Beretta A391 Xtrema. - 30 July 2002

Over the last few years, the way in which we look at wildfowling has changed dramatically. The reason of course is the itroduction of non toxic shot loads as mandatory ammunition. Much has and is being said about these different types of shot. And opinions vary enormously as to the effectiveness of these cartridges. It would be less of a talking point if non toxic shells were as good as the lead ones that we all remember fondly. It would also be a little more acceptable to most if these cartridges were nearer in price to the lead equivalent. Though I feel it has been largely forgotten that all of us used to miss with lead as well as these new cartridges. The one choice in non toxic shot that is fairly close to lead in terms of price is steel. The main problem that steel shot has had is becoming acceptable to shooters. It is, on first though, a little disconcerting to be shooting a relatively hard substance down the barrels that could do damage. But as long as the rules are obeyed then there is no real problem. 

In the main those rules are to only use steel shot cartridges in a gun that has the correct chamber length and proof marks to comply with those particular cartridges. It is also advisable to use 1 / 2 choke as a maximum, to prevent the risk of the shot load bulging the choke. Steel shot is actually soft iron and is harder than lead, consequently it does not have the same give when it encounters the choke so less restriction is advised. Because of its lighter weight steel shot does not retain its energy to give as long a range as conventional lead rounds. To overcome this a couple of things can be done: firstly, the shot size can be increased. For instance where you would perhaps shoot a 5 shot lead load, use 4 or 3 in steel.

The other thing is to increase the shot load and consequently its power. In the USA where they have used steel shot for many years 3 1 / 22 chambered guns have been common place for some time. However over here we are rightly overseen by the proof houses and the catridges for these guns have to meet the safety standards laid down by the CIP - proof authority.

As a result of all this and the fact that steel shot loads are only now starting to gain more acceptance with wildfowlers we are only now starting to 3.5" guns come on the market. One of the first was the Mossberg, almost a head of the game due to the limited availability of cartridges. 

Now Beretta have unveiled their gun for 3.5" cartridges. Aptly named the Xtrema, presumably in reference to the extreme nature of the cartridges used in it as well as the conditions in which it may be used. And certainly that is the impression given by its appearance. The gun has matt black metal work and black synthetic stock and forend. Actually not quite wholly black. There are grey stippled inserts in the stock and forend made of rubber and designed to provide maximum grip; this I would say they do, probably under fairly harsh conditions. As for the rest the matt is to give no chance of reflection. 

At a glance the gun appears the same as its standard 391 cousin the Urika. But looking closer it soon become evident that this is a very different beast. The 3.5" chamber has made Beretta approach this gun from a different perspective. In order to load the cartridge and equally importantly eject the fired cartridge case, the gun needs to have a larger ejection port. Hand in glove with this is the need for a bigger bolt. Because of the extra power generated by these cartridges the bolt needs to be very strong. So on the Xtrema the bolt has been given a rotating locking bolt head with two locking lugs to give the securest lock up. 

The action bars - note the plural, there is only one on the Urika - are an integral part of the bolt and slide assembly at the front of the gun. The bolt spring rather than being housed in the stock, is around the magazine tube. In the back of the action where the bolt spring would have been is the bolt travel shock absorber. Which will reduce stress when the heaviest cartridges are used. 

The action frame itself is made of alloy. And for the trigger plate a polymer has been used. Both these materials are strong as well as keeping weight to a sensible level; an obvious consideration with such a big gun. 

The trigger plate and its mechanism are also very different from the Urika. All parts are black finished steel to prevent corrosion. And the layout of the mechanism is also different, with the mainspring directly powering the hammer. One good thought by the Beretta designers is that the trigger guard will accommodate a gloved finger. 

The barrel is also a different animal altogether. The gas piston has been modified and made much stronger to accommodate the extra gas generated by the bigger shells. There are also exhaust valves that vent away excess gases from the most powerful cartridges. These are contained within the barrel loop or gas cylinder. 

The barrel breech is also quite a feat of engineering. As well as the locking lug pockets at the front of the breech, at the rear are locating lugs the key into the action and provide absolutely rigid support for the barrel so that once assembled there is no movement between the two. 

In order to give the breech the highest strength and wear resistance it has also been hard chrome plated. 

The bore itself is also chrome plated as are most Beretta guns. On the Xtrema the optima bore system is used to give best performance in terms of pattern and recoil.

The top rib is a matted 6mm wide. Basically the optima bore system is an overbored system of 18.6mm with an exceptionally long forcing cone that virtually disappears up the barrel. This is in conjunction with the optima choke plus choke tubes which further enhance the pattern with a minimum of shot deformation. These are flush fitting choke tubes and the gun is supplied with a very comprehensive set of 5 tubes. The stock and forend may appear to be plain synthetic but have also been designed for good grip and comfort. As with the Urika the Xtrema can be adjusted for drop and cast and is supplied with the shims for this. 

The stock is finished with a Geltek recoil pad, which will also help to absorb recoil from those very heavy loads. The gel tek pad is made by Beretta for all their guns and is basically a polymer skin with a gel core. They are soft yet shoulder well because they do not snag. 

Although the Xtrema is built to accommodate the heaviest loads it will shoot right down to 28 gram loads and up to 64 gram that 2 1 /4 oz loads. So this could be an ideal all round gun for a wildfowler who wants to do a bit of clay shooting. For such a big gun, and the Xtrema is pretty long, it is not a heavy gun and handles very well. I would not say that the gun is too long but it does seem that you can pick which bit of the target that you want to shoot at.

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