Beretta A301 Magnum.

[chacotawas]

Gentlemen, May I request your opinions on this: what should I expect to pay for an A301 Magnum 3" in good condition? How does £300 sound? I guess it comes down to what I mean by "good condition" but, fact is, I haven't actually seen the gun yet- it's a long drive away. I'm expecting it to have a perfectly clean, chromed barrel, no rust, and only a few bruises on the stock. It'll be fixed choke. Any comments once again much appreciated.

[mudpatten]

As you rightly say, it`s all down to condition.

 

Sight unseen, 300 quid does`nt sound too bad especially for the 3" version which was a special order due to the fact that all Berettas at the time the 301 was made had 2 3/4" chambers.

 

If it`s 3" chambered and in near mint condition, I`d happily pay £300 for it.

[Rimfireboy]

As you rightly say, it`s all down to condition.

 

Sight unseen, 300 quid does`nt sound too bad especially for the 3" version which was a special order due to the fact that all Berettas at the time the 301 was made had 2 3/4" chambers.

 

If it`s 3" chambered and in near mint condition, I`d happily pay £300 for it.

What he said.

[jam1e]

I paid £275 for a mint A302, which I presume isn't a magnum, so sounds a good price if in good nick, imo.

Jamie

[chacotawas]

Thanks folks. I'm just remembering that it's got a fixed choke. I thought the 301s were the first in that Beretta A30- series to have screw-in chokes....?? I'm beginning to wonder if it's not an A301 but an A300. Will it have model No. somewhere visible I wonder?

[Rimfireboy]

Thanks folks. I'm just remembering that it's got a fixed choke. I thought the 301s were the first in that Beretta A30- series to have screw-in chokes....?? I'm beginning to wonder if it's not an A301 but an A300. Will it have model No. somewhere visible I wonder?

I'm sure my old 301 was half choke, not multi choke.

 

 

302 and 303 were multi choke. The 302 had the external knurled choke ring if I remember right?

Edited July 16, 2014 by Rimfireboy

[Rst1990]

Thanks folks. I'm just remembering that it's got a fixed choke. I thought the 301s were the first in that Beretta A30- series to have screw-in chokes....?? I'm beginning to wonder if it's not an A301 but an A300. Will it have model No. somewhere visible I wonder?

The a301 was the first in the a30 series to be multi choked. I have one and it is multi choke

Atb

[chacotawas]

Seems as if some A301s were multi-choke, and others fixed-choke. I won't mind so long as it's no tighter than half. I've been offered an A302 from a reliable source, so the plot thickens. They were all great guns though. Thank you for your valuable help.

[shaun4860]

Remember that all the barrels from 300/1//2/3 are interchangeable, so the owner may have swapped his original barrel for this one,

 

Chances are its not proofed for the new high performance steel shot

 

Barrel alone will be worth £100-£150 to the right person

 

[chacotawas]

Been away for a few days....Thanks for that, Shaun. Barrel's chromed, whatever that means, but, given that it's a 3" magnum, steel proofing would indeed be very desirable. However, since it's about 40 years old I guess there's little chance. I've decided that the deal breaker for me is in the fixed choke- if it's tighter than half I won't buy it; quarter would be better but since it's a magnum it's more likely to be three-quarter or full, I suppose. Going to phone vendor re. this tomorrow.

 

Many thanks, all.

[88b]

I've had my 301 from new 34 years now, it's a multi choke came with 1/4 1/2 & 3/4 or you can shoot it with no choke, I'm told it's not steel proofed, but mines just the normal 28" barrel.

[Simon123]

Been away for a few days....Thanks for that, Shaun. Barrel's chromed, whatever that means, but, given that it's a 3" magnum, steel proofing would indeed be very desirable. However, since it's about 40 years old I guess there's little chance. I've decided that the deal breaker for me is in the fixed choke- if it's tighter than half I won't buy it; quarter would be better but since it's a magnum it's more likely to be three-quarter or full, I suppose. Going to phone vendor re. this tomorrow.

 

Many thanks, all.

 

If it is a fixed tight choked gun, then you could get a gunsmith to open it out to whatever you'd like.

[chacotawas]

Hi, 88b and simon123, Sorry, I thought thread was finished. Thanks for your help. Since your post, Simon, I've spoken to the dealer and it is indeed fixed, full choke, so I'm not interested in it now. I also spoke to an old friend who's a gunsmith- he says that it's a bit of a job easing the choke on these chromed barrels (molybdenum steel, I believe). Anyway, I've since sourced and bought an A302 (and an A391 Urika which was too good a bargain to pass up!), so problem's solved (x 2!).

[Rimfireboy]

Hi, 88b and simon123, Sorry, I thought thread was finished. Thanks for your help. Since your post, Simon, I've spoken to the dealer and it is indeed fixed, full choke, so I'm not interested in it now. I also spoke to an old friend who's a gunsmith- he says that it's a bit of a job easing the choke on these chromed barrels (molybdenum steel, I believe). Anyway, I've since sourced and bought an A302 (and an A391 Urika which was too good a bargain to pass up!), so problem's solved (x 2!).

Enjoy!