Beretta Battle: 1301 Tactical vs. A300 Ultima Patrol [Which Should You Buy?]
Beretta’s A300 Ultima Patrol challenges the 1301 Tactical as the best defensive shotgun. Which is is actually better? We compare them side-by-side.
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- How We Compared the Beretta 1301 Tactical & A300 Ultima Patrol
- Beretta 1301 Tactical & A300 Ultima Patrol Comparison Chart
- Beretta Shotgun Background
- Who Are the Beretta Shotguns For?
- Reliability/Durability
- Ergonomics: Fit & Feel
- Accuracy
- Performance
- Value
- Upgrades for Beretta Shotguns
- Why You Should Trust Pew Pew Tactical
- Final Verdict
The Beretta 1301 Tactical has long been held as one of the premier defensive shotguns of the day but the recent entry of the A300 Ultima Patrol has felt a little like a challenger vying for the title.
Is the new arrival capable of seizing the crown or is it simply a budget-minded upstart?
We can agree Beretta makes some fine shotguns, but how would a discerning shopper make a choice between these two?
Thankfully, we’ve spent quite a bit of time with both and designed a test to settle the match-up between the Beretta 1301 Tactical and the A300 Ultima Patrol.
Keep reading to see who wins the Beretta Battle!
Table of Contents
- How We Compared the Beretta 1301 Tactical & A300 Ultima Patrol
- Beretta 1301 Tactical & A300 Ultima Patrol Comparison Chart
- Beretta Shotgun Background
- Who Are the Beretta Shotguns For?
- Reliability/Durability
- Ergonomics: Fit & Feel
- Accuracy
- Performance
- Value
- Upgrades for Beretta Shotguns
- Why You Should Trust Pew Pew Tactical
- Final Verdict
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How We Compared the Beretta 1301 Tactical & A300 Ultima Patrol
For this review, we compared notes from separate experiences and previous reviews. In addition, we subjected both shotguns to accuracy and performance testing to determine which shotgun won the following categories:
- Reliability/Durability – how well they run and how long they last
- Ergonomics – controls, fit, and ease of use
- Accuracy –patterning buckshot as well as accuracy with slugs
- Performance – comparison of speed as well as recoil mitigation
- Value – price compared with benefits to the shooter
After analyzing each category, we reviewed the judge’s scorecards to tally up the victor.
Beretta 1301 Tactical & A300 Ultima Patrol Comparison Chart
| Beretta 1301 Tactical | Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol | |
|---|---|---|
| Caliber | 12 gauge 3" chamber | 12 gauge 3" chamber |
| Capacity | 7+1 (can ghost load) | 7+1 (can ghost load) |
| Action | Gas operated semi-auto | Gas operated semi-auto |
| Overall length | 37.8” | 38” |
| Barrel length | 18.7" | 19.1" |
| Weight | 6.7 lbs. | 7.1 lbs. |
| Choke | OBHP-IC | MC |
| Manufactured in | Italy | USA |
| Price | $1,375 | $800 |
Beretta Shotgun Background
The Beretta 1301 Tactical was created in Italy in 2014 as a defensive semi-auto shotgun. It was equipped with an oversized charging handle, ghost ring sights, a Picatinny rail, 5-shell capacity (LE and later models were 7+1), and an oversized bolt release.
The A300 Ultima Patrol was released in 2023 but manufactured in Tennessee. Also intended as a defensive semi-auto shotgun, the Patrol featured an oversized charging handle, a fiber optic front sight, an enhanced loading port, 7+1 capacity, an oversized bolt release, and improved attachment points for accessories.
Who Are the Beretta Shotguns For?
Both the 1301 Tactical and A300 Ultima Patrol are billed as defensive or law enforcement shotguns. Their tactical features and overall design reflect this intention.
Whether you’re a home defender or a cop on the street, either shotgun is a great choice.
What about concealment or hunting?
Well, that's when things break down. The size and capacity of both these shotguns rule them out for easy concealment or hunting.
Reliability/Durability
Shotgun Ammo in Stock
We own and have tested both guns extensively. The 1301 Tactical has been in Pew Pew Tactical’s inventory since we reviewed it in 2022 and has a lot of shells through it.
Similarly, we reviewed the A300 Ultima Patrol in 2023 after trying it out at SHOT Show the same year. This gun has just under 1,000 rounds through it.
Both scatterguns have had a ton of shells through them and share something in common — they have fired a wide variety of ammo without any malfunctions. As far as the reliability side of this category is concerned, both have a perfect track record in our testing.
The Beretta 1301 Tactical enjoys a slight advantage over the A300 Ultima Patrol because of its more advanced B-LINK gas system. It can handle a wider variety of ammo without fault, whereas the A300 has a slight chance of struggling with light birdshot loads.
Our testing hasn’t revealed this, as the A300 Ultima Patrol has reliably cycled everything it's been fed. With reliability settled, our next concern is longevity via durability.
Both shotguns are built for the long haul, though the A300 Ultima Patrol has a more economical approach, reflected in its feature set. The 1301 Tactical has a chrome-lined bolt and barrel that are more expensive, but this also means the gun will last longer.
The winner...the Beretta 1301 Tactical
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Ergonomics: Fit & Feel
Both Beretta shotguns are remarkably light and comfortable to handle. They mount to the shoulder well, and all controls are easy to reach.
In addition, both guns feature oversized controls when compared to hunting shotguns. This allows easier use during high stress, gross motor skills moments.
The stocks on both guns appear very similar, with excellent butt pads and fairly aggressive texturing. The only notable external difference is the sling swivel on the 1301 Tactical compared to the Patrol’s QD well.
