17 replies to this topic

[CA Desert Dog]

I am really dreaming about a nice Benneli 12-gauge mega-thumper. Is there anybody out there that has good, solid knowledge regarding this shotgun. Also, does anybody own one of the new fast Winchester auto-loading shotguns? I'd like to get some honest opinions regarding both of these shotguns.

[Moe]

I bought a Benelli Super Black Eagle 3 1/2" gun because I'd heard so much about it and at the time it was the only 3 1/2" gun on the market. It shot poorly patterning about a foot to the right and about 18" low at 30 yards. I contacted Benelli USA and they wouldn't even look at it. The older model also had the safety at the back of the trigger guard and when I shot the gun it dug into my middle finger to the point the bone was exposed. I called Briley to ask about making a choke that would correct the pattern and they said they'd do it for $150 per choke. I took the gun to the clay target club in Gervais and asked some other people to shoot it and their results were like mine. I sold the gun for half of what I paid for it and bought a Winchester SuperX2 that I love. I've had it out in the worst conditions, wet, sub zero, Texas (lol), and it has yet to fail me. I'm fond of the Brownings and especially the Berettas. I know that Benelli has made changes to their guns but what still stands out in my mind is that they refused to even look at the one I bought. I guess if you have one and aren't having problems you'll never know about their poor service. I think part of the problem is that Benelli USA is only a distributor while the guns are made in Italy.

[Jeff]

My buddy shoots the SX3 and it's still the lightest autoloader I've held/swung (I do believe it only comes in 3" though, but not 100% sure). Other than that, it jams more often than the 11-87 I shoot, and my buddy dropped it out duck hunting one day recently and it bent the gas rod to the point where you couldn't even cycle the bolt - it only fell from his lowered hand, so ~2 feet to the grass. Should not have bent in my opinion.Benelli's - People swear by Benelli's, but I also blame that on marketing.If I were to buy a new autoloader tomorrow it would be a Beretta Xtrema.

[tawnoper]

If I were to buy a new autoloader tomorrow it would be a Beretta Xtrema.

+1

[CA Desert Dog]

Thanks guys. Honest, experienced feedback is always so much better than ad hype.

[5150Marcelo]

I use my Benelli M1S90. Works excellent for me. Just use the propper choke. The thing cycles and shoots flawlessly.

[Moe]

+1

I have to say that if I were in the market for a new shotgun I'd be looking at the Beretta Extrema, too. One thing I like about the Berettas is that for me they shoulder perfectly with no modifications. I haven't done much waterfowling since my lab died a few years back but when I did I hunted with a few guys who were shooting the Beretta 3 1/2" gun and I was supremely impressed by it. The only reason I got the Winchester is because Beretta hadn't yet started making a 3 1/2" gun. But....the SuperX2 and my Browning Gold Hunter have been great guns, too.

[ehd]

i just talked to a buddy of mine that just bought a n Extrema. shoots way to the left. He talked to a couple other guys that have the same problem. I think now days you got to get lucky with any brand!!

[Soreloser]

Beretta Xtrema 2 7.5lbWinchester SX3 7.4lbBenelli Vinci 6.9lbBenelli SBE II 7.3lbSince my personal opinion is that 3.5" is not needed for any type of hunting you do, I'll roll with the Vinci from here on out. And it has been a dream shooter so far. Whether the several hundred rounds I put through it during dove season or the several hundred rounds through it in Canada for geese or all of the #4 Buck that's been through it so far this year, it has been AWESOME!!!! It's the lightest gun I have ever shot and at the same time, the lightest recoiling gun I have ever shot and I HAVE SHOT THEM ALL. Side note: I lied a little bit, the recoil on my Ruger Trap model with ports is the lightest I've shot.

[Shoot-it]

Moe I did hear from a few people that benelli sbe1 had a few problems with some 3 1/2 guns jaming this was a few years ago to. I think the new ones are better super black eagle 2 . From what I read you have to break them in with heavy loads to break in the spring they are mechanical action. I watched tom nap( not sure if name is right) do a show and he sponsors benelli . Before he does a shoot scene he pulls the action back 6 times I always wondered why he did that.

