Description
The Beretta A300 Ultima is the gas-operated 12 gauge that sits between a starter autoloader and a competition gun, and this configuration pairs a 28 inch vent rib barrel with a black synthetic stock and a gray anodized receiver. Chamber is 3 inches, capacity is three in the tube plus one, and the gun ships with MobilChoke tubes.
It runs the same proven A300 gas system Beretta has been refining for years, with a self-cleaning piston and a compensating exhaust valve that bleeds off excess pressure so heavy loads and light target loads both cycle without adjustment.
Recoil reduction that you feel on the fiftieth round
The Kick-Off system built into the stock is the headline feature. Two hydraulic dampers sit inside the buttstock and absorb a meaningful share of the rearward impulse before it reaches your shoulder. It is the kind of feature that means nothing on the first shot and a great deal by the end of a long sporting clays round or a morning in a dove field.
Working alongside it is a soft-touch comb, which cushions the cheek weld against the vertical slap that heavy loads deliver. Between the two, a shooter can run a case of shells through this gun in an afternoon and still want to shoot the next day.
Gas system, controls, and barrel
The piston is self-cleaning by design: carbon that would otherwise build up in the gas cylinder gets scraped forward each cycle. The compensating exhaust valve vents surplus gas, which is why the same gun digests 2 3/4 inch target loads and 3 inch magnum hunting shells without a part swap.
Beretta enlarged the controls on the Ultima line. The bolt handle, the bolt release, and the loading port are all bigger than on earlier A300 guns, which matters with cold hands or gloves on. The barrel carries a ventilated rib with a bright front bead, and the MobilChoke system gives you the usual range of constrictions for everything from close-flushing birds to pass shooting.
Specifications
- Model: Beretta A300 Ultima, black synthetic, part number J32TT18
- Gauge: 12
- Chamber: 3 inches
- Capacity: 3+1 rounds
- Barrel length: 28 inches, ventilated rib
- Choke system: MobilChoke
- Action: semi-automatic, gas operated with a self-cleaning piston
- Gas system: compensating exhaust valve, cross tube
- Receiver: gray anodized aluminum
- Stock: black synthetic with Kick-Off recoil reduction and a soft-touch comb
- Controls: enlarged bolt handle, bolt release, and loading port
- Hand: right
Why it is worth considering
- Hydraulic recoil reduction in the stock, which is uncommon at this price.
- A gas system that runs light target loads and 3 inch hunting shells with no adjustment.
- Oversized controls that stay usable with gloves on in December.
- A self-cleaning piston, which means longer intervals between real cleanings.
- Beretta build quality on an autoloader most shooters can actually afford.
Who it suits
This is a working shotgun for the hunter who also shoots clays, or the clays shooter who also hunts. Twenty-eight inches is the length most people land on for a do-everything gun: long enough to swing smoothly on crossing birds, short enough not to fight you in a blind. Recoil-sensitive shooters, younger shooters, and anyone who has taken a shoulder injury will appreciate the Kick-Off system more than the spec sheet suggests.
It is not a dedicated turkey gun and it is not a tactical shotgun; if that is what you need, the shorter Patrol configuration is the better starting point.
Shells, chokes, and transfer notes
Shotshell dimensions and pressures are standardized by SAAMI, and the 3 inch chamber on this gun accepts both 2 3/4 and 3 inch 12 gauge shells. For clays we stock 1 1/8 ounce heavy target loads, and for upland birds the 1 3/8 ounce number 5 pheasant load is a proven choice. Steel shot is fine through the supplied MobilChoke tubes at improved cylinder and modified constrictions; do not run steel through a full choke.
If you want the same gas system in a shorter, defense-oriented package, the A300 Ultima Patrol runs a 19.1 inch barrel. Shooters looking for a lighter gun with a wood stock for walk-up hunting should compare the A400 Upland. Every long gun we sell ships to a licensed FFL for transfer and background check, and Pennsylvania buyers should plan on the state point of contact check at pickup.
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