The Beretta 1301 is a reliable shotgun, but you need to understand how it works to avoid common problems. Today we’re looking at proper loading techniques, how to set up cruiser ready condition, ghost loading, slug changeovers, and mistakes that can cause malfunctions or negligent discharges. These are the practical skills that separate competent 1301 users from the filthy casuals.
Details are in the video below. As always, keep scrolling for the full transcript, but a lot of this one won’t make much sense unless you see the techniques demonstrated on video.
Hey everybody, I am Chris Baker from Lucky Gunner and today I’m going to cover some tips for getting the most out of the Beretta 1301 semi-auto shotgun. This is a follow-up to our last video where I shared my thoughts on the 1301 after ten years of use. It’s a very reliable shotgun and it will eat just about any kind of ammo you feed it. But if you’re not familiar with the specifics of how the 1301 action operates, or if you’re new to semi-auto shotguns in general, you can run into some issues.
Let’s start with some basic terminology just so we’re all on the same page. This is the bolt and the charging handle. Below that we have the bolt release latch. On the bottom here is the shell lifter or shell carrier. This button at the base of the lifter is the carrier stop button.
Loading
Loading the 1301 is pretty straightforward. We’ll start by clearing it. Check the mag tube. Open the action, check the chamber and carrier. All good, the gun is clear.
Okay, now let’s load it. If I’m at the range and preparing to shoot, first I’ll load the chamber. When I open the bolt, it doesn’t lock unless I first press the carrier stop button. Pop a shell in there and onto the lifter. Press the bolt release and now the chamber is loaded. Of course, that means if I press the trigger, the gun will fire. So I want to double check that the safety is on. Now I can load the mag tube.
On the older 1301s like this one, the lifter is blocking access to the mag tube, so you just push it up and out of the way when you’re loading. The newer 1301s have what’s called the pro lifter. That style lifter will stay up and it’s a bit easier.
Push the shell in there until you can feel the rim go past the shell stop. If I don’t push it far enough, the shell will pop back out. With the older shell lifter design, it can pop that shell out onto the lifter. Now the lifter is blocking the tube and I can’t load any more rounds until I run the bolt. This is one of the advantages of the Pro Lifter design. It prevents that from happening.
How the 1301 Action Works
Since this is a semi-automatic, when I fire the first shell, the gun will automatically load the next shell. But how does this happen? How does a shell go from all the way down here in the mag tube to up here in the chamber? It’s important to know this so you can diagnose malfunctions and make sense of some of the other manipulations we’re going to do.
When you press the trigger on the 1301, a couple of things happen. Of course, the round in the chamber ignites. But what also happens is that the lifter drops down and the shell stop moves out of the way just long enough for the next shell to pop out onto the lifter. When the bolt goes back, the lifter moves up and brings that shell in line with the chamber. Then when the bolt closes, it chambers the shell.
If I eject a shell manually, the gun does not release a new shell onto the lifter. I can rack the charging handle all day and it will not load a new round. First, I have to either hit the carrier stop button or pull the trigger to get a round on the lifter.
Cruiser Ready
Let’s say you want the gun to be loaded and ready to use, but you don’t want a shell in the chamber. These guns are not technically 100% drop safe. Also, I don’t like leaving a single action gun loaded with the trigger exposed. Even if I keep it in a gun safe or a locker, if I grab it in an emergency, it might be dark, it would be really easy for my finger to slip in the trigger guard. I want to avoid that. That’s what cruiser-ready condition is for.
To set this up on the 1301, I’ll start with an empty chamber and load the mag tube to capacity. Then I will press the carrier stop button to get a shell on the lifter. Make sure the safety is on. And that’s how I’ll store the gun for home defense use. If I need it, I just pick up the gun, run the charging handle, and it’s ready to go.
Unloading
What if you want to unload the mag tube? The slow (and not particularly safe) method is to hit the carrier stop button, run the bolt to load the shell, again to eject it, and repeat that until the tube is empty. My friends, there is a better way.
All you have to do is reach into the mag tube and manually press the shell stop. That will release a shell and you just ease it out.
On the original 1301s, you could actually press the back side of the bolt latch to release the shell stop and eject a round from the tube. It made it very easy to unload the gun. But it was also easy to press it accidentally and get a double feed on the lifter, which is a real pain to fix. So people came up with aftermarket shrouded bolt latches like this one that basically disable that function.
You can still do it by pulling up on the bolt latch – that actually works with the new 1301s also. But it’s kind of a pain to do. It’s much easier to just reach in and press the shell stop directly.
