CH 1301 (Beretta 1301 Charging Handle) is a our way of improving the already superb 1301.
We like the 1301 a great deal, but one thing that stood out immediately was its tapered charging handle that flares outward by about 5 degrees. 5 degrees may not sound much, except the angle forms a triangular shape that in our opinion, is less than helpful on a charging handle.
The factory 1301 charging handle never felt right to us and we quickly found the reason: off axis loading. When the user pulls back on the tapered charging handle, it wants to be pulled back off axis at 5 degrees to the bore since the polymer handle isn't perpendicular to the bore but at a 5 degree cant. The bolt cand carrier is parallel to the bore and can only travel along the bore (not at an angle) which effectively corrects the charging handle's tendency to pull to the right, but not before the energy is already wasted on the charging handle trying to travel rearward at a 5 degree cant.
The factory 1301 charging handle can be pulled back in line to the bore with some conscious effort, the user needs to grasp it close to the bore, not towards the flared end, this motion unfortunately makes manipulating the charging handle rather difficult and unintuitive.
Ideally, we want the charging handle to be pulled in a linear manner and parallel to the bore, it's the path of least resistance and the most efficient one.
CH 1301 is machined from a single piece of 17-4 stainless steel and nitride treated, it incorporates the classic short, spindle shaped handle that's been use on numerous firearms successfully in the last few decades, STEN Gun and metric pattern FAL are two of such examples. Instead of using serrations or ribs (on the factory charging handle), we use the spindle shape for control retention. The spindle (or hour glass) shape is a simple and very effective design that retains and auto centers the user's fingers, to the point serrations on the handle are not needed, thus CH 1301 doesn't have any.
We also found the factory 1301 charging handle unnecessarily long, we made CH 1301 a bit shorter as (factory: 2.28", CH 1301: 2.02"). Being machined from a solid piece of 17-4 does make it heavier (factory: 0.32oz, CH 1301: 0.57oz), the tradeoff is the solid, one piece CH 1301 is far stronger than the steel + polymer factory charging handle, it's more than an acceptable tradeoff for a heavy duty charging handle.
There are small details that have been incorporated into the CH 1301 design: the spindle, or hour glass shaped handle has two flaring, the outside flaring is larger than the inside. Together, the shape automatically centers the user's fingers and keep them from slipping, the outer flaring is larger since it's the area that inhibit off axis movement if the user's fingers do slip. All of the corners have been beveled, our hands will find any crease or angles quickly as they create discomfort. CH 1301's handle feels silky smooth, but the spindle / hourglass shape works so well, it needs no serrations to create traction.
Material: machined 17-4 stainless steel, black nitride treated
Length: 2.02"
Weight: 0.57oz
1301 CH removal and installation tip:
Once the 1301's partially disassembled (with the magazine cap removed, and barrel assembly pulled out partially), it would look similar to the picture below:
Identify these two areas below:
Push the carrier back into the receiver. Push the bolt rearward till the groove (next to the serial number engraving) is aligned with the front edge of the carrier, the charging handle can now be pulled out.
When installing a new 1301 charging handle, repeat the same steps to line up the groove and the front of the carrier. Insert the new charging handle and push it downward till it fully seats. Let go of the bolt and make sure the new charging handle is locked in place and cannot be pulled out.
Compatible with Beretta 1301, 1301 Mod 2, and A400 series of shotguns.
Proudly designed and made in USA.
NOTE:
Beretta 1301 charging handle slot (behind the ejection port) is very thin, and tolerance stacking between the slot width, position of the charging handle on the carrier, and the charging handle itself can produce tolerance stacking that results in wear on the thin slot.
Below is a picture of a new 1301 (not ours) showing wear with a factory charging handle:
This is a factory 1301 charging handle (ours), cycled the bolt fewer than 20 times:
This is our 1301 Tactical, with wear already shown when using the factory charging handle:
1301 charging handles, whether factory or aftermarket, would have to make the area of the charging handle shaft even thinner than the factory CH to avoid this cosmetic wear, even then there's no guarantee this could 100% eliminate it. We've made CH 1301 as strong as space allows, as with any metal to metal contact, there will be wear on a defense weapon when it's used. CH 1301 is made for duty and defense use. Between strength and looks, we will always choose strength, thus we can't and don't weaken a part for possible cosmetic impacts.
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