Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns taking the 20 ga. plunge benelli m2 or win. sx3

going to be my main shotgun for upland birds, rabbits, doves, clays, turkeys, and some duck hunting.

i know the benelli shoots cleaner and is lighter.

and the sx3 shoots softer.

if they both fit well which is better?

or is it the old ford, chevy, dodge argument?

thanks

Benelli Montefeltro!
You can thank me later:)

X2.

When I bought my Monte...it was between that or a SX3. The SX3 didn't even feel in the same league as the Benelli.

My $.02

It is a tough call but if I had to pick I would take the Benelli and run.

But this is mostly due to my owning the M2 longer.



Travis

Benelli...

no wood has to synthetic

any u guys running the thin pad on the 20?

the lop seems a touch long for me

I own both and as you stated in your original post the benelli is lighter and feels better and is a cleaner gun all around.

The sx3 definitely has less recoil and is an awesome gun.

Hard choice but if I only had one I would go benelli. But I couldn't choose so I bought both

On the benelli I use the regular pad but I know they make a thin pad. The sx3 comes a little shorter and has spacers to lengthen

Don't want to throw cold water on all you Benelli, lovers but a good over and under that fits you will out shoot any semi auto,OH! I know all about 3 shots are better than 2, but on Quail, dove, and other birds they are gone before you will get a third aimed shot off in most cases, I take a lot of bird hunters,every year and the side by side and over and under shooters bring back birds the semi auto shooters shoot holes in the sky as a rule. now you all can tell me how dumb I am. rio7

Great input.



Travis

Both mine are straight out of the box.

I do believe the Winchester is a touch shorter if that helps.

I don't know what this is worth to you, but the Benelli has a mag disconnect that I have grown quite fond of. I never thought anything of that feature until I bought my M2.



Travis

I never really use that feature on my M1's but I can see how it could be handy. I did watch my dad use the magazine cut off on his Browning Auto Five to take out a field load of #6's and slip a Foster slug in to kill a deer once when I was a kid.

Not unlike intermittent wipers. Sounded stupid until I used them.

I may hunt 4-5 different fields in a morning that are never more than 1/4-1/2 mile apart. Handy as hell when I throw the gun and dog in the back a bunch of times.



Travis

Of the 2, I'd pick the M2 but I don't know if it would be my first choice overall unless it was only for waterfowl. I've been keeping my eye out for good deal on an older 1100 LT-20 magnum, but they aren't easy to come by.

ordered the m2 today. they tried to sell me the left hand m2 in stock, i told them i wanted to have an option to sell it instead of being buried with it. lol

You'll love it.



Travis

i hope it'll be UBER

Great line.

Benelli Lover here too; BUL 12 and 20. Both have been trouble and worry free; and death on both prairie birds and in the grouse woods here at home.

NB

Schazzle...

I'm a SxS guy but if a semiauto is in the cards, a Benelli Monty it is.

good luck. enjoy it. and if you want to test drive it at my place, lmk. i'll set up the pattern board for you.
btw....rockchucker...check your pm's. you coming?

Reference RIO7's suggestion.....

My favorite shotgun is a '63 vintage Browning Superposed 20 Pigeon Grade choked M/IC. It fits me as well as a custom fit could. Thanks to Benelli's adjustable stock feature,

I have the drop and cast of my Montrfeltro 20 set to duplicate that of the Browning. Not only that, I have through some southern engineering, set the drop and cast of a 12 ga 870 Wingmaster waring an ultralight weight barrel the same way.

Advantage is that I can switch between any of the three without giving gun fit a second thought. To each his own, but because of the longish Benelli receiver, I opted for a 24" barrel.

Best wishes,

Jack

Congrats on the new gun. I myself prefer the sx3 20ga. I've owned a 20ga Montefeltro, M1,and 2 M2's. I liked all of them. I bought my wife a sx3 20ga because it fit her better than my Benelli 20's. Once I used it some I sold all my 20ga Benelli's and use her sx3 20. I like it that much. I use it for rabbit,dove,and most of my duck hunting and goose hunting too. Anyone who is in the market for a good 20ga semi needs to handle the little Winchester before making their decision

I'd take the SX3 - mainly because if you need a part you can usually get one.. Benelli - not so much..

I've had a certain part backordered for months from Benelli and the distributor told me yesterday that they "...should be in any day now.." I've checked every place I can find and EVERYBODY'S out of 'em..

I've waited only 2 months - so far.. And I'm betting it'll be another two months.. Good thing the guy has other shotguns to use..

SX3 IMHO.

picked up the m2 today, why i waited this long to see the light ill never understand this nimble 20 ga. is the cat's azz

Good luck with the M2
They sure are Slim and trim aren't they!
My Montefeltro really feels nice in my hands and shoulders nicely.
I've been through 870's, 1100's, 11-87's, BPS's , and a 391
I would have saved a lot of time and money if I would have bought my Benelli's first.
I've seen the light!!

Too late to throw my vote in...but it would have been M2 and then I would have suggested looking at a Franchi Affinity if you wanted to save $$$ and have a similar setup.

You will be happy with that M2. Just learn how to avoid the "benelli click" and you will never have a problem. I learned that with my monte-12 the hard way.

I have killed a lot of birds with M2s and Montefeltros. Really nice and I shoot well with them. A 20 M2 is particularly nice and contrary to the previous poster, an over /,under won't necessarily improve your shooting. It is more about gun fit.

What is Benelli click?

The benelli click is when you bump the butt of the gun on the ground and it knocks the bolt out of battery. It won't fire the shell in the chamber because the the bolt face has rotated out of the locking lugs and is not touching the brass thus the fireing pin doesn't come close to the primer. It has happened to me too, pisses you off butyou learn to not do it and when you do, you hear it. In that case cycle the bolt half way back and let it slam shut.

Rockchucker, you will like the the gun and end up loving the gun the more you use it. The operation of it takes a little getting used to compared to other semis but when you do its better imo. Its easier to break down and clean in the field if it gets submerged or dropped in mud. Its a simpler design too, absolutely bullet proof. I have an M1 that I have hunted with for many years and a SBE that has been a rock star. Can't beat'em but the SX3 is a awesome gun too. You will love it.