{"id":4770,"date":"2016-04-14T17:43:44","date_gmt":"2016-04-14T21:43:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/?p=4770"},"modified":"2021-07-27T16:07:09","modified_gmt":"2021-07-27T20:07:09","slug":"beretta-1301-tactical-peoples-shotgun-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/beretta-1301-tactical-peoples-shotgun-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Beretta 1301 Tactical: The People\u2019s Shotgun Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Last week, in the first installment of this two-part review<\/a>, I talked about why I think the Beretta 1301 Tactical is one of the best home defense shotguns on the market. It\u2019s lightweight, it\u2019s got soft recoil, and it comes right out of the box with a lot of great features like the ghost ring sights and optic rail, an oversized bolt handle, and a large safety button that\u2019s reversible for left-handed use.<\/span><\/p>

But there are a few things you should probably know about the 1301 before you go out and buy one. First is the lack of aftermarket support.\u00a0<\/span>For instance, you\u2019re pretty much stuck with the length of pull that you get on the original factory stock. You can make it longer by adding the spacers they include with the gun, but the shortest it gets is 13 inches. The ideal length of pull on a defensive shotgun for most people is usually between 12 and 13 inches, but right now, the original factory stock is the shortest one available.<\/span><\/p>

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A much bigger problem is that there\u2019s no easy\u00a0way to attach a light to this shotgun. With an\u00a0aftermarket extended magazine tube on\u00a0the 1301, it’s possible to add a barrel clamp near the muzzle that will accommodate a small accessory rail. However, a light mounted that far forward will be too far away to activate with the support hand, so a tape switch would be necessary to operate\u00a0the light while maintaining a correct grip on the gun.<\/span>\u00a0A tape switch isn’t a bad solution in itself,\u00a0but they typically carry a\u00a0much higher price tag\u00a0than standard flashlight mounts, and that’s before you factor in the requisite magazine extension and barrel clamp.\u00a0<\/span>Ideally, you would be able to attach a light somewhere on the forend closer to where most people normally grip the gun.<\/span>\u00a0But until an accessory like that becomes available, we’re\u00a0stuck with some less than ideal options for using the Beretta in low light.<\/span><\/p>

The Infamous “Shell Dump”<\/strong><\/h3>

The last issue with the 1301 is difficult to explain without a visual demonstration. The short video below describes the problem in detail, but I’ll also provide the transcript in case you can’t watch the video right now. Fair warning though,\u00a0it might not make a lot of sense without watching the demo.<\/span><\/p>