bambihunter

Using GunBroker's Advanced Search, then limiting it to Completed Items is very useful for determining current value. Here's the most recent search which as of this post, it goes back to 11/8/23 on SOLD items. Be sure to look only at those prices. The ones that go unsold aren't really useful for determining a price. https://www.gunbroker.com/Semi-Auto-Shotguns/search/completed?Keywords=benelli m1&Timeframe=1&Sort=1&PageSize=96 I believe it should be an HK imported model. If they ever imported the M1's through Benelli USA, then most likely the HK versions are worth a little more. Personally, I think the M1 is a delightful entry (as in entering a room to clear hostiles, not as in cheapest model) and I have no idea why they generally sell for what they do. Most synthetic stocked version seem to hover right around the $1,000 mark and wood a bit more highly dependent on condition and quality of wood. If it has the winged tactical sights like shown on my M1 below, then that seems to add another $50. Below, that one is on the gun, and the standard entry barrel in picture below is not on gun. I can't recall if it is an official designation, but many people call the version with pistol grip stock, mag extension, and those sights on a short entry barrel the M1T (for tactical). Hope this helped some at least.

@remarkable You may want to remove your email address now that he has seen/sent an email. Those web crawler engines will snatch up the address and distribute it to spammers. Love your contributions to the forum.

To be fair, I am sure these were designed for their Turkish M4 clone knockoff that just happen to be close enough to fit most Benelli M4's.

One can also Dremel out the forearm if cost is an issue. The SBE 1 has a shorter barrel lug. The SBE1 slug and all SBE2's have a longer barrel lug behind the barrel band (that holds the forearm on) as shown in my barrel collection picture (none for sale): I bought a SBE2 forearm when I bought the SBE2 slug barrel. But supposedly it doesn't make the forearm loose or rattle if one only cuts out what is needed. Note that the other differences with SBE1 vs SBE2 barrels is the rib height and angle as well as SBE1 uses Mobil chokes and the SBE2 use Crio chokes. The cannot be interchanged as the thread on Mobil are right at the muzzle whereas Crio the threads are ~3/4" down the barrel. The vent rib difference is clear in the picture above. I found it a little tough to go back and forth between them because of the different aiming point. An alternative might be to buy the SBE2 barrel and sell your SBE1 barrel. It'll likely go for close to the same price as the new one. You might even be able to sell the forearm if in good shape to cover the SBE2 forearm. Or, sell the SBE1 and get the SBE2 (or 3). A quality HK SBE1 usually sells slightly higher than the later "Benelli USA" SBE1's and all the SBE2's.

I bought my original SBE (1) in 1994 and In my experience when the ammo is too light, it will eject the empty shell case, but the bolt won't go back far enough to release the next shell from the mag. You might consider shooting 1 1/8 oz DRAM, even the cheapo ammo has worked for me in all my SBE's, and other Benelli 3" guns without fail. Almost all 7/8 oz DRAM loads fail to cycle with any regularity in my SBE's and 1 oz DRAM I can get maybe 1 event like described per box of shells. The 3" chamber guns work fine with 1 oz and most of the time with the 7/8 oz. I am sure there is a point when the powder charge comes in to play, but for me, it has always been the mass of projectiles that made the difference. On one SBE I bought cheap from a buddy who is infamous for never cleaning his guns, the tube in the stock was all gunked up with oil and what looked like wheat chaff. Pulling the spring out, cleaning the tube thoroughly, and using dry lube (the only thing I use on mag and recoil tubes) and she ran great. The jams looked quite a bit like yours. In this case, the cause was friction.

HughCA, you could verify visually which port type it is. Also, if it is a REALLY good deal, perhaps you could buy it, then buy a replacement barrel. I'm not sure if there'd be any demand on the 4 port due to its rarity to Benelli collectors (which I am one, but not interested in the barrel). Just a thought, but remember barrels often run for $500 so it'd have to be a really good deal.

There's no benefit to oiling the stocks at all. In fact, if the finish is in good shape on the metal, I wouldn't hardly oil the outside. I only occasionally field strip and check and clean the bolt during the season. Then, I clean my SBE at the end of the seasons and only then do I give it a very LIGHT oil wipe. I put just enough on that it makes the matte metal shiny. Then, I lightly run a cloth wipe over it to where it looks nearly like it did before, but with a richer black color and not oily feeling whatsoever. These don't need the care that antique's or even blued guns do. As for repairing what you have, I really don't know. I have various coated Remington 700 stocks that have gotten sticky. I was able to peel that off with heat and patience. Then, I sent it in to the stock maker which was Bell & Carlson and they sprayed a conventional pattern on for a nominal fee. They MIGHT do work for other manufacturers. I'm not sure. Others might have some ideas, but only other thoughts are lightly sand it down to where it is no longer sticky. I can't imagine it going very deep.

