Description
The Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol is the defensive configuration of Beretta’s gas-operated 12 gauge autoloader. The barrel comes down to 19.1 inches, the magazine tube holds seven with one in the chamber, and the receiver wears a Picatinny rail and a ghost ring rear sight rather than a hunting bead.
Part number J32CG11 is the gray receiver version with a black fixed synthetic stock. The receiver also carries a loop Velcro panel, a small detail that lets an owner attach a shell card or an identification patch without drilling anything.
A defensive shotgun built on a hunting gun’s reliability
Plenty of tactical shotguns start life as tactical shotguns. This one starts as an A300, a gun that has been cycling everything from light target loads to heavy waterfowl shells in duck blinds for years. The gas system carries over unchanged: a self-cleaning piston, a compensating exhaust valve that bleeds surplus pressure, and a cross tube layout that keeps the whole assembly simple to strip.
That matters more in a defensive gun than in a hunting gun. A shotgun kept loaded in a closet for two years and then asked to work on demand needs a gas system that tolerates neglect. This one does, and the self-cleaning piston is the reason.
Sights, rail, and controls
The rear sight is a ghost ring, which is the right answer on a fighting shotgun. A large aperture disappears from conscious view when the eye focuses on the front post, so it is fast at close range but still precise enough to place a slug at fifty yards. Above the receiver sits a Picatinny section, so a red dot can be mounted without adapters or gunsmithing.
Beretta enlarged the bolt handle, the bolt release, and the loading port on the Ultima line, and those changes pay off most here. Loading a shotgun under stress, in the dark, is a fine motor task that gets easier with bigger controls. The stock is fixed rather than collapsing, which keeps the length of pull consistent and the gun simple.
Specifications
- Model: Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol, part number J32CG11
- Gauge: 12
- Chamber: 3 inches
- Capacity: 7+1 rounds
- Barrel length: 19.1 inches
- Action: semi-automatic, gas operated with a self-cleaning piston
- Receiver: gray anodized aluminum with a loop Velcro panel
- Optics mounting: Picatinny rail on the receiver
- Sights: ghost ring rear
- Stock: black fixed synthetic
- Controls: extended bolt handle, bolt release, and loading port
- Hand: right
Why it is worth considering
- A gas system proven across years of hunting use, not a purpose-built design with no track record.
- Seven rounds in the tube, which is two or three more than most defensive pumps carry.
- Ghost ring sights and a factory Picatinny rail, so it is ready as delivered or ready for a red dot.
- Oversized controls that work under stress and in the dark.
- Gas operation, which cuts felt recoil substantially compared with an inertia gun or a pump.
Who it suits
This is a home defense shotgun first. The short barrel keeps it manageable in hallways and doorways, the gas system cuts recoil enough that a smaller-framed shooter can run buckshot without flinching, and the seven round tube means fewer reloads under pressure. It also works for a patrol vehicle, a farm truck, or a competition three-gun stage. What it is not is a bird gun; 19.1 inches of barrel and ghost ring sights make for a poor day on clays.
If you want one Beretta autoloader that does both, the 28 inch A300 Ultima is the better compromise.
Shells, patterning, and transfer notes
Shotshell pressures and dimensions are standardized by SAAMI, and the 3 inch chamber takes both 2 3/4 and 3 inch 12 gauge shells. For defensive use we stock nine pellet 00 buckshot; pattern whatever load you intend to rely on at the distances inside your own home before you trust it. Gas guns are less tolerant of very light loads than pumps are, so if you want cheap practice ammunition, stay with standard 2 3/4 inch target loads rather than reduced recoil shells, and skip mini shells such as the Aguila Mini-Shell unless you are feeding them by hand.
Shooters who want the same gas system in a longer sporting configuration should compare the 28 inch A300 Ultima. 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. This is a standard shotgun with a barrel over 18 inches, so no special federal paperwork applies.
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