Beretta 1301 Comp Pro - Thoughts?

[Ming the Merciless]

15 hours ago, xtremekramer said:

Been off the forum for a little while now. Was browsing and found this post. Forced me to go do a little research. Can any one tell me when the 1301 comp gen 2 came out? I haven’t had any luck google searching it. Pretty sure I own a first gen. What changes did they make with gen 2?

 

 

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Biggest difference in the 1301 Comp Gen 2 is the serial number is re-located to allow the loading port to be opened up more.  Gen 1 serial number is directly under the front of the loading port, Gen 2 serial number is further back closer to the trigger, 1301 Comp Pro is anodized Blue, different lifter, and shell release.

[xtremekramer]

Thanks! Mine is definitely a gen 1 then.


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[CVC]

Recently picked one up but have not been able to go out and shoot it yet due to quarantine :/.

 

I was wondering if anyone had any luck swapping barrels on a comp pro yet. I picked up a 21" model and was hoping to get a longer barrel (28") for skeet. The email I received back from Beretta was a two parter that seemed somewhat contradictory. The first email said "We do not recommend attempting to install an a400 barrel onto the 1301 receiver. The only barrels approved for use on that model are the 21 and 24 inch barrels specifically made for the 1301" and the second said, "The barrels cannot interchange, the gas system will not permit it, dimensions would not permit such a change".

 

Does anyone know what the truth is? There are a number of posts which indicate that this swap should be possible, but none with enough specifics to feel confident that I would be ordering the right second barrel.

 

 

Edited April 27, 2020 by CVC

[CVC]

Put ~100 shells of assorted types through the gun over the past week. The only thing it choked on were the 980 FPS low recoil low noise target rounds. Other than that, all of the shells listed below fed well and were pretty accurate. I'm about 5'10 and kept the spacer in the stock. Overall, it fit me really well out of the box and was extremely soft shooting. The cast needs a little fine tuning to fit me perfectly, however, it was close enough that once I had the gun mounted I was able to stay in the gun throughout series of rapid shots with ease. The trigger is solid. It was smooth for a shotgun, did not stack and had a crisp break.

 

As far as how the sights work out, it seemed to shoot flat. The gun wanted the mid bead lined up with the front bead and those beads lined up with the point of impact. I did not really do any accuracy testing per se, however, I am 100% confident that the gun is far more accurate than I am. The kick off stock helps...does it help as much as adding 3 or 4 lbs of mass to the gun? Physics says no, but IMO, a lighter gun is a lot more comfortable to hold for long periods of time. 

 

Subjective "felt recoil" Ranking:

 

1) Winchester AA Low recoil low noise (1 OZ #8 shot,  980 FPS)

2) Hornady American Gunner 1 OZ reduced recoil Slug (1200 FPS)

3) Winchester AA Xtra lite target load (1 OZ #8 shot, 1180 FPS)

3) Remington Slugger managed Recoil (1 OZ Slug, 1200 FPS, Green shell)

3) Remington Slugger managed Recoil (1 OZ Slug, 1200 FPS, Blue shell)

 

6) Remington Gun Club Target Ammo (1 OZ #8 shot, 1185 FPS)

7) Winchester AA Heavy Target Ammo (1-1/8 OZ #8 shot, 1200 FPS)

8 ) Broadhead Dupo 28 (1 oz slug, 1460 FPS) 

 

This is somewhat subjective. Realistically, ranks 1-6 all shot extremely pleasantly.

 

Edited May 20, 2020 by CVC

[crosseyedshooter]

I recently bought myself a Gen 2 1301 Comp for Father's Day and was able to install the lifter off a Comp Pro.  It swapped right in and seems to function as intended.  I wasn't sure about the Kick-off "Plus" in the Pro and decided to go with the regular Comp.  The specs show the Pro weights a pound more than the Comp.  

