mudhen

Several...

This year is not over yet....

They are fairly common, I've just never shot one before. I know of a few with nine beards. I think there might even be birds with more.

From last week's hunt. I have never shot a triple bearded bird. 10", 7" and 6". He weighed 22.5 lbs and spurs were just short of 1" each. SBE II, Win XR 6's, dropped like a rock at 25 yards. He came in with nine hens.

I would send the gun back to Benelli for inspection. All of mine have shot dead on with a few shim adjustments. You just have a bad barrel and/or choke. It happens. It almost has to happen given how many guns they make. mudhen - CA

Yep. Not far from Joplin. The trees were in bad shape.

For XR 3.5" 5's, I'd want to see 40-45% of the 318 pellets in the 10" circle at 40 yards, or around 127-143 hits. Given the knock down power of XR 5's, 140 pellets in the 10" at 40 should be plenty. For XR 6's, I'd be looking for 166-186 hits at 40 yards. I'm not as confident with XR 6's at 40 as I am with XR 5's. I found the Primos Jellyhead .660 to pattern just a bit better than the Rhino. This is what I'm looking for with XR 6's. My pellet hand counts are higher than Winchester's catalog lists:

You are incorrect. It's red and made from pretty thick plastic. Travels a long way too - sometimes it hits the patterning board.

Just got back from another decent trip to KS & MO. Pretty tough this year with all the damage from the bad weather. It looked like winter with all the dead trees and lack of greenery. We really had to pull a few tricks from the bag to get the birds to work, but that's why they call it hunting, not shooting.

Those are mostly pen marks.

A visual inspection of the bolt will let you know if it's closed. With a bit of practice, you can see where the extractor sits when the bolt is fully closed. I've always thought it might be neat if Benelli put a little mark where it lines up. Browning Golds/Silvers/X2/X3 can also ftf with the bolt not fully closed.

I think maybe Federal knows more than you The Flight Control wads throw some wicked patterns in some of my guns. They tend to prefer no ports on the choke or long slotted ports,

Yep. I've got several chokes that don't shoot to the same POI. I bought an Indian Creek choke that shoots about a foot lower than my Primos Jellyhead. I've got a Mad Super Max that shoots left when compared to a Jellyhead in the same gun. You have to pattern each choke to see where it hits.

I think your story smells of operator error. First, you missed your first shot. You admit it was a risky shot. You said the bird rolled. This indicates a body shot. You made a bad shot. It happens. Too bad as it probably was hit and later died from internal injuries. Maybe wait for a clear shot next time? So now the bird is in the air and you attempt a second shot? A flying shot with a red dot? Sounds like a risky shot, but that's just my take. Then you add the gun double fed. That can happen. I had two full cases of defective Kent Matrix that would release from the magazine without warning. The brass was not correctly made. What shells were you shooting? I would take the gun out and test shoot more shells. If it double feeds again, contact Benelli CS. A Benelli can also double feed when you hit the cartridge release lever. You story sounds fishy. I don't believe the gun malfunctioned, I think you did I think you should go back to your 870 and sell the SBE II.

Yes, the LS SBE II pad technically works, but the adapter is a total POS. Thumbs down from me. The Benelli Gel Pad has worked fine for me so far. mudhen - CA

My first SBE started to get this wear pattern soon after I purchased it in 1991. I called Benelli CS in 1992 (I think) and they said it was normal wear and would not get any worse. It has not. I'll reply in another 16 years if I see any changes....

The LS Nova pad is far from a no-brainer. It does not slip fit like the factory pad. It comes with a cheap plastic adapter that stripped out on me after 3-4 installations on my SBE II. I really hate the design. I do not see a grind to fit LS anywhere. I don't they are designed to grind. I bet your M1 tactical takes the regular M1 LS pad. mudhen - CA

I don't disagree much with anything posted here and I am specifically referring to private transfers and background checks on potential buyers. My local gunshop denies 100+- felons each year that attempt to purchase firearms OTC or via private transfers. I recall the number of denials in Cali is around 40,000 per year. I'll try to confirm that. Cali has maybe the most restrictive gun laws in the nation, but it also has the most gun owners in the nation, so I guess the laws are not chilling gun owners from filling their safes...

When laws pass in Cali by a 2-1 magin, no one is 'giving in' to anyone. Most gun laws pass here. Do you think felons should be able to buy and sell guns? How 'bout convicted bank robbers? Chesters? The voters in Los Angeles alone were enough to ban mountain lion hunting a few years back. It is what it is here in Cali. I could move, but why? I hunt 100+ days here and the money I make here funds other trips all across the country. It ain't perfect, but it'll do for now

24.5#, 10.5" beard, only one spur - 1" - he prolly ate the other one for a snack We don't shoot many in the 24# range, but when we do, it's near a farm or ranch like this. SBE II, Primos Jellyhead .660, Win XR 6's.

I don't own a Super Nova, so I didn't really have much to add. My SBE II did double feed from the mag with Kent Matrix when new, but I confirmed with Kent that the shells were not in spec (rounded brass). I played around with the shell release anyway, and the problem went away. Tucker, see my post in the Turkey Section

We have had this law in Cali for many, many years. Maybe close to 20 years. It was a pain at first, but it's no big deal now. Our dealers are required to process private transfers, so any gun shop does them. One little catch is that you have to be sure you legally own the gun before you try to transfer it. If not, they seize your gun and can charge you for being in possession of an illegal firearm. I give the law mixed reviews. While I do not like any restrictive gun law, I do like the fact that firearms are being transferred lawfully with a background check on the seller and the buyer.

About 12 paces.

Go down a shim maybe? If your is B now, go to C, etc. But for turkeys, I prefer the gun to shoot high just a bit. I use the B shim in my SBE II and aim at the base of the neck where the skin meets the feathers. The pattern pretty much rips right into the head area. This way you can see the birds head right up to the shot. I put the C (with a shaved A) back in for waterfowl season so the gun shoots closer to my POA.

26". Thanks guys! mudhen - CA