Butch-M

My experience: Winchester Platinum Tips have shot best out of my SBEII ... and pound deer. I keep coming back to them every time I try something new. Winchester Partition Gold seem to shoot well, but they're built for deep penetration and I don't want them flying through deer unexpanded and penetrating the dirt behind the deer. Guy are finding the Federal Barnes bullet very accurate. My SBE didn't shoot them especially well, but some of the best shotgun groups I've seen have been shot with Barnes bullets. A lot of guys like Lightfields and they shoot very well, but I don't like big fat lead slugs. Reminds me of a salt water sinker being shot out of my gun. Remington "Copper Solids" shot poorly out of my gun ... and a few friends of mine's guns too. Remington Ultra Coreloc looks like a great slug, I will try them this summer. Hornady SST's didn't shoot particularly well out of my SBE, (I was disappointed because I use Hornady bullets in my rifles with great results) but some guys are getting good results with them. Bottom line is ... every brand, and every load shoots radically differently. One brand to another can be 2" groups to 8" groups. One load to another (say 2-3/4" @ 1-1/4 oz and 1400fps vs 3" @ 385gr and 2000fps) can mean hitting 2" groups at 100 yards vs NOT EVEN HITTING THE TARGET BACKSTOP!!! PS - Steeler Fan ... turn off your CAPS ... capital letter mean you're shouting ... in cyber land. LOL When you pick a slug, stick with it and get enough that you don't run out in the field. You can't borrow a few of your buddies and even have a clue where it's going to hit.

In keeping with the "lesser of two evils" thought ... Someone once asked "why is it we have 50 choices in picking a Miss America ... yet only two for President???" I agree with Remy that the Clinton/Kerry crowd would be breaking down our doors looking for black BB guns with a pistol grip; and terrorists would be blowing up stuff all over the country ... but I gotta say Tucker has a point too. Corporate America sure has been raping us since Bush got re-elected!!! ($3.00 a gallon for heating oil for instance, illegal immigrants POURING across the border unchecked to fuel cheap labor and hold down wages, etc, etc, etc. Then there's "Haliburtin" & Cheney, need more be said??? LOL It's "****ed if we do; and ****ed if we don't" Enjoy that Benelli and the open woods & swamps people ... that's where you're free! Butch

Them Cheney eyes are gettin old. Perhaps his hunting partners should borrow some of that Secret Service kevlar in the future.

Zeiss eye relief is 4 inches.

There's no difference in pattern performance. I bought a 28" ... I wish I bought the 26. The 28 seems a little long. So if you prefer the longer sight plane ... get the longer barrel though.

Best bet is to get a scope build for shotguns ... parallax set at 50 yards rather than 100. I bought a Zeiss 3-9x for my SBEII and it has performed flawlessly on my rifled barrel for deer. No bonking or doinking.

