mudhen

Interesting post. Iowa is the bomb for deer. I've been hunting there for many years. This year will be a late season ML hunt for me in Zone 3. Sure, porting will help. Keep the ports clean though as they can get clogged with plastic. My ported choke tubes get clogged with plastic from the wads. Sure, the Limbersaver will help. It will help alot. Nice and wide. Works great. I hate the design of the adapter, so I have no use for it during waterfowl season when I'm tearing down the gun after each dunking. But for a slug gun, it should be fine. I've seen several blow up on slug guns, so keep the receipt so you can return to them for replacement. How far do you normally shoot? The reason I ask is that the Buckhammer is really a short range slug. It pretty much flys straight using it's stabilizer and takes little advantage of the rifled barrel's rifling. That being said, I have shot a few deer with the Buckhammer and my SBE I slug gun, and the combination works fine. I like the Buckhammers. The make nice round holes in the deer and just about knock them off the ground at close range. Kicks like a mother though. But I've also found many other loads that are far superior to the Buckhammer past that range where it really doesn't matter what you are shooting. Any slug will kill at 50-75 yards, even 100. I like my slugs to work out to 150 and maybe a bit beyond. I've tested maybe a dozen saboted slugs, and the clear winner in my SBE I slug gun is the Winchester Platinum Tip. Just a tad slower than the Partition Gold and I have found that slight difference to make all the difference in the world in how well I can control the gun. It is a very flat shooting controllable combination for me.

Ski, you gotta learn to read man, please Do live near the MT border or something If I could draw you pictures in crayon, I would. Ok here goes: The original guy has returned his M2 20 ga TWICE and Benelli will not help him. They say the POI being off is fine with them. Benelli's chokes are sucking wind these days. Lots of folks are having this problem and Benelli keeps blowing off most of them too. So YES, this place does become a conduit to CS when CS keeps ignoring this guy and guys like him. I know they can replace a barrel, they have done it before. If they want to ban me from this site for bringing this stuff up, click away Nellie Girl - it's just a website! As to the 5 and out guy, if you had bothered to read (I know reading is hard work), you would see that my original reply was to this blowhard guy's (with the 5 posts) snotty comment. So you are, in fact, comparing my jab at him to your own jab at me. I don't see myself as an equal to this dude as far as contributing to this website. If you do, then good enough. As to Manties, I brought them to this website. Most of you guys are not fit to carry my Manties. No thin skin here, I just think any jabs should be directed in the right place. If you think I deserve a jab for bringing this up, so be it. Trust me, if you don't bring some of this stuff up here, Benelli will have no idea that there is a problem. My company sells a popular water pump - on one website we have a post with 750 replies and 55,000 reads. Needless to say, we read posts like this often and absolutely pay attention and respond to issues brought up by our customers. Donnie says vaccuum.......

So, you are comparing me to this guy : http://www.benelliusa.com/forum/member.php?u=9687 According to you and Ski, this guy and I have contributed the same amount here, right? 5 posts and out vs. ol' mudhen, one in the same. Ok.......

Why would you want to 'jab' me at all? I was just trying to help the guy out. That post has 460 views and mostly negative replies from other guys that have had similar problems with Benellis. There are similar posts pretty much all over the Internet. Seems like a real problem for a gun brand I'm pretty fond of.

My local shop has a 2000 in stock and the barrel says made in Turkey. They also have about ten new Benellis in stock and the barrels all say made in Italy. I think Stoegers are made in Turkey and Benelli barrels are made in the Franky barrel factory in Italy.

Did you even bother to read the other post - or did you think this up yourself The guy has been trying to work with Benelli CS and they just don't care that his barrel is way off. It's been back a bunch of times with no fix.

I love Benelli products, no doubt. Just shot my brand new M2 20 gauge yesterday. I like the new APG camo. Gun shoots like a champ - dead on perfect. I think that was my 12th or 13th Benelli purchase since 1990. Make a non-ported Cordoba 12 and I'll buy that too BUT, there is a little problem creeping up that is starting to make the brand look a little tarnished. I'm starting to see more and more posts about poor fit on choke tubes. Bad seating can lead to off-center POI. Not a big deal for most wingshooters, but it's kinda a nasty problem for turkey hunters. Beretta and Franky are getting hit on the same issue as well. This post + others got me to thinking: http://www.nwtf.org/message_board/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=shotguns&Number=355189&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart= I bet the guys at the Franky barrel factory could build a screw in bore sight and test each barrel before it leaves the factory. How hard can that be? Slap in the red dot bore sight - put the barrel in a rack - and see where the dot points. I know the bigger issue is that what does BH do with a bad barrel? I know it must be hard to toss a $500 barrel. But the other option is to ignore it and start getting the bad press like these posts. Just my $.02 since no one asked....

