I have a KAC SR-25 ACC (Advance Combat Carbine) and SR-15 LPR (Kreiger barreled SPR’ish rifle) but, I travel a good deal these days by car so, I’m rethinking my primary long gun. Inside my house in rural Texas, I’m not bound by any rules other than survival if bad people decide they want to harm me or those I love and care about. I also cannot see a good likely “self-defense” argument beyond ranges that I could shoot slugs at. But, I don’t want this to devolve into a tactics or political discussion.
I have an older Gunsite 11-87 shotgun built-up by Ted Yost when he was ‘the gunsmith’ there. It is still serviceable but, it needs to fall into a backup role as I look at modern options.
[ul]
[li]The Benelli M-4 has been the social media and video gamer darling for a long time. I’m not sure though that I really need a dual-action pump/semi-auto shotgun to shoot bean bags, door-breaching rounds, and tactical loads from the same shotgun in one string of fire. Weight and complexity seem to come with this option.[/li][li]The new Beretta 1301 Mod 2 debuted at Shot recently seems like a top contender but, its $1900 MSRP is up there pretty high. Maybe the Beretta Patrol is a better option?[/li][li]Then there is the Mossberg 940 Thunder Ranch or similar editions to consider.[/li][/ul]
I am planning on going to the Gunsite Shotgun class or possibly something similar from a similarly skilled professional training facility to refresh my skills in general and get into a modern Tactical Shotgun mindset.
So, with these thoughts in mind:
[ul]
[li]Benelli M-4[/li][li]Beretta 1301 Mod 2[/li][li]Beretta Patrol[/li][li]Mosberg 940 Thunder Ranch[/li][li]something else?[/li][/ul]
What would you get and why? What are the pros and cons of these models for this type of use? What else should I consider like a Saiga (bad for the East and West Coast) or maybe a pump shotgun?
I have experience with none so take that into effect. However, I’ve kept an eye on the 1301 for a while once I saw people recommending it over the M4 because I’ve always planned on getting a semi auto shotgun at some point.
The updated 1301 has reinvigorated some of the discussion and I continue to see people recommend it over the M4. On another forum, someone posted three or four Benellis, to include an M4 variant or two, and then the 1301 all laid out. The beretta was obviously smaller and is always reported to be lighter. I’ve also seen a lot of people say that it’s less finicky with light loads so it’s more reliable.
Long story short, based on what I’ve seen other say for a few years now, 1301 all day.
All that said, I’ve been debating the same recently because of storage options in my jeep. I think I can stage something without a pistol grip and detachable mag in an ideal spot, so that has me shopping but I keep wondering about a lever gun for that role. I don’t have a reason for it other than I wouldn’t want to use shot that spreads in a defensive setting, but slugs negates that so I’m not sure why else I’d consider a lever gun vs a semi auto shotgun but I am.
If weight is a consideration, get the 1301. If not, the M4, also realize the weight also helps with felt recoil.
I own several Beretta shotguns and the M4. It is very hard to do better than Beretta in the SG market. Benelli is the closest competition and they own Benelli as well as several other brands.
A while back I traded a few PMs with @LowSpeed_HighDrag on how I set mine up, his is pictured on the following page.
ETA:
Anyone interested in purchasing a 1301 should spend some time checking out this definitive thread on pistol-forums. There is probably no better source of excellent information including plenty from SMEs on the 1301 and shotguns in general.
I may purchase one just because it’s a cool little weapon ! At 5+1, not a bad hiking / car gun; something just “to have” , merely for the ‘coolness’ factor
I have one of these. They are a smaller company not very well known. Unlike the Turkish shotguns that “look” like an AR, these are built on the DPMS pattern AR 10. They make an excellent shotgun. Mine has replaced my 870 for anything I need a shotgun for. I removed the breacher from mine, they use choke tube threads. I generally use a IC choke tube. Currently you can get 5 and 10 round mags. I personally like the 5 round mags, the 10’s are great for run and gun though.
If you want the best, get a 1301 with an Aimpoint micro. If you want likely good enough for your intended purpose, a vetted 870 will work just fine. I have a 12” 870 Police I often have on car duty. Although I would be sad if it was taken into evidence. But hopefully never needed!
The S2 is made to fit a ventilated rib which the 1301 tactical does not have. Also he stated he is using an Aimpoint Micro. I’m using a 4 MOA T-1 Micro on my 1301.
I will also say that now is a good time to pick up the previous version of the 1301. Beretta will likely close these out and I am already seeing them discounted. Bud’s LEO/.mil section has one for $1344 I believe. The Gen 2 is a great gun. The only difference from the mod 2 is the standard furniture, standard curved trigger and it lacks the PRO lifter. I remember when they closed out the Gen 1. I picked one up for $699.
I’ve run a few different red dot sights on my 1301T, and ended up sticking with the Holosun 509T in an Aridus Crom mount. I love how small, compact, and durable it is, and like running the reticle with 32moa outer circle and center dot.
