At the end of this long description it sounds like a bunch of stuff on my shotgun. Really it’s an improved stock (Magpul SGA) and forend (Aridus Imperium), which aren’t additional items on the gun – they replace other stuff. Added to the gun is an Aimpoint ACRO P-2, a light (Modlite PHLv2), some Vang Comp shotgun cards, and an Edgar Sherman Design Sling. Sights, light, ammo, and a sling. That’s it.
Ammunition
My philosphy around the shotgun has evolved tremendously in the past few years. The more classes I attend the more knowledgeable I become and. the more evolved my position on the shotgun becomes. But I still like to use slugs in the defensive shotgun. I like the precision of launching a single projectile. Slugs aren’t lacking in their ability to stop a threat, and frankly, I don’t know that buckshot offers that big of an advantage over a 1-ounce slug. Where I live I also have bears, among other wild animals. The ability to extend my range as needed is also appreciated.
One commonly cited flaw of the slug is that they over penetrate. According to Dr. DiMaio’s authoritative Gunshot Wounds, soft, Foster-type slugs don’t over-penetrate in the human body. Doctor Gary Roberts echoes this, saying soft, Foster-type slugs typically stay inside the human body. If you make good, solid hits, slugs are not going to over-penetrate.
I have evolved significantly on the slugs I use, however. For the past several years now I have used low recoil slugs. A slug at 1,600 feet per second generate substantially more recoil than a slug at 1,300 feet per second, but probably doesn’t do appreciably more damage on target, or stop threats any faster. The Federal TruBall Rifled Slug (PB127 LRS) is accurate, reliable, and light-recoiling, and will do anything I need a slug to do. I can pick up the shotgun, place a round exactly where I need it to be, with plenty of power, without excessive recoil.
Potential Future Modifications
This gun is pretty good-to-go as-is. It doesn’t really need any further modifications. There are a couple of things I am likely to put on it, however. The first is the high-visibility XS front sight mentioned earlier. This is a “maybe” for me, but I like this style of sight and have it on most of my serious-use handguns.
The other mods that I will certainly make (as soon as they are back in stock) is replacing the factory charging handle and bolt release. Both will be replaced with upgraded parts from Aridus Industries. The existing parts are OK, but knowledgeable users rave about the Aridus charging handle, so I’m going to be smart and take their word for it. The other problem with the factory bolt release is the tendency of the plastic button to come off the gun. The Aridus part tightens down, eliminating this possibility.
If I Could Only Have Two Guns
So that’s it: the second gun, if I could only have two guns. With this combo I have an easily concealable sidearm that I can carry every day. It will be there when I need it. And I have a formidable fighting weapon. The Beretta 1301 can be used for home defense, close-quarters battle, and a hunting gun for any animal species that lives anywhere near me. But I don’t just choose it for that; I choose the shotgun because I have a lot of training with it. I am confident in my shotgun, and my abilities with it. If I could only have two guns, my EDC 1911 and my Beretta 1301 would absolutely be those guns. There is nothing I am remotely likely to face in my lifetime that I couldn’t handle with these two firearms.
