SgtCathy

Hi AFPJ :-) "Support Your Local PJ" What's a PJ? SgtCathy

I own a 20 ga Monte with the short stock (12+1/2" LOP). I'm 5'5" with short arms. I use the lightest and cheapsest shotshells I can find, usually from places like Wal-Mart. My Monte weighs just over 5 pounds. I hardly notice the recoil especially when I'm swinging on a quail or grouse. These cheapy shells work just as good as the high priced heavy hitting stuff. On the rare occasion that I've flushed a pheasent, they go done hard. Of course I'm walking my birds up and not hunting wide open ranges like in Oklahoma. Did take the Monte to the range and shot some heavy loads plus 3" stuff. Won't do that again, ha ha. So, my advice for shooters that hunt close and not going for geese or turkeys is, use light shells. They work just as well with almost no recoil. Also have an older Browning Citori 20 gauge Special Field, that I had a gunsmith shorten the LOP to 13" for me. The gunsmith did an excellant job and you can't tell the stock has been shortened. This little over/under weighs just over 6 pounds and when I shoot very light shotshells, IT IS, the perfect quail gun. When I'm going into the field for 3-5 hours I always take the little Monte. When I've been invited to a short morning hunt with some fellars, I take the Citori to show off my shooting skills. These small shotguns with light loads are fantastic.

I'm from Massachusetts. The closest I can get to an M4, regardless of price, is the pictures I see on this sight. SgtCathy CapeCod

Geez, Doesn't anybody use a bolt-action shotgun anymore? The first shotgun that was truly mine was a 16 gauge JC Higgins bolt action. Back in those days, the 3" Marlin "Goose" gun with it's 32 inch barrel , WAS, the duck/goose gun to own. Love those days! Maybe Benelli could work up a bolt action 20 gauge?! I'm getting pretty tired of my S90M1 and 20 gauge Monty working all the time. We need a Benelli bolt action. SgtCathy Cape Cod

Hi Mark, When somebody asks me about home defense shotguns, I always suggest pump actions, especially if a novice shooter will be using the weapon. The Nova Special Purpose Tactical fits the bill nicely. Short 18+ 1/2 inch barrel and a price tag around $ 325 dollars. The Tactical will fire any 12 gauge shell you can find or have on hand. Semi-auto shotguns take special training and a lot of practise not to mention if they're not loaded and chambered correctly, they tend not to fire. With Benelli's semi-auto's, if the bolt isn't seated completely, you may not even be able to load the magazine. My S90M1 will fire all 8 rounds without any shoulder support but many semi-automatics will jam. A pump action can fire upside down or one handed (as if you just tripped and fell down or stumbled over a toy). Before the guys on this site start to beat me to death, please remember I'm talking about a novice shooter, who just woke up and realized some really bad person is in there home. With the Nova Tactical, just press the magazine release button, rack the gun open, drop in a shell, slam the forend forward and your ready. Even better, if there are rounds already in the magazine. Press the magazine release, rack the forend back and forward and your ready. If your scared out of your wits, screaming and crying, you can still load and operate a pump shotgun. Try that with an semi-automatic. During my police days, I've had to draw done on several people with a pump shotgun, and just hearing the slide rack back and forth defused the situation and if an intruder hears the pump and runs out of your home, that's a lot better than having to shoot a human being. Finally, mindset is everything. If you really have to shoot, then don't second quess yourself. Pull the trigger and keep shooting until the threat doesn't exist anymore. If the intruder has a gun or takes yours away from you, they will kill you without any hesitation. Sign up and take a course on self defense using firearms in your home. I use a Smith + Sesson 1911A1 full size .45 automatic for home defense, but I've had a little more practise than most folks. 00 or triple 000. If you have an intruder, play time is over. Point at the largest part of their body you can see and pull the trigger. SgtCathy Cape Cod

Almost forgot, if somebody is still making 32 guage stuff, this is a some hope they also produce 28 guage. SgtCathy

Hi JDOG, For what it's worth, 32 guage shells are still manufactured and sold in Italy. I think they prefer the 32 over our .410. Somebody in Italy must be making 32 guage shotguns. Maybe a limited run from Benelli? SgtCathy

Hi BlackJack.... You may want to try this. MURS 22 Tru-Talk portable radios. They are 5 channel VHF radios putting out a solid 2 watts. The cheapy GMRS radios don't put out the wattage they claim. If they claim 4 or 5 watts output, you really get less than one watt up to 1+1/2 watts The MURS 22 radios are built to military standards, don't require a license and VHF frequencies work better in the woods and in hilly areas as the VHF radio waves bend to the earth's conture better than GMRS/FRS which are almost totally "line of site". Except in the most hilly areas you can get 1-2 miles range. You can also use a magnetic antenna on your truck for even greater range. Four to five miles talking car to car. They cost $66 each with battery, drop-in charger and removeable antenna. Check them out at . The commercial grade GMRS radios will cost you $150 and up and will usually be a 4 watt unit, plus you will need an $80 license for each non-family user. The range will be very short 1/2 to 1 mile in hilly terrain. The MURS 22's are tough little radios and not toys like the motorola series 6500 radios. I could go on and on about repeaters on mountain tops and 50 watt base units but for a handfull of hunting buddy's getting the most bang for your buck and actually having portable radios that work, you can't beat the MURS 22 ( or any MURS radio service walkie talkie's). I will go so far as to say that if you could rig some kind of base antenna at your camp (magnetic antenna on the lodge roof or a small ground plane antenna on a tall pole) hooked up to a small MURS 22 portable, you could get 3 + miles from the camp! If you hunt in open areas of Kansas or Texas, the MURS 22's will reach out 4-5 miles. In Massachusetts, I get 2+1/2 to 3 miles portable to portabe in slightly rolling hilly areas. Height is everything. Get on a mountain top and talk with the world. Get in a valley and talk to yourself SgtCathy CapeCod WQAM968

