Beginning in late 2025 I began doing some product testing for the upcoming Imperium Handguard from Aridus Industries. During this process, Adam Roth, the owner of Aridus, decided this would be a great opportunity to test out a few other new products he had in the works. One of these is an upgraded charging handle for the Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol. Over the past several months I’ve put it through its paces, seeing how it compares to the factory option. Here is my review of the Aridus Industries Charging Handle for the Beretta A300UP.
Design of the Aridus Industries Charging Handle for Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol
The Aridus Industries charging handle for the A300 is a very straightforward part, with some excellent detail. Installation is a breeze, requiring no tools, and simply dropping into place. Lock the bolt to the rear, pull the OEM handle out, and insert the new, ensuring it seats fully. Now you’re ready for the range.
The handle itself is a large concave drum, giving your hand plenty of room to bite into it. Texturing is deep and aggressive without being sharp, helping to ensure to solid purchase without pain or slipping. Those with an eye for detail will notice that this is the same pattern used on the Imperium, as well as the Aridus bolt release. Weight is kept down by hollowing out a portion of the charging handle in order to maintain reliability.
Range Time
The charging handle was a surprise for me. I had never been interested in enlarged charging handles before, as I thought they were a bit unnecessary. However I agreed to test this sample to learn for myself, and to help support Adam. As it turns out, this is an awesome addition to my A300. The larger handle is far more comfortable to manipulate compared to the OEM, spreading out the pressure nicely. This also makes the bolt feel easier to manipulate, though this may be purely subjective.
Throughout the review process I fired 1,115 rounds with the Aridus Industries charging handle mounted to my gun. Below is the breakdown of rounds fired.
- 105x Winchester AA Xtra Light #7.5, 2-3/4″
- 50x Fiocchi Shooting Dynamics Target 7.5, 2-3/4″
- 5x Remington Peters #8, 2-3/4″
- 50x Remington Gun Club #8, 2-3/4″
- 25x Bioammo Rex #8, 2-3/4″
- 25x Federal Field and Target #8, 2-3/4″
- 425x Federal Top Flight #8, 2-3/4″
-
50x Federal Game Load Heavy Field #5, 2-3/4″
-
25x Federal Game Load Heavy Field #7.5, 2-3/4″
- 20x Winchester Pheasant #6, 2-3/4″
- 25x Bioammo Lux Steel #6, 2-3/4″
- 25x Federal Speed Shok Steel #3, 2-3/4″
- 25x NSI Waterfowl #2, 2-3/4″
- 10x Winchester Defender 00, 2-3/4″
- 160x NSI 00, 2-3/4″
- 10x Federal Flite Control 9 pellet, 2-3/4″
-
15x Federal Power Shok #1 buck, 2-3/4″
- 10x Federal Power Shok 1oz slug, 2-3/4″
- 15x Federal Tru Ball slug, 2-3/4″
- 15x Winchester Super X low recoil slug, 2-3/4″
- 15x Remington Slugger 1oz slug, 2-3/4″
- 10x Brenneke bear protection 1-1/4oz slug, 2-3/4″
I’m very pleased to say that the charging handle stayed firmly in place throughout the review, with no loosening or wiggling. I also experienced no changes in reliability with my gun, despite the larger handle. Despite sweaty hands in the desert of the Southwestern US, I had no issues slipping when charging the gun or clearing stoppages from a dirty gun.
Closing Thoughts on the Aridus Industries Charging Handle for Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol
The Aridus Industries Charging Handle has been a very pleasant surprise and welcome addition to my A300UP. While I initially wasn’t terribly excited about this review, it’s turned out to be a stellar learning experience. Sometimes it’s okay to be wrong. While I wouldn’t consider this part mandatory, it’s a nice quality of life upgrade. In short, it won’t be coming off of my gun any time soon.
MSRP on the Aridus Industries Charging Handle for Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol is $80.00 as of this writing.
Author’s Note: Aridus Industries provided me with a pre-production prototype of the Imperium handguard for test and evaluation purposes. I also maintain a personal relationship with the owner of Aridus. No expectation of a positive review was provided by either party.
Support My Work
If you made it this far, thanks for reading! Writing isn’t my full-time profession, and nearly everything I do comes out of my own pocket. Between ammunition, tuition, range fees and more, expenses add up fast. If you like what I have to offer, consider making a donation to my Patreon.
Every bit helps bring more work like this to you, and contributes to shortened timelines or more in-depth work on my part. You’ll also have more direct access to me, offering suggestions for future projects, looking behind the scenes, and getting early access to some content. You can find my Patreon >>HERE<<
1 Trackback / Pingback