Beretta 300, 390, 391, 3901, 400???

They stretch across decades. All they all have in common is being great gas operated semi-auto shotguns made by Beretta. There are similarities of course. And also you will have some of us geezer class guys saying what they like about this or that one best. You left out the 391 in your description. You have research and reading to do

For the most part the 3901 is an American made model of the 390. Entry level gun that worked very well.

Oh man I could go on and on about these. They stretch across decades, 300 being the oldest, 400 being newest. Every single one is a great gas operated semi auto shotgun. People have their preferences, mine is for 390's, I have a couple in 12 & 20 ga.

I've been debating with myself over a 400 in 20 gauge for about 3 years now.

Grayrock said:

What makes the 390 the favorite for you?

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The first with stock shims, great balance for me, great operating system, have been very reliable even in duck hunting conditions. I just like them the best! I have a great condition 303, 391 xtrema2, a400. All are awesome shotguns, I just gravitate towards the 390's.

Pretty sure the 303 started early/mid 80's, 390 was 1992, 391 was 2000ish? Not sure on overlap.

The 391, has a completely different Barrel and bolt Locking system that the 400. The 400 is what Beretta calls the Blink system because it is much faster than the 391 system. The A400 has a rotating bolt, instead of a rising lug, and the action bars and springs are up front instead of in the stock, this makes the A400 much faster to clean in the field should it fall in the drink or mud. In the 391 system the strut that connects the bolt to the spring plunger in the stock is prone to crack or break ( just like in the Remington 1100 and 1187) after 20,000 rounds or so. It is pretty easy to replace. Another similar action is the 1301, which used the Blink rotating bolt but the gas piston rides over the magazine tube allowing for extensions, unlike the A400, and 390/391 actions where the piston is on a post at the end of the mag tube.

I know because I own all three of these models.

I like the 390. A lot of serious shooters complained about some of the changes when the 391 came out so they brought back some of the 390 in a “hybrid” and called it 3901.
None of them are bad.
I have no experience with the 400 but shooters rave about them.
I really need to find a 20g 390 Sport. (Might as well wish for a pony that poops ice cream when you twist it’s tail…)

In the 1990s, one of the 300 series guns were popular with the top skeet shooters for 12 gauge. They would use a tubed over/under for the sub-gauge competitions. It was impressive to watch Wayne Mayes, Todd Bender , and others compete in a shoot out at major tournaments.

I have not kept up with competitive skeet for the past 20 years or so hence I do not know what the hot set up is these days.

Grayrock said:

So which one do you favor? And why?

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I shot the 391 for years and still take it out. It is slim and feels like my Beretta over under but lighter. My 391 is a Urika Gold Model and has many deluxe features.

The A400 Xplor is my favorite it has less felt recoil and swings and points well. All of the Berettas have stock washers and butt plate inserts to adjust LOP and cast ( the angle of the stock) Fit is really important for good wing shooting. The A400 will take up to 3.5" shells, whereas the 391 is limited to 3", The A400 is a better designed system.
As far as the 3901 goes, I read that it was a transitional model as Beretta had leftover receivers for the 390 and then used the 391 parts in them when they ran out of 390 parts.

Like the A300 models the 3901 was a less expensive version of the 391.

The way that I understood the 3901 lineage:

The 391, as with all Beretta guns of the era, were being made in Italy. Beretta wanted to move on to the newer model (400), and discontinue the 391 from production. Meanwhile, Beretta had set up a factory in Accokeek MD to make the Army's version of the 92FS 9x19 pistol. The US corporate wonks in MD convinced the mothership in Italy to allow them to make the discontinued 391 domestically in the Maryland factory, relabeled as a 3901 (to differentiate it from the mothership's product) and produced with less costly finishes (matte blued, plastic furniture). The initial production runs were solely sold through WalMart, as best that I can remember, with a $599 pricetag. It proved to be a brilliant idea - Beretta sold the 400 as the 'nice' semiauto and the 3901 as the 'bargain' semiauto, without creating brand conflict and increasing sales / brand penetration in the process. As far as I understand things, all 390's will say 'Made In Italy' on them while the 3901 will all say 'Made In the US' on them, while being the same gun with cosmetic differences only.

Truth be told, I always fancied the 391/3901 more than the other Beretta gas guns. They were relatively simple and slim compared to later models, and had an amazing gas system that would reliably cycle anything from magnum duck loads all the way down to 7/8oz 1050fps target handloads equally well. The only reason that I sold my 390 and 3901's is because I fancied the Benelli M2 even mo'.

There's also differences within the 391's. A 391 urika or teknys has a slimmer forend, non rotating bolt, and 3" chamber, a 391 Xtrema or Xtrema2 has a bigger forend, rotating bolt, 3.5" chamber, and "aqua" anti-corrosion coating. And I'm pretty solidly sure @rbernie is right on the difference between the 390 and 3901 is that the 390's were made in Italy, and 3901's were made in the USA, and weren't as "fancy" with finishes or stocks.

Many think the 303 was their best iteration; I have 2 A400s, the blue "smurf" gun and a green Xplor Unico. Both will handle my 3/4oz (28 gauge level) reloads with no issues.

Each model numbers is different - forearms, choke tubes, gas system, stock dimensions, etc.

George P said:

Many think the 303 was their best iteration;

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I love my 303, it's #2 behind the 390's. Great pointing shotgun, beautiful as well!

I’ve just picked up a 390 20GA and I love it. Only shot a box through it, but it’s shaping up to be my new favorite..... as soon as I can find more shells. 20’s are hard to find right now

Dustbowl said:

I’ve just picked up a 390 20GA and I love it. Only shot a box through it, but it’s shaping up to be my new favorite..... as soon as I can find more shells. 20’s are hard to find right now

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I haven't put down my 20ga 390 since I picked it up ~8 years ago. Absolutely my favorite and preferred shotgun!

The 391 Urika changed my mind about semi autos. I had been a hidebound, died in the wool, will-never-touch-jammo-matic, anti-semi guy until I had to borrow a 391 Urika for sporting clays. Loved it. It was faultless. Bought one. Still love it, and still shoot O/U for competition

The A400 is my go-to recommendation if someone is asking for a semi auto target gun.

I have a Valtro (Italy) made Weatherby SAS which I believe uses the Beretta 303 gas system. Also a good gun.