Beretta A400 Cycling Issues

[Sniffer]

I put this topic in this forum as it probably has the most Beretta A400 owners / users.

I picked up a new A400 and have shot it twice. The gun sounded tight and clunky / twangy when I first got it so I cleaned it and lubed it up good before shooting (I clean and lube after every use).

I initially shot 2 3/4 target loads through it just to put on some mileage as I figured there would be a break in period. Gun didn't run well at all (bolt wouldn't lock back on last round / wouldn't cycle reliably etc etc). I then ran a box of 2 3/4 buckshot through it and it seemed to run good.

I have seen many times where people recommend to run a box or two of heavier ammo through these guns to help with break in so I did that yesterday and it seemed to run better with the heavier loads (my shoulder isn't running better however). It now sounds better too when cycled by hand (less clunky / twangy as I would expect now it is more broken in) but when I go back to 2 3/4 light loads (tried Challenger and S&B #7.5 1 1/8) it did not run good. Neither would cycle at all and the bolt will not lock back on last round which suggests the bolt isn't cycling far enough back to lock or possibly even reliably get behind the next round and pick it up.

The manual states the gun should be able to handle any load in the 2 3/4" to 3.5" spectrum and after maybe 250 rounds of varying loads I would have thought it should be broken in by this point. I plan to strip it today and inspect everything (particularly the gas system) but I notice the A400 has a little spring or hydraulic dampener at the rear of the action which cushions the bolt for the last little bit of travel. Could it be that weak loads aren't enough to overcome this little dampener (with the extra resistance) and thats why it wont lock back? If so then I suspect something else is going on (issue with the gas system or similar)



I have read about a modification (drilling out the second gas port a little) which seems very common and is the fix if the gun wont cycle light loads. I am curious but would only do this as a last resort (ie if I cannot find an issue of some kind and / or come up short with pursuing Beretta to give me a firearm that works as advertised)

I only had those two ammo brands with me yesterday but I have others I can try. Maybe it will run better on them but my understanding is that A400s are not fussy about loads at all (which is a large part of the reason why I went this route) so this is strange.

To the A400 owners out there does this seem normal? Did your gun have a break in period, if so how many rounds did it require and does it now cycle reliably on 2 3/4" light loads reliably?

Thanks in advance.

 

[SigWig]

Hey, I would clean out the gas system first. There could be a tiny chunk of plastic wad in there. If that does not fix it contact stoeger Canada. Don't drill out anything...

 

[JeffMan]

I’m very much a shotgun guy and have a few that just won’t run low power loads.

I’d stick to the higher speed stuff when shooting birdshot and skeet loads.

Challenger can be very low velocity.

Because I don’t know what shotgun I’ll be using on any given day, I only buy the fast ammo. This seems to solve my problems

 

[maynard]

A400's run better dry or very slightly lubed. Too much lube and you will run into the problems that you are having. I have run Challengers (usually light load 8's) from day one with mine and never had a problem.

 

[Sniffer]

Hey, I would clean out the gas system first. There could be a tiny chunk of plastic wad in there. If that does not fix it contact stoeger Canada. Don't drill out anything...

I stripped it today and didnt find anything that looks out of place / jammed / broken / bent etc.

As to the drilling that would have been a last resort if push comes to shove. On mine both gas ports from the barrel into the gas system are clear (I pushed a small straw through both with no issues and could see it in the barrel). The ports are angled at 45 degrees back into the gas system.





Unless the trick is to make them larger but like I said that will be a last resort if I come up short with Stoeger.

I have cleaned everything (wasn't very dirty at all anyways) and will put it back together and run it to see if it is running better.

As per the manual it should cycle anything:



And I have already tried this (~80 rounds of heavy loads):

 

[SigWig]

I would try one box of federal top gun unless you find it on sale...

Dry graphite spray might help. Any automotive store.

Side note: graphite isn't toxic. I run fluid film but it doesn't get cold here. Also non-toxic

I'd also email stoeger

 

[Sniffer]

I would try one box of federal top gun unless you find it on sale...

Dry graphite spray might help. Any automotive store.

Side note: graphite isn't toxic. I run fluid film but it doesn't get cold here. Also non-toxic

I'd also email stoeger

I have a good stash of Federal Top Gun 2 3/4" so i will try a box next time out. I also have a bunch of Rio which has been great for me so I will try some of that too.

I will email Stoeger, cant hurt.

Dry graphite where exactly? Pretty sure I have some kicking around.....

 

[Sniffer]

I’m very much a shotgun guy and have a few that just won’t run low power loads.

I’d stick to the higher speed stuff when shooting birdshot and skeet loads.

Challenger can be very low velocity.