 

Does anyone know the shortest length of pull on the Comp Pro?  Just wondering if the Kick-off stock has a longer LOP or is just as short as the tactical stock on the Comp.  Also, the stock rubber recoil pad is leaving my shoulder a bit bruised.  Is the Beretta MicroCore pad that the Pro comes with a worthwhile investment?

 

By the way, message me if anyone wants a new take-off welded lifter from a Gen 2 1301.

Edited June 20, 2020 by crosseyedshooter

[Ming the Merciless]

9 hours ago, crosseyedshooter said:

I recently bought myself a Gen 2 1301 Comp for Father's Day and was able to install the lifter off a Comp Pro.  It swapped right in and seems to function as intended.  I wasn't sure about the Kick-off "Plus" in the Pro and decided to go with the regular Comp.  The specs show the Pro weights a pound more than the Comp.  

 

Does anyone know the shortest length of pull on the Comp Pro?  Just wondering if the Kick-off stock has a longer LOP or is just as short as the tactical stock on the Comp.  Also, the stock rubber recoil pad is leaving my shoulder a bit bruised.  Is the Beretta MicroCore pad that the Pro comes with a worthwhile investment?

 

By the way, message me if anyone wants a new take-off welded lifter from a Gen 2 1301.

 

 

 

Where did you find the new Pro lifter?

 

I put a Limbsaver 10702 pre-fit recoil pad for Berettas on both of my 1301's.  It's a good fit and works very well.

 

https://www.amazon.com/LimbSaver-10702-Classic-Precision-Fit-Recoil/dp/B008KUV11Y

Edited June 20, 2020 by Ming the Merciless

[crosseyedshooter]

On 6/20/2020 at 9:24 AM, Ming the Merciless said:

 

Where did you find the new Pro lifter?

 

I put a Limbsaver 10702 pre-fit recoil pad for Berettas on both of my 1301's.  It's a good fit and works very well.

 

https://www.amazon.com/LimbSaver-10702-Classic-Precision-Fit-Recoil/dp/B008KUV11Y

 

Beretta EU webstore actually lists the carrier for sale but they won't ship to the US, so I just needed to find someone to mail it over.

 

https://estore.beretta.com/en-eu/elevator-long-for-1301-comp-pro-12g/

[stumpyv8]

On 6/20/2020 at 5:24 PM, Ming the Merciless said:

 

Where did you find the new Pro lifter?

 

They also sell them here

 

https://magload.co.uk/product/beretta-1301-pro-lifter-lifter-hold-down/

 

And they ship worldwide

[Ming the Merciless]

8 hours ago, stumpyv8 said:

 

They also sell them here

 

https://magload.co.uk/product/beretta-1301-pro-lifter-lifter-hold-down/

 

And they ship worldwide

 

Grassy Asses!

[inertia]

On 4/27/2020 at 9:50 AM, CVC said:

Recently picked one up but have not been able to go out and shoot it yet due to quarantine :/.

 

I was wondering if anyone had any luck swapping barrels on a comp pro yet. I picked up a 21" model and was hoping to get a longer barrel (28") for skeet. The email I received back from Beretta was a two parter that seemed somewhat contradictory. The first email said "We do not recommend attempting to install an a400 barrel onto the 1301 receiver. The only barrels approved for use on that model are the 21 and 24 inch barrels specifically made for the 1301" and the second said, "The barrels cannot interchange, the gas system will not permit it, dimensions would not permit such a change".

 

Does anyone know what the truth is? There are a number of posts which indicate that this swap should be possible, but none with enough specifics to feel confident that I would be ordering the right second barrel.

 

 

Did you ever figure out if other barrels work on the reciever?

[CVC]

Length of pull is 14.5" without spacer, 15.5" with spacer

[TonytheTiger]

Had a shooter come to the line with a Comp Pro yesterday. It looked funny and he noticed me staring at it. Told me he spent a bunch of money to swap all the Pro parts back to standard 1301 configuration. Lifter, stock and forend had all been changed and he was a lot happier with it.

