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Thread: Beretta 1201 Questions

  1. #1
    Glock Collective Assimile Suvorov's Avatar
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    Beretta 1201 Questions

    Out of the blue here, but I have the opportunity to buy a excellent condition 1201 FP from the widow of a friend who recently passed. Back in the 1990s I chose the 1187P over the Berettas and I don’t really need the gun, but it does seem nice and the 1301 are now what all the cool guys are shooting. So:

    1) Is it worth buying or should I pass?
    2) What is a “fair” to both parties price for this gun in excellent condition.
    3) Is the 1201 to the 1301 what the Remington 1100 is to the 1187 or is it’s inertia drive a whole different animal?
    Last edited by Suvorov; 10-11-2021 at 08:26 PM. Reason: Make less confusing.

  2. #2
    Quote Originally Posted by Suvorov View Post
    Out of the blue here, but I have the opportunity to buy a excellent condition 1201 FP from the widow of a friend who recently passed. Back in the 1990s I chose the 1187P over the Berettas and I don’t really need the gun, but it does seem nice and the 1301 are now what all the cool guys are shooting. So:

    1) Is it worth buying or am should I pass?
    2) What is a “fair” to both parties price for this gun in excellent condition.
    3) Is it to the 1301 what the Remington 1100 is to the 1187 or is it’s inertia drive a whole different animal?
    Your post is confusing me...the 1201 of old was inertia driven. The 1301 is gas driven. You mention both as if interchangeable.

    Moving on, posts here make 1301 sound like a solid option. I don't know but am watching with interest. The latest posts about the Adrius stock causing receiver wear due to absence of factory buffer part have me waiting to commit.

  3. #3
    Glock Collective Assimile Suvorov's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Willard View Post
    Your post is confusing me...the 1201 of old was inertia driven. The 1301 is gas driven. You mention both as if interchangeable.
    I don’t recall mentioning both as interchangeable? I know next to nothing here, that is why I am asking. I will correct my post if that is what I said - it is certainly not what I meant. I am simply wanting to know if the 1201 is a solid gun and if I can enjoy some of the love fest that comes with 1301 ownership or if the two guns are entirely different bests.

    I did not mean to confuse the issue. Thank you for clarifying to me that they are different operating systems.

  4. #4
    I don't have a Beretta 1201, but I've shot a 1200 for almost 30 years as my primary sporting gun. It's the same action, but mine is a sporting gun, rather than police/tactical model. Back in the day I shot a 1201 police model issued to an SFPD officer. They're good guns, and you should get it. They're very lightweight, and handle nicely. The only issue I had with the 1201 is that with heavy loads a round could skip out of the mag tube onto the carrier and jam the gun up, tight. I personally observed this. Remingtons have a tab on the lifter/carrier to hold shells back far enough that the gun will cycle. This could have just been an issue with this gun.

    These guns use the Benelli recoil action. In fact, the trigger guards are actual Benelli parts. I think this action is the same or similar to the Benelli Montefeltro or M2.

  5. #5
    Murder Machine, Harmless Fuzzball TCinVA's Avatar
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    I moved these posts into their own thread because the 1301 thread is ponderous enough as is.

    As for the 1201...

    It is a completely different shotgun than the 1301. It was discontinued some time ago and finding parts/accessories can be very difficult. The biggest issue with the 1201 is that the factory stocks have a ridiculously long length of pull. That can be helped by buying a Choate replacement stock...IF you can find one.

    The 1201 is a good shotgun, but it's advantages and disadvantages will be about the same as the Benelli shotguns it is based on. Pickier on ammo, picker on how you mitigate recoil, etc.
    3/15/2016

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Suvorov View Post
    Out of the blue here, but I have the opportunity to buy a excellent condition 1201 FP from the widow of a friend who recently passed. Back in the 1990s I chose the 1187P over the Berettas and I don’t really need the gun, but it does seem nice and the 1301 are now what all the cool guys are shooting. So:

    1) Is it worth buying or should I pass?
    2) What is a “fair” to both parties price for this gun in excellent condition.
    3) Is the 1201 to the 1301 what the Remington 1100 is to the 1187 or is it’s inertia drive a whole different animal?
    1. That depends upon the selling price. See #2.

