Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns Think I may now be a Benelli whore

Last night got a Benelli supersport performance shop 12ga . Awesome is an understatement In my opinion

Yeah most of my shotguns are Benelli's....Welcome to the club 👍......Hb

Never Heard Of Benelli! They any good?

They are a step up from a Maverick 88...

Unless you like mini shells or shorties

Well... I do have a coup!e Wingmasters and an 870P. With that said, I don't have any use for the stubby shells. So my M1S90's rock on!

😁😁😁

You'll never get my M1 Super 90 away from me.

Super Black Eagles Matter....

Must be....most all the gun manufacturers are copying Benellis rotary bolt.

I handled a SBE 3 in 20 gauge. It was a revelation, it Felt that good . They are going to sell a ton of those.

No doubt they are way over priced....simplicity of design isn't supposed to cost more.

And Benelli copied the Winchester rotary bolt.

You mean inertia system and they were not the originators of that either.

“Over-priced” is as over-priced does. Simple, high-quality SA’s that are generally lighter than the competition.

A mid-December SD pheasant hunt with blowing sleet and snow shut down SA Remingtons, Brownings, pump guns and even the O/U’s failed to eject, while my Ultralight got to the finish line without a hiccup.

As has been my experience with multiple models for decades.

No I meant the rotary bolt head on a semi automatic shotgun.
No doubt that Benneli didn't invent the inertia system or the rotary bolt in a semi auto shotgun....they just perfected it.

Which Winchester semi automatic shotgun had a rotary bolt head ?

1200 pump and 1300 SA.

My mistake, the 1300 was a pump also.

You win a prize...honestly I never gave a Winchester 1200 a second look. They had a 4 lug rotary bolt...ARs have a rotary bolt head....I'm sure the list goes on and on.

Maybe I should have said "Benelli perfected it"...why you think the Beretta A400 and the new Browning A5 along with several others using it...

Not because Winchester used a similar bolt in a junky 1200.

The 1400 was a SA with a rotary bolt.

And Wayne Mays set skeet records with it..

Another unsuccessful gun.

No disagreement there....but that wasn’t the question.

I'm sure he could have set records with a Mossturd....still a junk gun.

I don't remember asking a question I just made a statement that other manufacturers such as the new Browning A5 and the A400 along with several others are patterning parts of their operating system on the Benelli M1.

I been shooting a Benelli SBE for over 20 years without so much as a bobble (unless you shoot one ounce loads).
I've owned a couple of A400s I don't care for the long forearm or the clunky feel of the gun when it cycles by hand.

The new Browning A5 is a good feeling well made gun I'll never buy one because they don't offer it in left hand.

I shoot and own others but deep down I'm a Benneli whore and proud of it.

Dang you got me again...another question.

Are you a Benelli whore or do you just lust after them ?

No, I think they are a fine SA....however, prefer the A400 for less recoil, since I shoot one more than a little..

I've never been recoil shy or had target panic (the dreaded flinch)...

My pieced together 1980s Winchester 101 XTR sporting clay gun makes some people flinch just looking at it.

Neither did I....until I did. Only happens on clays. Although it is a visual issue and not recoil. Usually occurs when the hold point is bad.

There is a reason most shoguns follow Benelli’s action configuration.

And it isn’t because Berreta bought them.

Tell me why, some of you think the Benalli is the best in a semi auto?

I’ve shot them, and found them to offer little over some others. Especially for clays.

Addition : Would Be interested in how many rounds you have shot out of your Benelli.

Know one guy here who has shot his more than a little, but curious about the rest of you.

I have a Benelli M2. I’ve shot it a good bit. I don’t necessarily think they are the best semi-autos, especially not for clays. What I like about mine over say a Beretta, is in the field hunting. They are slimmer, lighter, run dirtier and are easier to strip down and clean. Plus, I don’t feel as bad beating it up while duck hunting. Just feels better to me in my hands. I have Beretta A400’s as well and they are softer shooting and nice guns. Much better for a round of sporting clays as far as recoil, but I’ve never found the M2 overly abrasive. I doubt Beretta cares which one puts money in their pocket.

This example I talked about in the original post it's supposed to have whatever all done to it and engineered for less recoil. It does have less felt recoil to me than many other shotguns I have. A friend of mine has an A400 with the kickoff it does shoot softer than this super sport but not just a lot. My super sport for me kicks less than my Citori CX

I don't use either of my two M1's for clays. I hunt them, hard. And they never quit on me, be it hot, bone dry, dusty as hell or have a 1\4" of ice frozen along the top two thirds of the gun in single digit temperature's they don't choke.

