pablo

I can attest to the high FFL fee in California. I bought this exact same gun (lh monte, 28b, walnut) last sept through gunsamerica.com from Bullseye Ranges, Inc and paid $740 plus shipping plus the $75 ffl. The gun was nib and their customer service was timely and friendly. Local dealer wanted over $1k and couldn't commit to a delivery date.

I have very little experience with shotguns, but here's my firsthand experience with the montefeltro. I bought a lh 12g montefeltro last fall. I shot a rem 1100 for two years before that. I find the montefeltro much easier to clean, but I've had several problems with the gun. The first time I hunted in the rain, the stock split along the side (benelli offered to replace at no cost). Also, unless I coat the bolt parts in oil just right, the bolt sometimes won't lock and the gun doesn't fire. Thanks to advice from this board, I've experimented with the amount of oil and have reduced the frequency of failure to about 1 of 75-100 rounds from 1 out of 25. That said, its a bummer when that one shot happens on a flushing valley quail. hope this helps, paul

birddog, thanks for the tip. I'll pick up a touch up pen.

I purchased a new montefeltro last august and used it frequently this past hunting season. I've noticed the barrel blueing is worn through where the wood forearm contacts it. I clean the barrel using breakfree after every use. Is this typical? If not, does anyone know how to prevent further wear? Thx, Paul

Funny coincidence, but I was just about to post about a positive experience on the same problem. I've had my left hand 12ga montefeltro less than six months and the stock cracked the first time it got dunked duck hunting. When I removed the butt plate, the inside surface was dry to the touch and I didn't notice any moisture. Being lazy, it wasn't until yesterday that I called customer service (yesterday) to see if it was covered and they said they would replace it unless it was obvious I had abused the gun. I asked if I could wait until after hunting season and they also said that was fine. I was all smiles until I read this thread... Tbauer, I noticed that the hollow inside the stock was way off center on mine. The right side wood is twice as thick as the left. Guess which side split? I wonder if the difference in thickness puts undo strain on one side when the wood swells. The CS guy took plenty of time to answer my questions on another problem I had with the gun not firing. We'll see how the stock replacement goes this spring.

bravo, I bought a left hand montefeltro 12ga after shooting a borrowed 1187 rh. a minor problem I've noticed is the bolt release button is on the right side of the gun. not a big deal, but I've had the bolt release when laying my gun down. I'm not sure if this is the case for the lh sbeII. paul

thanks, I will send it in after the season ends. paul

I bought a 12g left hand montefeltro a few months ago. Its my first gun and I love the way it fits & shoots, but I've had two problems so far: 1) Bolt not locking closed: I posted on this earlier and got some good suggestions to clean/oil the parts. This is still occuring about once per box of shells. I'm using Breakfree and have tried lots of oil to very little with no luck. 2) Crack in stock: went duck hunting saturday. The stock got wet once when I was picking up a downed duck. It was half-submerged for a second. I thoroughly dried/cleaned/oiled the gun like I usually do that evening and left the case open on the table to make sure everything dried. By morning, there was a crack along the length of the stock that I can see and fit my nail into. Was there something I could have done to prevent this damage? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. paul

hooked, I had a similar issue in the field with my new montefeltro. It turned out that the bolt looked closed, but had not rotated all the way shut. I pulled the bolt back and released again, and I was able to fire the gun. Paul

wallhanger, thanks for the tips, I'll try it out with more oil.

I've owned a 12ga monte for a few weeks with about 250 shells through it so far. To load the first shell, I lock the bolt using the trigger switch and then release it to load the shell using the button on the side of the receiver. (using 2 3/4 in shells) Occasionally, the bolt does not twist closed and the gun won't fire. Any tips on a fix? Thanks, Paul