MG Dave

Just to clarify....when using 2 3/4 inch shells: My SBE II does not cycle with 2 3/4 dram eq. 1 1/8 oz.loads. It will cycle with 3 dram eq. 1 1/8 oz. loads. I have never shot a 3 inch or 3 1/2 inch shell in my sbe II. [ 09-23-2005, 10:11 PM: Message edited by: MG Dave ]

I use my SBE II for trap shooting, and it works quite well. The rib is tapered somewhat, and thus it tends to pattern a little high. I even adjusted the drop so I am looking diredtly down the rib (flat...so the center bead completely blocks the front bead), and it still patterns a little high. The only drawbacks for trap are that you might hit the guy next to you when the spent shell is ejected, and once in a while the sound of the action closing will cause the voice activated trap to launch a rogue bird. You might also have trouble with the gun not cycling with a very light load. Mine works well with the recommended 3 - 1 1/8 loads, but it won't cycle completely with a 2 3/4 -1 1/8 load. I think the SBE II is a good all around shotgun, but of course, it is not a dedicated trap gun. It will work fine for "casual" trap shooting, but if you are a serious trap shooter, then there are better choices. Good luck [ 09-22-2005, 09:48 AM: Message edited by: MG Dave ]

Don't know if the SBE I and SBE II recoil springs are assembled the same way, but this might help: SBE I recoil spring

Like this ?

Possibly here on Guns America.

Wolff Gunsprings lists lighter springs for the Super 90 on their web site, but I'm not sure if they make one specifically for the M3. Call and ask. They are very high quality springs. Wolff Gunsprings

Yes, that is the recoil spring. It is located under the forearm, because some M3 models have a pistol grip, and a folding stock (which obviously can't house a recoil spring).

Hmmm... there seems to be some confusion here. As I understand it, the M3 is an inertia driven semi-auto, that can also be switched to a pump mode. The M4 is a gas operated shotgun. Part 36A is the inertia spring, but Benelli also refers to this spring (at least one place in the manual) as the "bolt recoil spring". Hence the confusion. I think the spring that Svaurez is referring to, is the true "recoil spring", which is sometimes called the action spring. The recoil spring (action spring) on the M3 is located under the forearm. I believe the primary reason for having the pump action as an option, is to allow the M3 to function with light loads, that would not typically cycle the inertia driven semi-auto action. I'm not sure if anyone makes a lighter action spring for the M3.

Oh, I suspect there is a recoil spring in there somewhere. Maybe it's underneath the handguard.

Same problem, different gun. http://www.benelliusa.com/forums/ultimatebb.php/topic/1/1977.html

I don't have a Nova, and I've never installed one of their recoil reducers, but... I THINK it may just be a rubber spacer, used to ensure that the recoil reducer fits snugly in the mounting bracket, so it doesn't rattle around. If you find out for sure, let us know.

You can also get "black ones" from Trulock. [ 09-05-2005, 10:39 AM: Message edited by: MG Dave ]

Benelli makes a recoil reducer that should help some, especially with 3 1/2" shells. http://www.benelliusa.com/firearms/accessories.tpl Check with your local Benelli dealer, or you should be able to find it here: http://www.brownells.com

If you are referring to the charging handle, then pull hard! It will come loose. They are just a little tough to get out at first. Some tie a small cord (such as parachute cord) around the charging handle, to get a better grip.

I would shoot the heck out of it. It's not much good sitting in the safe. But then, I'm a shooter, not a collector.

M4 and low recoil

[ 09-06-2005, 10:08 PM: Message edited by: MG Dave ]

I picked up a SBE II with a 26" barrel a couple of weeks ago. I've had it out at he local range twice now, to shoot some clay birds. It functioned flawlessly. Mostly, I was shooting 3 1/4-1 1/8-8 heavy dove loads, but I also tried some lighter 1 oz. loads. The SBE II ran smooth as silk. Best of all, it fits me very well right out of the box. I have not patterened it yet, but so far the POA/POI seems to be dead on. Overall, I'm very pleased. A nice shotgun indeed!

I don't know, but the Poly-Choke company still is. Poly-Choke

I read your post over on The Refuge Forums, and see that you did not disassemble and clean the bolt, before shooting the shotgun for the first time. You need to completely field strip the shotgun, including the bolt, and clean off all of the rust preventative "goo" that comes from the factory. This "goo" is not an acceptable substitute for lubricant. Oil will evaporates over a period of time (weeks). And since a gun may sit on the dealers' shelf for YEARS before it sells, the manufacturers must apply this type of rust preventative, to keep the gun from rusting. This is the same reason that new weapons provided to the military often have cosmoline on them. It is to prevent rust, not to lubricate the weapon. It must be removed, and the then the gun must be properly lubricated. I suspect all of your problems will disappear, once the shotgun is properly cleaned, and lubed. The manual will tell you how to disassemble the bolt. Good luck.

I'll take a stab at this. While I'm certainly not an expert, here is my understanding of the way a shotgun should fit. When you shoulder a shotgun, your natural sight picture should have you looking almost directly down the barrel. You should see just a "slight" amount of the rib (assuming you have a rib), in front of the front sight bead. If your shotgun has a center bead, the front bead should appear to sit directly on top of the center bead. Sort of like a figure 8. This sight picture, on most shotguns (not counting specialized guns for trap, etc) will usually give you a 50/50 shot pattern. That is, 50% of the shot will hit above your POA, and 50% will hit below your POA. Now obviously, if your eye, which is your rear sight, is too high or too low to give you this sight picture, then your shot pattern will also be above or below your POA. The purpose of adjusting the drop, comb, cast, and pitch of the stock, is simply to make the shotgun fit you properly, thus giving you the "correct" sight picture. By changing the dimensions of the stock, you also change the position of your eye, or "rear sight". Since we do not live in a perfect world, the 50/50 pattern will not hold true for all shotguns. It is just a basic rule of thumb. And, everyone is different. Some people may like a gun that shoots a little high. Trap shooters sure do. The only way to know for sure, is to go out and pattern your particular shotgun, and see how it shoots, relative to the described sight picture. Once you have done that, you can then begin adjusting the stock of your particular shotgun so you will have the perfect fit. Hope this helps. I'm sure someone will correct me if I am wrong....

I really don't know much about hunting clubs or their prices, as I have never been a member of one. But there are some things that you might want to find out before you join. How many members are there? 2800 acres is really not that big (and some of it is ponds, wetlands, roads, etc). It's only about 4 square miles, and if 200 hunters show up on opening day of pheasant season, there might be a problem. Do members have priority over non-members (not likely) when it comes to the skeet and sporting clay ranges? I would hate to pay $650/$400 each year, only to have to wait in line behind a bunch of non-members every time I wanted to shoot skeet. Are the upland birds wild, or are they born and raised in captivity, and then released just in time for the hunting season. There are a bunch of hunting ranches around here in Texas, that do just that. I've been to several of them, to shoot their sporting clays course. The pheasants were so tame, they would almost walk right up to the hunters. Frankly, that type of "hunting" just doesn't appeal to me. OTOH, finding land wth wild birds on it is getting pretty hard to do these days. Well anyway, these are just some things to think about. Good luck finding a nice place to hunt.

Might be hard to get it off without damage, but they are easy to replace with the proper tool. http://www.brownells.com/aspx/ns/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=879&title=SHOTGUN+SIGHT+INSTALLERS