mudhen

Just a little brother of the posted Florida toad: Both spurs are 1 5/16th, beard was a 9" horsetail, weight 22 lbs 2 oz

Bought a SG for my SBE II a few years back. Sold it shortly thereafter. Kicks like a mule with the stock recoil pad. SG is not ComforTech. Can't shim a SG stock, so POI was waaaay off POA. I guess I could have put a sight on it, but I prefer to shoot turkeys with open sights. Sling attaches via a slot in the plate that holds the stock in place. Not a great method of attachment in my opinion. Looked cool though. To do over, I might have kept it and put a Blurris Fast Fire II on it, especially since the gun was factory drilled & tapped....

In my opinion, what bird is going to survive 158-177 pellets in the 11" at 40 yards? None You have a pretty good pattern I think! While I am always searching for the golden pattern, I always try to remember that birds move, flinch, duck, etc. and maybe a more full & even pattern at 40 yards is not such a bad thing. Add in a few close up misses with patterns the size of a soft ball, and maybe there is something to be said for the nice even pattern?.... Good luck!

Me pay attention to anything written in Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, Week Old News, etc Not a chance... See my previous reply above for my take on where the stuff might have come from. As to dealers, you are on your own to do your own homework, that's how I do it. Keeping specific info to myself is how I keep many of these contacts. Just like I'm sure 'Erin' at Mack's appreciated your phone call, my dealers just love those types of calls. "I heard on the Interweb that you have such & such, now I want some too". I have Marion's e-mail address, but I'm not going to be an idiot and ask him if he carried demo ammo last season.... My dealer called me in January from a test range in Texas where he was shooting Blind Side, and asked me if I thought he should stock it. I said sure, and that I would take a least one case this fall. That's it. That's all there is to the story. The dealer I use for most of my purchases is in Redding, so maybe check the Redding area in Sept/Oct for availability? As soon as I know it to be in stock, I'll post up! I have been hearing more and more about the upcoming use of Hex Shot. Apparently more and more ammo manufacturers are really looking into this option....

Leave it to the smart guy from Manteca to find a link That has to be what happened, because all the reports I heard were about 3" #2's. My dealer shot it at a Texas trade show in January, and he said they had pallets of cases of 3" #2 Blind Side at the shooting range for dealers to test. He says that all his distributors are pushing it hard for 2011, and trying to get orders now. Several folks have reported that Mack's had full CASES of 3" #2's in the shop for sale, so it is logical to presume that someone at Winchester managed to get some of this limited run shipped to Mack's. So the author lady was sent 3" #2's to demo. My dealer shot 3" #2's directly from a full case. I've read several reports that Mack's had 3" #2's for sale in the store. I sure could be wrong, but the facts suggest that Blind Side was available in Dec/Jan, albeit in limited supply, and that at least one retailer had it for sale during that time

You might not have been born yesterday, but you are not that well informed on this one. While I did not travel to Mack's retail store personally, there were many reports from shooters in Dec & Jan that Blind Side #2's were for sale for $19.95 per 25, and the reviews were very positive. I never saw them on the website though. Maybe a limited test run? I saw photos of the shells & boxes. Dealers have been placing Fall 2011 orders since iit was first announced in late 2010. My dealer says delivery is for Sept.

Sorry pal, but Mack's had Blind Side this past season, and many gave it good reviews. You do know they don't just invent an item and release for sale the next day, right?

Nice! Saw those hooks over on Old Gobbler the other day. T minus just a few hours for our season to open, so we'll see if I can post up anything with a Kasier Kall in the photo My best was a #499 Eastern a few years ago mudhen

Not bad, around cost Prices are coming down, I'm seeing some great prices even at dealers these days....

$19.95 per 25 at Mack's most of last waterfowl season. I've got a case ordered for this season

Chrome lined barrels will benefit a bit from a good cleaning, but don't polish! Bore Shine works well. I have found the 3" 2 oz H-13 loads to be far superior to their 1.75 oz loads, and many Benellis are doing well with 3" Magnum Blend in .660-.670 chokes. Good luck!

