Gunsmithing,where to go?

DarkJoker33

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So in the near future, in hoping to bet my shotgun worked on.
Since there is zero aftermarket for it, I want to have the receiver drilled and tapped for a picitinny rail, and get the rail from Aridus industries
(See here: https://www.aridusindustries.com/products/beretta-1301-tactical-trijicon-rmr-crom/ )

Maybe someone at the mill?
I asked my local gunsmith and they told me of a mythical being that goes by Sergei that resides somewhere in natick.

Now in a fiddler, I can drill and tap things, ive done it many times. Is there anything special that needs to be done?

Besides keeping it level, a straight line, screw depth once tapped.

Shotty is a semi auto Beretta 1200fp

Thanks in advance
 
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Sergey owns Rust Blue Gunsmithing in Natick.


He has done MA compliant work for me before and is very great at what he does. The work you need done will be easy for him. Your upper muzzle brake weld was done by him :)
 
Does Derr do anything outside custom 1911 builds anymore? If so, I'd recommend him. Guy is a gun savant.
With all the projects he does non pistol work is tough to squeeze in. Last thing he did for me when several would not is mount my match sights on my 10/22 which included a drill and tap for front globe sight base.
 
So in the near future, in hoping to bet my shotgun worked on.
Since there is zero aftermarket for it, I want to have the receiver drilled and tapped for a picitinny rail, and get the rail from Aridus industries
(See here: https://www.aridusindustries.com/products/beretta-1301-tactical-trijicon-rmr-crom/ )

Maybe someone at the mill?
I asked my local gunsmith and they told me of a mythical being that goes by Sergei that resides somewhere in natick.

Now in a fiddler, I can drill and tap things, ive done it many times. Is there anything special that needs to be done?

Besides keeping it level, a straight line, screw depth once tapped.

Shotty is a semi auto Beretta 1200fp

Thanks in advance
I thought the fp came with rails?
Its a shotgun, I bet you can D&T it with no problems.
Is the beretta 1200FP steel or aluminum receiver .
8-40 should be plenty
Brownells sells all the screws taps dies and all sorts of jigs to make life easier.
A good way to mount square and true to a drill press helps also.
Or take a shot and free hand it.
my buddy just epoxy a mount to his 870 for a red dot. Been a few years and its still rocking.
 
I thought the fp came with rails?
Its a shotgun, I bet you can D&T it with no problems.
Is the beretta 1200FP steel or aluminum receiver .
8-40 should be plenty
Brownells sells all the screws taps dies and all sorts of jigs to make life easier.
A good way to mount square and true to a drill press helps also.
Or take a shot and free hand it.
my buddy just epoxy a mount to his 870 for a red dot. Been a few years and its still rocking.
There is not.
No Pre drilled holes either.
The 1301 has them though, but was a good more expensive. Double the price actually
 
There is not.
No Pre drilled holes either.
The 1301 has them though, but was a good more expensive. Double the price actually
if you have a decent way to mount it to drill it and feel confident in your ability to lay out the screws true and square to the barrel it wont be that hard.
How flat is the top of the reciever.
For me i would use a low grade epoxy and get it dry fitted. Then mark my holes
DT one hole tighten screw if all looks good DT the rest.

Just be cautious of what your aligning the mount to.
The reciever is most likely not square to the barrel if you where to reference off say the flat side of the reciever.
If you can find a good high quality double sided tape you could play around with placement. Generally our eyes are pretty good at lining things up. Plus its a shotgun how accurate does it need to be.
 
Any update? I just bought a new old stock 1201FP (1998 build, unfired) and was wondering myself about how to mount a rail. One thing to consider is that these shotguns use the inertia system and are sensitive to adding weight to the receiver. For example, I have read that mounting a side saddle is a no go because it can interfere with the cycling of shells.

I think these Beretta shotguns have a great design with one notable downside. They are light, reliable, and built to last forever. And they have awful recoil because of the low weight, the inertia system, and the terrible stock recoil pad. I added a LimbSaver recoil pad and it made a world of difference. I also went ahead and bought a Choate pistol grip stock that's supposed to shorten the length of pull by a few inches, but I haven't had a chance to try it yet.

I plan to attach a little Crimson Trace laser to the hand guard with industrial Velcro. It weighs nothing, so I don't think it should take much to keep it secure.

