matgriff

OK, thanks for the help here, I figured it out... I took a closer look (with a torch & my reading glasses on) and realised that the hole in the block is opposite the two gas port holes :-) so a straight run to clean them. Cleaned them out with a piece of stiff wire and Napier gun cleaner.. TBH they were pretty clean anyway Mat

I mostly shoot pigeons & crows... I also have an O/U which I intend to keep.... but thanks for the advice

I did look on you tube, couldn't see anything for the older Baretta's but I'll look again, thx Mat

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I bought a good used A301 semi auto. I stripped it and cleaned it. I cleaned the piston and barrel and all the mechanism, but how exactly do you clean the gas ports ? I've read that it's important to keep these clean on a semi auto. Thanks

OK thanks for the good info :-) I looked at the Lyalvale carts I had been using in my Winchester O/U, they are 30G#6 65mm and are noticably smaller than the 70mm ones. The 28G#7.5's I have are 70 mm I just bought some Pigeon Power 29G#6 70mm for the Beretta, I'll just use the short ones in the Winchester until they're used up, then just stick to 70mm as both guns can use them. Mat

Hi, I just acquired a very nice Beretta A301, my first semi-auto... the guy I got it off said it cycles any cartridges, but I've read that some can be fussy with cartridges ? I currently use Llyalvale 67mm fibres in my Winchester 101 XTR, both 28g 7.5's and 30g 6's and Ely select 28g 7.5's Would I be better getting 70mm cartridges in the future for compatibility with both guns, or will this older Beretta be fine with what I already use ? Maybe someone else who has this gun could advise on what pretty much works reliably? Thanks Mat

I asked the guy I got it off about cartridges, as I've read that semi-autos can be particular, he said it's cycled any & every cartridge that he's ever put in it without problems. I normally use Llyalvale 28G #7.5 fibres for clays and 30G#6 fibres for pigeon n crows, in my Winchester, I think they are 67mm carts should they be OK in this Beretta or do I need something specifically 70mm ?? Thanks Mat

Hi, I just bought the A301 that I went to look at..... absolutely great condition, lovely gun came with full set of chokes + key + original Beretta owners manual..... £250 I think I got a fair deal ? Mat

Hi Sishyplops, yes I like that A303 you have :-) It's just a bit more than I want to pay out at the moment though.... half way through building a new garage extension etc, so just gotta watch the ££ unfortunately.

Hi, I currently use a Winchester 101 XTR, but I'm going to buy a used semi-auto to add to the collection. I've been doing a bit of general research and Beretta's seem to be a good solid buy ? I'm going to look at a used A301, 28" multi-choke, any hints or tips on what specifically to look at besides the obvious overall general condition ? Thanks Mat

I'm probably going to get myself a Miroku or Beretta pretty soon, so my wife can use this winchester, so I'll just remove the pad and it should fit her OK :-)

Hi, yes thanks for the info. I ordered the dapping block, marked and cut it to size, I've now just clamped it to the original plate to fine sand the final profile for an exact match. Bit of work left to do but should look OK when it's finished.

Brilliant, thanks McSpredder..... just ordered the very same thing for £7.20 Never heard of a dapping block before... learn something new every day What do you cut it with ? I guess I'll just scribe round the stock, allow a bit extra all around then cut it ? Does it sand easily or do you grind it rough on a bench grinder to get it near to shape ? cheers Mat

Hello. I have a great condition Winchester 101 XTR lightweight, made sometime in the mid-late eighties, it's my first shotgun and so far so good :-) I need to add some length to the stock, around 3/4" to get the correct length of pull, as I'm quite tall. I've been temporarily using one of those neoprene slip on socks with foam pads, but to be honest it's a bit naff, so I need a permanent solution. The gun has an existing but pad as shown in the pictures below, what's the best way to either add some kind of extension piece in between the end of the stock and this pad (like a sandwich) or replace the whole thing with something new ? If I fit an extension it'll need to be around 3/4" if I replace completely I need something around 1 & 1/2" . The dimensions are approx 130mm long X 43mm wide with hole centers at 80mm Thanks

Pardon my ignorance.... what are "snap caps" and what exactly are they used for ? My question is related to 12 gauge gun Thanks Mat

This is what mine looks like

Thanks for all the help with this. Maybe my mistake :-( The picture in the manual is much exaggerated, they do raise the cartridges out a bit when the gun is opened, but nothing like as shown in the manual picture, more like the photo from holloway.. I'll strip and clean/oil them anyway. Mat

Hi TDS, yes that sounds like a possibility, according to my manual they should be like this : And I've only noticed this a couple of times, most times they drop right down nearly flush.

Hi, I recently bought a very nice low use Winchester 101 XTR, my first shotgun. I've used it for the past 4-5 weeks and fired around 200 cartridges through it, seems to work and suit me fine :-) I have a question about the cartridge extractors/ejectors. From what I read in the user manual, when I open the action after shooting, the empty cartridges are ejected, this seems to work fine. But as I read or understand the manual, if I open the action with un-fired cartridges, they are supposed to be lifted out of the chambers for easy removal ? This doesn't seem to happen on mine, well at least not all the time. Some times when I load the gun, the cartridges drop against the extractors and as I close the action they are lowered down, sometimes it seems that I can just drop the new cartridges straight into the chambers, where they just stop against the natural rim of the chamber against the cartridge brass? So for example, if I break the gun open with un-fired cartridges, then I have to pull them out by lifting them under the brass rim with my finger nails.... they're not a tight fit it's just that I thought the extractors should lift them clear of the chamber ? It seems that the "ejector" function works correctly, but the extractor doesn't ? Excuse me if I'm talking rubbish or not understanding the manual correctly :-) Cheers Mat

yes I've been looking at one of those slip on sleeves, seems like a reasonable short-medium term solution, and for about £10 I'll give it a try... thanks Mat

Hi TDS, yes that looks about what I need... does that fit direct against the woodwork ? My 101 has a couple of removable sections, then a kind of thin plate on the end. We removed a couple of the thin pieces, added a thicker piece and then fitted the thin end piece over the top, in a kind of sandwich :-) Thanks Mat

Hi, thanks for the info.. he said the height is fine, no need for any adjustment, just needed the length on the stock adding. I'm pretty handy with DIY, I'll take a look on the net for a recoil pad. Thanks Mat

Hi Had a two hour professional clay lesson today :-) First time with a lesson. They fitted my gun to me, it's' a winchester 101 XTR, basically they added about 1" or just more to the recoil pad on the stock as I'm a bit of a gangly long arm kind of guy. The pad they added was not a good fit, just a temporary measure to get a better fit, it worked great, gun felt much better. How do I get a proper fitting piece added to the stock ? is it something I can buy off the shelf or do I need to take the stock to a gunsmith and get a 1" piece added ? Thanks Mat

Hi I'm just using Skeet & improved cylinder chokes (1/4) The advice I got was to fit them & forget ... :-)