M2 12 gauge is about the perfect weight for shotgun for me. They are really a simple design. They balance really well. I shoot them as well or better than anything else. I usually use mine for hunting and not dedicated clays but have used them for clays on occasion and probably have 20,000 rounds through Benelli shotguns.

I have a friend that was shooting leagues and registered shoots and tried several clays guns and about 15 years ago settled on a Benelli Super Sport, which I'm sure has at least 100,000 rounds through it now--probably a lot more. He had a stroke a few years ago and doesn't shoot as much because he now has no peripheral vision but still consistently shoots around 65-70% with that gun at Sporting Clays. Though because of the lack of vision on anything crossing, he often asks, "Did I hit that target?" "Yeah, you hit it."

I've been tempted to get a Super Sport like my friend's gun and use it for clays but they've gotten hard to find.

If I could only have one gun (rifle, pistol or shotgun), it would be a Benelli M2 or Montefeltro. My M2 will put three slugs to point of aim and into 3" at 75 yards if I center the bead in the rib. Also works for birds, clays, etc. And I would expect it to work for defense if needed, too.

Tell me why, some of you think the Benalli is the best in a semi auto? They are not. But they are hands down the best inertia semi auto.

I’ve shot them, and found them to offer little over some others. Especially for clays. Hands down the worst choice for Clays!

Would Be interested in how many rounds you have shot out of your Benelli. Well over 200K

I'll add that they give up a lot because of the inertia operating system. However you gain reliability in any conditions over a gas operated system. Nobody and I mean nobody shoots an inertia gun better than a gas gun. Please don't fool yourselves or show ignorance on that! It is the equivalence of saying you can shoot a heavy recoiling rifle or handgun better than you can one with little recoil.

I was waiting for the one guy I know.....

My opinion is purely based on field use, not clays or any competitive shooting, which would no doubt change my mind. While far shy of 200k rounds, I’ve shot somewhere south of 10k through Ben’s in the years since I first had the M1.

The Beretta A400 is a smooth shooting, handsome SA but much more complex and heavier than the Ben I could choose for the uplands; weight is a premium consideration for me. Plus, I put some import as a lefty on reversible or ambidextrous safeties. The Beretta does not have one, short of a certified gunsmith doing the job, and neither does the new Browning A5 16 for example (interestingly, the old Browning Double auto had one built into the rear of the trigger guard). The Ben SA’s do.

I do at least give a nod toward those who consider us lefties.

I know my AL390 does fine with loads that choke my buddies Benelli.
He gave me some light 3/4oz (I think) loads for a church shoot.
His Benelli wouldn't function with them, his SKB O/U wouldn't always reset
the trigger. He figured they would be nice for the women in a pump.
I tried some in the 390, it was fine. The ladies loved it.

One had a Mossberg 20gauge. Because 20's don't kick.😉

A couple rounds through the Beretta and she was lobbying her
husband for a new gun.

By this Theory over and under shotgun should not be able to be shot worth a damn. But most people recognize a shotgun fits people that's a lot to do with how they shoot it in perceived recoil. Letters the word perceived not on a calculator how a person feels it to their shoulder. There's also some people that laugh at the idea as people age or left eye dominance can change to the right eye. Same kind of people think the more money you spend on a shotgun the better you are. Neither one of these type of people I've ever been left eye dominant right-handed and struggle with shotgun shooting.

I have several benellis including a new 20, Ga SBE III. Two of em have killed more ducks than 99.99% of people living on this planet have ever seen.

I rarely take my benellis for clays. Got other scatter guns for that purpose. But when I leave out for duck camp, those guns don't make the trip.

By this Theory over and under shotgun should not be able to be shot worth a damn.

Wrong, Gas isn't the only way to tame felt recoil and muzzle jump.

[quote=battue] Tell me why, some of you think the Benalli is the best in a semi auto?

I’ve shot them, and found them to offer little over some others. Especially for clays.

Addition : Would Be interested in how many rounds you have shot out of your Benelli.

