Please help me pick a new "duty" shotgun and set it up

[KevH]

This is sort of hard for me. I've shot a Remington 870 since I was 10 years old. I literally grew up on it. When I went to the police academy I was handed a Remington 870P. I have carried an 870 in my patrol car every day I have worked (even if I had an AR or another long gun) and it's typically the first thing I reach for even over a rifle. I own three 870's at the moment. Having said that, the 870 is not perfect and I feel it's time is waning. I want to play with an autoloader for police purposes and after verifying that it works the way I want I'll make a push to be able to carry it at work.

Some things I've learned over the years about shotgun personal preference:
- I hate ghost rings sights. I prefer a bead or better yet, a ribbed barrel with a bead or fiberoptic front.
- I can make the rifle sights work if they're setup "express" style.
- I hate pistol grip shotgun stocks. I'm ok with the MagPul stocks. I'm quite tall and long LOP doesn't bother me even with armor.
- I don't want extra crap attached to the gun. I ditched side saddles long ago.
- The only "need" accessories for me are:
a) A V-Tac sing
b) A Surefire Scout Light mounted close enough to the foregrip I can actuate it with my left thumb (I'm right handed)
- Reliability matters over everything including recoil reduction (should be a given)
- I don't clean my shotguns nearly as often as I clean my pistol or as often as I should (not sure why, but at least I admit it)

We have a few Benelli M4's at work. They're nice guns, but they're heavy and like I said, I don't care for pistol grip stocks or ghost ring sights.

I think I've narrowed down my choices to the following:

Benelli M2 21" barrel with Comfort-Grip Stock (SKU: 11026) Retails for around $1299
or
Beretta 1301 Comp 21" (SKU: J131C11N) Retails for around $1199

For whatever reason, I'm leaning towards the Benelli.

I have a Beretta 390 Trap and it's ok, but I prefer my 870 Trap and I think subconsciously it's because I don't care to clean the Beretta (as dumb as that sounds).

So what say the PF'ers that have experience with both?

Which one should I go with?

How should I mount the two things I need? (Light and sling) I'm guessing I'll need to add a Nordic or MOA precision tube and clamp to either anyway.

[willie]

Which of the two will better tolerate patrol car wear and tear. If you prefer low recoil buckshot, will the Benelli cycle it reliably? Is recoil a factor? Is your agency likely to rule against using either in the future?

[KevH]

Which of the two will better tolerate patrol car wear and tear. If you prefer low recoil buckshot, will the Benelli cycle it reliably? Is recoil a factor? Is your agency likely to rule against using either in the future?

Well, they don't "technically" allow either right now. We have some Benelli M4's in-service and there is enough interest in allowing autoloaders.

We issue Federal LE 132 00 Buck and Winchester Ranger RA12RS15 1 oz slugs and that's probably all this gun would see unless I go to a class that requires birdshot.

I'm not that recoils sensitive if the gun fits me correctly, which I assume I can setup either one to do.

[Lester Polfus]

I think it’s a wash. Pre-covid I was looking at those two exact guns and couldn’t make a cogent argument for one being better than the other. My ardor cooled as soon as buckshot became unobtanium and it became clear it would be difficult to vett the gun and train up with it.

Probably not helpful, but at least I share the conundrum.

Have you verified that both or either will fit correctly in the rack in your car?

[KevH]

I think it’s a wash. Pre-covid I was looking at those two exact guns and couldn’t make a cogent argument for one being better than the other. My ardor cooled as soon as buckshot became unobtanium and it became clear it would be difficult to vett the gun and train up with it.

Probably not helpful, but at least I share the conundrum.

Have you verified that both or either will fit correctly in the rack in your car?

We have Blac-Rac racks (which are super cool if you've never seen one) so ultimately I can make either work.

[HCM]

Are RDS sights on shotguns prohibited by your agency ?

If not, why not a 1301 tactical with an Aimpoint H2 ?

The CROM with the rob haught mod is like using rifle sights, and they are only BUIS so you will likely never need them.

I’m a huge fan of 14” SBS and the 1301 Tac is as close to that size / handiness as you can get without a tax stamp.

[Lester Polfus]

We have Blac-Rac racks (which are super cool if you've never seen one) so ultimately I can make either work.

I haven't, but then again when I quit, the MDT was still new technology...

[Erick Gelhaus]

Almost no time on the Benellis, but I'm very happy with my 1301 and will buy another. And that's after years of the 870.

[Brian T]

My current shotgun goal is to sell off some project shotguns (A5 riot, Winnie 12 riot) and extra shotguns (870WM) I have laying around, and snag a pair of Beretta 1301 PC 21" shotguns.

My preference in shotgun iron sights has lead me to a vent rib barrel with the XS VR sights installed. Two of my 870WMs are getting so equipped. My Stevens 311 is already equipped with them.


ETA: In a recent Hardwired 1-day "Shotgun is Fungun" class, I was part of the minority of shooters using a pumpgun (another 870WM). I was further in the minority of shooters as I was one of two shooters with bead sights. Mine was an XS orange, tritium Big Dot. I more than held my own with my shotgun against RDO equipped 1301s. Beads are not for most people, and that they are on most shotguns because they are cheap. But if you know how to run a bead, your arent at a disadvantage IMO

[fatdog]

Never been in LE or combat or any of that, but adopted the Benelli family 20 years ago as "my shotgun" when I picked one up for 3gun, and I would only offer three observations.

First, the felt recoil is greater than pretty much every gas operated gun. May not be an issue for some, but it is a consideration for many owners.

Second, the manual of arms and administrative handling for the Benelli's is different. The reciprocal "see-saw" relationship between the bolt handle & bolt release button Vs the cartridge drop lever & trigger, are unique in my experience. I have seen more than one person who was used to running a Browning or Remington auto get confused about getting the Benelli design loaded and charged because it is not the same sequence depending on the state of that mechanism when you pick it up. I have been doing it so long that if you handed me a 1301 or an 11-87 I would probably fumble things with those. All of which to say the Benelli intertia recoil systems manual of arms is a little bit proprietary, and that is why I have never picked up one of the other brands and not purchased a 1301....I find it easy to get confused with the differences and I suspect it would be much worse under pressure. Many other designs don't lock down the loading gate the way Benelli's do. Many other designs will let you just cycle the bolt and the round from the mag is in the chamber, not always so with the inertia driven Benelli family if the shell has not been released.

Third, while it is possible to tune the recoil spring mechanism in the buttstock, most interia system Benelli's like the M2 are somewhat load picky, and far more reliable with the heavier loads. I don't know how much they have tweaked the current M2's but none of my guns,M1 or M2 is going to run a box of Walmart low aluminum head light birdshot loads, ever, it will jam every time with them. Same for most low recoil buck rounds. Some LR buck will not even open the action far enough to eject the empty...