JWS_61 Posted April 2, 2021 Share Posted April 2, 2021 Just curious if anyone is running the J. Kenny Auto-Loading Lifter in their 1301 yet? I played with one in a M2 and it is pretty amazing, made me smile every time I loaded it... Thank You, Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nolan Posted April 2, 2021 Share Posted April 2, 2021 Neat, but if you have the Comp Pro style lifter, you lose the raised lifter that makes quad loading much faster and less prone to error. I don't know about other shooters, but I quad load waaayyyy more than I run the shotgun dry. I think I had 2 unloaded starts last year, so I would rather have the faster, more reliable quad load for every stage of every match than save a couple of seconds 4 or 5 times a year. Nolan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWS_61 Posted April 5, 2021 Author Share Posted April 5, 2021 Nolan, Thanks for the reply, it looks to me that you don't loose the raised lifter with the auto-loader for the 1301. Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nolan Posted April 6, 2021 Share Posted April 6, 2021 DOH! I just watched the install video and you are correct. I did not see the pyramid tab the first time. Nolan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWS_61 Posted April 6, 2021 Author Share Posted April 6, 2021 Cool, I think I am going to have to give one of these a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S&W686 Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 I have a 1301 Competition. I did not know this was available. I will pick one up. Thanks for the information! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWS_61 Posted April 12, 2021 Author Share Posted April 12, 2021 I have one on order so when I get it installed and tested I'll let you know how it goes. Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnhowell1 Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 I have an early 1301 comp and my trigger group is different and doesn't have a spot for the washer and 2nd plunger on the left side... Gonna ask J-Kenny what they suggest here. May have to get a 2nd trigger housing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWS_61 Posted April 26, 2021 Author Share Posted April 26, 2021 Yes, I have an early 1301 comp that does not have the spot for the 2nd washer, but you can purchase a new style plastic trigger group housing from Midwest Gun Works or other stocking Beretta dealer that does have it. I was lucky that also have a newer one to try. But, I received mine and installed it. I noticed that the main (long) lifter was cocked off to one side (ejection port side) I am guessing one of the holes is off a little. But I thought maybe it was for a reason. I also noticed that the ramp of the shorter lifter that keeps the main lifter up to help reloads does not engage much of the release button, seems like it should be further back, it is easy to hit with shell bases and release a round out of the mag tube onto the lifter when trying to load, then your hosed. After I installed everything I hand cycled a bunch of dummy rounds through it and when you don't trip the shell release button while loading, it works pretty good. But the main lifter being cocked off toward the ejection port allows some of the rounds to get a little off center with the chamber and then they hang up on the chamber edge. Maybe I just received a bad one that got through QA and a good (straight one) would always center the round so it chambers. But the issue with the ramp not engaging much of the shell release button is a tough one to get around unless the ramp was moved closer to the trigger to engage more of the button. If you have already ordered one of these I hope you have better luck than I have. I did take it out last Saturday and run about 40 rounds through it and had the same problems as when I hand cycled dummy rounds through it. I have sent J. Kenny an E-Mail outlining my initial issues and will be sending another one tonight with pictures to see what he might suggest and if he will stand behind his product. I'll let you know what I find out. Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecn515 Posted April 26, 2021 Share Posted April 26, 2021 Ghost loading is an issue with all the Comp Pro's. The new lifter and the nub on it is problematic. I pulled that lifter out and replaced it with an old style plain lifter and it solved the ghost loading. Also tried the new lifter in one of my original 1301's and they began ghost loading. Problem isn't unique to the J Kenny is all I'm saying. Good idea, poor execution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWS_61 Posted April 27, 2021 Author Share Posted April 27, 2021 Wow, Thanks for the info on the Comp Pro, I had not heard that before and was actually going to get one. On my current 1st gen 1301 Comp's I had a bump TIG welded to the lifter under the button and it is further back under the button instead of right on the edge and I haven't had the ghost load issue, although this bump is not as high as the typical ramps either, I am thinking about going higher with it to raise the lifter more. I can always grind it back down if I start running into issues. Still no E-Mail reply from J. Kenny about the issues but he may not work on Mondays. I am sending him pictures of the issues tonight. Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecn515 Posted April 27, 2021 Share Posted April 27, 2021 (edited) Thumbnail is someone shooting a 1301 comp pro, opens with that shooter immediately having a ghost load. Lots of other video footage of it happening to different shooters all over YouTube if you look around. Just not something I see being discussed very often. Edited April 27, 2021 by ecn515 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blockader Posted April 27, 2021 Share Posted April 27, 2021 This is really not a hard problem to fix. I have thousands of practice and match quad loads into my 1301 with no ghost loads occurring. I put the pro lifter in my Gen 2 1301 well over a year ago and right off the bat I got some accidental depressions of the lifter release. 