Why so many Benelli auto loaders for sale ???

My take on the Benell'is having hunting partners that have them or have had them over many years. The original H&K Black Eagle was by far the best of the lot. The later Beretta owned Benelli's are reliable good functioning guns but not as foolproof as the newer models. One of my buddies has three, an H&K, SBE and SBE2. The SBE2 is the one that will fail him. It does not like dirt getting in and by dirt I mean dry dust or wheat chaff. It requires lubing every hunt during the hunt and is fussy as hell about being clean to function properly. Most of my friends with SBE3's hate them and went back to the earlier models as they could not get used to the high POI the 3 is known for. Recoil wise they are no different than a pump or break action IMO from the times I have shot them. They offer no decrease in recoil as they are not gas operated. One of my die hard Benelli buddies is now shooting a Beretta A400 instead as he likes it better than the SBE he shot for over 20 years. He says the softer recoil is a lot nicer and the gun is every bit as reliable as his SBE was. All these guys are well seasoned hunters and shooters not some guy that fires a box a year in sunny skies. They are die hard hunt in any weather guys who pound hundreds of geese and ducks each season. Personally I shoot a gas auto as I prefer the softer recoil and I prefer the fit of the gun I have over the Benelli's I've tried. Fit is the most crucial aspect of any shotgun first and foremost. After that it's personal preference in make and model in the brand name reliable guns.
 
Benelli really made their mark when we all moved to steel for waterfowl.SBE killed all the other makes and some never really recovered(Remington).I have shot the early Benelli’s and some recent ones.Generally the early ones are very well made, machined, etc.I have a 3” Original Black Eagle that is terrific.Like with any big companies not everything they produce is wonderful….Black Eagle III is a good example; a lot, if not all,shoot way above POA;however, Legacy, Montefeltro,BUL,M2, Nova, are super guns.The inertia action is easy to use/clean.The Legacy auto loader is a super gun and will be a classic down the road..
The pressure between making affordable shotguns and making real quality has affected all guns.If you want quality now you have to shop carefully and look for it it.It ain’t like the good old days.
 
I bought a 12 gauge legacy about10 years ago and it is a beautiful shotgun never a hickup, So i went and bought the ethos in 12 gauge and it shot well just like the legacy no hickups, But the carbon fibre rib and the plastic trigger guard got the best of me and sold it cannot stand plastic on firearms. thats just me being old I guess. Steve!
 
Remember the rifle cartridges that were being pushed 20 years ago? Wsm, ultra mags, look to where things have shifted today? Milder recoiling cartridges and you know what, they kill that 150 yard whitetail all the same.

Inertia guns recoil. Light loads probably no big deal. But having a few different options to choose from when I go waterfoul hunting my m2 is seldom one of them. Now some guys say they don't feel it, but your body still does not like getting pounded and shooting can and does suffer. Ask the target guys.

Now for an upland gun lots of walking not much shooting thats a different story.

The one positive about inertia guns is they stay cleaner. That action is closed till the recoil impulse is over then it does its thing. This keeps more smoke and powder residue in the barrel, instead of the action. It does nothing for recoil reduction.

Benellis comfortec stock does help but not as much as they have you believe. Shoot a nova and super nova side by side and the super nova does take the edge off recoil.

I have a wood model sx4 that weight under 7 pounds. And the m2 is about 7.2. This is real actual weights on my scale. The sx4 has less felt recoil. Its noticeable with light loads if you shoot enough. It's very obvious with 3 inch steel after 1 tube full. The sx4 is lighter, kicks less, and I like the forearm feel better. Both guns have been 100% reliable. And if the sx4 follows in the footprints of the sx3 then it should be as reliable as it gets.

My main waterfoul gun the last 8 years has been a versamax. 8 pounds and I dont think you can find a lower recoiling 12 ga. A400 with kickoff is a close second. Those would be my choice for goose guns. My versamax has been an absolute machine very reliable. In 8 years I had 2 failures of the bolt to fully close when the action got real dirty. 2 out of 15000! The recoil spring had gotten weak and was replaced with a new wolf. You gotta feel the recoil of 3 inch steel with the versamax yourself to believe it. It makes you not want to take anything else goose hunting. Now people complain about the wide forearm, feels like the 870 i grew up on to me. The versamax is just as simple to clean as the benelli. Trugger group and action. The gas system litterly needs no attention its self cleaning and as long as those pistons move your good to go. I cleaned my pistons once at 1000 rounds. Haven't cleaned them since and I'm at least at 12000 now.

Moden gas guns are very good. I honestly don't know why benelli does not look closely at there m4( which some people claim the versamax copied, well sort of but not exactly) and make us a gas benelli with the remington versaport system. But its probably patent but ill be upset if benelli does not have 1 ready to market when remingtons patents run out cause thats a hell of a simple gas system.
 
prairie lover said:
Moden gas guns are very good. I honestly don't know why benelli does not look closely at there m4( which some people claim the versamax copied, well sort of but not exactly) and make us a gas benelli with the remington versaport system. But its probably patent but ill be upset if benelli does not have 1 ready to market when remingtons patents run out cause thats a hell of a simple gas system.
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There's no need for them to copy the Remington copy, they can use the Argo system as is. From everything I've read, the Versaport is Benelli tech that's off patent, they modded it a bit for 3.5" shells. I can only guess, but I suspect they don't think there's demand for a $2,500 goose gun, or perhaps don't want to dilute the market more than it is. I've been looking for years at the Versaport as a goose gun, but keep holding off for Benelli to make a M4 with a 28" vent rib. May never happen.
 
