mudhen

I'll have to watch that movie soon

Who is Donny btw

I've learned much about Benelli chokes, and chokes in general, from Carlson's Chokes: http://www.choketube.com/crio-plus.html Many buy several extended chokes from them for a wide variety of applications

Good thing it's not your call then I've got a buddy with 700 Model 94's, that's what I would call foolish, if I judged folks, which I don't. Do you live in a wooden shack up there? $1500 adds up fast with airfare, car rentals, tags, leases, room & board, etc. Weeklong hunt for up to four toms, I'm fine with that. I probably spent more than that! But again, thank goodness it's none of your business I hunted turkeys last year in NE with two guys that were lamenting how much they had to cut back in 2009, to only $250,000 for their hunting budget. I felt sorry for them, it's tough to have to cut back on the sport you love....

Yes, to almost all of the above. I assist several land owners and help manage turkeys on close to 20,000 acres. I do hunt them in 15+ states. Flocks of 50 here are normal, 100+ is on the large side here, but we do get them. Several properties I hunt out of state will have winter flocks of 300+ and I am in regular contact with some of these landowners and outfitters. I also chase them on the millions of acres of public land open to turkey hunting here in California, although private land tends to offer a better opportunity. While the NWTF estimates CA's flock to be 250,000, many here believe it is at least twice that. Maine is impressive with 60,000 for sure, probably had few to none not that long ago. Better than that almost, is that I hunt with and communicate with hunters that take in the area of 50+ toms each season in up to 40+ states (way out of my league). It's this communication and interaction that helps me grow each year and become a better turkey hunter. I don't have all the anwsers like you think you do, and I hope I don't, I like learning something new each year Btw, where do I 'trash' anyone? But, none of this is relevant in any way to the issue at hand, which is being prepared for every possible shooting opportunity that might present itself in the field. I plan for misses because they happen for a variety of reasons. I know a guy that had his pattern change because of how much he would tighten the mag cap! He learned to mark the mag cap so it would reassemble the same each time. Same for chokes. I've bought 3-4 of the same choke, only to find they don't pattern the same in the same gun. I do spend about $1000 each year testing new guns, chokes, shells, etc. so I guess I'm not a newbie, unless you say so! A miss is a very real possibility that can present itself in every shooting opportunity, and should be addressed by any competent and ethical hunter that is out to kill any animal in a humane manner. Having a back-up shot available, and knowing how to use it, is just another sound tool that should be in every hunter's tool bag. I can only hope to 'get it' one day! Thank goodness turkey hunting is so easy

I wouldn't accept the M2000 for free. I've seen no less than six fail in the field. I might accept the I-12 for free, but only if it was the last model of gun on earth. If I had to shoot it, I'd Dremel and polish every part I could reach and keep a can of CLP with me at all times

Or maybe you just haven't hunted turkeys enough

While it's not the greatest film job I have ever seen, it looks like normal wear and tear to me. I'd say you have a 50/50 chance of Benelli fixing it. If I were making the decision just based on the photo and location of the film wear, I'd say no warranty issue, just normal wear and tear, probably due to bug spray on the shooter's cheek area, but I don't work for Benelli CS, so what does that matter I've got a Browning Silver with a bad Dura Touch/camo finish. It started to wear off after just a few hunts. Browning said too bad. I've got a Browning A-Bolt with Dura Touch that is holding up great. I hope my new Maxus' finish holds up better than the Silver. I like camo finishes. It's my kim chee, I'll spend it how I want to!

How do you know ahead of time that you might miss, thereby knowing to 'pass' on the shot How do you know you won't wound a bird, even at a close range, and need a second shot? I've missed a few over the years. Not many, but it has happened to me. Some at longer ranges, but some at very close range. I just try to remember that I'm shooting at a walnut stuck on the end of a pencil

Happens on all the Benellis I have ever owned. Most Brownings too. Just keep checking it. I'll get a new cap every now and then if the notches get too worn down. Crazy thing, I am shooting a Browing Maxus a bit these days, and I keep trying to check the mag cap

How is missing lucky They say there are only two types of turkey hunters; those that have missed, and those that haven't missed....yet....

I'll spend that on one hunt

No. Just the opposite actually. After many years of folks being confused as to why some short barreled guns don't pattern well, it has been 'discovered' that longer barrels can pattern better. This may not apply to all guns though. It has been the case for the 25+ turkey guns I have tuned in the past 15+ years or so. But, all will work just fine out to reasonable distances. My problem is that I occasionally decide that I have to take a shot that might test the limits of reasonable, so I want my guns to be up to the task

Pretty sure the pad comes with some sort of lube on it. Mine did. Cleaning the pad removes the lube, I don't think it makes the pad 'sticky', but I certainly could be wrong. I have several of the gel pads, and wiping with alcohol has not made any of them sticky.