I carry three spare Browning Silver bolt handles with me after breaking the first one in 2007 or so. Haven't needed a second one yet The problem with a Franky is that it's a Franky

.660 with H-13 6's worked ok.

As much as 15" vertical with different H-13 loads. Biggest gap was between H-13 and MB.

170 with 3" XR #6's sounds good for that load. I know nothing about the Final Strut. My best SBE II combo right now is 3" Magnum Blend with .660 Jellyhead, 240+- in the 12" at around 40 yards.

I asked why they do it, not why can they can get away with it. mudhen

Your problem is not unheard of. You have done more than enough to make the gun cycle. From what I have heard, it may be a timing issue. The live shell is being released too early, and preventing proper ejection. Can't recall for sure, but it may have to do with a worn part in the trigger group. March is a perfect time to send the gun back to Benelli for inspection. Good luck!

Plain and simple. You don't get to come here, and with your first post, tell anyone what to do. Those are the rules. Period. And if you don't like it, you can get in line at the refund department too Besides, I gave him good info, all you did was whine.... Now you can go back to your WoW tournament until mom calls you up from your room in the the basement for dinner

My SBE's & SBE II's have serial #'s on the barrels, that are also attached to the upper receiver. Why would Benelli not just make a dedicated Vinci slug gun The Vinci was clearly made for a reason. Probably to eliminate the minor issues of the SBE II, but almost certainly to lower the cost of the unit, and still be able to charge full price, and therefore try to recover years of margin lost to the unfavorable exchange rate of the dollar vs. the Euro. Beretta Holdings owns Benelli Spa & Benelli USA. Someone is losing their arse in the deal, so some cash has to be found somewhere!!! The Browning Maxus cost less to make than the Browning Silver, yet the Maxus MSRP is $170 more. Anyone know why? Bueller? Bueller? Has anyone seen Ferris Bueller?......

No offense, but I'll post whatever I want within the rules of this forum, no offense mind you If you don't like anyone's reply, just ask Benelli USA for a refund of the dues you paid to be here As for SoCal hunting, you will have much better luck asking around at places like Jesse's Hunting Page....

That is one rumor I have not heard so far...

So it will work Tell him to read up on the inertia driven system of Benelli. It requires a certain bore to function. If you bore out a Benelli enough, it will stop cycling. Bore ID runs all over the place on Benellis, always has, always will as long as the boring bit costs big $$$. Spec ID is .723, but I've seen them all the way down to .718, and I own a .719 SBE II. They start with a new bore cutter at .723, and go from there. Blame Franky for making the barrels this way I know turkey hunters that will mic a Benelli before buying it. Of course, the new sugar shot has really helped Benelli's skinny bores....

Just messing around with chokes and shells yesterday, and found a decent pattern hiding in the middle of all the 3.5" H-13 & Indian Creek chokes. My SBE II has been pushed aside by a BPS & 300+- at 40 yards for a couple of years now, but I think 240+- with 3" Magnum Blend + a $40 Jellyhead might just be good enough. Not a perfect pattern, but I can't see a tom surviving either pattern. What do you guys think? Much nicer to shoot for sure, 3" are almost a joy compared to the 3.5". I can still print 60+- more pellets with the 3.5", but I'm starting to like the softer shots! And, they print pretty much centered to the POA: She might be going on the road again this year:

180 #6's of Win XR at 40 yards is not too shabby

How many birds have you killed with Win XR? What size pellet was used for that photo? I have shot a few brds with XR & H-13, and honestly, I think XR is much more effective at killing a bird quickly. I love the pattern density of the H-13 6/7, but I've had a few soft shots with them in the past few seasons, and I have no recollection of this happening with XR's. We'll see what happens this season though....