mudhen

Cabelas. Use the same choke you would for HS - more open. I get much better patterns from Winchester's XR in tighter turkey chokes. mudhen - CA

I'm pretty sure that's a great price - especially otd - there is a similar M1 on gunsamerica for $950 with two stocks, but an extra M1 stock would not cost much and you would have to pay shipping and transfer fees on the GA gun. mudhen - CA

Two totally different guns IMHO. The feel different, shoulder different, assembly different, sight different, etc. I've always liked the option to shoot 3.5". Old and slow 3.5" loads were lame, but the new 3.5" shells can really shine in some applications. I've heard only things good about the M1/M2 line. Myself, I'd never spend $1000 on an M2 if the SBE II was $1200. I'd spend some time at the dealer and shoulder both. mudhen - CA

I watched it a few times, and cannot agree or disagree with your observations. The video is not great, that is for sure. I can only guess that this video was more clear as to the 11 targets. I recall the other video was less clear on #11 as it appeared to be in the grass when he shot. I think he had plenty of time to shoulder the gun and break the first clay, especially with the way he was holding the gun prior to the first shot. Tom Knapp can should his gun just as fast. I do not hear the 'obvious' sound dubbing, but I am no audio expert for sure. The shots appear to be breaking the clays. I also neither hear no see any evidence of a 12th shot. I do see pieces of clay dropping, but no 'swoosh'. Tom Knapp is the real deal, but so is Patrick Flanigan. I see nothing wrong with two companies promoting their own trick shooters. I enjoy their competitive efforts. If you watch Tom's videos, you will see that there is more to the debate. Tom's shoots Federal ammo and claims there is none better. Patrick, of course, shoots Winchester ammo. Patrick worked with Benelli first, but they passed on him to remain loyal to Tom Knapp. Don't blame Patrick for seeking another sponsor and doing his own thing! All in all, it's nothing but shameless marketing, but what isn't these days... mudhen - CA

btw - should be great for Nova shooters! mudhen - CA

My dealer ordered them last week - they will be in stock soon - I think he said $35-$39 retail? I may try one for turks if the pad seems well made. mudhen - CA

Nope, just a little normal cosmetic wear & tear. The SBE II has a plastic cap over a metal cap, the SBE I's mag cap is all aluminum. mudhen - CA

It might be just fine. I played with the articulated sling at a gun shop the other day. They seemed fine, but not worth $30 to me as the material seemed rather thin and flimsy. It would last me about a week. I prefer the Butler Creek Alaskan sling in camo, but it would not match your gun. Also, any metal swivel is going to rip the mag cap cover to shreds, so maybe try a Hush Stalker II swivel? Your good friend, mudhen - CA

Sorry, I tried, but I'm drawing a blank mudhen - CA

What barrel length do you have and what size pellets do you prefer? I would think any brand in the .660 range would work fine. Primos Jellyheads get good reviews. Kicks makes good tubes, so does Rhino, Comp-n-Choke, etc. I have quite a few Benelli turkey chokes at home - give me a day to see what I have - I think I can send you one for nothing - my SBE II shoots the Crio choke, so I have no need for so many tubes. mudhen - CA

I agree with all of Butch-M's post. All of my Benelli rifled slug guns have preferred the Win Plats. The Plats run at 1700 fps and seem to be a bit more controllable than the rather hot Golds running at 1900/2000. The Plat is a great muzzleloader bullet as well. mudhen - CA

All that just because I teased your boyfriend? And I'm the one with the problem? I put a and all... Get over it, you are a troll, and deserve no better treatment until you post something useful... And btw, this forum is not a conduit to CS, it was given to us as a $1600 sandbox, read the instructions troll... Maybe you should have called them first?... mudhen - CA

All my Benelli camo finishes have been perfect out of the box, including my 2005 SBE II. All, however, start wearing from the first hunt on. The finish turns glossy and starts to fade to white in many places. All film finishes have done this on my guns, regardless of the brand... mudhen - CA

Great input newbie... did that take you long to come up with mudhen - CA

Not much new for 2006. A new Nova & a lightweight Monte are all I've heard of so far. In case you were wondering, most gun makers do not release much info until the SHOT Show, which was this weekend. The dealer info on the Super Nova has been out for 6 months or so... mudhen - CA

