle or leading the stack as a point man's cover shooting tool. Powered by Beretta's ultra-reliable Blink gas system—which cycles rounds faster than most competitors— this 12-gauge powerhouse delivers lightning-quick follow-up shots, minimal recoil, and intuitive controls that shine under stress. Whether you're safeguarding your family in a home defense scenario or patrolling high-risk environments where speed and stopping power are non-negotiable, the 1301 Tactical proves itself a versatile, duty-grade performer that earns its reputation as a go-to choice for discerning shooters.
FEATURES
The 1301 Tactical is a premium shotgun with more subtle features than you’d expect on a $1500 shotgun. The forend of the shotgun is relatively smooth and does not have slots for your standard tactical accessories (lights, lasers, and tape switches).
The barrel clamp needs an Allen key to remove, and it lacks any sling attachment. I replaced the clamp with a clamp that featured a rail slot and a QD attachment point as well. I ran the tape switch to the smooth side of the forend with a 3M double-sided sticky pad.
The safety, charging handle, and the bolt release are oversized and work very well for quick usage.
The loading gate features a well polished ramp that acts as a loading ramp and this feature is essential for loading the next shell under the bolt.
If you are going to top off the weapon, 6 shells will fit in the magazine and one will fit in the loading chamber under the bolt while one shell is in the chamber. But this takes a lot of work to accomplish, and it is essentially a 6+1 shotgun in my experience.
The barrel of the shotgun hosts a full open choke out of the box, which means you can put in other chokes and even attach a suppressor.
The 1301 comes with a strip of picatinny rail on the top of the receiver. At the rear of the rail is the ghost ring rear sight of the shotgun that is windage and elevation adjustable. The rear ghost ring sight has two white dots on each sight for contrast to help center the front dot in the ghost ring.
The front sight is a stationery white dot in a wide front sight that is screwed into the front sight post. The protective wings of the front sight are good for that “AR-style” sight picture.
The internal components of the 1301 tactical are where all the money is placed. The internals are polished, the trigger is crisp and light, and the gas system is so adaptable that it can take anything from birdshot to 3” high brass shells.
SHOOTING EXPERIENCE
I found out really fast how smooth and amazing the a semi-auto gas operated shotgun can be. Whether shooting Buckshot or birdshot, the recoil was pretty well baselined below the force felt by a pump action. I fired a few 3” shells out of the 1301 and the force of the blast knocked the light off my shotgun, which ended the period where I used the pic rail on the barrel clamp for a white light. This was also the point in which I stopped trusting cheap 3” shells in my Beretta 1301. The cheap Winchester buckshot shells would jam up during ejection and require me to use my dagger to pry the shell out.
However, I had good healthy ejection with relatively hot Breneke bear slugs.
For the majority of the shooting, I have shot birdshot on my land and used the shotgun to trim grass. I usually let my wife do this, but I found this to be a great way to practice shooting and moving and loading quickly. I do the best I can to maintain constant fire when I trim the grass, with the goal to heat up the shotgun as much as possible.
During fire and movement drills, the semi auto is much easier to keep fed compared to a pump action since you are not having your support hand pulling double duty of running the action AND keeping the beast fed and topped off. The 1301 tactical is a fast weapon and it has premium features on it right out of the box that can be good to help you run the weapon quickly. In many ways, the shotgun feels like it is competition-ready right out of the box with the oversized controls and the ease of use.
ACCESSORIES
The Beretta 1301 is a very bland weapon in term of its features. Sure they are oversized and very positive, but the grip only helps you get a good grip when your hands are dry and there is no slots for accessories, which is a bit behind for a weapon system labeled “tactical”. In the future, I am looking at getting a Magpul forend to be able to reliably mount a light and optimize it as a low light cannon of justice.
I had to buy a GG&G barrel clamp just to get a slot for my light, but the slot took such a beating from the barrel vibrations that the light system literally shook off the mount.
I attached a rubberized-polymer side saddle that mounts through a 3M double-sided sticker. This was an inexpensive and excellent addition, and it has performed reliably even in the rain and snow.
I tried using a sling on the shotgun, but it is not a typical system that is set up to attach a sling. I had to get the GG&G barrel clamp and then fashion a sort of stock sling. That didn’t work out so now the shotgun runs without a sling.
OPTIMAL USAGE
Originally, I liked the idea of a semi-auto shotgun being used as a point mans weapon due to the ability to put rounds on target fast. As I worked more with the shotgun, I found that the shotgun would rather excel as a SHTF service shotgun or a home defense shotgun. A military shotgun in the woods cannot be relied on as a base of fire weapon, but rather as a cover shooting force multiplier.
As a military shotgun, the 1301 would have to be capable of being disassembled without a tool, and that is not possible. Also, the system is not really optimized to be put in a harsh and neglectful environment. That said, I would use this weapon in a CQB role or a grab and go weapon system. You can shoot a large amount quickly and the system is reliable with most shotgun defensive loads. The trigger is like a standard rifle trigger and the shotgun is easy to manipulate. Once you handle the shotgun fast for the first time, I think you will be surprised by how easy the weapon system can be run.
CLEANING
Cleaning and maintaining the shotgun is not as intuitive as other shotguns because you have to use tools to disassemble and the shotgun parts can be a pain to clean, particularly the gas system. The piston and the action spring have to be taken off the magazine tube, and the hard packed firing residue needs to be cleaned off. The magazine tube should be well lubed and the piston should be likewise wetted with lubricant. I prefer to use SLIP2000 because it is the only product that I have experienced that will allow you to simply wipe off any firing residue that would normally caked on. I highly recommend you not let this weapon go more than 200 shots without taking it down and cleaning the gas system and action.
MAINTENANCE
The Beretta 1301, being a semi auto shotgun, will have only a few parts that really need to be watched for performance changes. Here are a few of the parts that I recommend you keep on hand or keep an eye on:
MAGAZINE TUBE
With use, these single coil springs can loose their tension
ACTION SPRING
This spring is relatively tight, so it will typically have a long service life
EXTRACTOR
Watch for erratic ejection
FIRING PIN
If you do alot of dry fire, be careful to use snap caps religiously
OPTIMAL HOME DEFENSE SYSTEM
This shotgun costs about $1,500 on average, yet it stands out as one of the best semi-automatic shotguns available for shooters who want a firearm that cycles and performs with rifle-like speed. Its controls are intuitive and straightforward to operate, and the operating system is exceptionally reliable, delivering consistent function under a wide range of conditions. This is well worth the investment, and it has been a joy to own it.