Beretta Urika II M4 Wetland

The thing about Beretta semi-autos is that you simply can’t go far wrong with them. My fondness for the famous marque’s 300 series gas guns is no great secret. I dread to think just how many shells my old 303 has consumed. I would guess it’s well over 100,000, and it’s still going strong in spite of my routine abuse. Mind you, it is not quite the same gun it started as. It’s a compendium of parts now rather than a single gun - a bit like the famous Bentley ‘No. 2’ which the judge confirmed was still Bentley No.2 even after the all the main component parts - chassis, engine, etc. - had been changed.

My 303 began with Chris Cradock. He used it intensively for some years. It was fitted with a 30” barrel originally and had an adjustable, soft-comb, stock (which Chris added for coaching purposes). Well, the action got a bit long in the tooth and I replaced it. I still have Chris’s old barrel, but now always use a 32” tube with a Light Full Briley multi-choke fitted most of the time. The choke is very occasionally changed for Cylinder, though I don’t bother much these days – it’s too much aggravation and the tight choke ensures that I take nothing for granted. GMK gave me a very nice stock for the gun at the beginning of the new century - it’s got a slightly slimmed comb and a well-radiused grip with a little more chequering than usual. The gun - like most 300 series guns - is incredibly soft to shoot and very pointable - more pointable with its very long barrel than just about any other that I have handled. Anyway, it has done well for me over the years as regular readers will know. And, I hope there is still a bit of Chris’s spirit within.

So, there’s the usual digression, but now for the test gun which is the latest incarnation of the 300 series - the Urika II. This is a 391 model, which, not surprisingly, followed on from the 390 and the 303. They are all very similar, having an alloy receiver and a steel barrel with extension that locates in a keyway in the alloy action. A steel bolt slides in the guide rails of the action, but steel locks into steel; that is the brilliantly simple secret of all of the 300s - the receiver is just an envelope for the working parts. The differences between models primarily concern the gas venting mechanism (upon which more anon), the barrel boring and styling.

Now You See It…

The test gun - an Urika II M4 Wetland to be specific - is a bit unusual in having a camo finish and a ‘Kick-Off’ anti-recoil system incorporating hydraulic dampers in the butt. There is also a Gel-Tek pad fitted. This is a modern gun, but not excessively so. I am more-or-less a traditionalist when it comes to firearms design, but for these Urikas, I make an exception. I loved the cheap, black, synthetic version of the Urika II. It’s a great gun for its reasonable price (as was the first Urika synthetic) and has excellent shooting qualities. Indeed, I have found all the plastic stock Beretta semis to be really excellent. The stocks are especially well conceived. The test gun is no exception.

It’s business-like in all departments - and shows subtle evolution. The barrel is Optima bored at 18.6mm and 3” chambered. It is 28” long and fitted with a narrow (6mm) game rib. It is proofed in the Beretta factory (which has its own branch of the Italian proof house). The gun is equipped with longer than average, concealed, Optima chokes. I am a real fan of Optima boring and the Optima chokes. The combination appears to result in visibly improved ballistics. My experience has been that all Optima bored/choked guns through really good patterns - patterns which are forgiving of slight mounting error and efficient at extended ranges. I have also found the Optima guns soft to shoot (so combined with a gas-operated action, one gets a double benefit).

Our test gun could not really be faulted significantly. The machining on the action was good as one expects, the barrel was well finished and free of distortion as one expects. Beretta guns are extraordinarily consistent which is why they are the market leader. Significant use is now made of high-tech polymers (not just the stock, but the trigger guard/plate is made from the material). The polymer used is incredibly tough (there is no finish to wear) and is in all senses very practical. It is probably better than the alloy guard that it replaced on earlier models. 

The 391s receiver is made from aluminium alloy as noted. Beretta pioneered the use of ERGAL, aircraft grade alloy, more than 50 years ago. It suits a semi-auto especially well, as there is a need to remove some weight in the middle of the gun; I am not so fond of alloy-actioned over and unders, they never seem to feel quite right to me - typically being nose heavy and lacking weight between the hands where one needs it for good handling).

The 391 uses a self-compensating gas compensation system - a sprung valve on the front of the gas collar - very similar to that in the 390 but unlike the fixed system of the 303 and its predecessors (which had the advantage of simplicity). The new system allows, theoretically at least, for the use of a wider variety of ammunition. This is good to know, but my advice with any semi is to find a couple of cartridges that suit it and stick to them exclusively. I routinely use 28 gram Lyalvale High Velocity 28 gram loads in my 303 and have had excellent results with them.

Shooting Impressions

Well, you guessed it, very good - pointable, soft shooting and forgiving. But, I can’t honestly say that this gun shoots any better than the bottom of the range Urika II synthetic. And, if I am frank, that is the model I would buy. I don’t need the bells and whistles, besides, with my memory, I’d lay the camo gun down in the woods and not find it again! This camouflaged gun has one useful advantage, though. The finish is also protective. In a working gun that might be of real benefit to some shooters. Beretta barrels are especially tough and chrome lined, but if you were intending to use the gun on the foreshore regularly the extra expense might well be worth it.

I might end by noting: why not make a synthetic model with a stainless barrel (as one sees in many rifles)? Now, there’s an idea. Meantime, if you want a good semi, any 300 series gun will do the job.

PRICE: about £1400