This was a reply to DC50's question about the different Beretta Holding's brands. The website messed up and made it a post! The scope of your question is too broad and subjective to be answered here. I suggest you do your own homework by reading each brand's forum. Benelli bought Stoeger because it was cheaper to buy them than to allow them to compete. Good reading! mudhen - CA [ 02-11-2006, 09:21 PM: Message edited by: mudhen ]

I'm bottom half for sure in this area. I know many die hards here that hunt waterfowl 80-120 days a year. Plus with no dog, cripples can be an adventure! I know several guys that shoot 500+ birds a year. What they do with them is beyond me, but I guess they have lots of friends that like duck! mudhen - CA

Don't see it on their website yet. Where can we see/buy it? Model #? Thanks! mudhen - CA

None of your baited and much anticipated drivel explains your clear lack of responsible firearm ownership, much of which begins with the initial purchasing process. Never said anything about test firing. You need to work on your reading comprehension. One can easily test a weapon in the store. Work the action. Check the safety. Dry fire (I have never had a shop not allow me to dry fire with snap caps) Count the choke tubes. Account for all the accessories. Inspect for damage in the finish. Check the bore. Do all that you can to insure the gun you are buying is in good shape. I doubt anyone cares how far you live from a Benelli dealer, it is your responsibility to research your own purchase and live with the consequences if you are unhappy with said purchase. If you had come here for information prior to purchase, instead of just to vent about your own lack of due care, then you might have learned about these oft repeated issues. Maybe you need to learn the purpose of a forum is to learn, not vent. Your motive was quite clear with by the repeated mention of the great cost of this weapon. You may also want to learn to use the Search feature, it can be helpful. Nothing I posted was untrue, so obviously I hit a nerve that you yourself know to be accurately hit. So that you can learn, I have rewritten your post for you: Hello Benelli Owners, I have recently purchased an SBE II SteadyGrip. I find the safety to be too loud for turkey hunting. Also, the trigger is just too heavy for my taste. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to remedy these problems? Thanks! SBE II Ferret See how much nicer that was! I am glad that you feel the need to boast about your deer hunting prowess. I am certain that record deer are uncommon in Iowa, so you must be quite the nimrod... Iowa is a great state. I hunt there often. You do your state an injustice with posts like this... mudhen - CA

C&H Research makes a mercury recoil suppressor for the SBE II. mudhen - CA

Sounds like you didn't research the gun before purchase. That is your fault entirely. Also sounds like you didn't test it or a like model before purchase. Again, your fault entirely. The Benelli trigger has been the same since inception. No better no worse every year. There is no adjustable Benelli trigger that I know of. It is common knowledge that they are not crisp and that no will do much work on them. Given that this gun was soooo much money, you should have tested the trigger at the shop. Caveat emptor. As to the safety, it may be an original safety with the overly tight spring. Call Benelli CS and maybe they can arrange for the spring to be changed. Some guys clip part of the spring as well. Otherwise, I suggest releasing the safety with two fingers like most turkey hunters I know. I've shot Benellis at turks this way for 16 years without issue. I do suggest you research your own purchases more carefully next time so you can avoid coming on to a website as a new member and bashing a quality brand for your own shortcomings... mudhen - CA

At 6-8 boxes a year, sounds like you can shoot whatever you want! Hevi-Steel is steel and bismuth and actually will be cheaper next season ($.56 per shell) at my gunshop, so that's the plan for now, plus some misc. steel. mudhen - CA

Still waiting...come on B-Girl... mudhen - CA

Apparently the price of powdered tungsten has gone so far up that Kent thinks the Matrix will not sell at $3-$4 per shell. They have enough to make Matrix until the summer. I think it is a good move on their part, no one will pay $4 per shell for waterfowl loads, at least not many will... mudhen - CA

Hevi-Steel 4's worked fine for me on early season small ducks. Didn't use it on big ducks or later in the season. Sure Hevi-Shot is great, but I use 5-8 cases of shells per year, so it's a treat not for daily use. What do you pay per pound now? I don't reload, just curious. Will it still be your choice if it hits $30 per pound, $40? $50? Poor Winchester will be hard pressed to sell the XR at $3 per shell, but it sounds like that will be the price for everyone next fall if they run out of existing stock by then... Kent has announced they are disco'ing Matrix once their supply of shot runs out sometime this summer. Steel blends may have to be good enough for now... mudhen - CA