Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns Inertia vs gas operated

Me too... About 25 years on one M1 and probably 18 years on the other and they are still chugging right along.

22 years and 30K interesting. I think I had 30K in about two years. Three M1's, one with over 100K and the other two are both north of 30K.

The M1's have no equal!

Can't speak for the M2 have never owned one, but the M1 runs fine in below zero without the need to learn to keep them operating. Have hunted Sea Ducks in Alaska, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Rhode Island. Divers and Puddlers in Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Montana, Tennessee, Texas, and Vermont. The gun has operated fine in all conditions. So it has seen plenty of very cold days.

One of the things with the inertia operated is they must be how do I word this properly backed up for the recoil system can work properly if they're not firmly against something to make them operate they will have problems. So for me tactical situation defense is out the window for one of those type it has to be a gas gun. I want my book actually a pump. Hunting you just got to make sure you get it properly shouldered. Sport shooting should be no issue at all

I have an M1S90 Tactical that I have tried to make choke and puke by shooting light loads with one hand only. Hasn't happened yet.

I guess they're not all created equal. But that's one of the selling points to the gas guns.

It’s probably a question that will not be settled with any degree of certitude here because, as in a women’s beauty, there are many differences of opinion.

I’ve had both types of guns over fifty years, when not carrying a double of some kind, including most of the Benelli’s and Berettas; also, Including the A400 more recently. There is an elegant gas-passer, no doubt about it...but heavy.

Much, in my opinion, comes down to the specific type of hunting. In my case, it’s specifically for pheasants in IA and SD, carrying the gun over miles of uneven or broken terrain In a day. Here, in my view, perhaps because I could be inclined toward laziness or weakness, I’ll carry an inertia gun every time if it’s a semi-auto. And I’ll carry the lightest inertia gun. Like the Benelli Ultralight. And in a 20,...though I have a 12 also.

The “gas guns” are much more complicated, thus heavier, and harder to clean well. Very few are not “clunky” in my hands. But, true, they are excellent in the standing shooting games where they soak up the recoil.

The inertia guns still amaze me, though, at their simplicity. I will admit to the heavy 12 ga. 2 3/4 loads to becoming wearing in the Ben Ultralight during a streak of heavy and fast shooting in the SD pheasant fields but that is “outweighed” easily over the long haul - literally - by their snap-shooting ability. Those very heavy upland loads are not really necessary anyway.

I will add an aside here regarding the Ben Ultralights and that is there is a serious problem with their proprietary recoil pads. They’ve been known to disintegrate on a new gun on the first pass through a field. And my two guns are less than two years old and both pads have had to be replaced. Benelli knows this and will ship a replacement pad quickly with no questions asked but that is not the answer. They need to address the problem which I presume they are.

Who's selling point?

Thank you sir!!!

Your M1 runs better than the Super Black Eagles that are part of our Arkansas flooded timber hunts. No doubt, they shoot pretty well, but they certainly aren’t flawless. The best Benelli in the group is a Cordova. I have seen the Super Black Eagles hang up on occasions. Heck, just about every type of gun used has hung up or quit, over the years. I believe that even the Benelli guys in our group would admit that the Berettas have performed the best, over the 20 years that we have been duck hunting in Arkansas. The Berettas also behave a bit better with 3” or 3 1/2” shells. Nonetheless, everyone has their favorites, and everything pretty much works. I wouldn’t trade my old 390 or a new in box SBE III, or an A400.

I have had Beretta that are gas operated, and Beneli that are inertial operated.

I sold all the Benelli due to excessive recoil.

Beretta does not jam in cold and wet duck hunting, even freezing....lots of guys repeating crap they have no first hand experience with.

whole family hunting ducks and geese in Minn would disagree with this statement.

This IS a highly Chevy, Ford, Dodge type of thread......…......…

Granted, I don't have 10K rounds through either of my Winchester gassers yet, but I'll toss a small sales pitch for the function of said guns.

