mudhen

I don't know.... I also have a bet with a friend: Which is faster - an SBE II in Advantage Max Four or an SBE II in Advantage Timber?... mudhen - CA

I waited over a year for a M1 slug barrel - I canceled the order after 13 months. I ended up buying an SBE slug gun and buying a new 26" barrel from a private party for $300. Up to 12 months is normal for a factory barrel order. mudhen - CA

The Terror .675 should be fine. The tighter chokes like .655, which are very popular with the snow goose crowd, can bulge the choke and barrel with large hard pellets like steel or HS. By large, Jeff mentioned anything larger than BB. But I have read several reports of bulging in Beretta Extremas using steel BB's. The Extrema uses the Optima Plus which is the same tube as the Crio Choke. I spoke with Jeff several times about the SBE II and he told me he was redesigning a new tube to eliminate the choke/barrel bulge problem. I returned my Terror .655 for the SBE II - it patterned very poorly with several turkey loads. mudhen - CA

Be clear - the SBE & SBE II have totally different choke systems - there is almost no analogy between the two systems. I'd say wait it out a bit on the SBE II. Most choke mf'ers are still trying to figure the Benelli Crio choke thing out. Jeff at Terror is totally redesigning a tube just for the SBE II. He is not happy with the problems from just plunking a Beretta Optima Plus tube in the Benelli Crio Choke guns. Lots of patterning problems and some bulging issues. Briley would be my first choice for a mf'er to figure out what works best, especially since they make some tubes for Benelli already. Maybe contact them? I had to send 6 SBE II choke tubes back already that were not designed properly. mudhen - CA

Neither. Plain SBE II right out of the box. Max 4 camo is fine - it may look banana yellow, but it doesn't look bad in the field. I have never shot a gun (even my other 8 Benellis) that is so dead on out of the box. The tiny midbead + the small red bead line up perfectly for me. Line them up at the base of the bird's next, and squeeze that heavy Benelli trigger! Scopes are cool, but I just love looking at the bird and the whole scene right down the barrel. mudhen - CA

X2 is much faster. mudhen - CA

The 3" X2 is quite a bit faster than any Benelli - at least 20% faster. www.winchester.com has a full review of gun speeds. I have never seen a 3.5" test for either gun. mudhen - CA

Wow, were do I start?: M2 has the ComforTech stock option The barrel is Crio'd The choke tubes are the Crio Choke system The forearm is shorter and thicker for a good grip The M2 can be had in a synthetic stock The M2 can be had in camo (2 types) or matte You can get a 21" barrel for the M2 The M2 is available in SteadyGrip You can get a slug barrel for the M2 The M2 is sling ready The M2 has easy access to the magazine for spring changes and/or maintenance, etc. The Monte has none of the above features. But the Monte has a wonderfully slim and graceful design and the long slender forearm is favored by many, especially upland shooters. I'm sure I missed some things... mudhen - CA

I think why would you ask strangers? I've been shooting 26" Benellis for 15 years with no ill effects. I love the 26" for turkey, ducks, quail, dove, deer, hogs, etc. The 28" really becomes a club when an extended choke tube is added. I have a Rhino rifled tube that is almost 4" long - I also own maybe 12 assorted extended tubes that would look pretty silly on a 28" bbl. I guess the theory is that the longer barrel will somehow lead to a smoother swing. Maybe a good idea in theory, but it does not play out in the field for me. I'd go with the 26" - you will thank me later.... mudhen - CA

Easy fix - but I'm not going to register just to reply. I can replace a Benelli ejector in 5 minutes tops. Crappy design fixed by Benelli around 1998. The screws do not appear sheared off - it looks like they just backed out after the Locktite gave up. The screws are .5 Allen - I use Locktite blue - nothing appears broken (yet). All of those parts are steel - the case and plate - so there is no concern about aluminum not holding up. I would clean all the parts off - dig the crap out of the screw heads - check for any cracks or wear that might warrant buying a new part from www.brownells.com - and reassemble using Locktite blue on the screws. Buying all new parts from Brownells is not a bad option either - $82.05 for all new parts. Sending back to Benelli is not a bad option either - I did in 1999 and they updated the ejector assembly and added screwdriver cutouts to make the repair/maintenance much easier. I averaged about 7,000 rounds per ejector repair - all waterfowl loads. mudhen - CA

Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't..... The Cordoba is a sporting clays gun that is at home in the field. It feels great and is very well balanced, but the SBE II ain't bad either. I know many folks that shoot the SS and/or SII for dux, and they all wished it had come in black when they bought theirs. Now it does. But it's still ported which is an issue for many duck hunters. The Cordoba was not made for the person with 1 or 2 Benellis, it was made for the guy with 10. How may guys have 10 Benellis? More than you think - I know of 3, with one guy owning 15+... mudhen - CA

Nope. mudhen - CA

Yep, look for open fields, especially if there are nice leafy woods on the edge. Livestock pastures in the rain & after a rain are good places as well. mudhen - CA

So far, my SBE II has never met a Kansas tom it didn't like..... mudhen - CA

No problems with mine so far. Best turkey choke for me is the Rhino .660 + Winchester Extended #6's. 2nd best, not even really close, was a Kicks .660 and Winchester HV #6's. Light oil on the contact points is all I do. mudhen - CA

Yes, it is rather pricey, pricey but good! If I shot it during duck season, I would end up spending $1500! I have heard that the Win Extended is non-tox and will be available for waterfowling once given the final USFW approval. mudhen - CA

Unprotected, HS will score your barrel. From what I have heard, the newer style of protective cups (insert a Tucker joke here) have eliminated that problem. I have not read a statement from Benelli, but other companies like Browning have made statements to the effect that newer HS loads are fine in their guns. I think Beretta has made this statement as well. Maybe ask Benelli USA CS? I like HS 7.5's early on, and 6's later on. You certainly must you the correct choke in the SBE II. Whether or not an aftermarket company actually Crio's the tube is another issue. I don't even know for sure if Benelli Crio's their own tubes - they don't feel cold to me.... mudhen - CA

I have only tested 12 or so Benellis, but I found the 24" bbl patterned considerably poorer than the 26" and 28" cousins at longer ranges. Just fine at decoy ranges and for close in turkey work, but unacceptable to me at anything much past that. Don't know why, it's just the way my testing worked out. I couldn't get a 24" Nova to do anything past 35 yards, I tested a 24" SBE that was fine out to 35, but fell apart fast after that. My 26" bbl SBE II seems to do fine for turkeys only with the Rhino .660 & Win Ext - I bought and returned 4 other chokes that shot unacceptable patterns. Have not decided on a waterfowl choke yet, but I will prolly order something from Briley this summer. mudhen - CA

SBE II + Rhino .660 1.5" choke + Win Ext #6's + a tom at 49 yards (not my range but that was what I was offered) = mudhen - CA

Hey longbeard - he is what my Rhino looks like; mudhen - CA

According to Rhino - Wing Supply does not stock a 2" Rhino for the SBE II - they stock a 1.5" Rhino for the SBE II. No one stocks a 2" Rhino for the SBE II, it is a special order from Rhino and costs $120. The 1.5" Rhino I have is rusty brown/red colored. Rhino 'splained it all to me - they tested the 2" Crio and found no benefit over the 1.5" Crio, so the 1.5" Crio is the standard model. A very sharp lady @ Rhino told me to buy the 1.5" and test it - she said she would be surprised if I didn't like the pattern. The Rhino seems to like the Win Ext - and I hear it likes the Nitro HS H51013, which I have but have not tested yet. I think you have the wrong tube. Call Rhino. mudhen

I sent the .655 Terror back - only the .660 Rhino so far has even come close to what I'm looking for. Good luck! mudhen - CA

I could not be happier with the SBE II & Rhino choke & Winchester Extended #6's combination so far.... Kentucky: Cali: mudhen - CA [ 04-20-2005, 11:47 AM: Message edited by: mudhen ]

Nope - I had to order directly from Rhino - and she was all business! Wing Supply has been out of the SBE II .660 most of the year. Rhino 1-800-226-3613 mudhen - CA

Just FYI, Tested a new Rhino .660 for the SBE II tonight. No time to post photos, but I was able to put 23-27 Win Ext #6's (3.5") in the 3" circle @ 40 yards. That's the pattern I was looking for @ 40 yards. I don't like to shoot beyond 30 yards, but my guns have to be able to kill a bird beyond that on occasion. Rhino's standard SBE II tube is the 1.5" extended version, they can make a 2" upon request, but they told me it was not necessary. Good luck turkey hunters! mudhen - CA