I wish I could say all my birds have been 'one-shot' deals, but they haven't Birds duck and weave, flinch, and just plain old move before the shot. I do shoot a pump at turkeys now, but for only one reason, how that particular gun patterns with the shell and choke combo I prefer to use, in the locations I tend to frequent. Of the two guns you list, I would take the SBE II over the SN any day of the week. I'd go with the 28" bbl for better patterns, and avoid the SG stock because it is not readily adjustable. Match up the SBE II with an Indian Creek choke and some H-13, and you should have a killing machine

Some turkey barrels have adjustable sights so you can move the POI around to suit your shooting style. Funny thing about short barrels, while they are great for moving around in tight cover, shorter barrels usually throw a less dense pattern than longer barrels, even with the tight turkey chokes.

Hi, Do you have a listing on Craig's List?

Just my typical childish way to repay him for the 'mudlips' comment I don't know Tucker, but I wish I did, seems like one the finest gentlemen I have ever seen on a website. Together, I bet we could fill some boats and truck beds with god's little creatures....

http://www.fordvehicles.com/2010taurus/ mudhen

I agree with Tucksmedicatedpads, the reply seems to fit the level of the question asked. I hope this story is being told straight, because I'm forwarding it to the regional Benelli rep momentarily. The correct answers are almost as old as the average age of a BPS Manteca store employee. Clean the gun properly, maintain the gun properly, and assemble the gun properly I can count on a few dozen hands how many people I know that have walked out of BPS Manteca, especially the gun department, because of poor or non-existant service, so one may want to consider the source. I hope the juice will be worth the squeeze, because this one will be run up the flagpole in record time

Pretty sure it's Trulock, but I am not 100% sure

Not that common anymore, but it was back in 2005-06 when the SBE II first came out. Many were told by Benelli CS that some undersized pads were inadvertantly used, and they were subject to falling out. Everyone I talked to that had a problem with the pad, got new ones and were ok with that. Do a search here, you won't see many complaints recently. If you are that unhappy about a lost recoil pad, I think you should get the new pad from Benelli, sell the gun, and buy the SX3 that it sounds like you wanted instead Btw, my Browning Silver, a clone of the SX3, broke on it's 3rd hunt and most of the DuraTouch and camo finish wore off after just a few hunts Had to buy new parts to keep the gun running until the free part showed up. Called Browning CS about the finish, and they said to pound sand. Too bad Browning doesn't have a website that I could have gone to and blasted them.

Sounds like an odd occurrance. This guy has posted this all over the Internet, and received little support from other SBE II owners. I checked my SBE II and about 15 others, and I have not seen the gap he speaks of. But, the forearms are not overly snug on any of them, so it's probably a bit loose by design so that the part isn't broken when taking apart and putting back together. It needs some play because of how the part fits over the barrel ring. His sounds like it might have excessive play, even with the new forearm. The SBE II/M2 forearm, like the recoil pad, has gone through a few growing pains since they first came out. Some of the forearms were very snug around lower ring that goes over the mag tube. It fits very snug and I saw many broken when they first came out. I think Benelli added a hair of clearance later, as I have not heard that much about it lately. Btw, not that it's relevant, but a Lexus comes off the assembly line with no less than 46 defects. Machines built by humans will always be subject to human error I can only image the grief Beretta will get from their new $2000+- A400

What choke constriction is the fixed barrel? Mod? Let us know. Certain pellet sizes can work better in certain constrictions. My favorite place for turkey accessories is: http://www.midwestturkeycall.com/ I would order one of their catalogs and just spend some time looking through it. Cabela's and Bass Pro, among others, puts out a turkey catalog annually as well. Calls and calling is a vast subject. Much depends on where you hunt, when you hunt, how you hunt, etc. I'd say a good box call is a good place to start. I like slate calls and mouth calls too. Funny thing is that the worst turkey calling I have ever heard comes from live hens themselves Also, more so than some other types of hunting, I have found that videos are somewhat helpful in getting started. I have always liked, and still do, the Primos Truth series of turkey videos. You can find some of the older ones cheap.

Totally normal sound in a clean SBE. It's the inertia spring in the bolt assembly. It moves around a bit by design. Don't know why you didn't hear it in other SBEs, you should have