I bought my SX2 the year they came out. It's a 3 1/2" gun. I have shot everything (in quantity) through it from 7/8 oz. junkers that Walmart used to sell, to 3 1/2" steel and lead loads. When I got the gun, I had read of its reliability. So, I decided to not clean it in any manner until it had a failure to feed, fire or eject. After 7 years, I started to feel guilty and I tore it down and wiped it down on the inside a little. It never did nor has failed to function in any way...….clean OR 7 years filthy.

The SX3 has also never hiccupped or burped.

I'm a fan.

No doubt that both the 390 and 391 are awesome guns. I have owned both. I can't speak for the A400 yet as I have not shot enough rounds out of one but overall opinion is it is a fine gun as well. But the reality is that a Benelli M1 is a whole lot less maintenance than a gas gun. I only clean my gun when it gets wet. I don't shoot 3-1/2" shells and have zero reason to ever start. If someone can't kill it with a 3" shell they might want to practice some and or make better shot choices.

Yes Brand wise sure. But the Inertia vs Gas isn't a brand thing it is an actual functional difference.

I'll repeat this, most Benelli issues I hear of are the SBE series.

Nothing, from Canada to LA, has been as dead nuts reliable for me on waterfowl, in all conditions, as a Browning Auto 5, period. I’ve owned Benelli SBEs, M1s, Beretta 390/391 and others, Remingtons, and more. I’ve had to fix or fiddle with all of them to keep them running...mine and those of others in the blind, enough times that I generally stay with one of my Mag 12 stalkers. If I was hiking miles for pheasant, grouse, chukar.....general upland, there’s lighter choices. Even then, a SW16 ain’t half bad, and a Superlight 20ga Auto 5 was maybe the perfect quail gun. Regardless, none of the other types have the moving mass to defeat the crap thrown at a waterfowl gun, without at least constant maintenance. If you care for them daily, most will run fine unless the ice/grit/stubble/mud monkeys show up.....gas/inertia....doesn’t matter. Horses for courses and all that. JME.

I bought an inertia driven Girsan MC312 (made in Turkey) that has been flawless. For a little over $350 you can't go wrong. It looks a lot like a Benelli (probably a copy). If you end up not liking it you can give it to your BIL for Christmas. If it was trash I would have moved it down the road but I honestly cannot find anything wrong with it.

Some people complained the original SBE shot low for them. (not mine) They changed the rib to address this on the SBE2.

A lot of people complain that the SBE3 shoots very high. Apparently this has to do with them changing the Comfortec stock and making it too flexible,

Yes inertia guns have a little more bump to them than gas guns, which have smoother, sort of a "longer" recoil impulse. (they both kick less than a pump gun or a single or SxS)

What I like about inertia guns is they're simple. No o-rings, valves, pistons, ports.

Two weeks ago I sold one of my M2's. I still have two M2's, an SBE & SBE 2. I''ve had ONE "Benelli click' in countless thousands of rounds. The very first round I tried to fire with my original SBE. (That was a wonderful feeling.. "What did I buy!?") Because I slowly closed the bolt rather than letting go with some oomph. IIRC this is more of an issue with the older guns (M1, original SBE) and was addressed to some degree since then.


The correct answer to gas or inertia is "yes". You should own both. And long recoil. Maybe even short recoil if you can find one.

My 2 cents, and I use shotguns heaps for shooting hogs mainly

I love both Gas and Inertia. And I have both. A Benelli M2 and a Beretta Xtrema Plus.

I think Gas guns are better when Im shooting in Dusty conditions. I find Inertia guns play up when they get a little dust while gas guns keep going.

But if theres no dust than the Inertia will go far longer than the Gas.

So it depends what you do.

Gas is Normally less recoiling. But has more parts to go wrong.

I use my Inertia Gun more as its a true work horse. Gas gun comes out when its dusty which is common in Australia.


Check out my Benelli M2 in Action:
Watch "OFAC Outback Feral Animal Control" on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoaGE_aVOaRZdTI99asFBsA

Browning Auto 5
Remington 1100