Yes. 12 gauge as well.

I think you are fine. http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/regs/genchar2.php But I've got nothing at stake mudhen - CA

Floating was allowed by design in older Benellis. I recall an old HK video that shows how a Benelli can cycle even with a shell on the carrier. It was clearly an intentional feature. Benelli made a remedial alteration to the bolt at some point in order to prevent floating a shell. This modification can be reversed by several mechanical methods. There is some speculation as to who asked Benelli to do this. Might have been USF&W. Might have been no one. They might have been responding to customers who were cited for floating. Who knows? A Benelli with the modification, that is plugged to hold only two in the magazine, will satisfy the federal law requiring a waterfowling gun to hold no more than three shells. Of course, you can float a shell any time it is legal.

Why do so many companies make shotgun barrel stickers? I think they are primarily for free advertising at the trap range, but I've seen them in the field as well. On my old Benelli, I used the sticker to cover a large scratch that was starting to rust.

I've had stickers on an older blued SBE for many years with no ill effect. I've put a few stickers on camo film, and they seem to come off fine. The barrel stickers seem to use a glue that releases pretty easily - by design I'm sure. No rust issues anywhere. mudhen - CA

HK was the importer for the US until Beretta Holdings bought Benelli a few years back. Maybe around 1998? Given that the M1 changed little no matter who was in charge, I'd say a HK M1 should be an excellent choice. I'd feel different about an HK SBE. At some point around the transfer time, Benelli upgraded the ejector plate assembly. The newer one seems to break less easily (but a friend broke one last year). The old ejector plate tended to break on occasion. It looks like a hockey stick to me. The new one is a more flat plate. This makes me think of one more great thing about Benelli. Even with a broken ejector, you can still shoot your Benelli. You can even shoot pretty fast by cycling the bolt manually. I shot a limit of ducks and geese in 2000 after the plate broke. It wasn't pretty though. I've broken two in 18 seasons. The Xtrema's achilles heel seems to be the transfer bars - I know three guys who had their's break last year. When that breaks, you are SOL. One guy was four miles from his truck and his back-up gun. Good luck with whatever you choose.

Plastic and I love them on my M2 & SBE II. They look like new after 1000's of rounds. My older SBE's trigger guards are all dinged up and discolored. Great upgrade from Benelli

My SBE II pattern falls apart between 40 and 50 yards. At 50, you will hit a few, kill a few, cripple a few, miss a few. At 50, some birds birds will go down, only to get back up and run away limping and/or with their wings flapping away. Rest assured, you have most likely killed that bird, one way or another Underbored guns, like Benellis, are not known for long distance shots. Better to look at backbored guns and go with larger sized shot for better energy downrange. I am buying a BPS 10 gauge soon and plan to test it as a goose gun and maybe 45+ yard turkey gun. I am ordered some Nitro HS #5's in 10 gauge - $149.95 per box of 25

Is your SBE a I or II? In my SBE II: I like the .660 Rhino for Win XR 5's & 6's. I like the Primos Jellyhead .660 for Win XR 6's. My SBE II is not a long distance shooter, which is good, because neither am I. If I can't call the bird inside 40 yards, I'll wait for a better shot. In my SBE I's, they like the Kicks GT in .660 with Win HV 5's & 6's. Kilt quite a few birds with that combo.

I would spend some time with your SBE II manual - it describes how to adjust drop and cast. I have adjusted almost every shotgun I have ever owned.

I must have missed this statement in your original post I only read: "I finally got around to getting some range time with the M4 since the upgrade to the Meprolight tritium sight set." My bad. The website appears to be non-specific as to who makes the optional tritium sights for the M4. Sounds like the manufacturer of the product was able to assist you. I hear Benelli CS reads all these posts, so maybe they will see their error.