10 minutes later after dremeling a lower profile top surface onto the release nub and roughing up the bearing surface to give it more engagement friction it became a non-issue. I think the benefits of the pro lifter far outweigh the slight tweaking of the part, especially considering that almost everything involving 3 gun requires some slight tweaking of parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3gunDMD Posted April 29, 2021 Share Posted April 29, 2021 On 4/27/2021 at 2:10 PM, Blockader said: This is really not a hard problem to fix. I have thousands of practice and match quad loads into my 1301 with no ghost loads occurring. I put the pro lifter in my Gen 2 1301 well over a year ago and right off the bat I got some accidental depressions of the lifter release. 10 minutes later after dremeling a lower profile top surface onto the release nub and roughing up the bearing surface to give it more engagement friction it became a non-issue. I think the benefits of the pro lifter far outweigh the slight tweaking of the part, especially considering that almost everything involving 3 gun requires some slight tweaking of parts. Can you post a picture of yours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blockader Posted April 30, 2021 Share Posted April 30, 2021 Here ya go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnhowell1 Posted May 1, 2021 Share Posted May 1, 2021 I purchased a new housing from MGW and it still doesn't work as it should. I wonder if my gen1 also has a different cartridge latch shape. May try and purchase this as well to swap out... https://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/mgwi/prod/C8A913 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWS_61 Posted May 4, 2021 Author Share Posted May 4, 2021 gnhowell1, Are you talking about the J. Kenny autoloader not working? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnhowell1 Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 Correct, I can't get the autoload lifter to work. I feel like something something is different internally around the shell catch design. I purchased a gen2 trigger housing group, added the autoload lifter and dropped it in my gen1. Can't get anything to work. Won't load at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWS_61 Posted May 4, 2021 Author Share Posted May 4, 2021 OK, could it be the little tab on the auto lifter jamming against the tail of the shell catch? I had to file that little tab down just a bit so that it didn't jam on the tail end of the shell catch. I took just a little off at a time and then tested it until I got it work and then smoothed the rough edges. I had to do this before mine would function. Question, is your auto lifter straight in the loading port or is it cocked off to one side? Mine is cocked off to one side toward the ejection port, it seems the two bushing holes are not straight across from each other on mine. This occasionally lets shells get out of alignment with the chamber and jamb on the edge of the chamber. My other issue is the minimal engagement of the lifter ramp and the slightest bump causes it to ghost load. I have been hoping to hear back from J. Kenny about these issues but it has been about 2 weeks since I first contacted him about the issues and so far just crickets. I'll give him a few more days before I send another E-Mail and then I'm going to work on fixing it myself and see if I get it to work reliably. Good Luck, Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blockader Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 36 minutes ago, JWS_61 said: I have been hoping to hear back from J. Kenny about these issues but it has been about 2 weeks since I first contacted him about the issues and so far just crickets. I'll give him a few more days before I send another E-Mail and then I'm going to work on fixing it myself and see if I get it to work reliably. Good Luck, Jeff From the experiences of friends who had the Kenny M2 lifter, it seems that the best way to get responses from them is to post publicly about it on facebook pages and groups. Not just their page, but try starting a thread in the beretta 1301 owners group and 3-Gun Talk group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWS_61 Posted May 5, 2021 Author Share Posted May 5, 2021 Blockader, Thanks for the info! Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWS_61 Posted May 17, 2021 Author Share Posted May 17, 2021 Well it has been several weeks since I first contacted J. Kenny about the issues I had right out of the box with the 1301 auto-lifter and still have not heard a word back from him... But I think I am close to having the auto-lifter working near 100%. To address the minimal engagement of the lifter bump and the shell release button I had a friend TIG a bead across the back side of the auto-lifter bump to increase the engagement surface area and filed it smooth. This seems to have cured the ghost load issue at least for the 75 rounds I put through it yesterday practicing. The other major issue where it seems the bushing pin holes in the lifter are not directly across from each other causing the lifter to be canted toward the ejection port and letting shells sometimes get out of alignment with the chamber and jam on the chamber mouth I bent the "little guide fence" (yes, technical term) in-board a little to better keep the shells lined up with the chamber. Hand cycling with the ejection port facing down I have not been able to get it to jamb so maybe that is taken care of... I'll live-fire test it next weekend and see how it goes. Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ammiel Posted June 4, 2021 Share Posted June 4, 2021 Just installed the j kenny on a 1301 comp. It is not reliable. Lifter does not align with the barrel. Quad loading is difficult at there is no grooves on the lifter to guide shells in tube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benelliuk Posted June 5, 2021 Share Posted June 5, 2021 Ive fitted over seven of the Jkenny autoloaders. All have since been removed. Ive even got a MOA loader, cant get that to work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blockader Posted June 6, 2021 Share Posted June 6, 2021 There seem to be only 2 kinds of autolifter owners. Those that have removed the autolifter from their gun, and those that are going to remove the autolifter from their gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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