Beretta 1301 Shotgun Tips and Tricks

This article is a summary of some of the tips and tricks that I have learned in using the Beretta 1301. The 1301 is my home defense shotgun and the weapon I would choose in a short range fight. My 1301 is fast, reliable, extremely accurate, and with Federal LE133 buckshot it has an effective buckshot range of 30 yards with all pellets striking within an eight-inch circle.

The Pins

One of the most important tips I have learned concerning using a Beretta 1301 is courtesy of George A Curry, II who I met at a SymTac Advanced Shotgun course. George and I discussed a malfunction that he had with his Beretta 1301 during a different class. The Magazine Cutoff Spring Pin on his Beretta 1301 shotgun began to work its way out of the receiver. This tiny but crucial roll pin is horizontally oriented and serves to hold the Cartridge Latch/Magazine Cutoff Pin in place, 90° vertically above it. The Cartridge Latch/Magazine Cutoff Pin secures the cartridge latch and the magazine cut-off in place in the shotgun receiver. When the Magazine Cutoff Spring Pin slipped out far enough, the Cartridge Latch/Magazine Cutoff Pin came out. This allowed the Cartridge Latch Assembly to move inward and jam against the Shell Carrier (preventing it from moving upward) thereby rendering the shotgun inoperable. George suspected that the Magazine Cutoff Spring Pin diameter was undersized causing it to slip out.

I personally have not had this happen with my 1301 shotguns; however, now I always check this pin to ensure it is not protruding from the receiver. The pins are cheap and Midwest Gunworks sells them (part numbers C97038 and C92168 respectively). The shipping costs more than the pins.

A Light and Laser

I have been teaching low light classes and running low light competitive matches (as the Match Director) since 2014 and have learned a few things. Having a light and laser on your home defense shotgun is very helpful. The light helps you identify targets (you can point the muzzle down and still get enough light for identification without violating firearms rule #3). The laser allows you to engage targets with your head held a bit higher on the stock rather than looking at a dot or fixed sights on the gun. You look at the target and the laser on the target. This improves your visual awareness concerning what the target is doing as well as what is around and behind the target. If you look closely at the target in the picture below, you can see the green laser dot on the target at thirty yards--even with the light on. The sun had just gone down when this picture was taken.

Zeroing a laser is not as straight forward as zeroing a scope or red dot. Rather than elevation and windage, lasers (at least in my experience) tend to move on an “X” and “Y” axis. This is somewhat counter intuitive for most of us and is exacerbated if the laser sight is mounted on the side or under the shotgun’s forearm—sometimes a bit of tinkering is involved. Zero with slugs and then check the zero with your buckshot.

My first light/laser combo was the Olight Baldr Pro R rechargeable light with a green laser. I needed a light for my home defense shotgun to replace a SureFire® light that was on the gun that had a fragile plastic latch that frequently failed due to (I suspect) the light’s inability to handle the shotgun’s recoil. Although SureFire® replaced the plastic latch, they only sent one at a time so no spares on hand. The light was down until it arrived.

The Baldr Pro R had a remote switch and worked great until it didn’t. The light failed and would not take a charge after several sessions with the shotgun. I then tried the Fenix GL23R which worked just fine; however, it does not have a remote switch. Activating/deactivating this light with my thumb while engaging targets during training or a competition proved very problematic. I finally settled on a SureFire® X400UH with a green laser. A much more expensive option; however, my experience with SureFire® products is that they generally are very rugged and reliable.

Cable Management

Cable management with the Baldr Pro R was easy since it was a flat cable and, due to the design, the switch did not come off the light during firing. When I installed the SureFire® X400UH, cable management became more of an issue due to its design. The remote cable was too long for my application, so I purchased a pressure switch cable management kit for the M-LOK/Picatinny Rail on Amazon.* I installed it and was satisfied with the result until I went to the range. The small M-LOK cable guide shifted under recoil and literally pulled the remote switch connector from the X400UH. Not good. I adjusted the cable routing and moved the cable guide fully forward in the M-LOK slot so when the shotgun recoils, the M-LOK cannot move.

 

The 1301 Gas Valve

The 1301’s gas system diverts some of the propellant gases to cycle the action and the ingenious design bleeds excess gas out of the gas cylinder which compresses the gas valve spring, thereby dissipating excess energy. The Beretta gas system spreads part of the recoil impulse over a longer period instead of delivering it all at once. Compared with pump or semi-automatic inertia-operated shotguns, many shooters perceive the Beretta as having a smoother recoil pulse. Beretta's gas system cycles very quickly and reliably and functions across a wide range of ammunition. The only load that I have personally encountered that does not function in the 1301 is the Winchester AA Low Recoil/Low Noise target round at 980 feet per second with a 0.917 ounce shot payload—this is an extremely light load.