[ecn515]

I'm that shooter. I have 2 original 1301 Comps (pre SN move and w/o extended factory lifter) and picked up a Comp Pro over the winter. 

 

The Pro CONSTANTLY ghost loaded when quad loading or even when my GF loads 2's. I tried a new shell latch and many other things. I surmise that the largest factor at play is the new lifter. With it being held down the shell release is not only more exposed and prone to being hit, but it is also less supported and and be pressed straight down and will trigger a shell to kick out onto the lifter. I tried contracting Beretta but they basically told to me to get lost and send my gun to a Smith on my own dollar because they aren't accepting guns due to COVID. I purchases a new original extended lifter and swapped that into the pro. Gun works fine now. 

 

Second issue is the new handguard. It doesn't fit snuggly to the receiver at all. I tried tapering and shaping in down with a Dremel but it still doesn't fit great and constantly knocked shells out of my hand when quad loading. 

 

At the end of it I kept on shooting my Original Comp due to the issues I was having and once my Pro was finally shorted out my GF started using that. She prefers a shorter stock, so off came the Mega Kick Off + and on went an original stock. 

 

Also I hate the new bolt release design, so I'll probably swap that out for an original at some point. 

 

I've been using 1301's for about 6 seasons now, honestly sage yourself the money and just get one of the updated Origional Comps and swap in/out parts to your liking is my suggestion. Unless you absolutely have to have the blue gun...

[Blockader]

On 8/20/2020 at 11:39 AM, ecn515 said:

I'm that shooter. I have 2 original 1301 Comps (pre SN move and w/o extended factory lifter) and picked up a Comp Pro over the winter. 

 

The Pro CONSTANTLY ghost loaded when quad loading or even when my GF loads 2's. I tried a new shell latch and many other things. I surmise that the largest factor at play is the new lifter. With it being held down the shell release is not only more exposed and prone to being hit, but it is also less supported and and be pressed straight down and will trigger a shell to kick out onto the lifter.

 

I have the Pro lifter in a regular 2nd gen Comp. I found this to be an issue as well but the fix was very easy. I just hit the contact surfaces of the little lifter release button and the knob on the lifter with a coarse file to give it more engagement friction. I also relieved the forward edge of the little button so the shells didn't hit it on their way into the port. Still works fine when intentionally depressed and I have not had any accidental ghost loads since that first day through dozens of matches and practices and 1000s of rounds.  

Edited August 26, 2020 by Blockader

[vfm3]

Sounds like there needs to be Gen 2 of the Comp Pro to fix all the lil issues.

[SgtHammer]

regarding the Beretta 1301 Comp Pro: if I want to add the nordic mag extension  +3 or higher, what changes if any do I need to make to the shotgun to keep it 922r compliant, or does it need to be 922r compliant? since they don't send them with the mag extensions but have them advertised as using them?

[Ming the Merciless]

Just put whatever extension you want on it.  I'm pretty sure even the ATF can't answer your question, and unless you're selling dozens of shotguns, they aren't the least bit interested in what parts you have in your shotgun.

[CVC]

Disclaimer: YMMV, proceed at own risk, consult with an actual gunsmith, hold my beer, etc. etc.

 

Received a 28" barrel (JBXPB28) today and played around with it a bit. The 28" barrel looks like it mates up to the 1301 comp pro. The bolt locked in place and functioned properly. In the pictures below, the factory 21" barrel is on the left, the 28" barrel is on the right. With the exception of the gas system, the appear identical.

 

With respect to the gas system, the 21" factory barrel has both ports drilled out. Each port is roughly 7/64" in diameter (measured using a drill bit as a feeler gauge) and drilled through to the barrel. On the 28" barrel (JBXPB28), each port is approximately 3/32" in diameter, however, only one is drilled through to the barrel. Additionally, the gas valve spring is made out of  thicker wire on the comp pro and seems to have an extra half coil or so of length.

