Beretta Al 391

Beretta (Dept. ST, 17601 Beretta Dr., Accokeek, MD 20607; 800-797-2205; www.berettausa.com) has been in business since 1526, but the company did not get around to adding an autoloading shotgun to its line of firearms until a few hundred years later. First to be introduced was the 12-gauge Model 60 in 1956.

At the time the Italian company was manufacturing a semiautomatic military rifle called the BM59, which was basically a copy of America's M1 Garand. Data gathered during the development of the BM59 was used when designing the gas-handling system of the Model 60 shotgun. The Model 60 was quite reliable but rather plain, so Beretta refined it a bit, added a ventilated rib, and, in 1961, renamed it the Model 61. Additional refinements along with improvements in the gas system resulted in the first of the Model A300 series in 1965. As its model designation implied, it was the first Beretta shotgun to have an aluminum receiver. The Model A300 was also the first Beretta autoloader capable of handling both light and heavy 2 3/4-inch shells interchangeably.

Then in 1971 came the first Beretta 20-gauge semiautomatic. Also available in 12 gauge, the A301 went on to become Beretta's most popular shotgun up until that time, and it was eventually available in a number of variations including a 12-gauge slug gun. The A301 Magnum was the first Beretta autoloader capable of handling the 3-inch shell. The A302, which came along in 1980, introduced a magazine cutoff located on the bottom of its forearm and its receiver would handle barrels chambered for 2 3/4-inch and 3-inch shells interchangeably. The A302 also ushered in Mobilchoke, Beretta's first screw-in choke system.

Until 1985 Beretta had built only hunting guns, but during that year the first target guns configured for trap and skeet shooting were introduced. The receiver of the A302 was reshaped a bit to give it a more modern look, and the A303 was born. By pushing out two pins, its trigger could be removed for cleaning and that was its biggest mechanical improvement over the A302. The next variation came along in 1992. Called the A304, it differed mainly from the A303 by relocation of the magazine cutoff to the side of its receiver and by a factory-included spacer system that allowed its owner to easily change the drop and cast of the buttstock.

With a new self-compensating gas system and a safety button capable of being converted for left- or right-hand use by its owner, the A304 became known as the AL390 in 1994. A thinner forearm and stock reduced weight by almost a pound.

What Makes The AL391 So Good
No small number of shotgunners consider the A390 the finest autoloader ever built by Beretta, but though it is a very good shotgun, I believe a further improved version of that gun called the AL391 Urika, which was introduced in 1999, is even better. It may not be better mechanically, but I certainly shoot it better because it feels so much more lively when I shoulder it.

Hunting everything from doves to ducks to perdiz, Layne put 1347 rounds through the 20-gauge Beretta AL391 without cleaning it and did not encounter a single problem. The AL391 performed perfectly.

This is mainly due to a forearm that is thinner on the AL391 than on the AL390 as well as a noticeable difference in the shape of its grip. In 1998 I shot sporting clays with the AL391 for the very first time at The Willows clay target complex near Tunica, Mississippi. Then and there I fell in love with the 20-gauge version. In fact, of all the 20-gauge semiautomatic shotguns I have shot through the years only three others perform as well in my hands as the AL391.

Early on, I learned how durable the AL391 is. While at The Willows, nine of us decided to shoot a fast-paced clay target game called the flurry where each shooter can squeeze off upwards of 100 rounds in only a few minutes. Having three 20-gauge AL391s at our disposal, we split up into three-man teams and took turns shooting. As soon as members of one team finished a round they would hand off the empty guns to the next team and they would immediately step forward and start banging away.