The 1301 Gas System

Beretta’s position on the 1301’s gas cylinder is that it is self-cleaning—mine are not. I noticed that some of the exhaust holes in my 1301’s gas cylinder were blocked (see red arrows below) and set out to clean them. Scraping the holes with a dental pick did remove some of the lead buildup, but by no means all of it.

I did some research and discovered a video on the practical-shotgun.com website demonstrating how to strip and clean the gas valve assembly. I tried to replicate the device the practical-shotgun video demonstrated. My device compressed the spring; however, I realized that recompressing the spring was going to be very challenging if not impossible with the tools I have so I did not remove the spring. The practical-shotgun video shows disassembly, but it does not show how to put it back together. It turns out that the gas valve spring is extremely heavy and very difficult to recompress as you reassemble the gas valve system.

I had my device modified (see picture above) and with some extreme care I was able to disassemble, clean, and reassemble the gas valve. Feel free to comment if you have thoughts about cleaning the gas valve assembly.  

 

Safety note: As stated above, this spring is extremely heavy. My first disassembly attempt resulting in the spring departing the gas valve assembly in an uncontrolled manner. I strongly suggest you do not try this. If you do, you do so at your own risk. Do not allow ANY part of your body to be in front of the spring during disassembly or reassembly. Always wear eye protection. If this spring hits you in the eye it WILL result in serious injury.

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If you enjoy reading these articles, please follow/subscribe. The link is on the upper right side of the page. All that will happen is that you will receive an e-mail when I post an article. Your information will never be distributed.If you enjoy reading these articles, please follow/subscribe. The link is on the upper right side of the page. All that will happen is that you will receive an e-mail when I post an article. Your information will never be distributed.

* Cable management: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FVFSPYZL?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_product_details

The SYMTAC Consulting Shotgun Skills Class--an After Class Report

Rob Discussing Loading

In early 2026 I attended both the Shotgun Skills course and the Advanced Shotgun course that Rob and Matt Haught’s SYMTAC Consulting conducted.

This after class report covers the Shotgun Skills class SYMTAC held at the Camp Villere National Guard Training Center in Slidell, Louisiana in February 2026. The weather was quite chilly in the mornings but warmed up in the afternoon with the sun generally at our backs—hence the unique garments in some of the pictures.

The Shotgun Skills course primarily focuses on the Push/Pull method of recoil control that Rob Haught developed in the 1980s. Rob’s Push/Pull technique is a recoil management method that significantly reduces felt recoil and enables the shooter to fire rapid follow-up shots. When executed correctly, a competent shooter can accurately fire a 12-gauge shotgun as fast as most shooters can fire their pistols.

I had received (fifth hand+) instruction on the Haught push/pull technique many years ago when I worked with DEA in Lima, Peru and I was looking forward to receiving instruction directly from Rob and Matt Haught. I had wanted to attend these classes for some time and was pleased with the opportunity--I was not disappointed.

During the Shotgun Skills class, Rob and Matt demonstrated the push/pull technique and described the felt recoil reduction advantage the technique provides. Students then received one-on-one instruction from Rob, Matt, or one of the two other assistant instructors as they perfected their use of the technique. Rob and Matt also discussed loading techniques and methods of carrying spare ammunition.*

Engaging from Outdoor or High Ready

Rob and Matt discussed two ready positions. One they characterized as “outdoor” ready, commonly known as high ready, and low ready. Once the class was executing the push/pull correctly, Matt demonstrated how to safely execute 90 and 180-degree pivots and turns from the left, right, and rear using the low ready position (for safety reasons, we did not execute turns using high ready). We then practiced forward and rearward movement with the shotgun firing on command from high and low ready and drills where we moved in various directions while engaging targets at the appropriate moment.

Rob and Matt also taught the shotgun short-range engagement (SRE) technique (also known as “short-stocking”) which is a method that allows the shotgun operator to effectively shorten the shotgun’s profile by one third. A typical home defense shotgun has an 18-inch barrel and a stock that’s about two inches too long. If we use a normal high or low ready position with this gun, it is very difficult to maneuver through tight hallways, around corners, up or down stairs, or around obstacles such as furniture without completely dismounting the gun. If you leave the gun mounted, you also announce your presence with the barrel sticking out as you maneuver around corners, through doorways, etc. If you have the gun dismounted, it is difficult to get the gun on target if confronted with a short-range threat.

