Never had a problem with it in cold weather.

 

It's not the cold for me, Doc, it's the gloved finger. Are you saying the safety is easy even with gloves?

 

I own 4 Berettas and 4 guns with rear safeties. The berettas are among the easiest to operate with gloved hands. The two safeties that are the slowest for me to disengage are on the 20 gauge 1100 lw and 20 gauge Sa-08. I can’t simply use the inside of my trigger finger to disengage them as I can with my VersaMax or 20 gauge SX4. I have to reposition my grip to release the safeties on the 1100 and Sa-08. I wouldn’t say it’s difficult, because I grew up shooting an 870. Just slower.

If you have any experience shooting semi auto handguns at all it’s an easy transition. My trigger finger rests outside the trigger guard until I’m ready to shoot, and the safety is at my fingertip. I have waterfowl hunted with my A300 Xtrema, A300 Outlander, VersaMax, SX4 (12 gauge and 20 gauge), and my 20 gauge A300 Ultima and have no trouble at all transitioning between any of them.

 

I'm going to buy a new 12 ga semi-auto and the A300 Ultima has been at the top of my list. I'm aware of some issues buyers have been having and those are not the subject of my question.

I went to a LGS yesterday and was fortunate they had an A300 in stock and I was able to fondle it for a while. In general, it looked good, felt good, and with a little luck would function good. The shotguns I have used the most over the years have rear trigger safeties. Considering that I will need to teach my old dog index finger a new trick if I get a gun with a front safety, I paid close attention to that aspect.

The shape of the safety seems to taper from the wider receiver and though not hidden in a tunnel, it is nevertheless not exactly exposed and fully accessible either. I left the shop wondering how it would be to take off the safety with winter shooting gloves on.

Anybody with an A300 Ultima, or similarly outfitted A400, care to share their bundled up and blowing winter experience? (Bonus points if you're from North Dakota)

Before you buy a A300 Ultima be sure to check the reviews on it first. I bought a new one first of December and it wouldn’t cycle with any type of ammo. Long story short, Beretta has had significant issues with that gun, to the extent you have to return it to them instead of letting Cole’s, a authorized repair center, work on it. Also look at the reviews on Beretta’s FaceBook page. When you add in their absolute non existent customer service, it’s beyond frustrating. They ghost you, no response to phone messages or emails. I’m three months in, no results. And talked to another unfortunate soul who bought one and it took Beretta 8 months to return his. From what I found, you might get one that works or you get one that doesn’t. Good luck.

 

Before you buy a A300 Ultima be sure to check the reviews on it first. I bought a new one first of December and it wouldn’t cycle with any type of ammo.

I reread your painful experience just yesterday. Such problems have become commonplace in our online buying world, but they shouldn't happen with such an established and historically well reputed company. I hear you and am weighing the possibility I could get a lemon, too.

 

I hate to hear about your issues, but I own a 20 gauge A300 Ultima, as does 2 friends. All of them have been reliable out of the box. There apparently was an issue with the trigger group of some of the earlier 12 gauge models having to do with the lifter binding, but beretta will repair it. I’ve personally not experienced any issues with mine. IMO it’s one of the best values you can get in an autoloader for waterfowl hunting. You get a lot of features for $750. Those same features in other autoloaders will run $1,000 or more.

 

It’s the 12 gauge that has the issues. I’ve not seen a 20 gauge report as of yet. And the issues with them is made worse by Beretta having zero customer service. Good luck with your 20.

 

I bought the A300 Ultima in 20 ga last week. I did my usual complete disassembly, clean, inspection, reassembly with lube and not a single issue. Not the prettiest shotgun made but it functioned perfect for 125 rounds.

 

The safety on front of trigger guard will be eazer to use than one on the rear with or without gloves.

 

I do agree that the safety on Berettas is easy to operate with and without gloves hands, but it is no easier than the safeties on my VersaMax or SX4. The large rear safeties on them make it just as easy to disengage. I can do it with the inside of my finger as I’m moving it to the trigger without changing my grip, or without any extra motion. Even easy to do with winter gloves on.

Both designs are superior to the traditional small rear safeties found on older model shotguns. Practicing mounting and disengaging the safety will create muscle memory, and it becomes second nature when the shooter uses the gun in the field.

I hunt with autoloaders that utilize both designs and swap up week to week sometimes, depending on the hunting situation. I have also hunted with thick winter gloves. I’ve never missed a bird because I couldn’t disengage the safety. The ones I missed are due to my meager shooting skills lol.

 

Just got a 20 ga A300 Ultima. No problems in over 125 rounds with a mix of 4 different brands of factory ammo and several batches of reloads. It shoots well and is a lot of value for the money except for the looks department where it might be a little lacking depending on your tastes and expectations.

 

The taper prevents the safety from being brushed off unintentionally, that's all. You're going to wonder why you tolerated the rear guard safety for so long.

 

The A300 Ultima is my first semi-auto. I find the safety location intuitive and easy to switch on/off. While I do not experience Dakota winters here in North Carolina, I do shoot with gloves on when it is cold and have zero issues working the safety.

 

I have the A300 in 20g and A400 in 12g. I've never used the safety. The A300 has been terrific. Hasn't failed to load yet.

 

We have the A400 and A300 Ultima. Love the forward safeties. Gloved finger no problem. Shot 11-87’s 20+ years prior and can’t figure out why I didn’t switch earlier.