Prologue
Charles Daly has been manufacturing firearms for over a century, importing a variety of firearms to the United States market. And recently they have even moved to begin manufacturing some of their products domestically here in the US. Today’s topic is one of the company’s meat and potatoes products, we will be reviewing the Charles Daly 301 shotgun, chambered in 12-gauge. One of many different firearms including various shotgun types and handguns patterned after the 1911 and other 9mm firearms like their PAK-9.
Charles Daly 301
I purchased the Charles Daly Model 301 pump as a gift for my son; every kid needs a pump-action shotgun. As I was looking at the gun,, it looked like it was very closely patterned to the Remington 870 I bought as a kid myself. With hopes of a similar good experience in mind, I figured it was worth a try.
The Model 301 uses a pump-action design to feed cartridges from the tubular magazine into its 3-inch chamber. It’s vented-rib barrel is 28-inches long, and compatible with the WinChoke system. At the tip of the rib there is a brass bead for aiming. Included with the gun is a set of three chokes (IC, M, F).
The shotgun is stocked with synthetic polymer furniture and features a rubber recoil pad at the back. The controls are all located in the trigger/sear assembly pinned into the receiver. There is an action-unlock button on the front of the trigger guard, and the safety is behind the trigger.
Locking the bolt closed is much like the 870 design. The bolt rides on top of a wedged carrier, and when the bolt meets the breech of the barrel, the wedge pushes a locking lug up through the 12 o’clock position. The locking lug engages a reciprocating cut in the barrel extension.
Specifications
| Caliber: | 12GA-3” |
| Action: | Pump-Action |
| Barrel Length: | 28” (711 mm) |
| Capacity: | 4+1 Rounds |
| Feed In: | Magazine Tube |
| Trigger System: | Single |
| Stock: | Chk. Synthetic – Black |
| Forend: | Chk. Synthetic – Black |
| Safety: | Manual |
| Chokes: | Beretta/Benelli Mobil Choke Threads, MC-3 (IC, M, F) |
| Total Length: | 48.25” (1226 mm) |
| Material: | Aluminum Receiver, Steel Barrel |
| Net Weight: | 7.40 lb |
| Finishing: | Matte Black |
| Extraction: | Auto Ejection |
| Ships Loose: | Manual |
| Ean/Upc: | 8053800941037 |
| Note: | Receiver Grooved For Scope Mount |
Shooting the Charles Daly Model 301
Our initial test of the shotgun would be shooting clay targets thrown by hand in the nearby mountains. Anticipating a great deal of shooting, we brought a case of shells and clays both. Initial impressions of the Model 301 were like this; it seemed a touch bulkier in the grip areas than other shotguns. Not a big deal unless you have tiny hands. There was a ever so slight zipping sound when you run the pump back and forth. I attribute this to tiny tooling marks on the sliding surfaces of the magazine tube and action. A very small issue, and as far as I can tell it has no effects on function.
Swinging the Charles Daly 301 felt very familiar to my old Remington 870. The textured rib stands out against the dull sky, and the brass bead gives a clear aimpoint. The controls too are very familiar and worked flawlessly. I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that a gun at this price point has many plastic parts, but I was surprised to see the trigger/sear pack was made of plastic.
As I disassembled the gun for cleaning after a range trip I did notice how strikingly simple the design is. It was easy to take it down to component pieces for easy cleaning and lubricating.
Our Experience
Both my son and I went round after round shooting clays in the clear mountain breeze. For me it was like a familiar memory shooting my 30-year-old Remington, and for my son it was his own beginning to a similar memory.
Both of us are around average height, and we found the length of pull to be forgiving. And the reach required to operate the gun’s action was also average. As usual, it took us a little bit to figure out the lead and feel for this gun, it was a little easier when we swapped out the Modified choke for an Improved Cylinder.
Operation was flawless as you might expect, I’ve found that pumps either work or they are visibly broken. With little room in between. The model 301 had no problem shucking shells through the action, with excellent extraction and ejection throughout our shooting. We shot a variety of ammunition from Federal and Fiocchi, both 1-1/8 ounce as well as some 1-ounce loads. We even shot a box of Remington steel loads to see how this gun would do for waterfowl hunting next fall.
Pros and Cons
Charles Daly’s Model 301 does a fine job of fulfilling our purposes. As I mentioned I think it’s a crime for a young man not to have an inexpensive pump-shotgun to follow him through life. This gun for sure will spend some time in this alpine wilderness pursuing grouse and other game. The operating action of the gun seems reliable and solid; I am unsure if it is a direct copy of the 870 or just similar. But it does have many of the same functions and features, and even has a couple things I wish my 870 had. The barrel-nut has a nice ball-detent, with a broad surface for turning by hand. The inclusion of a set of three chokes was a nice addition that not every shotgun at this price point offers.
Finish Reading Here
Shootability
As an entry level shotgun, this gun must have some good shootability atributes. And we found it to be very comparable to the other entry level shotguns we brought that day. The long textured rib made a nice non-reflective contrast in the sky, and the bead popped enough to be useful.
I’m not sure why but it felt like the grip areas were a touch thicker than they needed to be, but otherwise perfectly fine. Both me and the boys all had no issues getting comfortable with the gun, and getting it on targets. One of them is left-handed, which made figuring out the safety a little different. But he otherwise had no issues shooting the 301.
The weight of this gun makes it easy to get up and swing on targets fast. Its controls are simple and easy to operate, pumping through box after box of ammunition.
Reliability
We experienced exactly zero malfunctions while shooting the Charles Daly Model 301. Over the course of several days and rangetrips we put nearly a case of ammunition through the gun. Of various types but mostly 2-¾ rounds shooting 1Oz and 1-1/8Oz loads. The claw extractor worked great at pulling spent shells from the chamber, and they were thrown clear of the action flawlessly and consistently. Like any gun, the Daly 301 seems to have broken in a bit since we first pulled it from the box. And I expect it will continue to smooth up even more.
Ergonomics
Gripping this shotgun gave a natural sight picture. The comb-height and rib lined up great for me. Again, as an entry level shotgun I wasn’t expecting anything extraordinary. The controls were all easily reached from the low ready and shooting positions. The rubber buttpad gave both ample softness as well as sticking in the right spot in your shoulder pocket.
Accuracy
Hitting targets with shotguns is about knowing patterns and leads. We found the Charles Daly 301 to be consistent in its patterns, which in turn allowed us the ability to learn and institute proper lead on flying targets. We did change out the choke once to see if it better fit our shooting style, and were pleasantly surprised by increased hits. Not all guns in this price point come with a selection of chokes, which greatly increases your ability to customize the pattern.
Value
There is a lot of good competition for great shotguns in this price range, so the 301 has some adversaries. Among them there are some great values on pump shotguns under $300, and so far as I’m aware they are mostly manufactured overseas. All that said, I found the Charles Daly 301 to be worth what I paid for it. I think there might be a competitor with a slight dollar value edge, but we’re not talking about much. A few boxes of shells might cost you more than the difference between this gun and its competitors, so it basically comes down to which one comes with the features you prefer.
