The tactical 20-gauge shotgun market has grown in recent years. In fact, it’s doubled from one to two on the current market. Mossberg gave us a 20 gauge 590 last year and this year Beretta delivered the 20 gauge A300 Ultima Patrol. We now have a 20-gauge, gas-operated, semi-auto tactical shotgun with all the modern features.
Breaking Down the A300 Ultima Patrol
The A300 series started as a sporting shotgun and was already available in 20 gauge. It must not have been much work for Beretta to convert the A300 sporting platform into a shorter tactical model. The A300 series is American-made and doesn’t carry the Italian tax. It’s not exactly cheap, but it’s considerably more affordable than the 1301 or M4.
The Ultima Patrol doesn’t just trim the barrel and call it tactical. It got a full Nicole Kidman-style facelift. The barrel is trimmed to 19.1 inches. That’s an odd length for a tactical shotgun, but it ensures it sits flush with the extended magazine tube. Capacity is increased to seven rounds with the addition of an extension. I prefer a single-piece tube, but it’s more economical to use the tubes you have and use an extension.
A barrel-to-magazine tube clamp gives you a sling point and a single M-LOK slot. The handguard was stretched, and we have a few more M-LOK slots for accessories. The gun comes with a high-visibility front sight and a non-adjustable rear ghost ring. Plus, there’s a rail for easily adding an optic.
One of the best things that happened to tactical shotguns is that manufacturers took the controls and made them massive. The charging handle is huge, as is the bolt release. We get a large, textured, tactile safety button. The loading port is also bigger, so shoving rounds into the tube is easy, and your thumb won’t catch.
Finally, the stock lets you adjust the length of pull with inserts. This is a fantastic addition that doesn’t lock you into a 14.5-inch length of pull. A length of pull that fits the shooter supports a modern stance and a good push-pull hold to reduce recoil.
The Recoil Dilemma
Since we’re talking recoil, let’s talk 20 gauge. Most people buy a 20 gauge for its reduced recoil, and for bird hunting and clay shooting, it’s the right choice. For defensive use…not so much. The 20-gauge round can reduce recoil, but in reality it’s not that simple.
Most 20 gauge shotguns are lighter than 12 gauge guns. For example, the 12 gauge Ultima Patrol weighs a pound and a half more than the 20 gauge version. Less weight equals more felt recoil.
When we examine the buckshot options for 20-gauge guns, we see some interesting choices.
Winchester Defender has a reduced-recoil load: 20 pellets of No. 3 buckshot at 1,145 FPS. That’s about 480 grains of lead in all. An eight-pellet 00 load packs about 450-ish grains, depending on the load, and a reduced-recoil load has the same velocity. From a lightweight gun, that recoil difference is barely noticeable.
To compare like with like, a 20 gauge load of Federal Flitecontrol from the six-pound A300 equates to about 15 foot-pounds of recoil. A load of Federal Flitecontrol from the slightly heavier A300 12-gauge gives us about 17 foot-pounds of recoil.
Running and Gunning With the A300 Ultima Patrol
When shooting the Ultima Patrol in 20 gauge, the recoil isn’t stiff. Everything feels about in line with a 12 gauge gas gun shooting reduced-recoil ammunition. Yet the 20 gauge gun really shines because it only weighs six pounds. That’s crazy lightweight for a semi-auto gas-operated shotgun.
Shooting cheapo birdshot, the recoil is quite pleasant, enough that I could land four rounds on targets in 1.04 seconds from the low ready. I tried hard to get it under a second, but just couldn’t break that time.
Dropping double-taps in about half a second is pretty nice, and you can put a lot of lead on target fast. The stock and forend have super-aggressive texturing. It’s more like a pistol grip texture than any other shotgun. It allows you to dig into the gun and get that good stretch with your push/pull. Your hands won’t slide or slip, even when covered in sweat.
It grabs your hand and I love it, but I never found it grating or painful. I never needed a glove. Well, I didn’t need a glove because of the texture. The forend gets thin near the top of the barrel, and can be easy for your thumb to graze a hot barrel.
The controls are fantastic and easy to use. My finger could find the safety without fumbling around. In doing some grab-and-go, cruiser-ready drills, my hand never slipped when racking a round into the chamber. Reloads were easy with that massive bolt release and the enlarged loading port.
Plus, the A300 lifter design is absolutely fantastic and might be my favorite on the market. When the bolt is locked to the rear, it stays upward, making it easier to load rounds. The lightweight design made it easy to stay on target while shoving rounds into the tube.
Without a doubt, this shotgun would be one helluva clown remover.
Keeping It Light
The real advantage of a 20-gauge gun isn’t its recoil, but how light it can be compared to comparable 20 gauge scatterguns. The lightweight design makes it easy to swing, do repeated ready-up drills, and carry around. You can even shoot it fairly easily with one hand. When doing emergency reloads, it’s super-easy to hold as you shove a round into the ejection port.
Moving between positions and working around cover just feels easier with a lighter gun. I’ve been working on my compressed shooting positions and the lighter gun makes it much easier to control and handle in an awkward position.
I fired 200 rounds of Monarch birdshot, 100 rounds of Monarch No.1 buckshot, 50 rounds of dirt-cheap Sterling No. 2 buckshot, five rounds of Federal Flitecontrol, and 5 rounds of Winchester Super-X slugs. I had zero malfunctions.
The slim Beretta chewed through everything without a problem. The biggest fault I found was the non-adjustable ghost ring sights. What’s the point of non-adjustable ghost rings? For buckshot at buckshot ranges, it’s not a problem. For slugs, you have to find the range you’re close to being zeroed at and keep it there.
That’s not a big problem since I’m a buckshot man with my shotguns, but if you’re serious about slug use, you’ll want to replace the rear sight or add a red dot.
Naturally, patterns varied by load. The Sterling opened up about an inch per yard. The Monarch was able to stay in a five-inch pattern at seven yards. The FliteControl predictably provided the tightest pattern with a 4-inch pattern at 10 yards. The gun uses replaceable Mobilchokes so you can tighten it up with ease.
The A300 Ultima Patrol Now In 20 Gauge
The A300 Ultima Patrol has made the move to 20 gauge, giving us a quality, semi-auto 20 gauge defensive option. I wouldn’t grab one expecting the absolute lightest recoil, but because I want a lightweight, easy-to-maneuver, ultra-reliable shotgun. That’s where this thing really shines.
What I would love to see is an eight-pellet No.1 buckshot load that’s a true reduced-recoil load. I think that could really move the needle for 20-gauge tactical shotguns. For now, the A300 presents a competent defensive shotgun in a light platform with all the modern features you want in a tactical shotgun.