I wasn't planning on getting one, but this popped up for sale on a local board for $1K and had only 50 rounds through it.  I already have a Benelli M4 and a Mossberg 590, but I'd heard a lot about these along with the A300, and thought it was a decent price.

Met up with the guy (former LEO - showed credentials) to get it today.  Looks brand new.  It's a Gen 2 and is the "1301 Tactical" version in black.  Appears to be the LE model, because it doesn't have a removable choke.  I was surprised just how light the shotgun is.

Are there any modifications or fixes that are a "must" with this shotgun and generation?

And he "picked it up" from the evidence room

This isn't GD. Tech forums have a more polite decorum. I'm leaving this comment visible so others know what is not allowed in Tech Forums. Enjoy a timeout.-bodybagger

Upgrade the mag spring to a Wolff extra power spring. The Pro lifter is a big improvement when it comes to loading.

I like a compact sling from Edgar Sherman and Velcro on the side of the receiver to hold a few extra rounds.

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I've got a lot of the esstac plackards and velcro, as I use those on my Benelli M4 and Mossberg 590, so I will naturally add to this 1301 as well.

dont quote COC violations-bodybagger

I read up on the Pro Lifter.  Beretta.com had them for $69, but they are sold out.  Is there another place to get them for a reasonable price?

Your 1301 should already have it as part of the mod 2.

Mine's not a "Mod 2" - but rather a "Gen 2".

Gen 2 is perfect out of the box really as far as having any issues.

The pro lifter is a nice upgrade if you can find it, easier to reload the tube without pinching the thumb.

Crom Red dot mount if you want optics.

What is the right part number for the "Pro Lifter" for the "Beretta 1301 Tactical LE" version?  I see quite a few different part #'s from Beretta for the Pro Lifter for a 1301 and want to ensure it's correct.

C7C940
C7C121

C7C940 is the one you want. The 121 is for the 3.5” magnum guns. The 940 is for the 3” 1301 Tactical and Comp and A300UP. If you want one right now FFT has them in stock but at $110 which is almost double the normal price. When I ordered my last one I signed up for a notification from MWGW and then flagged MWGW emails as important to send me an alert whenever they emailed me. Both times I got the in stock notification at around 2am ET so it seems their system updates around then as sending out in stock notifications. In both instances by 9am they were sold out again as they go really fast.

The Gen 2 is a good gun, the Mod 2 adds the pro lifter from the factory, a flat faced trigger and MLOK on the handguard but outside of that it offers nothing else. My Gen 2 is an early model, pre-full length mag tube. I am using a Nordic Comp +2 extension and clamp kit. The factory furniture is fine but the Aridus Ind handguard is a really nice upgrade which opens up a lot of options for mounting a light and sling mounts. The Magpul stock offers some customization as well. As for optics I tried the RMR but I didn’t like the open emitter, I found the optic got very dirty when doing drills rolling around in the dirt at some classes. I ended up moving to the Aimpoint Acro P2 on a Scalar Works mount and it has been excellent. I also upgraded my sights, my rear sight is a steel LPA rear sight with a two dot tritium ring and the front sight is an XS standard tritium dot. The plastic sight is fine but I was gouging the hell out of the plastic sight on my gear, something on my PC or chest rig is hitting it. I think it is my Gcode holster mount but I digress. I ended up putting a pretty deep gash on the side of my plastic sight which is why I ended up spending the money on the LPA sight. It looks exactly the same as the factory sight except it is steel.

These were taken with the plastic rear right housing. You can kind of make out some of the deep scratches on the left side of the sight body.
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This is the new LPA rear sight. I was able to move my tritium rear sight ring over. The parts were exactly the same. The wings on the LPA sight are thinner which probably doesn’t do much of anything but I like the thinner profile.
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Anything you could ever want to know about the 1301 can be found over on PF in the ongoing 686 page thread There are guys over there that have absolutely beat the hell out of their 1301s. They are excellent guns and because of their light weight and handiness, I personally think they are better than the M4. Don’t get my wrong, I still love my M4 but if I could only choose one, it is the 1301.

Even if it was 1,000 shells it wouldn’t have mattered. My Gen 1 1301 didn’t start showing any wear until around 5K and that was mostly internal. The only external wear you could see was gas burns on the Nordic mag tube since my Gen 1 was so early Nordic didn’t have a tube kit specifically for the 1031 yet so I was using a slightly longer tube which stuck out almost an inch past the muzzle.

Thanks for the info.  I've 'subscribed' to several locations for the C7C121.  Not willing to pay $110-140 to get it quickly; I can wait.

As for the usage of the 1301, it looks brand new other than the inside of the barrel.  All the internals look new and if someone were to only look at the outside, they'd assume it were a brand new shotgun.

I found the pro lifter in stock from Beretta and got it for about $80 shipped.  It should arrive on Wednesday.

I've added the GG&G front rail for a light and the GrovTec QD cup on the stock.  Already had the velcro for the Esstac shotgun shell cards as I use them on my Benelli M4 and Mossberg 590.

Congratulations.  Be ready to not want to shoot your M4 as much... seriously... the 1301 is fantastic.

How do you like it pre and post pro lifter?  How signifigant a difference do you think the pro lifter makes?

Re-read my post.  It doesn't arrive until Wednesday.  

Well...let me know when you get it then!

Practice loading, etc with dummy shells now.  Then when you install it, can compare the two.  See if the second or so it saves you is really that signifigant!!!!  

I mean, I never see people mention the "pro lifter style" lifter of the Mossberg shotguns as a reason as to why it is better than the Remington 870!  You think people would have made bigger deals of this in the past if it was that ground breaking!

Damn, the new 1301s are some damn fine shotguns...

Now I want one.

Forgot to update this.  It's definitely worth the $80 or so that I paid for that upgrade.

The QD on the stock is also worth the $20, and took me about 10 minutes to install it.