Shotgun Review: Beretta A300 Ultima Field

The hard-working A300 gets a new look and feel that makes it an ideal hunting and target shotgun.

July 02, 2025 By Brad Fitzpatrick

Beretta has built just about every type of firearm during their 500-year history, but the company particularly excels at designing and manufacturing semiauto shotguns. From the 390 and 391, to the 1301 and A400, Beretta rarely misses the mark when it comes to engineering autoloaders. But you could reasonably argue that their best bang-for-the-buck semiauto shotgun family of all time is the A300 line. Over the years, the gas-operated A300 has been built to handle just about any task of which you would ask an autoloading shotgun, from police work to turkey and waterfowl hunting to competition.

An closeup image of the Beretta A300 Ultima receiver and controls. — The release button, bolt handle, and loading port have all been enlarged for easier use. (Photo courtesy Brad Fitzpatrick)

Features of the New Beretta A300 Ultima Field

The latest addition to the A300 family is the Ultima Field, a fine-looking semiauto that offers the soft touch of Beretta’s superb gas operated design. The primary components of the operating system include a piston, a buffer tube, and a link. As gasses from the fired shell enter the system, they pass through five vent holes in barrel extension and act upon the piston. Rearward energy moves the buffer tube rearward and the link rearward, helping to cycle the bolt. Excess gas is vented forward and away from the system. There are no O-rings, and the system is simpler to clean and maintain than other gas-operated semiautos. It has been my experience that the A300 system is more tolerant of neglect than some other semiautos, probably one of the reasons that Beretta autoloaders are common loaner guns at high-volume dove lodges. Those rental guns are run to the limit, day after day, and Beretta guns are one of the few brands that hold up well to that level of abuse.

Gas-operated autoloading shotguns have a reputation for reducing recoil, and Beretta guns are some of the softest-shooting auto-loaders available. As a general rule, added weight helps improve reliability in gas guns, and the Beretta A300 Ultima Field 12-gauge weighs in at exactly seven pounds. That’s just a couple ounces more than Franchi’s inertia operated Affinity 3 Elite Upland and 10 ounces lighter than a Browning Citori Hunter 12-gauge over/under.

Unlike other Ultima shotguns, which come with polymer stocks, the Field version is outfitted with a wooden stock made from American maple. It’s not the blonde-colored maple finish stocks seen on some other guns but rather a darker oil-finished wood with enlarged checkering and a finger groove on the forearm. The wood matches nicely with the Smoked Bronze Cerakote finish on the 7075 aluminum alloy receiver and steel barrel.

The left side of the receiver features a leaf scroll pattern and a pair of pheasants, and the right side comes with similar lead scroll and the Beretta logo. The A300 has some noteworthy operational upgrades on the receiver, including an enlarged loading port. Standard loading ports make loading slower and more tedious and, in some instances, can pinch fingers while you’re loading. The beveled port on the Beretta makes for fast, precise reloads—a particularly nice addition when shooting clay target games or hunting high-volume birds where you’ll be loading a lot. The bolt release button has been enlarged and so has the bolt handle.

Beretta semiautos have a crossbolt safety that is positioned at the front of the trigger guard. I prefer this design in part because my first shotgun (a Winchester 1300) had a similar layout, and also because I believe it’s easier to disengage the safety and move the finger back to shooting position rather than forward. The safety is angled and tucks neatly into the receiver, and it is reversible for left-handed shooters.

To operate the gun, load the shells into the magazine, and press rearward on the shell release which is located at the bottom rear of the loading port. This releases a shell onto the carrier which can then be chambered. The Ultima Field comes with a capacity of 2+1 shells, and it will handle both 2 3⁄4 and 3-inch shells.

Currently, the Ultima Field is only available in 12-gauge and comes with a 28-inch barrel. The barrel and chamber are chrome-lined, and these guns are equipped with a 7mm stepped rib with a brass mid bead and red fiber optic front bar. Three Mobil Chokes (IC, M, F) are included with each gun. The A300 I tested came with two extra stock spacers, and the magazine cap features a sling stud. The stock is also drilled to accept a sling stud.

MSRP for the A300 Ultima Field is set at $1,399 which places it in competition with Franchi’s Affinity 3 Elite Upland ($1,279), Browning’s A5 Hunter ($1,669.99), and Winchester’s SX4 Upland Field ($1,239.99).