Because I don’t know what shotgun I’ll be using on any given day, I only buy the fast ammo. This seems to solve my problems

This particular ammo seems to be bad in almost every shotgun I have tried it in

Light blue and white box. Wont be buying any more of that.

 

[Sniffer]

A400's run better dry or very slightly lubed. Too much lube and you will run into the problems that you are having. I have run Challengers (usually light load 8's) from day one with mine and never had a problem.

So no lube anywhere? Even in the action?

 

[JeffMan]

So no lube anywhere? Even in the action?

You can lube the crap out of it, or not.

Light loads won’t reliably cycle.

 

[SigWig]

Rio seems dirty to me... was it freezing when you shot?

Cold lube gums up

 

[Sniffer]

Rio seems dirty to me... was it freezing when you shot?

Cold lube gums up

No, it was single digits but definitely not freezing.

Apart from the action the gun was dry - it specifically says in the manual not to lube the gas system. And the action seemed fine - zero signs of gumming up.

 

[Sniffer]

You can lube the crap out of it, or not.

Light loads won’t reliably cycle.

Ever? Some folks say their gun eats anything. The manual suggests it should eat anything.

I am curious why some find their guns runs anything and others seem fussy. There has to be a difference?

 

[Sniffer]

Rio seems dirty to me... was it freezing when you shot?

Cold lube gums up

I haven't noticed that but it could be.

I tested 5 different brands of ammo at one point and it was easily the most reliable (previous gun).

Weird thing was it was a very light load (7/8), I didn't even realize as I didn't really understand shotgun ammo at that point.

 

[maynard]

The holes on the bottom of the gas cylinder should be cleaned. These holes should go through the cylinder head (for lack of a better word).
My A400 is the Xplor model that is a 3" gun. If you are running a UNICO/XTREME that is a 3 1/2 " gun you may need to shoot 3 dram loads out of it to made it cycle better.

 

[stubblejumper]

I bought an A400 demo that wouldn't cycle light loads properly, because the piston ring was deformed. After installing a new piston ring, it functioned flawlessly.

 

[45CAT]

I have a 28 gauge and it isn’t fussy from trap loads to a high brass 6 . The only nuisance is that it throws empties into the next county

 

[stubblejumper]

I have a 28 gauge and it isn’t fussy from trap loads to a high brass 6 . The only nuisance is that it throws empties into the next county

Try an SX-3, it throws hulls farther than an A400. When shooting skeet, the person with the remote has to be extra careful, when hunting, the SX-3 shooter is far right in the blind.

 

[Sniffer]

The holes on the bottom of the gas cylinder should be cleaned. These holes should go through the cylinder head (for lack of a better word).
My A400 is the Xplor model that is a 3" gun. If you are running a UNICO/XTREME that is a 3 1/2 " gun you may need to shoot 3 dram loads out of it to made it cycle better.

I am running the 3 1/2" version, pardon my ignorance but I am still learning shotgun ammo however google suggests 3 dram is 1 1/8 load which is what I ran through the gun last and it didnt cycle well at all:

First day out I ran 100 2 3/4" 1 1/8 rounds through it - did not run good (wouldn't cycle and bolt would not lock back). I also had a box of 2 3/4" buckshot and that ran better but not perfect from memory (would cycle but would not lock the bolt back).

Second day out I ran the following:

1) 20 3" shotshell (gun seemed to run / feed better on these and I think it locked back)

2) 25 3 1/2" shotshell (wouldn't feed - seemed too long to get onto the gate properly but would lock the bolt back every time)

3) 20 3" shotshell (same as point 1 - gun seemed to run / feed better on these and I think it locked back)

4) 25 S&B 2 3/4" 1 1/8 - didnt cycle well and would not lock the bolt back

5) 25 Challenger 2 3/4" 1 1/8 - didnt cycle well at all and would not lock the bolt back

Regarding the holes at the bottom of the gas cylinder I assume you are referring to these?



I am still figuring out how this gun works but I imagine these holes bleed off gas forwards against the spring pressure which is closer to the muzzle. It says in the manual this is factory set and should not be adjusted but if it was set incorrectly (too little tension) then the valve would open too soon and let too much gas bleed off leaving too little to cycle the action? Or am I thinking about it incorrectly?

I dont plan to play with this, just trying to work out where the issue might be.

 

[Sniffer]

I bought an A400 demo that wouldn't cycle light loads properly, because the piston ring was deformed. After installing a new piston ring, it functioned flawlessly.

Starting to think this is the issue. Everything I have inspected seems good and that ring (while it looks fine) is the most likely fail point. I think I will order a few to have as spares and try a new one.

Has to be the easiest first step. Are they hard to swap - ie are they delicate / easily damaged?