This is the only relevant statement in all of your posting. You put an aftermarket sight on your gun. What happens next should be of no concern to Benelli CS. I wish she had told you that instead of giving you the run around though. I've been in CS for about 20 years. One of the hardest ideals for CS reps in general to accept is that it is perfectly acceptable to tell a customer you don't know the answer if indeed you don't know the answer. So many CS reps are so eager to please that they will 'create' a reply with little regard for the facts. Being eager to please is fine, if you know the answer. Otherwise, it usually just wastes the customer's time, as it appears to have done in this case. Like GV says, your issue is with Kimber, not Benelli.

I'd stick with the factory gel pad. I tried the Limbsaver, but it does not slip fit like the factory pad, you have to use an adaptor with screws. It is designed for permanent installation. Too much work for me plus the cheap plastic adaptor can't hold up to many removals. As to PMs, they sure were popular a few seasons ago. My local shop sold tons up to around 2005. The problem for most of the guys I know that shot them, was that they are pretty specific. Like LorDjr said, they have a tube for everything. 3", 3.5", long range, close range, mid range, etc. At $90-$100 each, it can add up. I like the Primos Dead Zone set - decoy & pass - they seem to work for me. Also, the Carlson extended tubes pattern well in my guns. Both brands are fairly affordable.

Kind of an inside joke for me - Uncle Ted did much of his 'delivery' work here in the Sacramento area. Home base was one of the area's finest hotels near the Greyhound bus terminal. I worked at a law office for a short period of time in 1995 - just a few blocks from where he killed one of his victims. I wonder how life is treating him at the Super Max?

Nice I have not read it, but..... No offense to you LorDjr and your vast background, but you really need to slow down and read these articles and review the website information if you are looking for credibility. Sure everyone has an opinion, but an opinion without any foundation is basically irrelevant. Here is Benelli's UP TO 48% claim: http://www.benelliusa.com/firearms/comforTech.tpl I work for an Italian company. Italians love these charts and graphs. I have found that they can easily prove these charts to be true. They might not be based on facts that YOU find important or use guns that YOU like, but the charts are usually very accurate. The chart does not say ALL GUNS, or Xtrema II, etc. The chart just says A GUN. Pretty far from the borderline trade libelous false advertising claim you so boldly make. I am quite sure there is a gun, Competitor C, that the SBE II beats in recoil by 48%. I am far more willing to believe Benelli's claim than I am to believe the unfounded opinions of any Internet wizard. But that's just me As to field testing, my Nova kicks me at least as hard as my SBE II, maybe harder. I hate my Nova and rarely use it. As to the the Xtrema II, pretty nice gun but they break too much for my taste. I've shot several and I can't tell much difference between the X II and the SBE II. Maybe 5% less recoil with the X II in the non-KO version. Maybe 10-15% with the KO. I clean all my guns, Benelli/Browning/Ruger/Weatherby, so I don't know how long they will go w/o cleaning. I can say that my gas guns will gum up much faster than my inertia guns though. My Browning gas guns will sometimes gum up during a good hunt. If you want folks to give you even a passing glance, you really should read up before posting. Most of your rants are not even remotely factually connected to the claims made by Benelli or any discussions in these articles. Now, I'm going to save you some time. PLEASE don't take any time to think up and post a witty reply. Take that time and spend it reading Benelli's website or find that article and read it. Maybe go to some other websites and read about the countless happy Benelli customers. It's been well known since this site was created that folks come here to complain. This place was given to us by Benelli to crap in - it's a giant cat litter box for us to deposit all of our precious 'nuggets' of information. It's not a conduit to CS or their legal department. There are few shortcuts in life Junior. You will find that out as you get older. You aren't writing a manifesto up there in Unibomberland are you? If so, please disregard all of the above....

JonyB, I went to your site. I found it interesting. Then I found it very interesting. Then extremely interesting. Then all of a sudden, not so interesting anymore......

I think that's a Butler Creek Alaskan sling - camo on the other side - I won't use any other brand. Quake Hush Stalker II plastic swivels. They still rub off some camo film, but I don't care. mudhen - CA

The SBE II comes with a Gel Pad recoil pad and I think it works fine. I tried a Limbsaver pad for the SBE II and it worked fine, but the adaptor was/is so cheap that I decided to just keep using the factory gel pad. I know of no other after market true slip-fit recoil pad for the SBE II. My SBE II turkey gun is stock but for a Primos/Jellyhead choke tube. mudhen - CA