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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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