Thinking about buying one of these in L/H for my son. He seems pretty jacked up about hunting ducks this fall and our current shotguns are all older models that probably shouldn't have steel shot through them. Looking for guys with experience on this shotgun, and if anyone can tell me the major differences between the M2 and SBEII, other than the M2 only handles 3" shells. Thanks for the help.
Benelli M2 Field 12 gauge
- Thread starter Crashman
- Start date
Ahsan Ahmed
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Other than a longer chamber length, the upper section of the SBE II receiver is mated to the barrel.....makes maintenance just a bit more easier. Has a redesigned trigger guard. Comes down to personal preference at the end of the day. I had owned both models together some years ago.....liked the M2 better.
The SBEII feels bigger and bulkier in my hands. I am not a big guy, 5'9" and 180, my 13 year old son matches my size and will be a bigger man than me when he is older I am sure. How ever the M2 just feels better in my hands, and he seems to prefer it as well. Mechanically though, there is no other difference than the chamber size? I see no need for 3.5" shells, we hunt small ponds for ducks and geese, a bit of field shooting, and turkey, most shots are 35 yards and in.
Thanks for the reply AA.
Thanks for the reply AA.
Ahsan Ahmed
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Mechanically the same, both inertia operated.
Well thanks to another forum member here, I found a lightly used M2 left hand and picked it up yesterday from Accuracy Plus in Peterborough. Took my son out last night to a little spot not far from home and he got his first goose, he is one happy hunter now!
I also picked up a lightly used Benelli SBEII from a friend, after handling it again I decided I rather liked it and if seems to fit me well. However with my oldest boy as an apprentice, it will see little use, but once he is old enough to hunt on his own my youngest boy will be an apprentice so I will give that shotgun to him. The boys are now nicely outfitted for ducks, turkeys, and anything else that flies I guess.
I also picked up a lightly used Benelli SBEII from a friend, after handling it again I decided I rather liked it and if seems to fit me well. However with my oldest boy as an apprentice, it will see little use, but once he is old enough to hunt on his own my youngest boy will be an apprentice so I will give that shotgun to him. The boys are now nicely outfitted for ducks, turkeys, and anything else that flies I guess.
Yeah thanks for the tip Waterfowler! The boy is really happy! My wife…not so much! She was alright when I told her I got a shotgun for the boy, but when I said I bought another one a few days later, well I came pretty close to snuggling up with the dogs on the couch!
The M2 is a great shotgun, highly recommended. A few slight differences from the SBE II, but really once you are in the blind who cares what model you have, as long as it fits and mounts properly you are good to go!