I may be in the minority, but I have always found that Benelli wood stocked guns recoiled less and we're more comfortable to shoot in higher volumes. I have a 20ga M2 that is wonderful to carry but I don't love shooting it all day. My Sport II 12ga in wood is great and handles 1oz loads beautifully. I've owned Montefeltros, Ultra Lights, M2's and the wood models just did a better job of taming recoil impulse and felt better to me. I like the balance of a Benelli, feels like a SxS or O/U with its balance point, gas autos are softer shooting no doubt but usually front heavy and much less lively in my hands.

Patrick
 
Grain said:
There's no need for them to copy the Remington copy, they can use the Argo system as is. From everything I've read, the Versaport is Benelli tech that's off patent, they modded it a bit for 3.5" shells. I can only guess, but I suspect they don't think there's demand for a $2,500 goose gun, or perhaps don't want to dilute the market more than it is. I've been looking for years at the Versaport as a goose gun, but keep holding off for Benelli to make a M4 with a 28" vent rib. May never happen.
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The m4 has one gas port per piston as far as I know. The remington has 7 total so 3 on one side and 4 on the other. The main difference is the actual location. The remington has them IN the chamber the benelli is just in front. I believe this location is whats patent. And this location is what makes it so good. Full power with 2.75 inch shells. Less with 3 inch and less yet with 3.5. It compensates. The benelli does not. Its also not 3.5, not that thats a big deal.

The one issue the versamax can have is very hot 2.75 shells can and do overrun the action. Because all 7 ports are open this can happen. But it shoots any cheap normal 2.75 inch shell even managed recoil ones with 0 issues. 1 ounce cheap crap 0 issues. Its like the 2.75 inch gas regulation was designed around clay shells. No such issues with longer shells as there pretty much just all hot.

The system in this regard could be improved on with relief valves or tubes as they did on the v3, to make it 100% reliable with baby magnums. But a versamax is more reliable than a v3 with really light shells and thats probably why.

Yes like the last poster mentioned the benellis have that lively handling. I have to agree over the heavy gas guns but the light gas guns are to me right there like the sx4.

But when the geese are coming in like b52 bombers I want a versamax in my hands.
 
prairie lover said:
The one issue the versamax can have is very hot 2.75 shells can and do overrun the action.
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That's interesting, how's it act? Not grab a new shell? I'm hopeful that the new Remington's are back to the consistent quality of old. I've shot more geese with an 870 than all my auto's combined; still have a big soft spot for the big R.
 
Grain said:
That's interesting, how's it act? Not grab a new shell? I'm hopeful that the new Remington's are back to the consistent quality of old. I've shot more geese with an 870 than all my auto's combined; still have a big soft spot for the big R.
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I dont know the correct terminology of all the parts but I under stand how and why it happens. I'll try and explain. The working mechanism of the trigger group of a versamax is identical to the benelli, as in pulling back the bolt does not allow the next shell to release from the mag.

when the hammer drops the shell latch goes to the open position. When the hammer is cocked it trips something to hold it closed if its been closed.

If and when it opens, the shell coming out of the tube actually pushes the shell latch closed. If nothing closes this latch and the only thing that can is a new shell coming out, the bolt stays open. If a shell comes out and closes the latch, something in the trigger mechanism holds it shut till the hammer drops.

When you fire certain baby mags in a stock versamax, the bolt opens and closes and a shell never releases. You get a click on a empty chamber. The bolt outruns the shell latch. It litterly has no time to open.
 
Grain said:
That's interesting, how's it act? Not grab a new shell? I'm hopeful that the new Remington's are back to the consistent quality of old. I've shot more geese with an 870 than all my auto's combined; still have a big soft spot for the big R.
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This cannot happen with benellis cause with the inertia system the bolt does not begin its rearward travel until the recoil impulse is pretty much done. In the mean time the shell latch was released when the hammer dropped. So there is simply more time available.

Now I have replaced the recoil spring or action spring in my cersamax with a wolf +p. Its far stiffer than the worn factory. Its probably stiffer than a new rem spring. No issues with cheap light shells. The ejection distance is 6 feet plus so bolt speed is high. I just avoid hot 2.75 shells and go straight to 3 inch if its a serious load. That way I have less gas ports open and lower bolt speeds. Lower bolt speeds should help the longevity of the gun.


I did try most every slug made with the gun when it was new. Most 2.75 inch full power deer slugs over ran the action. Except remingtons. Same specs. Hmmmm 3 inch no issues.
 
Yes,
Benelli/Beretta does not have patent exclusion on inertia system as of couple years ago, and the competition is stiff.Ironically Beretta is just about a gun monopoly these days, so as long as guns are selling,I am sure the Berreta family is happy.
As a weird example…I have a Franchi Element 3” upland in wood that is a very nice auto loader( one of the better ones out now).
It is a Franchi, but really is a Benelli M2( proven , good gun),most parts are interchangeable with an M2 and the gun is made in Italy in the Benelli factory, and is so labeled on the metal.
If you want a Benelli auto loader but don’t want to pay for an Ethos, etc.….look at Franchi.Retay is also coming out with some nice Inertia guns too, I think they are Turkish.
 
Guy JR said:
Maybe the duck dynasty crowd realized wading into a swamp is more work than TV makes it look.
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Ha, yeah it’s a lot easier to sit on the couch and watch it. I like see more people getting into hunting but there’s nothing worse then going to your blind and finding someone else in it, or set up 100 feet away.
 
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