Moving forward, both guns have fairly similar triggers and trigger guards. The safety of the 1301 Tactical is slightly larger and triangular in shape compared to the Patrol’s round configuration.
Charging handles are roughly the same on both guns also. Though the 1301 Tactical has a horn shape as opposed to the Patrol’s ribbed barrel.
Rating score
As near as I can tell, the bolt release buttons are the same on both guns. They are also located in the same spot.
One major difference in the receiver of these shotguns is that the Beretta greatly improved the loading port of the A300 Ultima Patrol. More material is moved away from all sides surrounding the port, and the edges are beveled nicely to allow greater ease of use.
Rating score
Both guns have Picatinny rails on top of the receiver, which we replaced with Scalarworks optics mounts for a low-sitting co-witness. In addition, the Patrol has a slight advantage with a fiber optic front sight and slightly smaller rear sight than the 1301.
Finally, while both shotguns have the same aggressive texture on their forends, the A300 Ultima Patrol enjoys the modern enhancements of M-LOK at the 3, 6 and 9 positions and QD on both sides of the barrel clamp.
These advancements are noteworthy and enough to tip the advantage to the A300 Ultima Patrol in this category.
Accuracy
For the accuracy portion we patterened both shotguns at 5, 10, 15, and 25 yards using Federal’s Flitecontrol, 9-pellet, 00 Buck. By comparing the performance of both guns we were able to see that it appeared the Patrol held groups a little tighter up close but spread out a little more over distance.
In contrast, the 1301 Tactical was slightly wider up close, but didn’t spread out quite as much at distance. For the patterning portion, the guns performed pretty closely.
Switching to slugs, we used a brace and fired 5-shot groups of Hornady American Whitetail slugs from 20 yards. Here again, the performance, limited by my skill, was comparable.
The 1301 Tactical had four hits pretty close at roughly 2.5 inches, omitting one flyer I dropped. Meanwhile, the A300 Ultima Patrol had four grouped (omitting another flyer) at roughly 3 inches.
The winner?
Performance in this category by both guns was close enough to call it a draw.
Performance
Two subcategories helped us measure which shotgun had better performance: speed and recoil mitigation. To test speed, I fired seven rounds of 00 buck as fast as possible and measured each effort with a Shooter's Global Shot Timer.
The 1301 Tactical smoked all seven shots in 1.18 with .18 splits. Interestingly, the A300 Ultima Patrol blistered seven shots in 1.14 with .14 splits.
To my way of thinking, this is definitive but also subjective because my performance was limited by my capabilities and likely came nowhere near the fastest possible speed of both guns. The times were also very close, further emphasizing the prior point.
For recoil mitigation, I fired four rounds of 00 buck and did my best to pay attention to how each gun felt on the shoulder. It was extremely close, though the 1301 Tactical felt slightly softer.
This was supported by the performance seen during speed shooting. As I watched both videos, I could see the 1301 Tactical had less muzzle rise than the A300 Ultima Patrol.
The 1301 Tactical is the winner in this category, though based on our testing, it is very close.
The B-Link gas system handles the recoil of rapid fire a little better and the speed was too close to call.
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Value
While this category is also pretty subjective, hard numbers are not. As of the filming of the accompanying video, the 1301 Tactical was approximately $575 more expensive than the A300 Ultima Patrol.
Assigning value for what you pay is the proverbial devil in the details.
In this case, the A300 Ultima Patrol is almost as good in reliability/durability and performance while pulling cleanly ahead in ergonomics and value.
Upgrades for Beretta Shotguns
One of the best upgrades for tactical shotguns is using shotgun cards to hold your shells. These can go on a plate carrier, in a pouch, and mount right to your gun.
Not surprisingly, shotguns make a loud boom and tend to send stuff flying. Protect your eyes and ears with some sweet gear from Shell Shock.
Even though these scatterguns are pretty lightweight, a great sling improves their utility by freeing your hands when needed. We love the options from Blue Force Gear.
Why You Should Trust Pew Pew Tactical
At the helm of this review was Pew Pew Tactical Content Producer Sean Curtis. Sean has been shooting since childhood but really began to delve into guns more during his law enforcement career. He spent over two decades in law enforcement, where he became a POST-certified handgun instructor and NLEFIA Red Dot Instructor and received CLEFIA Advanced Firearms Instructor Training and AR-15 armorer training. He has since attended a variety of training, including Tactical Performance Center Handgun Mastery & Carbine Mastery, and earned USCCA rifle instructor certification. Aside from training and prior to joining the Pew Pew Tactical team full-time, Sean wrote for several gun publications evaluating and testing guns and gear and has written hundreds of articles.
This review was edited by Editor-in-Chief Jacki Billings, who runs Pew Pew Tactical’s experienced team of reviewers. Jacki is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, ACES: Society for Editing, and the Professional Outdoor Media Association and has her bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications. She has worked as a media professional for close to 20 years, specializing in gun media for almost 10 years, and has worked as an editor for five years. She uses her extensive professional journalism and editing experience to set testing protocols and editorial standards.
Final Verdict
Without a doubt, the Beretta 1301 Tactical is the better shotgun. It handles recoil a little better, will last longer, and will cycle a wider array of shells more reliably.
That said, for several hundred dollars less, the Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol provides almost the same level of performance with better ergonomics.
If money is no object or you just want the absolute best Beretta has to offer, grab the 1301 Tactical. If you’re budget-minded but don’t want to sacrifice quality, pick up an A300 Ultima Patrol, and the world is your oyster.
Have you been on the fence about these two shotguns? Let us know in the comments below. For even more scattergun goodness, check out Best Home-Defense Shotguns: Tactical, Pump & Semi-Auto!