THOUGHT YOU WATERFOWLERS MIGHT FIND THIS INTERESTING: BUTCH ================================= The following is the National Duck Hunter Survey news release from the Wildlife Management Institute and National Flyway Council. New Jersey waterfowl biologists will participate in a full review and discussion of this survey and its implications at the Joint Flyway meeting beginning Feb 19. Las Vegas, NV-The National Flyway Council (NFC) and the Wildlife Management Institute released the results of the National Duck Hunter Survey 2005 today at a news conference held in conjunction with the SHOT SHOW in Las Vegas. "This survey is the first to ask a representative sample of duck hunters in every state their opinions on ducks, duck hunting and waterfowl management," said Don Childress, NFC chair. Over 10,000 duck hunters responded to the survey. Some of the national findings include: * Seventy-two percent of respondents said duck hunting was one of their most important (58 percent) or most important (14 percent) recreational activities. * Fifty-nine percent said that the duck season length (number of days in the season) in the state they hunted most over the last 5 years was "about right," although one-third (35 percent) said the season was "too short," and 3 percent, "too long." * Almost three-quarters (72 percent) of duck hunters said that the total daily bag limit in the state they hunted most over the last 5 years was "about right." Thirteen percent said it was "too low," and 8 percent, "too high." * Almost two-thirds (65 percent) of duck hunters said they spend over $250 each year on duck hunting and one-fifth (20 percent) said they spend over $1,000 each year. * Six percent of duck hunters now age 45-64 indicated that they began duck hunting in the relatively recent past (1997-2004). * Twenty percent of duck hunters said they "frequently" access the internet for duck hunting information; 49 percent said "once in a while," and 31 percent, "not at all." Survey results are reported nationally, by the four flyways, and by upper, middle, and lower groupings of states in each flyway. This allows for comparisons among regions of the country. For example, 30 percent of duck hunters in the upper portion of the Central Flyway (North Dakota, South Dakota, and eastern Montana) said that the overall quality of duck hunting over the last five years had "gotten much better" (10 percent) or "gotten a little better" (20 percent), while 29 percent said it had "gotten a little worse" (23 percent) or "much worse" (6 percent). By contrast, 5 percent of the duck hunters in the lower portion of the Mississippi Flyway (Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee) said that the overall quality of duck hunting over the last five years had "gotten much better" (1 percent) or "gotten a little better" (4 percent), while 82 percent said it had "gotten a little worse" (31 percent) or "much worse" (51 percent). Fifteen states chose to increase the number of hunters surveyed in their states to allow for statistically meaningful state-level results (South Dakota, Montana, North Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Iowa, Maryland, Tennessee, and Wisconsin). These state results will be released on February 16. The mailing addresses for the survey were randomly drawn from the Harvest Information Program (HIP) database and included hunters who reported having harvested at least one duck during the 2003-04 duck hunting season. Only resident hunters were surveyed. "This survey just wouldn't have been possible without the HIP program," said Childress. "This collaborative HIP effort between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the state fish and wildlife agencies is critical to waterfowl management." The survey report includes over one hundred pages of responses to 32 questions from hunters in 49 states. "These results are just the beginning," said Steve Williams, President of the Wildlife Management Institute. "The purpose of the survey was to provide objective information about hunter attitudes and now it is time to put the results to use." The next step is for duck hunters, Flyway Councils, state fish and wildlife agencies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, conservation organizations, duck clubs, and the outdoor media to begin reviewing and discussing what the results mean and how the results might be used to inform future decisions regarding waterfowl hunting and management. "These results will be invaluable in our deliberations and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will do everything we can to communicate these results to those who can use them to improve our hunting regulations and hunter satisfaction in the future," said Paul Schmidt, Assistant Director for Migratory Birds, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Funding for the National Duck Hunter Survey 2005 was provided by state fish and wildlife agencies through the four Flyway Councils, the NFC and the Wildlife Management Institute. A committee composed of Flyway technical representatives and human dimensions specialists was formed by the NFC and guided conduct of the survey. The NFC hired D.J. Case & Associates to coordinate development, implementation and analysis of the survey. The National Duck Hunter Survey 2005 is the first of several communications strategies under the banner of "A Systematic and Sustained Conversation with Waterfowl Hunters." A "Strategy Team" formed by the NFC and Wildlife Management Institute in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is guiding the effort. Additional information on the National Duck Hunter Survey 2005 and a downloadable copy of this news release is available at www.ducksurvey.com. Contact: Don Childress, National Flyway Council, 406-444-2612, [email protected] Contact: Steve Williams, Wildlife Management Institute, 202-371-1808, [email protected] Contact: Dave Case, D.J. Case & Associates, 574-258-0100, [email protected] Website: www.ducksurvey.com

"You guys are tough on the rookie" ... LOL But, the kid is articulate.

Yeah, I agree that slug guns are a pain. You're stuck with an inherently inaccurate platform and you agonize trying to get accuracy out of it. I wonder what the "statistics" show about hunting accidents in rifle zones vs hunting accidents in shotgun only states or zones. I'm guessing there's absolutely no safety advantage statistically by imposing shotguns on deer hunters. I'd further guess that almost all hunting accidents happen up close, not errant bullets hitting somebody a half mile away. I suspect the whole shotgun thing is far more of a public perception of safety, rather than the real thing. BUT ... "it is what it is" and we have to work with it. LOL Perhaps the ammunition manufacturers will someday solve the problem with further improvements in slugs.

Well, I bought 3 boxes of 3-1/2" 00 buckshot ... and some foster slugs that will work in my smoothbore barrel ... then found out the "buckshot" factor has been eliminated from the project. Now I have shells with 18 ... 33 caliber lead balls. Seems like a lot of holes to put in one deer. LOL Talk about spray & pray ... empty the gun and that's 54 projectiles filling the air. Oh well, it will probably sit in the ammo can ... alongside the other box of buckshot that has been in there for about 30 years.

I took my SBEII to a good gunsmith for trigger work because I shoot a lot of deer with the rifled barrel. After working on the trigger ... I felt almost no difference. I may be wrong, but I "THINK" he told me before he started that the only thing he could do to "improve" the Benelli trigger was to smooth and polish the parts to be sure there were no lumps, bumps, or rough spots to cause a hitch. I assumed the limited potential for "change" had something to do with the design.

Try Federal TruBall slugs .. which should be plenty accurate out to 75 yards, maybe more. A lot of guys find that Remington Buckhammers run pretty good through a smoothbore too. You're right on smooth choke selection ... whatever shoots your particular buckshot best will work for your non-sabot slugs just fine. In my opinion ... a rifled choke doesn't have enough time to really effect any slug going through it. It MIGHT help a Truball or Buckhammer a little ... BUT I doubt it will spin a sabot slug enough to effectively allow the sabot to cleanly disembark the projectile every time. Sabot slugs which are not spinning fast enough are said to become unstable; pitch & yaw ... pitchpole. So ... contrary to what you'd think ... they can actually be LESS accurate than a common "Foster" type slug when used in a smoothbore barrel. You wind up paying premium prices for less accuracy. A potential problem is the BUCKSHOT through the rifled choke!!! IF ... the choke can spin the pellets, they might go hither and yon. I've been told buckshot through a rifled barrel scatters all over Hades half acre. Defeats the objective of effectively using both buckshot & slugs from the same M4. You MIGHT gain accuracy with the slug and loose accuracy with the buckshot. You'll have to test. I'm curious about the results you get when you shoot sabots through your rifled choke ... and compare it to TruBalls &/or Buckhammers. I'll bet the Truballs shoot as accurately or better. I'm also curious to see a comparison between Truball/smooth choke and Sabot/rifled choke. I'm guessing the Truballs shoot as well through the smooth choke. IF ... that's the case ... you're in luck. You can comfortably and confidently mix and match your slugs and buckshot in the same magazine and get consistent reliability performance at know distances. As FN_FAL said ... try some different brands and loads if you're looking for max accuracy; there can be a huge difference between them. (for no obvious reason either) Good Luck ... let us know how your research goes.

