Description
The Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol in 12 gauge, part number J32CT11, is the defensive build of the A300: a 19.10 inch barrel, seven plus one capacity, ghost ring sights and a Picatinny mount on the receiver. This is the all black version. The receiver carries a loop Velcro panel, which is unusual and genuinely useful. It takes a shell card directly, so spare rounds live on the gun rather than in a pocket, and it holds an identification patch if the gun lives somewhere it might be picked up by someone else.
The stock is fixed synthetic and the controls are extended: oversized bolt handle, bolt release and safety.
A gas gun for defensive use, and what that buys
A gas operated shotgun bleeds off part of the shot’s energy to work the action, and what it bleeds off does not reach your shoulder. Against a pump or an inertia gun that difference is obvious by the second or third round.
Seven plus one is a full length magazine tube on a 19.10 inch barrel, so the tube runs almost to the muzzle and the gun is as compact as that capacity allows.
Ghost ring sights are the right answer on a defensive shotgun. They are fast at close range, unambiguous about where the bore is pointed, and they do not wash out the way a bead does against a dark background.
The Picatinny mount means a red dot goes on without a gunsmith, and the ghost rings stay usable underneath most low mounts.
Where the Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol sits
The A300 sits below the 1301 in Beretta’s line. It cycles a little slower and costs meaningfully less, and for a gun that will be fired rarely and stored loaded that trade is easy to make.
The gas system is self regulating within its range, so buckshot, slugs and target loads all cycle without adjustment.
Extended controls matter more on a defensive gun than on a field gun, because you may be operating them in the dark or with adrenaline up.
The loop Velcro receiver panel is the detail people notice. A five or six round card on the receiver doubles your available ammunition without a sidesaddle.
Specifications
- Model: Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol, part number J32CT11
- Gauge: 12
- Chamber: 3 inches
- Capacity: 7+1 rounds
- Barrel length: 19.10 inches
- Receiver: black, with loop Velcro panel and Picatinny mount
- Sights: ghost ring
- Stock: black fixed synthetic
- Controls: extended bolt handle, bolt release and safety
- Action: semi-automatic, gas operated
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 is 19.10 inches, this is an ordinary shotgun under federal law and needs no special paperwork. For defensive use we stock nine pellet 00 buckshot, and 2 3/4 inch target loads are the inexpensive way to practise; reduced recoil and mini shells are a poor match for a gas gun. Pattern whichever defensive load you intend to keep in the gun at the distances inside your own home.
The gray receiver version of this same shotgun is the A300 Ultima Patrol in gray, and the faster cycling alternative is the 1301 Tactical Mod 2. Every long gun we sell ships to a licensed FFL for transfer.
Why it is worth considering
- Seven plus one on a 19.10 inch barrel, which is as compact as that capacity gets.
- Ghost ring sights, which are faster and clearer than a bead in a dark house.
- A Picatinny mount, so a red dot goes on without a gunsmith.
- A loop Velcro receiver panel that takes a shell card directly.
- A gas action, which takes the sting out of buckshot in a way a pump does not.
Who it suits
This suits a buyer who wants a defensive shotgun that is soft to shoot and simple to run, and who would rather spend the difference on ammunition than on the faster 1301 action. Hunters should look at the A300 Ultima field guns instead. Every long gun we sell ships to a licensed FFL for transfer.
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