Know one guy here who has shot his more than a little, but curious about the rest of you. [/quot e]

Most shotgun Benelli/Beretta semi-auto shotgun discussions can be broken down to clay shooters vs. bird hunters. I will agree with Battue on his choice of migrating to a Beretta 400 (I’ll add a 391 to this category). A Beretta is a much softer recoiling gun than the Benelli. This point becomes magnified when tournament shooting up to 300 rounds per day. On the other hand, in a hunting situation where firing maybe 1/10th of the rounds of a competition scenario, is where the Benelli shines. The sleet, snow, mud elements in a hunting scenario potentially effect the cycling of an inertia gun (Benelli) less than a gas operated gun (Beretta). The softer shooting aspect of the Beretta is the reason why so many more are seen in the sporting clay, skeet and trap competition than Benelli’s. On the other hand, the reliability of Benelli’s in a hunting scenario is why you will see proportionally more of this model in the field than a Beretta. The but to this is that both guns can and do crossover their intended discipline. My two cents and yes I own and shoot both. But since I shoot more sporting clays than birds, I own more Beretta’s. Then I muddied the waters and bought a Krieghoff.

Mechanically there can be little argument the Benelli should win the reliability race..However, I have a A400 with around 30,000 rounds that has malfunctioned less than 10 times. And I think the actual number is 5 or 6. And two of them were with the first two boxes of shells. Cleaning is essentially wiping the internals off after a couple thousand rounds. Other than that it get an outside wipedown. One of those ugle blue ones...What was Beretta thinking?



Careful there are Sharks and Gators in that water.

Which raises another question...Does one point and shoot better with an O/U or a single barrel Beretta or Benelli?

After swimming in your same water, I've come out on the side of the single barrel. Little doubt I point better and "see" more with a single barrel shotgun. And for clays a couple of the sharks are going down the road because of it.

As far as the comment re; some think they shoot better with an expensive shotgun...The cost is not the question for most. Since the beginning, hunters and shooters have had an appreciation for firearms that are better and nicer than run of the mill. Evidenced by the gold wire and decorations that were placed on the original wheel locks. The intricate carvings that sometimes were placed on the wood. In more recent times engraving. Most know they will not shoot any better. However back in time, and like now, I'm sure shooters sat around the fire and admired what then was considered the best of the day. The old Mountain Men we are told, all wanted and found pride in a Hawken rifle. The difference is having an appreciation of something that was made to the highest standards.

(Rifle shooters here often show more than a few high end rifles with $2000 scopes all lined up for a picture. Yet great shotguns are often looked at as an unnecessary extravagance.)

The reason I added the 391 comment is due to the fact I have one with over 80K rounds thru the gun. Regularly changed the springs every 5-8K. A little plug to J&P springs as the sell an upgraded spring kit for les than $50. Saw zero issues when the springs were regularly changed. I am amazed at the number of people shooting these types of semi-auto that never change the recoil springs in their guns. Not doing this leads to excessive wear of the mechanism. As to point-ability, I would say that’s subjective. I used a stock 391 years ago and won at the state and even placed 2nd at Nationals in AA. The only modifications to the 391 during my competitive days was an 8 ounce front cap weight and 8 ounces in the butt stock. Later in life I moved thru several different brands on o/u before settling on a K80. I shot/shoot this type gun well and I think it has to do with the weight of this gun. But… I added a K20 to the stable. With the K20 I believe I could also be sending a few down road. Of course that will never happen because I have children and grandchildren that can use these tools.

A K20 is almost perfect...Perfect is a MX28 on the 28 frame...

Or perhaps a Model 12 16 gauge. Few are it equal for balance and reliability.

Point taken.
Or, I might add a K20 with a 28gauge barrel. Point made. LOL
Now we have the age old discussion of P vs. K.

Same with other types too...

You mean Ferrari or Mack truck?

The MX28-B I have weighs exactly 6# with 30” barrels and fixed chokes. It will go in my coffin with me!

A Model 12 16 gauge and Benelli M2 are in the same category for me and though they feel a little different, both balance similarly to me. My two favorite shotguns.

Then put me in the ignorant category. I've put 50,000 rounds combined though a couple of 391 Sporting guns. My scores picked up by several targets per round when I quit the 391s. My friend that likely has over 100,000 through his Benelli Super Sport switched from a 391 also, though he most often uses a Browning Superposed for hunting. These days I most often use a Citori CXS for sporting because I can use 1200 fps 1 oz loads without malfunction though have considered switching to a Benelli for sporting on occasion. That would allow me to use the same platform for sporting and hunting. For me, few gas guns handle as well as a good inertiangun.