I would love to hear about what progress you have made and what you have learned along the way.
 
I havent brought mine in yet.

I have tried the mesa tactical m1 super 90 stock.
It didnt fit.

I bought the choate stock, its going to require some modification to the very end to fit.
The retaining nut for the stock interferes with the end of the stock. So dremeling will be needed.
I also had to work at getting the stock on for about 30 min, because the angle of the molding is either not correct or something.

I think, and im not positive, because i havent tried it.
That a benelli m4 stock will be the easiest to fit with minimal modification.

This one
01_5.jpg

In the end, im pretty sure im going to stick with the factory stock, because i can keep a higher capacity of shells in the tube.
Where as if you have a pistol grip, you "legally" have to stop at 5.

I plan to still get the aridus industries items.
Just havent yet
 
Sergey from Rust Blue is well known and is highly regarded for shot gun work.
wasn't it his shop described in that thread?
especially those pictures - looked, well, sad.
 
wasn't it his shop described in that thread?
especially those pictures - looked, well, sad.

I missed that thread, but it looks like it was. That work looks bad too... based on the replied from the OP, I'd probably look elsewhere.
It would be one things if he messed up and made it right, but it doesn't seem like he ever even tried.
t
 
I havent brought mine in yet.

I have tried the mesa tactical m1 super 90 stock.
It didnt fit.

I bought the choate stock, its going to require some modification to the very end to fit.
The retaining nut for the stock interferes with the end of the stock. So dremeling will be needed.
I also had to work at getting the stock on for about 30 min, because the angle of the molding is either not correct or something.

I think, and im not positive, because i havent tried it.
That a benelli m4 stock will be the easiest to fit with minimal modification.

This one
View attachment 490453

In the end, im pretty sure im going to stick with the factory stock, because i can keep a higher capacity of shells in the tube.
Where as if you have a pistol grip, you "legally" have to stop at 5.

I plan to still get the aridus industries items.
Just havent yet

Was the Choate stock specific to the 1200 FP or was it 1200/1201 FP? I ask because they are very similar guns, but not the same. This thread had some helpful information. The Beretta Gods smiled upon us! Some 1201 goodness inside... - Topic

I am curious about your comment regarding the pistol grip and magazine tube size. I recently tried to purchase a Mossberg 930 JM Pro that held 7 + 1 and was told by my FFL the magazine tube would have to be capped at 5 + 1. Ultimately, I returned the Mossberg because I didn't want the extra barrel length if I couldn't have a longer magazine tube. (Which is also how I found the Beretta). I went and checked on the Mass gun law site (which is a complete nightmare to navigate) and it did in fact stipulate that all semi-auto shotguns are limited to 5+1 regardless of having a removable or fixed magazine tube, and no where did it indicate that the restriction was related to the type of stock being used. I would love to know what the real story is.
 
Was the Choate stock specific to the 1200 FP or was it 1200/1201 FP? I ask because they are very similar guns, but not the same. This thread had some helpful information. The Beretta Gods smiled upon us! Some 1201 goodness inside... - Topic

I am curious about your comment regarding the pistol grip and magazine tube size. I recently tried to purchase a Mossberg 930 JM Pro that held 7 + 1 and was told by my FFL the magazine tube would have to be capped at 5 + 1. Ultimately, I returned the Mossberg because I didn't want the extra barrel length if I couldn't have a longer magazine tube. (Which is also how I found the Beretta). I went and checked on the Mass gun law site (which is a complete nightmare to navigate) and it did in fact stipulate that all semi-auto shotguns are limited to 5+1 regardless of having a removable or fixed magazine tube, and no where did it indicate that the restriction was related to the type of stock being used. I would love to know what the real story is.
1201 i didnt see the option for 1200 in the mark V stocks.

Unless i missed it elsewhere on the site.
Beretta 1201 Mk 5 Pistol Grip Stock – Choate Machine & Tool – Choate Store Home

I was informed by a ffl, that if its a pistol grip shotgun it was 5+1. Not counting ghost loads.

If you kept a traditional stock, capacity doesnt matter.
 
Check out this NES thread on the subject...

I know Beretta limited the magazine capacity to 5 +1 and got rid of the ghost loading capability half way through the 1201FP run, but that was because of restrictions in the European market.
 
