Our department is finally re-issuing shotguns.   After we got rifles, shotguns went bye bye.   After hassling my chief for years, he has finally let me get new shotguns.

I’d like to get up to date, and I’m leaning towards the new beretta a300 patrol.   I fully understand the capabilities and limitations of both punks and semis.

Has anyone switched to semi-auto?   What’s your experience?

We have had Benelli M1 Super 90s for over 25 years with no issues.

Beretta 1301s are very nice
They also shoot very fast
I have big hands, so the pistol  
grip was not my favorite add on

Being a dinosaur
I personally would rather have my old
Remington 870 police magnum or
Even the Winchester 1300 riot gun
(American made version, not current Turkish ones)

We issue pumps but can carry whatever

There’s not really a down side to semi autos. Actually easier to train people to operate in my experience at an agency level


Beretta A300 is a great choice. I’ve been hauling one around, it’s loaded with breaching slugs, it cycles and shoots them great. It will breach doors and meat

“Get up to date” and shotguns doesn’t vibe.

Why do you say that?   I see no negatives to having a rifle and shotgun, dual mounted in a cruiser.   Shotguns have a lot of specific capabilities rifles don’t have.

20ish years ago our dept got the idea that we would issue Benelli M1Super 90's and pull the 870's and make them less lethal guns.  They only bought maybe 50-60 M1S90s before scrapping the less lethal idea.  They kept the M1S90s in service along with the 870's, as well as a patrol rifle program.

Now within the last few years the range staff has become more progressive, and there's talk of getting rid of all the 870s and replacing them with Beretta 1301 or A300's.  If it goes through I imagine they will pull the M1S90s as well, Id imagine there are probably only 30 ish out on the street still.  They haven't ran a benelli class in over a decade, if someone with on retires/turns it in they don't get issued out again.

I think itd be a good move, the 870 I was issued at first was from 1978.  Had to turn it in when i got a rifle, but if i could carry both I would.

We have Remington 870s here at my current agency but when I was a deputy we could carry just about anything. Myself and others used the Mossberg 930 SPX and that was awesome in shotgun school.

i would have zero issues with my beretta 1301 absolutely wonderful shotgun, patterns very tight with flight control rounds and runs low brass birdshot without issue

I would say if you want shotguns to be relevant, make sure to train everyone in shotgun breaching, and have good breaching ammo available.  Useful in active shooter situations and such.  

Shotguns will remain a good tool for that reason alone if nothing else.

My Dept. issues 870s to patrol guys that want to carry one… many do not these days.

A lot of our 870s have been converted to Less Lethal by adding orange furniture.

Policy specifically restricts the carrying or use of LL rounds in a standard shotgun and OO buck in LL guns to avoid confusion

I’m one of the T&E guys for equipment and began carrying a personal 14” Benelli M4 on duty 5-6 years ago

I also own the 1301 and A300 Patrol. For work the 14” barrel has advantages.

I work a plainclothes unit that tracks and apprehends suspects for Homicide primarily though we get requests for other violent cases

3 years ago I was involved in my second fatal OIS and employed the Benelli during that incident.

The issued load for my Dept. is the Federal FC LE133 OO buck.

Obviously shotguns have their strengths and limitations but at typical LE engagement distances they are decisive.

We also authorize patrol rifles and I carry a personal 11.5

Frequency of training is key in my opinion with any weapon system but shotgun especially so.

The modern semi auto guns have a couple of significant advantages over the pump guns in my opinion now that we have reliable options. When I began my LE career 30 years ago that was not the case. I had the opportunity to train with Louis Awerbuck around 1995 and his shotgun course was challenging. It drilled home the capability and limitations offered by the 870. I’m sure if he was alive today he would be happy to see the modernization of the systems.

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As a side question.... I often see the north hollywood shootout as justification for better pistol rounds and dropping shotguns in exchange for rifles.  I have to wonder though how it would have turned out if a couple of the shotgun armed officers had slugs available to them.  I don't know much about policing and am not an armor/ballistics expert, but im not sure their armor would have stopped slugs.

Just a random thought I suppose.

In 2009 we had three officer killed by a pos wearing a level 2 vest.  We only had shotguns with 00buck, no slugs and no rifles.  Our firearm guys took our vests and shot em with federal's low recoil tru ball slugs.  All the slugs defeated the front of the vest and were caught in the back panel.  When the slugs struck the trama plates, all of the slugs penetrated the plates, but were caught by the kevlar.  After the testing, the powers that be blessed us with slugs and rifles.   Too bad our shotguns are now nerf guns.

Federal FC LE133 OO buck is nasty stuff. Everyone I’ve seen hit with it was done after the first round.

I wish I could have trained with Louis Awerbuck. He was a surgeon with the shotgun.