Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns SBE3 or SX4?

Both are great. Pick the one that feels best and fits best. I love the Benellis because they feel and fit perfectly. I love the SX3 too though but the stock has a different pitch just like the Browning and the recoil is felt in my lower peck. A inertia gun supposedly kicks more but recoil is more about the fit and shape of the stock vs your body shape. I have a Browning gold that is heavier than either my sbe1 and my M1 and recoil is felt more with it and it's a gas gun. Fit and feel my man,,, they are all reliable and we'll made.

Recently got both the SX4 and SBE3.. also have A400s in 12, 20 and 28.. for some reason I shoot the SX4 much better than the SBE3 and get great patterns with the SX4 with a IM Win Inv+ Flush Choke.. noticeably less recoil with the SX4 - as expected - gas vs inertia.. The SX4 12 ga recoil is close to my Beretta A400 20ga Extreme Plus.. with target and the field bismuth shells I load..

Depends.

I don't have an SBE3, but have Browning A5 and Benelli M2s, which are intertia. And have several Winchester SX4s and Browning Silvers, are are essentially the same.

The SBE3 is inertia and the SX4 is gas. If you're going to actually be shooting the 3.5" shells, the SX4 will be the more comfortable gun to shoot. Felt recoil is significantly less with the gas gun. I can tolerate more shooting of heavy 3.5" loads out of my SX4s and Maxus IIs then I can out of my A5. Shooting 3.5" shells out of an inertia gun can quite literally be a bruising experience.

Any 3.5" gun will be less reliable with light 7/8oz loads, should you get the itch to shoot them. But my SX4 cycles them better than my A5.

Inertia guns are a breeze to clean. But its just not that hard to clean a gas gun. The SX4 breaks down very easily and is very easy to clean.

The Winchester SX4 is made by Browning in the same Browning plant that produces the A5, Maxus II and Silver. The SX4 is a well made, robust gun that will serve you well. I hunt more with my SX4 Universal 24" gun than any other shotgun I have. I've used it for deer, turkey and small game.

The SX4 is going to be a lot less expensive than the SBE3. A lot. Like half. I don't see anything about the SBE3 that justifies a $2,000+ price. But it is a nice gun and I would not rule one out for myself.

I have a 3.5 SX3 for a few years now. Very reliable

another vote for Maxus

The Maxus II is a great gun. My favorite is actually the 3" Hunter version. It's very light, a pleasure to carry, and handles light loads well.

Something to consider is the ability to adjust cast and drop with shims. If those aren’t right for you, hits are just a matter of being lucky misses. My Benelli and Beretta guns can be adjusted to fit and hit. Don’t know about the others.