    2. One of my best friends bought a 1201 FP in similar condition 3 years ago for $475. I consider that a fair price.

    3. The 1201 is inertia driven and as someone mentioned here a fairly light gun. Which means it also recoils as such. My buddy's main complaint with his 1201 FP is the recoil. I agree that it's on the heavier side even compared to my Benelli M1 Super 90.
    On the contrary, the 1301 is known for its softer recoil.

    As mentioned above, finding accessories and replacement parts these days is going to be a harder. Thr original recoil pad is on the stiff side, however Limbsaver might have a recoil pad that will possibly fit, but you'll have to print out their templates and try it.
    So, it depends upon the price, how it's set up, and what you're planning to do with it?
    If you can get it for around $500, I say go for it as it is a good semi-auto shotgun and you're getting a proven Benelli inertia driven action for about half of what you'd pay if it was marked Benelli.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Suvorov View Post
    I don’t recall mentioning both as interchangeable? I know next to nothing here, that is why I am asking. I will correct my post if that is what I said - it is certainly not what I meant. I am simply wanting to know if the 1201 is a solid gun and if I can enjoy some of the love fest that comes with 1301 ownership or if the two guns are entirely different bests.

    I did not mean to confuse the issue. Thank you for clarifying to me that they are different operating systems.
    Clearly I misread your post. Apologies.

  8. #8
    Frequent DG Adventurer fatdog's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Suvorov View Post
    Out of the blue here, but I have the opportunity to buy a excellent condition 1201 FP from the widow of a friend who recently passed. Back in the 1990s I chose the 1187P over the Berettas and I don’t really need the gun, but it does seem nice and the 1301 are now what all the cool guys are shooting. So:


    I have owned one (20" tactical version) since the turn of the century, so that is where I am coming from.


    1) Is it worth buying or should I pass?

    yes, I used to have two, CDNN cleared them out at a crazy price 20 years ago and I bought a pair, and sold one of them, but I am not selling the second one...


    2) What is a “fair” to both parties price for this gun in excellent condition.

    no idea, in this market, I sold my spare for $500 but that was several years ago...


    3) Is the 1201 to the 1301 what the Remington 1100 is to the 1187 or is it’s inertia drive a whole different animal?
    It is nothing more or less than a Benelli M1S90, they made them OEM for Beretta in the late '90s before Beretta bought the whole Benelli company. It is a 5 round limited tube since it came in during the ban, but midwest gun works used to have the factory parts to make it a 6 rounder. The other important design change they made for the Beretta version was moving the removing the cartridge drop lever from the side bottom of the receiver to being a small button on the bottom of the loading gate. Minor changes were they enlarged the bolt release button and then made the magazine fixed capacity by installing a diffferent type of end cap that secures the aluminum sleeve that covers the magazine tube. Extended Benelli magazine tubes are a no go.

    Like the M1S90, it has a strong preference for heavy loads, will not run low recoil stuff and some of the moderate birdshot loads. I find anything that runs in my Benelli M1 will run in this and anything that will not, will not run in either gun.

    20 years ago there were no aftermarket stocks for the M1S90 or this gun, so I took mine and shortened them to get a 13.5" LOP with a decellerator pad in place, had to build up new attachment points inside the stock for the buttpad screws with marine expoxy.
    Last edited by fatdog; 10-12-2021 at 07:46 PM.

  9. #9
    Glock Collective Assimile Suvorov's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Willard View Post
    Clearly I misread your post. Apologies.
    No apologies needed dude. I have been known to not say what I meant. Especially according to my wife.

    I need another tactical shotgun like a hole in the head but………

  10. #10
    Site Supporter Erick Gelhaus's Avatar
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    I have one, bought it for $500 back in the '00 time frame.

    @TCinVA is right regarding the stock. They are ridiculously long. Fortunately, I took mine to a competent gunsmith who didn't know enough about that gun to turn down the project. He shortened the stock for me, made it match my 870. He will deny doing the work if I ever name him. He hated that job.

    If the price is tolerable, I'd buy it because a) it belonged to a friend, b) it's a decent sample to have in the safe, c) it could always be a loaner.

    I used hose clamps, a mount designed to go with them, and scope rings to put a light on the gun. That light is long since gone though.

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