I would not chalk up the improvement in scores to the inertia operating system. The gun probably fits you better. 1oz loads cycle just fine through Benelli's.

Can you spell BACK PETAL Z

No back petal Sorry I actually have the experience shooting a Benelli in Competition more then a little. The fact of the matter is you can't change physics.

Are you kind of did the gun probably fit you better was your exact words that's exactly what I said earlier in these threads. And no you're not the only person with real experience I love how some of you guys think you're the only person ever done s*** your f****** hilarious

Fit and gun balance. For me, Benelli's balance better than most gas guns. You can't change physics.

WOW +P on the stupid level........ I love it when people think they can change Physics or Reinvent the wheel. So please share how many Big Blast have you shot, Class, Wins?

Never said I was a professional shotgun shooter I live very close to several world-class shotgun shooting the facilities. Played more than a little. Go back and read through the thread other people telling you the same basic thing. You want to keep running your mouth and trying to belittle me won't you just show up down here with Bob at VanZant Missouri and shoot with us and give us some lessons and give me a personal tongue-lashing I'd like to see this

Nobody can top you! But trust me I am lmao. I have shot plenty in your neck of the woods. World Class, you don't get out much and it shows! A few really nice lodges in you AO, but hardly world class targets. So I'll take it you are not an NSCA member, have not shot a big blast, and well haven't traveled much on the Sporting Clays circuit. I'll take you up on your offer to come on down there. Buy me a plane ticket and put me up in that fancy lodge! I would come down there no problem.

Nobody can top you! But trust me I am lmao. I have shot plenty in your neck of the woods. World Class, you don't get out much and it shows! A few really nice lodges in you AO, but hardly world class targets. So I'll take it you are not an NSCA member, have not shot a big blast, and well haven't traveled much on the Sporting Clays circuit. I'll take you up on your offer to come on down there. Buy me a plane ticket and put me up in that fancy lodge! I would come down there no problem.
[/quote]
Buy me buy me = chicken [bleep] ... world class like you should be no issue to come show me ..

Buy me buy me = chicken [bleep] ... world class like you should be no issue to come show me .. [/quote]

Show me where I said i was world class! But yeah I have shot more then a little in Big Blast tournaments. Have even won class in a few. Gotten my azz handed to me in many. I have real world experience and am smart enough to know that you can not defy the laws of physics. chicken? Hardly buy me that ticket and put me up and I'll be there! Of course I nor anyone else would just drop everything and pay to go to you. Put up or shut up, ticket and lodging and I am there, it's as simple as that!

Show me where I said i was world class! But yeah I have shot more then a little in Big Blast tournaments. Have even won class in a few. Gotten my azz handed to me in many. I have real world experience and am smart enough to know that you can not defy the laws of physics. chicken? Hardly buy me that ticket and put me up and I'll be there! Of course I nor anyone else would just drop everything and pay to go to you. Put up or shut up, ticket and lodging and I am there, it's as simple as that!
[/quote]
Got your card called and you're too chickenshit to back it up. Read back through all the replies and he will understand Maybe. Likely not

Got your card called and you're too chickenshit to back it up. Read back through all the replies and he will understand Maybe. Likely not[/quote]

There are plenty of guys on here that know me pretty well and know I'll show up. Like I said put up or shut up...........

Still have the M1 super 90 with wood stocks I bought in june of 1994 26" barrel. It just fit me perfect. I have other guns that I like also but that M1 will do it all. Allways thought the 3 rd mag and short forend made it handle so well. And truth be known it will sneak a extra rd. Mb

Benelli fan, count me in, especially the ultralight for upland.

That should be a winner....

Although Beretta also makes an A400 20 gauge that carries easy...

Addition: One thing I have noticed is the Benelli almost without fail works out of the box...I have noticed some of the A400's that may require a spring adjustment. Can be aggravating, but an easy fix..

My first Benelli was an M2 I bought in the early 2000s and didn't work well out of the box. The dimension in the receiver where round comes out of the magazine was to tight for the rims of a lot of ammo. After a couple of trips to Benelli and them polishing some out, I took it to a gunsmith who used a Dremel to take more out. It worked with all but a couple of brands of ammo after that. It seems Fiocchi and Estate may not have worked in it. Regardless, I hunted that more than any gun I owned for 15 years or so and then gave it to a friend.

I'm a fan but I know from experience that not all Benellis work out of the box. With that said, I haven't had a problem with a Benelli since.

