Beretta 1301 Tactical Mod 2 12 Gauge 18.5in 5+1 Gray — Superb Defense Shotgun

Description

The Beretta 1301 Tactical Mod 2 in gray with the fixed pistol grip stock, part number J131M2CTP18GR, is the five round member of Beretta’s defensive autoloading family. The barrel is 18.5 inches, the chamber is 3 inches, and the magazine tube holds five with one chambered. Overall length is 37.8 inches and the gun weighs 6.8 pounds unloaded. What separates this build from the rest of the Mod 2 shelf is the shorter magazine tube and the flush Optima-Choke HP at the muzzle.

The stock is gray synthetic with a fixed pistol grip, a 13 inch length of pull and a half inch Microcore recoil pad, and the crossbolt safety is oversized and reversible. Beretta catalogs it as the 1301 Tactical C Gray Pistol Grip 5+1, and it leaves the factory with the flush choke already installed.

Why five rounds instead of seven

A five round tube stops well behind the muzzle, which takes weight off the front hand and lets the gun pivot faster in a hallway, a stairwell or a doorway. That handling difference is larger than the two round difference in capacity suggests.

It also leaves the muzzle free for a flush Optima-Choke HP. You can run a cylinder tube for buckshot and swap to something tighter for slugs, rather than living with one fixed constriction for the life of the gun.

Five plus one is the capacity that states with magazine limits will generally allow, and it is what a lot of buyers want anyway rather than paying for tube length they never load.

If the extra two rounds matter more than the balance, the seven plus one builds share the same action and are listed separately.

Inside the Beretta 1301 Tactical Mod 2 action

The Blink gas system is the reason this family exists. The self cleaning piston cycles faster than most shooters can run the trigger, and it tolerates the long stretches loaded and untouched that a defensive gun actually lives through.

Every control is oversized. The crossbolt safety is reversible for left handed shooters, the bolt release and charging handle are enlarged enough to find under stress, and the trigger is the semi-flat tactical profile.

The receiver carries a Picatinny rail, so a red dot mounts without a gunsmith, and the factory sights stay usable underneath most low mount optics.

The gray synthetic furniture is not only cosmetic. In a household that owns more than one 1301, it tells the five round gun apart from the black seven round gun at a glance.

Specifications

• Model: Beretta 1301 Tactical Mod 2 C Gray Pistol Grip, part number J131M2CTP18GR
• Gauge: 12
• Chamber: 3 inches
• Capacity: 5+1 rounds
• Barrel length: 18.5 inches
• Choke: Optima-Choke HP, flush
• Overall length: 37.8 inches
• Weight unloaded: 6.8 pounds
• Action: semi-automatic, gas operated Blink system
• Stock: gray synthetic fixed pistol grip, 13 inch length of pull
• Recoil pad: half inch Microcore
• Safety: oversized crossbolt, reversible
• Trigger: semi-flat tactical
• Color: gray synthetic

Shotshell dimensions and pressures are standardized by SAAMI, and the 3 inch chamber accepts both 2 3/4 and 3 inch shells. Because the barrel measures 18.5 inches and the overall length is 37.8 inches, this is an ordinary shotgun under federal law and carries no special paperwork. For defensive use we stock nine pellet 00 buckshot, and for practice standard 2 3/4 inch 1 1/8 ounce target loads cycle reliably in a gas gun, while reduced recoil shells and mini shells are a poor match for one.

Pattern whatever load you intend to rely on at the distances inside your own home, because buckshot patterns vary far more between loads than most buyers expect. Anyone who wants the longer tube should compare the gray adjustable comb build or the black fixed chisel build, and anyone who needs the gun to fold for storage should look at the folding stock version. Hunters are better served by the A300 Ultima.

Why it is worth considering

• A shorter magazine tube and less weight out front than the seven round builds.
• A flush Optima-Choke HP, so buckshot and slugs can each get the constriction they want.
• The Blink gas action, which is the fastest cycling autoloader Beretta builds.
• A reversible crossbolt safety, which matters a great deal if you shoot left handed.
• A receiver rail, so a red dot goes on without a trip to a gunsmith.

Who it suits

This is the defensive 1301 for a buyer who wants the action and the controls without a full length magazine tube, or who lives somewhere that caps capacity. It is a poor choice for hunting, where the A300 Ultima is the better buy, and it is more shotgun than a new clays shooter needs. Every long gun we sell ships to a licensed FFL for transfer.