26 inch

Yeah, I read a guy's post once when we were writing about the ills of buckshot ... LOL The guy said it spreads dreadfully out of a rifled barrel too. Scary awful. He sounded credible, like he knew what he was talking about. As far as fouling goes, non-sabot slugs lead foul rifle barrels as the lands scrape the soft lead slug screaming by ... I was wondering if a "shot cup" around buckshot OR copper plated pellets would prevent that. I'm 99% resigned to buckshot not working with a rifled barrel, but thought I'd ask anyway ... since I have no experience with the stuff and before I waste time testing and patterning it out of a barrel that simply isn't going to work.

I have a few buckshot questions. I've been asked to participate in a research situation where it MAY be called for under certain narrow circumstances. Is the copper coating on some buckshot heavy enough to prevent lead fouling in a rifled barrel? What do you think the results of launching buckshot out of a rifled barrel would be? Is one brand or load better than another? I'm trying to determine if I could carry some buckshot shells in my pocket while working with my rifled barrel w/optics ... and just switch shells in a hurry out in the field. OR ... predetermine the need for buckshot and switch to my smoothbore barrel (or another shotgun.) If it seems like a possible option ... I'll buy a bunch and pattern it through the rifled barrel; otherwise I'll bag the idea.

RUN ...

Calling ducks is a hard learned, long term art. For years you'll probably scare more away than you pull in when you're learning. If you don't have a "mentor" to help teach you, I'd suggest a good "tape" or DVD. Good Luck ...

sbeIIfan is 13 yrs old and has "issues." LOL Listen to Tucker ... and don't get scared by the regulars on this site. They're a bunch of characters ... including "the kid."

Tucker hit on a point ... (funny or not) LOL ... I buy yellow radios, red flashlights, etc, etc. The darn camo and black stuff disappears in a backpack, and God help you if you drop any of it in the dark. To me the endless movement rummaging around trying to locate stuff more than outweighs the "color" of the radio, etc. Besides it's about movement far more than color. So ... don't be afraid to accessorize with color.

Welcome to the Benelli world. It would be funny ... if it wasn't you and your turkey season looming up. Call your dealer and make sure he's calling Benelli. They are notorious for "extended" delivery times. There's also a Capitalism/politics component involved ... how much clout your particular dealer has with Benelli to get his delivery.

My opinion; Probably ... to some degree if you have the firearm exposed in the duck blind ... but ... most people don't. Deer see movement, so I don't think it makes a difference there. As far as turkey hunting goes ... they see everything ... and particularly ANY movement, so I'd think it has more of an advantage in that theater than anywhere else. Upland game ... absolutely no difference. Decided disadvantage if hunting at night, or hunting an intruder ... black is better there. Esthetically ... looks like a kid's finger painting to me, I'll take the black. (but respect other opinions) Some people think anything other than majestic woods with character are sacriligious or blasphemous ... so esthetics are subjective.

The ComforTech stock works great. If you WANT a .300 WSM, why not just purchase the .300 Win Mag??? For all intents & purposes, it's almost same cartridge as to factory load performance. In many ways it's better. More factory loads available, more case volume, infinitely more places sell it including in "out of the way" locations, etc, etc. I would WAIT until you found one with a ComforTech stock and not "settle" for a .270 ... "IF" you have need of the larger bullet. The .270 is a spectacular cartridge, but it can't do all that the .300 can.

I've had a Browning BAR Safari in .300 Win Mag for about 12 years or so. It has functioned flawlessly mechanically. It has the BOSS system w/muzzle brake ... which I quickly came to loath. I had expected to match my bolt action .300 in accuracy and instead had an incredibly hard time getting it adjusted to any ammo I tried. Burned boxes and boxes of shells. To the point of sending back to Browning for evaluation. It is also insanely loud. Disregarding my unpleasant experience with the BOSS ... the gun is very soft shooting and extremely reliable. If I had to choose a semi auto .300 today ... well the only thing I can say for sure is it would be the more accurate of the two brands; and WITHOUT the BOSS system.

Get the ComforTech ... big mistake if you don't. You can shoot regular shells forever with little consequence to your shoulder and the big stuff ... while still "noticeable" is a lot less bone jarring than without the engineered stock. A couple hundred bucks over the life of the gun is chump change. NOW ... about the wife who dictates firearms policy ... LOL

One sure thing ... I'm firing up ye olde Poness-Warren reloader and doing a lot of practice before I start firing $4.00 shells. LOL A miss will bring a tear to your eyes at those prices. Lot of pressure on those shots. LOL