Guy

I've been chasing a misfire problem with a well broken in SBE2, and I'm looking for input from forum members on any specific ammunition issues with you SBE2 other than light load cycling. Mechanically, everything seems to be working properly. The bolt head securely goes to battery in the receiver. The hammer hits the firing pin, the firing pin dents the primer dramatically, but without enough force to ignite the primer. Ironically, I can shoot 125 rounds of Fiocchi trap loads without a problem, but the Federal Ultra Shok 3" waterfowl loads misfire intermittently. I have friends who regularly shoot the Ultra Shoks through Remington 1187s without a problem. If its mechanical, I would guess a weakened hammer spring or a worn hammer face, but I'm curious about any reported ammunition issues. I can switch to Heavishot etc. and give that a try, but I was under the impression that this gun can shoot just about anything, and I'm as curious as I am aggravated. Bennelli has given me an RA # for the firearm, but before I send it in I thought I would ask the forum if any of you have had a similar problem with this ammunition or any " hard primer " issues. Thanks

Thanks for the reply Tucker. It's always the first shot, and, if I have the presence of mind to remember to check it, I can push the end of the shell extractor and move the bolt into position when I reload. Unfortunately, during the excitement of hunting I forget to check, and there goes the bird with a click instead of a bang. I'm going to polish up the ears on the bolt and emery cloth the extractor groove in the receiver. If that doesn't fix it, I'll try the new spring. Thanks again for the reply, and thanks for the hundreds of replies that you've posted that provided insight and more than a few laughs ( at other people's expense ) over the past couple of years.

While hunting recently, I have experienced 4 or 5 failure to fire situations with my SBE2 that were caused by a failure of the bolt face to fully rotate into the locked position for firing. The bolt face just barely fails to engage the lock recess in the receiver. I gave the area of the receiver that receives the face of the bolt a good cleaning and I also disassembled and cleaned the bolt assembly, but the situation occurred again yesterday. I know that generally this situation is caused by a lack of force when the action is closed, and I have paid attention to be certain that the closing of the action is as dramatic as ever - and it has been. The gun has had heavy use in the three years that I have owned it, and I was wondering if the main spring in the stock that drives the action may be getting weak. I checked the condition of this spring, and it was clean and appeared in excellent operating condition. Does anyone have any experience with this problem ?

Coloradoryan, Thank you for the link to Numrich Supply. They actually have the short pads in stock ( at a price that is painfully high ), but I ordered one anyway. I should have it in a couple of days.

Coloradoryan, The aluminum kit I'm referring to is from All Sport Tech (734-717-5390) and it is known as their Recoil Pad Replacement Kit for the Benelli SBE2. I ordered one and it was delivered promptly as promised for under $ 20.00. Basically it is a piece of aluminum shaped to fit under the inside edge of the stock and it has two tapped holes with screws that pull the recoil pad snug. I had to do some minor grinding to get the right fit, but nothing difficult or demanding. The concept is a good one and I outfitted the plate with a Limbsaver Pad that was pre cut to fit an SBE. I had to change where the holes in the plate were, but again - no real skill involved. The pad fit beautifully. I would have been happy with this set up if I could have hit anything with the gun after I did it ! I know there's alot to drop at heel and pitch involved, but I shot way low at everything the first time I tried the set up. When I went back to Benelli's slightlty longer factory pad, the shooting problems disappeared. I know there are pitch spacers available from pad manufacturers, but I've decided to pursue the factory short pad route for now as an experiment. I would recommend the All-Sport Tech plate if you're looking to do some custom recoil pad work. It pretty much gives you a platform on which any recoil products can be mounted.

I know that this forum has dealt with this topic before and based on information I gained from past posts, I ordered a right handed short pad for my Comfort Tech SBE2 about seven weeks ago. My dealer contacted Benelli today and was told it will be 45 more days. I'm posting for two reasons: 1. Does anyone know of a dealer that might have an existing stock of Comfort Tech right handed short pads for the SBE 2 ? (I'm aware of the aluminum custom adapter.) I am looking for a Benelli factory right handed short pad. 2. If any members of this forum are looking to get a short pad for their Comfort Tech guns to be used this Fall and Winter when the heavy clothes come out, the time to order is now ! These pads are not available as direct purchases from Benelli and the free replacements for the earlier, poorly manufactured, loose fitting pads are no longer offered by customer service.

$ 1350 + tax at Gander Mountain Max 4 HD. Best $ 1350 I have ever spent !

John, The process of changing the shims is easy, but the process of determining which drop at the comb is best will take some experimentation. Follow the direction for removing the stock and keep the cast orientation the same. ( right handed or left handed.) The higher letters in the alphabet give you the highest comb height which in turns raises the point of impact. Your shooting style, the shape of your face, and the distance between your eye and your cheek bone will determine where to set the comb height. From my experience, it seems that the SBE 2 shoots pretty flat with the factory installed shim. That's why I changed mine. I like very little drop at the comb, so I used the "z" designated shim. The gun shoots a little high now, and that's what I like. You'll need to pattern your gun to determine if you want to change it. I don't know if the extra shims shown in the advertising brochures give more options, but I figured "z" would probably be the least comb drop possible on my SBE 2. I also don't know if the shim kits are specific to Comfort Tech stocks. Hope this helps, Guy

Thank you Golden Bear. My cold weather hunting is over for the year, and that's when a shorter stock is a great advantage. Hopefully Benelli will live up to their advertising promises and deliver these rare short pads before the cold rolls around again. Guy

I checked with Benelli today regarding the short pads for the SBE 2, and customer service said that Benelli received an order of them and all were shipped to dealers who had ordered them. I went on line to two major Benelli dealers and their response was the pads are still on backorder. I asked Benelli if they would give me a list of dealers who received these elusive pads and customer service said " no." I'm starting to wonder what the problem is here and why we're getting the runaround. Does anyone know of a dealer who might have these pads ? I bought the Benelli over the Beretta solely because of its 14" LOP shortening capability, and now I'm a bit frustrated with the company's lack of follow through.