 

I'm wondering what folks thoughts are on the differences in the gas system. I think there is an AR-15 analogy here since the longer barrel will result in a longer dwell time for the gas which is compensated for with a substantially smaller port and an easier to crack gas valve. 

 

Shot it with some factory ammo and it functioned fine, but it did shoot about a foot lower than the stock barrel at 25 yards.

 

 

Edited September 18, 2020 by CVC

[verla]

I have a gen 1 with the loading port opened up, extended lifter by c-rums, and an xs sight embedded in the sight rail. Gun functions great with 1145fps loads, shoots to POA with slugs (light mod choke tube), holds 9 shells (nordic components mag tube-they have larger ones for 9+). Like it better than my Benelli M2- less recoil with the kick off stock (a400 with recoil system).

 

Try one, it will be a fantastic experience.

[pastorom]

On 9/15/2020 at 7:35 PM, CVC said:

Disclaimer: YMMV, proceed at own risk, consult with an actual gunsmith, hold my beer, etc. etc.

 

Received a 28" barrel (JBXPB28) today and played around with it a bit. The 28" barrel looks like it mates up to the 1301 comp pro. The bolt locked in place and functioned properly. In the pictures below, the factory 21" barrel is on the left, the 28" barrel is on the right. With the exception of the gas system, the appear identical.

 

With respect to the gas system, the 21" factory barrel has both ports drilled out. Each port is roughly 7/64" in diameter (measured using a drill bit as a feeler gauge) and drilled through to the barrel. On the 28" barrel (JBXPB28), each port is approximately 3/32" in diameter, however, only one is drilled through to the barrel. Additionally, the gas valve spring is made out of  thicker wire on the comp pro and seems to have an extra half coil or so of length.

 

I'm wondering what folks thoughts are on the differences in the gas system. I think there is an AR-15 analogy here since the longer barrel will result in a longer dwell time for the gas which is compensated for with a substantially smaller port and an easier to crack gas valve. 

 

Shot it with some factory ammo and it functioned fine, but it did shoot about a foot lower than the stock barrel at 25 yards.

 

 

 

I purchased a 1301 Com Pro with a 24" barrel recently. This wasn't my first choice - I'd actually prefer a 21" barrel to make it more manageable in a home defense scenario, but couldn't find any 21" barrels. And the 1301 tactical either wasn't available, or I just kept getting outbid on. 

 

I guess what I'm asking is, any interest in parting with your 21" barrel? :-)

 

Second question - if anyone has set the comp/comp pro up in a HD/cruiser ready type setup. Are there any other good options besides the Mesa tactical sureshot side saddle? Am I better off getting a pic rail and shell card separately?

 

 

[S&W686]

I just picked up a new Beretta 1301 Pro and so far I love mine.  Been out to the range once and plan to get out this week with it again.

[CVC]

Hahah, I think I'll keep my 21" barrel, it feels a bit more handy to me than the 24 did. You might be able to pick up a barrel from Beretta when they do a holiday sale. For a side saddle, you could always get one of the elastic sock style and slip it over the stock, then you don't have to worry about the rail blocking your view of the beads.

 

I tried to replicate ECN515's ghost load issue and think I figured out what happened. Because the shell release operates by getting pressed along the long axis of the gun towards the stock, it can get depressed if the following series of events happens: 1) On a double or quad load, begin pressing the first shell into the tube, 2) drop the second shell partially into the feed port, 3) then allow both shells to get pushed backwards by the magazine spring 4) Guide them so that only the edge of the base of the shell hits the shell release. If the second shell is pushed down by your thumb/hand, you can't get step 4 to happen so IMO, this is not really an issue. 

[ecn515]

On 11/14/2020 at 12:36 AM, CVC said:

Hahah, I think I'll keep my 21" barrel, it feels a bit more handy to me than the 24 did. You might be able to pick up a barrel from Beretta when they do a holiday sale. For a side saddle, you could always get one of the elastic sock style and slip it over the stock, then you don't have to worry about the rail blocking your view of the beads.