I've asked this question several times and no one has ever been able to explain it. I know that a pump shotgun is by definition not high capacity, and a >5 round semi-auto is not an 'assault weapon' unless it has another evil feature (pistol grip, etc). However, why is an extended tube magazine not a large capacity feeding device? It seems it isn't on a pump, as evidenced by Four Seasons and others selling 8 shot pump guns. What's the story on a semi-auto?

MGL 140-121 answers that.

http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter140/Section121


“Large capacity weapon”, any firearm, rifle or shotgun: (i) that is semiautomatic with a fixed large capacity feeding device; (ii) that is semiautomatic and capable of accepting, or readily modifiable to accept, any detachable large capacity feeding device; (iii) that employs a rotating cylinder capable of accepting more than ten rounds of ammunition in a rifle or firearm and more than five shotgun shells in the case of a shotgun or firearm; or (iv) that is an assault weapon. The term “large capacity weapon” shall be a secondary designation and shall apply to a weapon in addition to its primary designation as a firearm, rifle or shotgun and shall not include: (i) any weapon that was manufactured in or prior to the year 1899; (ii) any weapon that operates by manual bolt, pump, lever or slide action; (iii) any weapon that is a single-shot weapon; (iv) any weapon that has been modified so as to render it permanently inoperable or otherwise rendered permanently unable to be designated a large capacity weapon; or (v) any weapon that is an antique or relic, theatrical prop or other weapon that is not capable of firing a projectile and which is not intended for use as a functional weapon and cannot be readily modified through a combination of available parts into an operable large capacity weapon.

On a pump, only the mag tube is considered "large capacity." If it's a semi auto both the gun and mag tube can be, you need to have at least an LTC-B and it must be AWB compliant if it holds more than 5 rounds. Very easy to unknowingly run afoul of that.


jar said:
The fact that they specifically exempt tube fed 22s suggests that a tube fed shotgun can be a LCFD. I really want to put an extended tube on a new shotgun for 3-gun, but I want to understand this first.

You're correct, an extended shotgun mag tube is considered a high cap mag if it holds more than 5 rounds.
 
I have to add , why do you need a rail......
The money spent on rails and gun smiting could go towards a gun already decked out ?
 
I’ll toss my hat in the ring, anyone know a magician who can fix this mangled mess? Looks like Bubba stripped the ever loving shit out of the threads and then resorted to set screws, which didn’t help the situation.

Tim, at G and N (used to be inside Gartman arms?) looks like they moved? Anyone know if they’re still operating?

9458A8C3-3975-4F32-BED5-C827B38CA9AD.jpeg62EEE1F2-787E-452D-A210-9728FB8F39B1.jpeg
 
I have to add , why do you need a rail......
The money spent on rails and gun smiting could go towards a gun already decked out ?
Essentially i already own the shotgun.
Its close to the same as a 1301.
So paying a smith to put a bit of rail on it or the airdus mount is cheaper than buying the 1301.
 
I’ll toss my hat in the ring, anyone know a magician who can fix this mangled mess? Looks like Bubba stripped the ever loving shit out of the threads and then resorted to set screws, which didn’t help the situation.

Tim, at G and N (used to be inside Gartman arms?) looks like they moved? Anyone know if they’re still operating?

View attachment 491730View attachment 491731
I think your rifle came in to the country without threads or a muzzle device. Its already under sized for the "ak" brake? I think
If not im sure you can clean it up and buy the kit ?
You just need to make sure there is enough meat for threads to cut into.

View: https://youtu.be/AbXK9itNmmE

 
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I’ll toss my hat in the ring, anyone know a magician who can fix this mangled mess? Looks like Bubba stripped the ever loving shit out of the threads and then resorted to set screws, which didn’t help the situation.

Tim, at G and N (used to be inside Gartman arms?) looks like they moved? Anyone know if they’re still operating?

View attachment 491730View attachment 491731
If you’re on the south shore maybe reach out to Dave Santurri in N Attleboro. He did some barrel chopping and crowning on my Mosin many years ago.
 
I’ll toss my hat in the ring, anyone know a magician who can fix this mangled mess? Looks like Bubba stripped the ever loving shit out of the threads and then resorted to set screws, which didn’t help the situation.
That didn't have have a threaded muzzle. What looks like evidence of threads are tool marks from turning on a lathe. There are several way threads could be added but it's probably not worth it.
 
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