For the bolt guides, pretty much use whatever oil you want. I will say definitely do not use oil in the magazine. Use some type of dry spray lube. Though probably not quite as important, I also recommend the same for the recoil spring assembly in the stock. The reason is probably obvious, yet I see it all the time. People lube the magazine tube with copious amounts of oil. Then, while out hunting the drop a shell on the ground. They pick it up and pop it in without ever cleaning it. All that dust, lint, plant debris, etc. is now in your magazine and will gunk it up. I have made a lot of money from friends buying their non-functioning "jam-o-matics", cleaning these tubes out, and reselling them working perfectly.

It is still odd their choice of fit. I am a person that can pick up about any shotgun and within maybe a dozen shots hit consistently without adjustments. I'm talking shotguns from the 1910's to present. But, then they want us to throw away a half-century of learned behavior that is consistent , and learn a different way. This is one of several reasons why I am sticking with my SBE (1). I imagine realistically, they didn't want to manufacture a different bead or sighting plane for us on this side of the pond so they were just like "here, learn the European way to shoot it".

The Franchi SPAS-15 was very reliable mag fed shotgun as well. Plus, it offered both pump or semi-auto function so you can change it depending on your needs. They are quite rare in the US and sell for minimum of ~$6,500 and since 2020 or so, the 2 I have seen sell on Gunbroker went for over $8k.

If you use GunBroker, you can go to advanced search, and set up your keywords and search. After you've searched, you can tell it to save your search (if you have an account) and then you can also have it email you when it is found. With a little trial and error on the keywords, you can have it email you when it comes up, without a bunch of what you don't want. That is how I find all my really hard to find stuff though admittedly sometimes it takes a long time.

Try shooting 1 1/8 oz target loads. They are the same price, you can still get the el-cheapo stuff like at Wal-Mart. I'd bet it'll solve it for you.

At the heart of the M3 is still the inertial system so it certainly can affect it. That said, I've found it to be MUCH more critical of having a firm shoulder mount than anything else. If I "free hand" where I let it swing freely my M3 or SBE's, they will fire and eject the empty. But, because they don't have any real resistance, they don't go back far enough to hit the cartridge release and thus never picks up the next cartridge. So, back to your question, you can overcome this issue of lack of resistance (in my case) or extra weight added (in your case) by shooting a higher DRAM-EQ shell. For the 3.5" capable SBE's, I end up shooting the 1 1/8 oz load and it has solved all short cycling issues on both guns. They are still available as el-cheapo loads from Wal-Mart.

A few ideas... 1. Using a hair dryer or heat gun on lower setting, evenly heat the area where the threads are. On the M2, that should be 3/4" or so from the muzzle. Don't get it so hot you can't touch the barrel, even where you are heating. But, it should be uncomfortably warm in this area then use your choke wrench to try to loosen. A gentle tap with a rubber mallet could help too. 2. Soak the threaded section of the barrel muzzle-down in some type of penetrating oil overnight (at least). I'd clean it thoroughly first with normal gun cleaner to remove all the gunk that you can first. If you can easily remove sights or anything else, it will make it easier to clean up excess oil afterwards. 3. I only suggest this in the off chance you have access to metal CNC or lathe. Do some measuring on the taper where it transitions from the barrel to the choke (we did a lead mold to make it easier). Then, carefully transfer those measurements onto a rod that is long enough to extend from the chamber end of the barrel with it removed from the gun. It is hard to describe, but picture most of it being 1/2" except for the last 3/4" it goes up to the size of the choke where it follows that taper. What we've done then is to basically tap one side with the rod, then tap the choke wrench on the other side, back and forth. A dead-blow hammer works well for this. This is a gentle back and forth, back and forth. I've gotten more than a dozen chokes unstuck that the previous two methods hadn't managed to do (friend of my dad had a flood while he was out of town and by the time they got back to town, there was a lot of rust on 40+ firearms - it was a sad scene). Since he paid for the tool to be made, he still has it. I never thought to take any pictures. Good news is all of his firearms are back to working order, just not near as beautifully as they were before. 😔 There's no reason that these couldn't be combined too, just be careful of any flammability issues obviously. Like remarkable said, Briley can cut it down, but unless you desire the shorter length or the choke is actually bulged in place in the barrel, I'd work to get it removed. Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

This was the factory length for the original (HK imported) M3's. It looks like those pictured above are the newer model. Just posting for reference and comparison.

The color change won't fix this issue though... So as Pavia3 stated, both is the best route. You'll probably regret selling this one, but I get it I've been there too. I bought an original 11711 NP3 H2O version but then the value shot up so much I decided to get a regular black one to shoot and keep the 11711 one NIB.

Another thought... If it is only on the barrel and the gun is a good deal, then get it and keep it lightly oiled and protected. You can always get it completely refinished later. Worst case scenario, they still sell those barrels (though not cheap). Depending on how and how often you use the gun, often those don't end up mattering. For me, my collectibles must be flawless, but my hunting and sporting guns inevitably end up with marks no matter how careful I try to be. I finally just had to accept that. You may end up getting the gun and loving it, but wish you had a different length barrel so then you could swap them out for a little difference in cost; maybe a couple hundred bucks tops.

