Looks like Beretta is reintroducing the TX-4 Storm, under the name "1301 Tactical:"
http://www.gunsholstersandgear.com/2...tical-shotgun/
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Looks like Beretta is reintroducing the TX-4 Storm, under the name "1301 Tactical:"
http://www.gunsholstersandgear.com/2...tical-shotgun/
Now that is interesting. I may need to re-visit the idea of one of those. Looks like a great shotgun. It sort of reminds me of my old SKB from the 80's that was a great tactical shotgun that nobody ever heard of.
The predecessor, the Beretta TX-4 Storm (which looks almost identical) started to take off just as Beretta decided to discontinue it. I saw used ones fetch $2,000 +/- on Gunbroker.
The TX-4 is simply the best semi-auto practical shotgun I have shot. Soft recoil, reliable, fast cycle rate, accurate, with far and away the best stock I have felt on a practical shotgun.
From perusing either Beretta forum or Enos, my understanding is that it is a rebadged TX-4 sold for a lot less money than the TX-4. The 1301 is the 3 gun model, and the Tactical is the personal defense model. There is a 20 page thread on Enos extolling the 1301. The TX-4/1301 Tactical is my single favorite defensive shotgun ever!
One of the current tactical trainers was very impressed with this shotgun and did some posting on it, I can't recall where though. Comes standard with a nice short stock.
It has a piece you can remove, to shorten LOP some, although I wish you could make it even shorter. The shape of the stock is fantastic. I still remember the first time I saw and picked up a TX-4, it was like "wow!" The 18 inch Beretta is lighter and feels much handier than my 14 inch 870's. This is the best shotgun going, that almost nobody knows about.
I really want, nay, need a new shotgun. I'd like to try an auto...
I wonder if this is based on the A300 or A400 platform? I have an A400 Extreme that I bird hunt with, it's a very, very nice shotgun.
Just acquired one.
Sweet.
I was excited about this gun and handled one at SHOT. However, I asked the Beretta people to get me one of their guys who was actually familiar with the gun, which they did. He verified to me that you cannot top the magazine up once a shot has been fired-- you have to wait until the gun is empty to reload it. That's a deal killer for me.
Just this week I discovered that my made-in-Turkey Weatherby SA-459 works the same way -- once a shot has been fired, the carrier is locked in the down position until the gun runs dry. I was NOT happy to discover this, as it means that it's useless as a 3-gun shotgun.
Imagine my surprise when I went to run a shoot-1-load-2 drill and couldn't get any ammo into the gun. Then my frustration when no amount of control manipulation would get it to accept ammo. Then my anger when I realized that this was in fact how it was designed, and the only in-process manipulation possible is a time-consuming eject-chambered-shell-and-load-one drill. I'm getting irked again just writing this.
Looks like I'll be watching for deals on a Mossberg 930 JM in a few months...
Very clearly reloading here without being empty:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wWC8p725h7c
I was not able to fire the gun at SHOT to verify. However, the Beretta employee who claimed to know said that when you fire the gun a round comes out of the magazine on to the lifter, thus blocking putting anything else in the magazine tube until the gun is empty. We discussed this at length.
Perhaps Doc Roberts can take his new 1301 out and see just what the truth is.
With the TX-4, which I believe to be functionally the same as the 1301 Tactical, you can get a shell on the lifter my manually pushing the spring loaded latch at the rear of the action. That blocks the magazine. The reason I do that is so I can carry it condition 3, and only work the charging handle to load a round (otherwise from condition 3 you need to depress the spring loaded latch and work the handle). In normal operation, it is like a Benelli, where the action of firing releases a round from THE TUBE, not the lifter, leaving the magazine up encumbered for loading.
Perhaps it's when you pull the trigger that the next round jumps into the carrier vs jumping in as the bolt goes back?
Please excuse my ignorance,besides the price difference why this gun as compared to a M4?
I bought a 1301 on GJMs advice and it came in the other day. It shoots soft and cycles everything I've fed it from light dove/trap loads to slugs and even a mixed bag of some ancient stuff I've had lying around for over 15 years. I've owned a few Benelli social shotguns and the reason I got rid of them is they have all been ammunition finicky, especially with lighter loads.
Another reason I went with Beretta is that I have friends who go dove hunting in Argentina where it's common to shoot 1000s of rounds a day bird hunting. According to my buddy, the loaner guns are all Berettas. When asked why their guides said that after trying various models they have found Berettas to be the most reliable and durable semi autos out there.
I have my 1301 Tactical with the 18" barrel and 5 round mag tube. The mag tube can definitely be topped up in any condition, fired or other wise as long as one knows how to operate the controls correctly. I had originally planned on getting a Versamax, but am quite pleased with the 1301--this new Beretta is nothing like the abysmal 1201. The 1301 is softer shooting than the Benelli M1/M2, but not quite as soft as the Versamax--however the Beretta is substantially lighter than the Versamax and is much quicker on target. The VersaMax has a larger loading port, but the lifter needs some work; the Beretta loads fine out of the box.
The only thing I am not digging is the difficulty in adding a good sling and light to the 1301, although Briley and Nordic have solutions I am hoping to try in the next week or so.
I need to figure out if these are Maryland-legal. You guys have me jonesing!
A little trick you guys may or may not know about your Beretta......
Push the shell carrier up with your trigger finger, then push the slide release button with your thumb an you can pull shells right out of the magazine. This allows you to unload the magazine without working the bolt. (With bolt closed)
Yup, that is the way I unload my mag tube--almost like an 870.
Also, 1301 Comp will float an extra shell under the bolt with a full magazine. 1301 tactical won't.
I was looking to try some 3 gun with it. Appears from the rep, the 1301 Comp is a longer 3.5 " reciever so you can load 2 shells at a time but will not be able to do that with the 1301 Tactical.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWfkLF7S1XY
Found this pic. I am kind of liking this Comp set up.
http://tmh.smugmug.com/photos/i-mHqq...mHqq8zs-XL.jpg
Manufacturer web site says 37.8 in length.
http://www.beretta.com/en/1301-tactical/
After looking at both the Tactical and Competition gun at SHOT, I am going to get the Competition one at some point. Even though I like the shorter barrel on the Tactical, the Competition looks like it has more thought into it (like the 3 1/2" receiver to allow more room for manipulations of ammo). I figure at some point a shorter barrel will be available or a custom cut version could be figured out if the 3 inches is something I couldn't live with.