Ghost Loading the 1301
Ghost loading the 1301. Ghost loading is usually associated with 3-gun competition. It’s where you load a semi-auto shotgun so that you have a round in the chamber, your mag tube is full and there’s a round on the lifter. It allows you to maximize your ammo capacity. The guns are not usually designed to do this, so it can be a little annoying to set up. It’s not even possible with all semi-autos, but you can do it with the 1301.
Start with an empty chamber and load the mag tube to capacity. Then you pull back the charging handle and hold it. Pop a shell in there and manually push it into the chamber. Then – here’s the tricky part – take another shell, place it on the lifter. Let the bolt forward about half an inch. Then push the shell and lifter down. Let the bolt forward a little more until the bolt carrier is past the rim of the shell. Then let it go the rest of the way. Double check that the bolt is completely closed. And there we go. Now I have seven plus one plus one for a total of nine shells. Usually, this is more trouble than it’s worth for anything other than a shooting match, but now you know how to do it.
Slug Changeover
How about a slug changeover? This is another kind of niche technique, but it does have some uses. Let’s say you’ve got buckshot in the chamber and mag tube, but you want to load a slug to get a little more range.
If your mag tube is not at full capacity, you can just take your slug, load it in the tube, press the carrier stop, and cycle the action to load that slug. What I think is a little easier, and the method I use, is to just pull back the charging handle and hold it open. Then grab your slug and port load it.
It might feel a little precarious to support the whole gun by the charging handle while you’ve got it shouldered, so you can always bring it down and pin it under your arm pit or brace it against your knee or whatever works. The lifter will partially block the shell, but if you just push the shell in there, it will move out of the way easily enough.
Port Loading Issues
You’ve shot the gun until it’s empty. The bolt has locked open. You need a round in the chamber ASAP. What do you do? There are tons of methods for emergency port loading the 1301. They all have strengths and weaknesses. I’m not going to cover all of those today, but let’s talk about some of the common problems that come up.
The most common issue – and this applies to just about any of the techniques – is that after you hit the bolt latch, your fingers get in the way of the bolt handle so the bolt doesn’t close all the way. When I’m coming under the receiver, I try to hit the latch with my index finger and fan my other fingers out of the way. If you go over the receiver, you might want to move your hand forward as you hit the latch to get it out of the way. Same thing if you do strong side loading or violin loading. Keep those fingers clear of the charging handle.
The quickest way to port load is with a match saver. But they introduce some complications. It basically crowds your work space here, so your fingers are even more likely to get in the way of the bolt handle. And that’s just one of the issues I’ve seen with them. If you’re going to use a match saver, just make sure you practice with it a whole lot. Also practice other port loading techniques with the match saver mounted to see if it gets in your way, because you might have to port load more than once.
Negligent Discharges
Okay, the one nobody wants to talk about: negligent discharges. Some of the shotgun instructors I know have recently been talking about two different types of NDs they’ve seen multiple times in classes. They tend to happen when people get in a hurry on timed drills and their technique is a little sloppy.
The first is when the shooter starts at low ready with the safety on. At the signal, they disengage the safety and their finger slides onto the trigger hard enough to press the trigger before they’re on target. Yeah, don’t do that. That’s one reason why I’m not really interested in a trigger job on the 1301. The triggers are already light enough. In any case, disengaging the safety and pressing the trigger should be two distinct and separate actions. Try to keep it that way.
The other ND is actually not specific to the 1301. It’s an issue with the violin loading technique. Apparently, sometimes when people are bringing their hand back to the grip, they’re getting fingers caught in the trigger guard and causing an ND that way. There are two things you can do to avoid this. One is to fuse these three fingers together into a flipper. And the other is to always go under the trigger guard, not along the side. So whether you’re coming from the port or the mag tube, do it like that and you won’t get any fingers where they’re not supposed to be.
Lifter Interference
One final issue I wanted to mention with the 1301 is not a common one but you should know about it anyway. Do not interfere with the loading port while the gun is cycling. When you press the trigger, the lifter pops down to catch the next shell. And you can see that it sticks out the bottom of the receiver a tiny bit. So if you have the gun sitting on a rest, or if you’re shooting from some unconventional position and your hand is down here, you might block the lifter and it won’t get a new shell.
I found this out in a class when the instructor wanted us to shoot a bunch of slugs from prone. I was supporting the gun like this and discovered I was blocking the lifter. So unless you’re loading the tube, keep this area clear.
Talking about all of these issues, you might get the impression that the 1301 is a finicky machine. It’s really not. It’s one of the most reliable shotguns you can buy. You have to understand a little about how it operates, mostly so you can stay out of the way and let it do it’s thing. I hope you guys found this helpful. Until next time, be sure to get your ammo from us with lightning fast shipping at Lucky Gunner.