[Moe]

It's Knapp, I believe.Like I said, I know that Benelli has made positive changes to their guns but the customer service still sticks in my mind. The original SBE with that safety behind the trigger guard was bonehead engineering. I know that's gone. And, yes, my gun liked to jam. I sat with my lab waiting for a flock of snow geese to lift off a field near Boardman, Or and when they did I had a jammed shotgun and all I could do was watch them fly over my head at about 30 yards. BTW....Does anyone really think Tom Knapp is shooting an off the shelf Benelli? I can see me laying out in my goose blind since before sunup waiting for the geese we saw in a field the day before. It's 15 below zero and sometimes, most times, the geese won't fly until 9:00 or so but you never know. My hunting buddy and I brought out 17 dozen decoys through a foot and a half of snow and painstakingly set them out. We're freezing our butts off just to get into the honkers. Then after laying in the snow for 3 hours we hear the first flights and we start flagging. The geese are coming closer so I start calling. They circle up once, then twice, and then they commit. Their feet are down and they're only 15 yards away. I sit up and shoot and one bird falls from the flock while the others are flapping their wings in a frantic effort to get out of there. But I already have a second bird sitting on the ramp of my shotgun. A candy shot. Once this one is falling a 3rd will be a snap. I pull the trigger.........nothing! I look and an empty shell is jammed in the action. I clear it but my only hope is that my gun will be able to kill a honker 100 yards out. I know it won't so I just sit there thinking about the POS I bought to hunt geese with. When I lived in North Central Washington we frequently hunted in these conditions and this happened more than once. I'd often get my limit of geese but with a single shot shot gun. I bought the SBE because it has a mechanical action and I was told it didn't fail under these conditions. It did. Most guys won't encounter these conditions and I'm sure that after a bunch of people bought those original Benellis they took care of a lot of the problems but, ya know? I bought a Ford Ranchero back in the mid 60's and it broke down before I could get 20,000 miles on it. I replaced the engine and then the transmission and then the engine again and it just kept breaking down. I could never get 20,000 miles on it without replacing an engine or transmission. I sold it and bought a Chevy truck and stopped having problems. The bottom line is even though Ford might make the best vehicle in the world I will never buy another one. Almost every day I read about guys who love their Benellis and that's a good thing. They have one heck of an advertising campaign and I enjoy watching ol' Tom knapp on TV but I won't be buying any more Benellis. This is more than an opinion.. It's my experience so take it for what it's worth to you.

[tawnoper]

Hey...you should be hunting. Not playing on the internet. Save that for us guys busy at work.

[Soreloser]

Benelli customer service is so bad, that they could only take the time to next day air a new slide for an original SBE to some out of the way grocery store in the middle of Saskatchewan so that my partner could continue his goose hunt for the week. And those bums did it for free. The nerve of those people in customer service. LOL.

[Inoculation]

The best customer service is one you never need. Benelli has great service though. I have shot 350+ 3.5" 4buck and dead coyote, 2500+ 2.75" target loads, and probably 50+ 3" slugs out of my SBEII. That's not a terrible amount, but I have never cleaned the thing.....EVER..... And it keeps on tickin. I will shoot it until it jams, then I will clean it and do a write up on it. So far, I have no complaints. If I lost the gun tomorrow I would buy another in an instant.

[clampdaddy]

I'm no benelli expert but I know that my uncles SBE kicks like a mule. Don't get me wrong, great gun, functions flawlessly, but it's a brute. I'd think long and hard about getting a 26 inch maxus Red. It's lighter, kicks alot less, and is a couple hundred bucks cheaper than the benelli. The winchester SX3 is a great gun too. If you want to go that route you can also save a couple hundred bucks and get a browning silver. It's the same gun as a SX3 except the reciever has a slight hump in the back, the stocks are a little different, and the magazine tube is stainless instead of aluminum. The barrel, bolt, and gas piston assembly from my silver fit my buddys SX3 like a glove.

[Moe]

One thing I've noticed about the internet. No matter what you say someone will contradict you. When will I ever learn?I was just kidding. Benellis are the greatest shotgun in existence today and the customer service is top notch. I think everyone should go out and buy one or even two!

[Old timer]

Moe get a commission on all sold

[Shoot-it]

Just buy a Beretta and all problems fixed........... LOL