A shotgun shooter wearing hunter's orange aims a Beretta shotgun. — The larger loading port makes it easy to load shells without pinching fingers. (Photo courtesy of Brad Fitzpatrick)

Range Testing the Beretta A300 Ultima Field

The A300 Ultima Field test shotgun that I was sent for evaluation had been run hard. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. I like to see how guns perform when they’ve been shot a lot, so I immediately took the Beretta to my backyard range and fired light target loads. Despite the grime, it cycled fine. There weren’t any hiccups with standard 11⁄8 -ounce target loads.

I disassembled and thoroughly cleaned the gun. Beretta’s A300 shotguns feature a simple piston setup so I thoroughly scrubbed the accumulated gunk away from the piston and cleaned out the gas ports. I also wiped down the magazine tube and all the internals until the gun looked new. The process is quite simple and straightforward, and there aren’t a lot of small parts to keep track of when cleaning the gun. Also, the surface materials wiped clean without a lot of effort.

The Beretta’s wide loading port makes stuffing shells into the belly of the gun faster and easier. I know that oversized controls—a component borrowed from tactical and competition shotguns—are all the rage, but I’d prefer something more traditional than the rounded circular handle on the Beretta. That’s not a knock on its functionality, because the oversized handle is more practical, but the aesthetics may not appeal to all shooters. Beretta’s oversized bolt release button is among the best of any semiauto shotgun. Again, the aesthetics may not appeal to everyone, but the design is easy to operate.

The A300 features a balance point that’s directly between the shooter’s hands, and the gun swings smoothly. A rounded belly on the forearm and finger groove makes for a comfortable landing spot for the forward hand and offers plenty of real estate to adjust your grip as needed. If you’re a shooter who likes to slide their hand forward on the forearm, you’ll have plenty of room to do so. With its weight and balance, the Beretta handles nicely and would make a very good clay target gun in the off season. If you’re a Beretta fan and want one gun for year-round hunting and shooting, this is a very good option. Recoil with standard 11⁄8-ounce loads is very manageable, and the stock does a good job managing recoil. If you’re a hunter or shoot targets from the low ready position, you’ll appreciate the Microcore recoil pad’s radiused design. Beretta has long favored a thinner recoil pad design, and there’s not a lot of material to hang up when you mount the gun.

Trigger break weight on the test gun was right at six pounds for an average of ten pulls on a Wheeler gauge, which is better than average for factory semiautos. There’s a fair amount of creep, but you’re unlikely to notice as you swing and press the trigger. Instead, you’ll find that the trigger break is crisp and predictable.

After cleaning, I set up my Claymore target thrower and began shooting outgoing 108 targets with the Beretta. I found the recoil impulse to be smooth and not nearly as much of a stab as what lighter over/unders, pumps, and lighter inertia guns dole out. There’s a subtle, almost imperceptible reduction in recoil velocity, but the accumulated effects over time are noticeable. If you’re shooting sporting clays all day, by the time you’re toward the end of the round you can really feel the impact of some guns, but the soft-shooting Beretta is not abusive. For a field gun that doubles as a clay crusher, this is a superb option, and it’s also a great choice for anyone who is recoil sensitive yet wants a 12-gauge gun.

The American-made Beretta’s maple stock certainly offers more warmth than a polymer stock, but you won’t mistake the wood for the walnut on a 686 shotgun. That’s certainly not to say that the stock is ugly, but it’s on-par with the wood found on entry-level guns. The checkering is clean, and I like the deep curve in the pistol grip that places the hand in a more vertical position than other semiautos. I don’t particularly care for fiber optic sights on shotguns, but apparently most shooters do, and that’s why Beretta added one to their gun.

With the future of Remington’s 1100 autoloader uncertain in the wake of the company’s sale, Beretta has stepped up to take lead position in the manufacturing of American-made gas-operated semiautos. And, in truth, the A300 is every bit as reliable as the 1100 and probably more so. The gas system is also easier to clean and doesn’t seem as finicky. I’m not bashing the 1100. It was—and is—a fine gun. But I think those who loved it will find that the Beretta fills the niche. And it’s not just 1100 fans who will like this gun. If you want a smooth-shooting autoloader that handles a wide range of loads and has the look and feel of a traditional wood-stocked gun, the Beretta is a very good option.