TFB Review: Mesa Tactical Beretta 1301 Furniture

Shotgun has always been a discipline I have severely neglected over the years, but recently I have come to the realization that it was something I could no longer ignore. There are a plethora of tactical shotguns on the market from companies like Benelli or Mossberg, but one of the more recent additions has risen to popularity rapidly, the Beretta 1301. With its proprietary BLINK gas system and rugged reliability, it has quickly become a favourite among sporting and tactical enthusiasts alike. I was always a fan of the 1301, regarding it as the best tactical shotgun on the market and preferring it over, sa,y a Benelli M4, however, I have always had some gripes with some of the ergonomics of the platform, so when Mesa Tactical, one of the biggest names in shotgun furniture, offered to send me a 1301 makeover package, I jumped on it.

One of the first things I noticed when the furniture arrived was the neat packaging and clear instructions for installation. It took about 15 minutes to completely swap the 1301 from Magpul furniture to the Mesa. Everything attached perfectly and was a drop-in fit: the handguard lockup was extremely tight; additionally, the side saddle and optics mount aligned perfectly with the iron sights. Throughout the review, with only the proper torque, none of the furniture came loos,e nor did it have any issues with fitment. I fired approximately 1200 rounds, 400 of which were Federal 00 Buckshot flite control. The furniture held steady and the optic saddle held zero.  Additionally, one of the items Mesa sent was their anti-walk trigger pins. One of the notable issues with some 1301s is the trigger pins walking or wearing loose and causing malfunctions.  Throughout the review process, I would periodically check on the trigger pins and they had not moved or shifted at all.  

I took the furniture out into almost every environment from the rainy forests of the Pacific Northwest to the high desert of central Oregon. I found the rubberized grip of the Urbino Pistol Grip Stock to be more than adequate, whether it be in the rain or the heat with sweat-soaked hands.  Additionally, the generous rubber padding on the rear of the stock took an already soft shooting system and made it even more comfortable. I had everyone from 6’ 5” giants to 140lb women shoot it over the course of my time with the furniture and everyone agreed, even with defensive buckshot load,s it was extremely comfortable to shoot. The integrated cheek rise allowed for a more natural head position when firing and allowed for fast target acquisition when shooting clays. I have always preferred a pistol grip on my shotguns and the rubberized grip on the Mesa is at the perfect angle for me. It allows me to really lock the gun into my shoulder and bear down on it while firing. Overall, I much prefer the Urbino to the Magpul furniture and find it much more appealing than other options like the Chisel folding stock. After using it extensively, I think this is one of the best options on the market for the 1301. The Urbino combines good ergonomics with proper recoil mitigation to overall improve the platform.

The Truckee forend, while notably wider than traditional furniture for the 1301, felt extremely comfortable. I found that the extra width worked perfectly to act as a thumb shelf, which provided a convenient place to rest my thumb after long strings of fire to avoid burning my hand. Something I had done multiple times with the Magpul handguard. Additionally, the M-LOK slots are perfectly placed for accessories and lights. Running the 1301 with a vertical grip allowed me to more easily lock the firearm into my shoulder, allowing for easier follow-up shots while shooting clays and grouse. The forend also performs much better than the Magpul forend as far as mitigating heat transfer to the shooter after a long string of fire. I ran a variety of different lights and accessories on the 1301 through the course of the review and found no issues with running lights with either tailswitch or pressure pad activation. The M-LOK held strong with sling QD points despite bouncing around in the back of a truck and sprinting around a range and off barricades.  

The most notable addition to the shotgun was the  SureShell Carrier and Reflex Sight Adaptor.  In 2025, not having a red dot on pretty much any firearm is a distinct disadvantage. The Sureshell combines a solid aluminum shotshell caddy with an integrated RMR mount. This is an excellent solution allowing for a much slimmer and svelte mount than a typical Picatinny to micro mount. The RMR mount sits low to the top of the shotgun, combining perfectly with the Urbino cheek riser. With both combined, target acquisition is fast, easy and repeatable.  The shotshell caddy was notably stiff out of the box but has broken in while retaining proper tension through the review, regardless of temperature or humidity.  The review has seen the 1301 bounce off barricades and over the course of the 1200 shells I fired for this review, the optic has never lost zero. I chose to mount a Trijicon RCR, which I believe makes an excellent choice for a gun like this enclosed while sitting low enough to maintain proper head position while retaining a standard RMR footprint.

Overall, the upgrades offered by Mesa took an already phenomenal shotgun and improved it drastically. I love the 1301 platform and consider it the finest combat shotgun on the market and the Mesa furniture makeover really took it to the next level. The combination of the forend and stock solves all the little ergonomic gripes I have with the gun from the factory and makes the gun far more comfortable, especially on a long-range day where I'm burning through a case or 2 of shells. I also think the side saddle optic mount combo is a genius way to simplify attaching the optic while keeping the overall profile of the gun slim and simple. After spending a lot of time with the gun, I think you would be hard-pressed to find a better solution to upgrading your 1301 than the Mesa furniture.