The SRE Technique

The SRE technique enables the shooter to maneuver in extremely tight quarters and accurately engage targets at close range. This is one of my favorite techniques. I had seen several videos discussing the SRE technique; however, I had never had the opportunity to learn from Rob and Matt. Note: you should seek competent instruction before trying this technique, otherwise your shotgun might give you an unpleasant smack in the face.

In addition to the techniques I mentioned above, we discussed shotgun marksmanship fundamentals, patterning zones, ammunition selection, manual of arms, equipment selection, low light considerations, malfunction clearances and other topics. We also fired the SymTac School Drill and the Shotgun Skills Gauge Test.

Rob designed the School Drill to enable the shooter to get the highest possible value out of a box of birdshot. Per Rob: "Each shot fired during the School Drill requires a separate push/pull and sight picture." The target for the School Drill can be a common USPSA, IDPA, Shoot Steel or similar cardboard/paper target or you can use a steel target. 

Distance for stages one-three is ten yards and the distance for stage four is five yards with a cardboard/paper target or seven yards with a steel target. (Note: NEVER shoot slugs or any shot other than lead shot on steel targets. In other words, no steel, bismuth, or tungsten shot (which is too expensive anyway) on steel targets. There is a high probability of direct bounce-back from the target which can cause serious injury or death).

The School Drill is a 25-round skill-maintenance exercise that practices all the shotgun manual of arms as follows:

-- Stage #1: A single shot executed from outdoor ready or low ready (5 times--5 rounds)

-- Stage #2: Two shots starting from outdoor ready or low ready (5 times--10 rounds total)

-- Stage #3: With an empty chamber, shotgun aimed at target, pull the trigger. Upon the "click" of an empty gun, conduct an emergency/chamber load of one round, shoot one round (5 times--5 rounds)

-- Stage #4: A single shot executed using the SRE technique (5 times--5 rounds)

In contrast, the SymTac Shotgun Skills Gauge Test is a one-stage, five-round test of your shotgun skills using shotgun slugs. No steel targets for the Skills Gauge. Instead, they use a common IDPA cardboard target, one at three yards and one at ten yards offset as needed to accommodate left or right-handed shooters. The SymTac Shotgun Skills Gauge tests all the shotgun manual of arms taught in the class including SRE, multiple-shot engagement, target transitions, reloading, and a precision shot. 

Scoring for the Skills Gauge is anatomically relevant with zero seconds added for the body shots in the 8-inch scoring zone, and head shots. One second is added to the total time for hits outside the 8-inch scoring zone and five seconds for a miss.

With the shotgun loaded with four slugs, at the start signal, the shooter fires one round from the SRE position at the three-yard target and then transitions to a shoulder mount and fires three rounds at the body of the 10-yard target. After the four rounds and a now-empty gun, the shooter conducts an emergency (chamber) reload, then engages the 10-yard target with one head shot.

Matt stated that they consider a time under ten seconds as a competent skill level. They consider a time of under eight seconds as advanced and under six for a pump and under five for a semi is outstanding. The Haughts award a coin to anyone able to do this drill in under six seconds in class with a pump or five with a semi. My Skills Gauge time in class with my Beretta 1301 was 5.74 seconds—not bad and the fastest student time in this particular class, but no coin for me.

If you have the opportunity to attend a SymTac Shotgun Skills class, I would highly recommend it--your time and money will be well spent.  I enjoyed this class so much that I jumped at the chance to attend SymTac’s first advanced shotgun class offered publicly. I will discuss the advanced class in another after class report.

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If you enjoy reading these articles, please follow/subscribe. The link is on the upper right side of the page. All that will happen is that you will receive an e-mail when I post an article. Your information will never be distributed.If you enjoy reading these articles, please follow/subscribe. The link is on the upper right side of the page. All that will happen is that you will receive an e-mail when I post an article. Your information will never be distributed. 

* The shotgun is often criticized for being a “low capacity” weapon. I personally think that ammunition capacity for a home defense weapon is a non-issue. Each round of 00 buckshot delivers eight or nine 33-caliber bullets at an average velocity of 1250 – 1600 feet per second depending upon the load. A quick look at the ballistics of fifty-two commercial 9mm loads on ammotogo.com showed that the fastest commercial 9mm round was 1265 feet per second. My Beretta 1301 home defense shotgun holds 7+1 for a total of eight rounds which equates to sixty-four individual “bullets” with an eight pellet 00 buckshot load. I cannot imagine a posse of home invaders willing to stand up and engage in a gunfight facing a competently wielded shotgun.