Over on Gunbroker, here's a list of all 20 gauge 828u's for sale: https://www.gunbroker.com/Shotguns/search?Keywords=benelli 828u&PageSize=96&Sort=1&View=1&Ch-Gauge=20 Gauge Here's a used one in Lake Benton MN if that is anywhere close: https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1006809290

Therein lies the issue, at least to get a new one... The 11711 was NP3 coated and came with the collapsible stock and extended mag. That shouldn't have really been released to us civvies in this config. From what I understand, they were brought over to try to garner police and military contracts and the leftovers were then sold on the open market. They weren't that much more than the regular M4 but in very short time, the demand sky-rocketed but no more would be made. They had started importing Cerakoted ones in a 922r compliant configuration which then people could modify. Robar closed, and some other NP3 applicator companies have mostly stopped doing small parts so it has gotten harder (but not impossible) to get the small pieces done now. I bought my 11711 new unfired and that is how it will remain. I had originally got it to shoot, but the value shot up so fast, that I decided it was money well spent to get another M4 to use and keep the other NIB. The last couple 11711's that I've seen for sale before COVID were $4,500 and I saw one sell during COVID go for ~$8,000, but people got stupid during that time on what they paid for stuff so I don't consider that an indicator of real value.

The price on these has dropped back down from their peak during the pandemic. One way to get a valid price for the going rate on Gunbroker is to do an advanced search. Then, select the "Completed" tab. Search for desired item, in this case SPAS-12. It will give you a list of closed auctions. It will list auctions that closed without selling, cloned NR rated scam sellers, and others as well, so a little skimming is in order to really get a good feel for it. Here's a link with that work already done: https://www.gunbroker.com/Shotguns/search/completed?Keywords=spas-12&Timeframe=1&Sort=1&PageSize=96 Personally, I'd say a good place to start would be $4,500 and adjust accordingly if that is less than you'd actually take. That's what I'd probably give for it. Stay away from using reserves as it turns a lot of people off including myself. Since yours has a lot of extras that can swing the value, I don't think I'd put a Buy It Now option either. From this side of the gun it isn't obvious whether it is the back side of the lever safety or if it is the cross-bolt safety but that hugely affects the price on these. Also, if you haven't already, I'd suggest replacing the shock buffer. There's a good chance it has disintegrated which can beat up the inside of the receiver when shot semi-auto.

It truly fixes almost all the things I disliked about the SPAS-12. I have shot my M3's a lot and am completely comfortable. But, only handled and shot a SPAS-15 one day for a box of shells. I thought I'd like the detachable mag, but with similar capacity to the tubes, I was torn. Only if they had extended mags would they seem viable. Now, the mags for those are several hundred bucks and the guns run ~$8,500 so I suspect they're getting shot less and less. Some of the new high cap shotguns certainly have a lot going for them though they lack the panache of these 3 dual-mode shotguns in my opinion.

I'd have to look at it again (it's been many years since I really looked specifically at it, but I believe it is more or less a regular dove tailed sight, maybe with a set screw. But, as I eluded to above, I remember hearing that on early ones, even on the original HK models, the sight dovetail location was slightly off so it wouldn't lock in place anyway. If memory serves (which it barely does anymore LOL), it was ~1/4" difference. These wrap around the back of the receiver some. Are the width of the receiver and shape of the trigger guard similar on new manufacture ones? I'd still opt for the original HK import versions for several reasons. One, they were imported and sold in that configuration and thus in many locals releasing them from some of the later restrictions. Two, HK original variants tend to hold a slight premium and were the only ones that were imported in this configuration. These can be "ghost loaded" but are a little tricky due to their shorter chamber than the SBE. I've also got a Franchi SPAS-12 and I can't fathom why it is so popular. It must be the look of that hook. There is really absolutely nothing that it does better than these do. Now, the SPAS-15 on the other hand, that would be a much closer call and I'd need some more trigger time to make that call.

An SBEII bolt should work just fine and will be cheaper and easier to find. I imagine that is why the bolt is missing from that gun. Someone took the "ghost load" capable one from that one and put it in their later model.

The forend I am 95% sure will not. I believe the barrel ring at the end of the mag tube (behind the magazine nut) is smaller on the Montefeltro. If memory serves, you can't add an extended magazine to the Monte for this reason whereas on the M1 it is no problem. As far as the buttstock, I can't say for sure. The part to compare would be the contours and angle behind the trigger guard. I am fairly sure the original Super Black Eagle's buttstock will fit, I don't remember the contours and don't have my saved pictures I usually post. I have posted them on here before if you want to search for them. I've posted pictures of M1, M3, M4, SBE, etc. if there is a way to search posts. I am at work so I probably should do some of it. 😉 LOL

Both, 11711 NP3 one, and a black one built out the same. The 11711 is NIB and will remain and the other is my shooter when I want a Benelli gas gun, though generally I grab the inertia guns.