If your not a proud Benelli whOre then why bother posting under this thread.....the variety of guns I've owned in my life time could fill up a box car.

I'm think it safe to say the most of anyone brand I've owned were Benelli.

I've owned 3 or 4 M1 Super 90s' a couple of 24" one 26" a couple of the short tactical models with ghost sights one that even pumped or shot semi auto and currently own two left hand late model SBE 1's (after the vent rib change) both with 24" mobile choked barrels I also have a later 28" crio barrel that I use on them and I had a later model a SBE II 26" I bought for my grandson....

The haters can hate all they want but it won't change the fact that even with the current the Benelli designers trying to 'F' it up the M1 action will go down in gun history as one of if not the best semi auto designs that could rival John Brownings designs.

The only bobble I've ever had out of any of the Beneills I've owned was when I shot 1oz loads out of them.

If you had problems it most likely because you never met jAck Chit.

for LFC, Benellis suck. They're terrible.

For everyone else, Benelli's are great. If I could have only one gun, it would be an M2.

Love my Benellis. I started with an M1 and added a Montefeltro later. I can’t even imagine the number of dove, quail, and turkey that have been taken with them. Wouldn’t trade their effectiveness or reliability for anything else.

A while back I put the Sure Cycle system in both of my SBE's. One gun I turkey hunt with and only shoot magnum loads in the other I shoot lighter ammo.

I shot sporting clays with one of them yesterday and it wouldn't cycle with 1&1/8 oz. 1200 fps Winchester target ammo that I bought at Walmart....if I loaded a1&1/8 oz. 1275fps Remington Heavy dove first it worked lawlessly. I talked with Sure Cycle yesterday and they are working on a solution in the mean time I put the factory recoil spring and tube back on my gun.

Why did you swap out the factory parts for the Sure Cycle?

New Benelli M2 just arrived!

Not sure....I guess I just liked the idea of having a stainless steel spring housing....one is a 2000 model the other is a 2004 model.

I have heard of salt water waterfowlers swapping that out becuase of rust issues. Personally I never worried about it and I hunt my two M1's hard in all sorts of weather. Neither one of them has ever choked.

About 10 years ago I decided to take my SBE completly down and give it a good cleaning/lube job. I bought ithis gun new in 2000 and never had any malfunctions with it.
I was shocked to see the recoil spring rusted really bad so I replaced the recoil spring. I read somewhere later that you should replace the recoil and magazine spring e every 3 or 4 years.

The gun had only been in the rain a few times Turkey hunting over the years.

Strange thing I noticed on the Sure Cylce instructions was they recomended no lubrication.

I pull the stock off my M1's every couple of years and flush that spring assembly out with some brake cleaner, then use compressed air to dry it and then spray it with Rem Oil or some light lubricant like that. I'll let the excess drain/dry and slip the stock back on. No isues after about 25 years of use.

Sure Cycle never got back with me on correcting the issue....so I took matters in my own hands.
I took the Sure Cycle system apart the plunger is redesigned and the recoil spring in it is about an inch shorter than the factory spring I layed my factory spring down beside the shorter spring and clipped it off. Put in the shortened factory spring in and put it all back together and went to my gun club....test shot it 8 or 10 times with a mixed lot of 1oz and 1&1/8oz shells.

Went back the next day with a couple of shooting buddies and shot over 100 rds of Sporting with three brands of mixed ammo ranging from two different 1 ounce loads to two different 1&1/8th ounce loads with zero malfunctions.

My buddy was shooting his A400....he had at least 4 or 5 (maybe more) fail to fire issues. Several times it was just lightly denting the primer mainly on the second shot....He's had the A400 anout 2 years I don't think I have ever shot with him that it didn't have some kind of firing or feeding issue.

100 rounds...that many. Been signed off now?

Now that we have moved into campfire bragging rights and put downs... ....I'll post this one up, A400....At least 20......20,000 without a flub....over 20 flats this summer...Nothings been replaced....however, about to change out some springs....and I would bet on it in the Duck blind also....

Get back after 20.....






(There is a Groundhog under the Deck that has to go...It is driving poor Merlot crazy.)

What's with the tape...stock cracked already ?

Nope...want more grip..and Rudy Etchen flinch reducer. ( It works....sometimes )

For those who never heard of "Rudy"

https://www.joeletchenguns.com/remembering-mr-870