{"id":4525,"date":"2025-01-28T22:25:36","date_gmt":"2025-01-28T22:25:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/?p=4525"},"modified":"2025-01-28T22:25:36","modified_gmt":"2025-01-28T22:25:36","slug":"gun-review-beretta-a300-ultima-patrol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/?p=4525","title":{"rendered":"Gun Review: Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Travis Pike photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Beretta owns the semi-auto shotgun market. Beretta literally owns Benelli, Stoeger and Franchi, three companies whose bread and butter is shotguns. Beretta also produces a fair number of shotguns. Italian shotguns have a few common themes: high levels of performance, feature-filled and a high price point. The 1301 and Benelli M4 cost two grand. Seeing a gap in the market, Beretta released the A300 Ultima Patrol.<\/p>\n

The A300 Ultima Patrol has an MSRP of $1,049 but retails for less than a thousand dollars. It hits this comfortable zone for high-quality semi-autos that don\u2019t price themselves out of most people\u2019s hands. The A300 series isn\u2019t new, but the Ultima Patrol takes what\u2019s usually a sporting gun and makes it tactical.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The Ultima Patrol might be a Beretta but its made in the USA. Travis Pike photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The Ultima Patrol series is an American-made shotgun owned and influenced by the Italians. It takes a few features from the 1301 but doesn\u2019t have some of the more critical and expensive features. For example, the 1301 uses a steelium barrel with an elongated forcing cone for tighter patterns; the A300 does not. The A300 uses polymer sights; the 1301 uses metal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The A300 series offer some awesome ergonomics, a reliable action and a sub-$1,000 price point. Travis Pike photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Although there are several small differences, shotguns tend to be simple weapons. While dedicated shotgunners appreciate fancy features, most users are likely to ignore them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Ultima Patrol \u2013 Tactical is as Tactical Does\u00a0<\/h2>\n

The first thing Beretta did to the A300 was trim the barrel to 19.1 inches. That\u2019s a little longer than most, but it allows the barrel to sit flush with the magazine tube. That tube holds seven rounds. You can also ghost load the gun, which gives you 8+1. Not bad for a shotgun.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The 19.1-inch barrel sits flush with the magazine extension. Travis Pike photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The magazine clamp features a single M-LOK slot and a QD point for a sling. The handguard has M-LOK slots for accessories on three sides. Beretta added a very aggressive texture to the handguard. It bites into the hand quite well and allows for a great grip.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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We got M-LOK slots everywhere. Travis Pike photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The receiver houses our massive controls, including the charging handle, bolt release and safety, which are huge and easy to manipulate. The stock features a series of spacers that allow you to adjust the LOP from 13 to 14.5 inches.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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This is a little annoying. Travis Pike photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The front sight is a high-visibility orange design. Mine came loose early in my shooting, and it flopped around. It was easy to fix, but kind of annoying. It needed some Loctite. This was probably a one-off or rare situation given the quality Beretta\u2019s are known for, so I\u2019ll write that one up to a manufacturing glitch and not the norm. The rear sight features a nonadjustable polymer ghost ring. We get an optics rail; it\u2019s short and plastic, but it works. I attached a STNGR mini red dot to the gun, which works well.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Look at the size of those controls. Travis Pike photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Chucking Shells With the A300\u00a0Ultima Patrol<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s talk about reliability since it is one of the most important functions of a defensive firearm. The A300 Ultima Patrol ran quite well. I only had two malfunctions, and they were related to port loading the gun. When I closed the bolt and pulled the trigger, the trigger broke, and I heard the click, but the gun didn\u2019t fire.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Moving anf shooting is so much easier with a shotgun. Travis Pike photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The primer lacked an indent, and if I had to guess, the action didn\u2019t fully close and go into battery. The good news is that it won\u2019t fire out of battery. This was likely caused by my hand getting in the way of the charging handle, and it only happened twice in a few dozen different port reloads.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The A300 has light and sweet recoil. Travis Pike photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Other than that, the gun ran without an issue. It cycled birdshot, buckshot and slugs. The A300 chewed through light-loaded rounds like an 1145 FPS Flitecontrol load. It ate multiple uber-cheap birdshot loads and didn\u2019t slow down.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The rear sight is not adjustable (Travis Pike for TTAG)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The gas system worked to cycle the gun cut recoil. The A300 Ultima Patrol is fairly light at only seven pounds, so it\u2019s nice it doesn\u2019t hit your shoulder like Rosie O\u2019Donnell hits buffets. The gun also lacks the front-heavy nature of most gas-operated guns. The upside is a balanced gun; the downside is a gun that wants to jump a bit.<\/p>\n

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You have to dig in and brace yourself when shooting. Travis Pike photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

It has more muzzle rise than some competitors. You must dig into your push\/pull to keep the gun on target. It\u2019s not exceptionally bad, but it\u2019s noticeable compared to my bedside gun, the Mossberg 940 Pro Tactical.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Slamming Shells\u00a0<\/h2>\n

The A300 Ultima Patrol rips through buckshot nicely and quickly. I can land two shots into the A-zone of an IPSC target in less than one second at 10 yards. I did some ready-up drills at 15 yards and landed rounds in .54 seconds. That\u2019s fast, and the red dot helps a bit, but it\u2019s a testament to the gun\u2019s lack of recoil.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The Ultima Patrol is perfect for home defense. Travis Pike photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The big controls make the gun easy to manipulate. I never found myself lost while trying to hit the bolt release or rack the charging handle. The loading port comes directly out of a competition gun. It\u2019s deburred and massive. It doesn\u2019t pinch, and shoving rounds into the gun is very easy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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