Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns Ethos....thoughts?

Has anyone bought and shot a new Ethos yet? I like the Benelli's having shot the SBE and the Montifeltro's but I really like what this seems to be.

Any feedback appreciated.


Mark

I just picked one up today and shot a case of shells thru it.

First impressions, its gorgeous, and LIGHT.

I got a 26� version, would have preferred the 28� but got this NIB in a trade and it was kind of hard to pass up. To be a dedicated skeet or clays gun I think you will have to add a little weight.

The progressive comfort system really does work. I was very impressed at the lack of recoil in a 6.5 pound 12ga. If felt softer on my shoulder than my buddies a400 excel, even with the excel having kickoff, gas operation, and weight on its side. I also really liked the way the carbon fiber vent rib kept the heat mirage down.

Over all I think this is an excellent shotgun and going to be their flagship for the next several years. I�m really looking forward to some of the accessories that they come out with for this model to come. I definitely see the value in a weighted end cap as a little more weight up front wouldn�t help it swing a little better. I also would like mine to be about 1/4-3/8" longer LOP.

my montefeltro may go down the road for one of these... Sexy shotgun. the price tag is holding me back though.

Hope they work well-and being a Benelli, I'm sure they will-however, no matter how many violins they strum while you are parting with your money, they are flat out ugly.

ugly and sexy opinions... It all depends on if you think Marilyn Monroe is truly sexy or if you like something a little more edgy like Megan Fox with some tats & piercings.

I like the engineering features behind it and the look is different, but it hides the recoil reduction pads and they solved the benelli click too.

FYI - look for big sporting goods shops that have try before you buy events. Reeds sporting Goods in MN did it and avoided it this weekend... because I know I would spend at least $1000 minimum.

No doubt to each his own, however classic always has appeal.

Each generation has it "thang" and that is what they are catering to. Zoot suits, duct tail hair, polyester jackets, car fins and tie died t-shirts being examples that couldn't stand the test of time.

However, the new recoil systems on Benelli and Beretta are very nice.

Yuh huh.

Roseanne Barr could be the best in the sack that ever lived. Ya still gotta look at her.

The lines of the Ethos are NOT my cup o' tea. Nor is the price point.

There are a lot of DARNED fine autos (with more tolerable aesthetics) to be had new for 1/2 that money.

Josh, thanks for the report. I'm looking at right shoulder repair, and my "classic" doubles may be going down the road. I was excited to read the writeup in American Rifleman, and your report confirms what they said.

The guns aren't cheap, but you get a lot for the money. The Ethos comes with nice wood, and shims to adjust the stock to the shooter. That saves you having to have the stock bent to fit you.

Making a magazine gun more muzzle-heavy is not difficult, and you don't have to wait for the factory accesory. Just replace the plug with a brass rod, and you're there.

Have you seen Roseanne barr lately? Shes lost a lot of weight and looks much better after moving to hawaii and taking up farming.

The ethos has a look, but I'm sure some people think a Browning A5 looks hideous if you like the remington 870 profile.

Its product marketing too... you have to make it stand out a little so people can buy it and show it off and be recognized. Ever see clothing with a under armorer logo and its has no performance connection to what the clothing line started out as (T-shirts, ball cps, etc.)

I'll buy when it is offered in 20 ga!!

I still think that this is an excellent shotgun. I like the way it worked, I liked the way it looked but try as I might I couldn�t get it to fit me as well as the a400. The lack of available LOP adjustment and fact that I had a 26� barrel version kept this from being what I really needed. It would be an excellent field gun, but for a dedicated skeet and 5 stand gun it wasn�t ideal.

I had picked the ethos up in a trade and traded the ethos for a 32� A400 Xcel. The Xcel fits me better and the longer barrels swing better for a sporting gun. I think that they are both excellent shotguns and if the ethos I got had came with a longer barrel and had been available LOP adjustments I would have kept it.

Sorry I never got back to this, been busy the last week or so.

Thank you all for your comments on the new gun. I personally find it a visually appealing shotgun and everything I have seen in print and here on the post confirm what I had hoped.
Josh, thanks for the comments on the barrel length vs weight. I prefer a 26" bbl for the thicker stuff in northern MI and here in PA but will have to take that into consideration when I investigate them further.

Mark

Dude !!!!!!! No !!!!

Just NO................

I'm not sayin.. I'm just sayin man...

I remember seeing an interview of her at her hawaiian farm complaining about the wild hogs and they showed her take a shot at one with a shotgun!

Its nice to see a celebrity bucking the PC trend!

Well, I reread the American Rifleman article and it says the LOP is adjustable with factory furnished recoil pad inserts. You can have 15", 14.5", and 13.8" IIRC. Add that to three barrel lengths and three comb heights, and 5 choke tubes from cylinder to full, the gun is pretty flexible. That, and the ability to shoot 3" shells down to 7/8 oz trainer loads without adjusting anything.

I see the orthopedist next week. If the fixed breech guns have to go, an Ethos may be on order.

I went on one of the pre-introduction field trials of the Ethos. Several of us shot in South Africa, which rivals Argentina for the abundance of wingshooting, the variety is even better. We mostly shot wild doves and pigeons that were raiding crop fields, but also shot some other stuff, notably guinea fowl, which are a lot like even bigger pheasants. (Yes, guinea fowl were originally wild African birds. There are three species over there.)

Anyway, it was hot and dusty, and we shot a LOT. I put around 800 rounds through one of the guns one day, and it never missed a lick. The ONLY malfunction anybody had all week (and there were a dozen people shooting) was when a 1/4" pebble somehow got inside the action of one of the guns. It was quickly found and removed.

I also didn't suffer any more from recoil than I have when shooting 20-gauges on Argentina doves, which ain't bad for a 6-1/2 pound 12 gauge. The only "damage" was a slightly red spot a little bigger than a quarter, where my cotton shirt rubbed my shoulder while mounting the gun so many times.

I was impressed, and ended up with my own Ethos. There are a LOT of uses for a 6-1/2 pound 12-gauge semiauto here in Montana, as well as in other parts of North America. I prefer side-by-sides to repeaters, but am not a double snob!

the adjustment pieces and combs will be available sometime later this year but are not i country at this time. I called and was told at earliest it would be end of may.

Thanks for the feedback all, I have been pretty busy with work and not been on much lately.
I apologize once again for not being more responsive to your inputs.

Mark