fAlmost two years ago, I had the pleasure of doing a review of the Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol. I was impressed with the shotgun then and continue to be impressed with it today.
Performance proven through thousands of rounds
Since that review, the same Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol shotgun has been fired in classes by instructors and students and cleaned a total of three times. With more than 3,000 rounds downrange, it has performed flawlessly without a single hiccup, failure or misfeed. This is a testament to the reliability of the Beretta A300 operating system.
A quick intro
The Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol Chisel is an extension of the A300 family of Beretta shotguns. These are workhorse shotguns designed to be easy to manipulate, durable and ultra-reliable. But these aren’t just plodding plow horses that can’t run. The Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol shotguns can stretch their legs and churn it up like a thoroughbred, and the Chisel takes performance to a whole new level.
Before we get to the go-fast range stuff, let’s refamiliarize ourselves with the A300 Ultima Patrol specs. It has a 19-inch chrome-lined barrel and a 3-inch chamber that accepts 2 ¾-inch and 3-inch shotgun shells. A full-length magazine tube holds a payload of five or seven 2 ¾-inch shells depending on the model you choose. The A300 Chisel edition adds custom touches like an oversized bolt handle, enlarged loading port and extended bolt release for faster reloading, as well as an oversized/reversible safety button for easy manipulation in adverse conditions.
Duty-ready features enhance tactical performance
The Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol Chisel has multiple QD sling attachment points and a lightweight polymer forend. This forend has a tapered shape that is comfortable and secure with an aggressive texture that keeps the shotgun anchored in your hand. The integrated M-LOK slots for lights and other accessories make this shotgun duty-ready.
It has an excellent set of sights consisting of a large front sight post with a red fiber-optic insert matched to a ghost ring rear sight. These are great sights that are quick to acquire, but it’s more likely that the Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol Chisel will be equipped with an optic mounted to the short section of Picatinny rail on top of the receiver.
Custom fit improves control and reduces fatigue
The backbone of the Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol Chisel is the anodized black, CNC 6061 solid billet-aluminum stock that has an adjustable length of pull (LOP) in 1/4-inch increments from 11.5 to 14 inches. It also features an adjustable cheek pad and recoil pad.
The single biggest problem most officers have when running a shotgun is poor fit. A set LOP assumes one size fits all. But officers of smaller stature will struggle with an average tactical shotgun. Even a shotgun that is comfortable on the range becomes cumbersome while wearing body armor. Too many officers were getting beat up by shotguns that didn’t fit correctly and grew to loathe shotgun training.
In contrast, the Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol Chisel gives you the ability to adjust the LOP to fit the shooter instead of the shooter trying to fit around a too-large shotgun. The adjustable recoil pad and cheek pad give you more opportunities for a custom fit. This makes shouldering the Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol Chisel a joy because the sights appear on target with effortless repeatability, making for faster target acquisition and follow-up shots.
Optic-ready design expands officer options
The Chisel comes standard with a built-in RMR-pattern mounting plate. I love options, and now you have the choice of mounting a full-size optic on the rail or lightening it up with a smaller optic on the built-in mounting plate. The built-in design positions the smaller optic closer to the shooter’s eyes to virtually guarantee quick dot alignment and a large field of view. Even though the mounting plate is only for optics using the RMR pattern, I’ve been told there may be additional mounting plate options in the future.
Looking at the Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol Chisel may give the appearance of it having a folding stock, but it doesn’t fold because the A300 uses a rear-recoil buffer spring system very similar to an AR or M4 rifle. Speaking of AR rifles, the Chisel stock includes a pistol grip and grip angle just like you would find on your patrol rifle. This helps with familiarity as well as controllability in tactical situations. The pistol grip makes it much easier to hold the Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol Chisel on target using only your strong hand compared with a standard shotgun. The standard AR grip interface also allows the user to easily swap out the included grip with one of the many available after market accessory options.
Reliable operation with a variety of loads
I picked up this shotgun from my local FFL while on my way to teach a class in East Texas, so I didn’t have the chance to tear it down, clean it or throw gun oil on it. Instead, I took it out of the box and threw it into the mix. During breaks in the class, the students and I took turns running shells through the shotgun until the barrel was too hot to handle.
Some law enforcement officers have stayed away from semiautomatic duty shotguns because they used to be finicky about the shells and loads that would reliably feed and eject. But the Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol Chisel ran reliably with everything we fed it. When I loaded a mix of 00 buckshot along with #7 and #8 birdshot to see what would happen, this shotgun was unfazed and just kept galloping along without a single hiccup.
Tested accuracy with industry-standard ammunition
I have already patterned several Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol shotguns and found they all produce exceptional groups using the excellent Federal LE12700 buckshot, which has become an industry standard by which other duty buckshot is measured. At 10 yards, nine pellets grouped at less than 3 inches. At 20 yards, all nine pellets grouped at less than 6.5 inches, keeping all shots inside the A-zone of a USPSA target. At 35 yards, all pellets stayed within the A- and C-zones of a USPSA target. The Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol Chisel was no exception and patterned exactly to the same specifications.
Durability for long-term law enforcement use
Everyone who tried the Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol Chisel was encouraged to run it fast, and run it fast they did. Split times on steel targets at 15 yards averaged around 0.16 seconds, with a couple measured as low as 0.12 seconds. That’s fast. So far, I have a little over 400 shells through this shotgun without any additional cleaning or maintenance. It’s time to give it some love, but there’s no doubt in my mind that this is one durable and reliable firearm. I’ll be heading to a firearm instructor conference soon, and this shotgun will be taking the trip so I can put more shells downrange. I look forward to stretching its legs some more.
Beretta was founded in 1526 and has operated continuously making firearms and firearm accessories for military and law enforcement use. They know a well-trained officer equipped with a reliable shotgun and quality ammunition is a formidable team. Even more importantly, a growing number of law enforcement agencies are starting to realize the same thing. The Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol Chisel brings custom touches and fit to officers with reliability that rivals the pump guns of yesteryear. For more information, visit click here.