 

I tried to replicate ECN515's ghost load issue and think I figured out what happened. Because the shell release operates by getting pressed along the long axis of the gun towards the stock, it can get depressed if the following series of events happens: 1) On a double or quad load, begin pressing the first shell into the tube, 2) drop the second shell partially into the feed port, 3) then allow both shells to get pushed backwards by the magazine spring 4) Guide them so that only the edge of the base of the shell hits the shell release. If the second shell is pushed down by your thumb/hand, you can't get step 4 to happen so IMO, this is not really an issue. 

 

Either I am misunderstanding your post, or you are mine. Both shells go fully into the magazine tube, and only the second (last) shell into the tube is then released into the receiver onto the lifter to be fed. It is not an issue of the shells being completely released as if you fully released the shell catch (al la the gen 1 bolt release.) As I stated in my original post the issue seems to be that you can activate the shell catch by pressing down on it, usually happens as a byproducts of quad/twin loading. 

I'm not the first to have this issue, nor am I new to the platform. I've been using 1301's extensively for the last 6 years. I tried swapping out a multitude of different springs and parts to get my comp pro to stop ghost loading with no changes to the issue. When I put the comp pro trigger group with the new lifter into my original 1301 the ghost loads followed. As soon as I put an original (non hold down) lifter into the pro the issue stopped completely. 

 

Perhaps if you aren't using this shotgun for gun games, this is a non issue. But if that's the case I'm not sure why you would buy the model specifically designed for competition instead of on of the several geared more towards the tactically inclined crowed like the 1301 Tac of the new Langdon model. 

[Ivanov]

What is the LOP (length of pull) of Beretta 1301 Comp Pro and Beretta 1301 Comp? I found info somewhere that it starts from 13".

[Nolan]

On 11/16/2020 at 8:43 AM, ecn515 said:

 

Either I am misunderstanding your post, or you are mine. Both shells go fully into the magazine tube, and only the second (last) shell into the tube is then released into the receiver onto the lifter to be fed. It is not an issue of the shells being completely released as if you fully released the shell catch (al la the gen 1 bolt release.) As I stated in my original post the issue seems to be that you can activate the shell catch by pressing down on it, usually happens as a byproducts of quad/twin loading. 

I'm not the first to have this issue, nor am I new to the platform. I've been using 1301's extensively for the last 6 years. I tried swapping out a multitude of different springs and parts to get my comp pro to stop ghost loading with no changes to the issue. When I put the comp pro trigger group with the new lifter into my original 1301 the ghost loads followed. As soon as I put an original (non hold down) lifter into the pro the issue stopped completely. 

 

Perhaps if you aren't using this shotgun for gun games, this is a non issue. But if that's the case I'm not sure why you would buy the model specifically designed for competition instead of on of the several geared more towards the tactically inclined crowed like the 1301 Tac of the new Langdon model. 

 

When I first modified my lifter to be like the new Comp Pro lifter, I had the same issue with it ghost loading the last round loaded while quad loading.  Sometimes I would get lucky and it was the last round of the last pair...other times it would be the first pair.  I fixed the problem by increasing the overhang of the shell release over the lifter hold down pyramid.

 

My first take at the pyramid, I made the little triangle shaped part on the lifter 

 

too wide and the end of the shell release was just barely over the tip of the pyramid like this

 

 

If you hit the lifter just right or wrong in this case the shell release would slide back and release the lifter resulting in the ghost load.

 

I narrowed the top of the pyramid, made it a little taller and moved it as far back against the receiver as possible so the shell release had to move much further back to release the lifter and haven't had any more problems with the shell release causing ghost loading. 

 

Mine looks more like this, only taller.  Mine holds the lifter at almost full travel.  I'll try to post a picture later.

 

 

Nolan