Before I start, I realize their are a few people here that will say "go home and play with your dolls". I never listen to those types. All shotguns are simple machines. Some are made better than others. Some are made with stamped parts and some with machined parts. I have owned and still own, many Remingtons, Brownings, Benelli's, a fine double barrel from the old East Germany and even a Mossberg 590. First off, if you already think a machine is going to disappoint you, electric drill, power saw, fancy car or a certain shotgun, I guarentee you it will. You will find some minor flaw or burb, that will incite you to a new religious level on why you should have never purchased that machine in the first place. Second. All machines have problems and occasionally don't work as advertised or the way you dreamed it would. Where I work, when a new person can't get a machine to work correctly, we all shout "operator error!!", because 9 out of 10 times, that's the real problem. Lastly, since shotguns are machines, you should be asking yourself, which one works most of the time, as advertised, under all conditions. Remember, no machine works 100%, not even the ones called men. As for myself, if we were allowed to own only one shotgun, and based on the realization that no machine is perfect and that this one shotgun may have to save my life someday.... I would pick my Benelli hands down. Actually a H+K Super 90 M1. Love Remingtons, Adore my Brownings, Rely on my Benelli's SgtCathy Retired Federal Law Enforcement Officer Cape Cod

Hi, I have one of the little 20 gauge Monty's. They have a length of pull of 12+1/2 inches and mine weighs about 5 pounds. I shoot the cheapy WallyMart shells. Many times at the range I'll see young folks trying to handle Dad's Duck gun with heavy loads. I always offer to let the youngsters try my little Monty. What a difference that makes. I can't recommend the little Monty's enough. Great guns at the range and you can't beat them for long days out trying for Quail or crashing through heavy brush after Grouse. They'll shoot the absolutely lightest rounds all the way up to 3" magnum twenties. Did I mention that my Monty has never EVER, failed to fire and function! SgtCathy Cape Cod

Okay guys, now you **really** have my attention. I have an original H+K imported Super 90 M1 in defense configuration. Pistol grip, 7 shot magazine, rifle sights ect. Also have an original un-issued US M1917, Viet Nam era shotgun bayonet (17+1/2 inch blade). I'm with the SGTMAJ. I really need to get that bayonet mounted on my S90 M1. Any ideas? Sure, I have an standard M9 bayonet and USMC combat bayonet (new OKC 3S issue) mounted on a Mossberg 590 shotgun, but it's just not the same. That really long and thin M1917 needs to come out of the display case and onto my Benelli. Last weekend I had a few spectators at the range watching me empty 8 rounds from the hip with the S90 M1. Think how cool that would have been with the bayonet attached? Oh, and before anybody asks why I wasn't shooting from the shoulder, the answer is easy. I'm not strong enough. That's a lot of 12 gauge firepower! SgtCathy Cape Cod

Okay. That wasn't even close. The Benelli standard factory chokes are threaded at the top (for the 20 gauge Monty). The standard Browning chokes are threaded on the bottom (A-5, 20 gauge). The Monty's chokes actually dropped way down into the browning's barrel. The Browning chokes wouldn't even fit into the Monty's muzzle. It was fun trying though SgtCathy Cape Cod

Now, I'm curious! I have my 20 gauge Monty (aka my quail gun) with a full set of factory chokes and a 20 gauge A-5, also with factory chokes. Will see if they are interchangeable as soon as I get home and post the results SgtCathy Cape Cod

Well, let's see. My 20 year old Super 90 M1 (Defense model) has shot every thing from British 2+1/2 inch to mag 3 inch shells with out a single burb. I've let many folks put there favorite loads through it and loaned it out for fellow officers to qualify during academy training. She is an early H+K import and works perfectly. Oh yes, my little 20 guage Monty is only four years old, but has had a couple of thousands rounds of light, and very cheap brand shells through it. With the exception of a few wet powder Estate rounds, that went "poof" and falled to cycle, I have the perfect quail gun. I have several Remington 20 gauge automatics, which have had some minor problems over the years. Also owned a couple of Browning A-5's. Great guns but fussy shooters. My two Benelli's are the greatest SgtCathy Cape Cod

Geez..... Come on guys, I'm beginning to think you've all been in a fox hole to long. Maybe I can forgive M1014 with all those M4's on display and firing away, but the rest of you. The short, red-headed marine is a woman !! You go girl SgtCathy Sgt. US Army Military Police (Retired) Sgt. DoD Police (Retired)

Actually, I bought my H+K Defense model Bennelli way back in October 1986 and at the same time purchased the extra hunting barrel and regular stock. I switch out to the regular barrel and stock at the beginning of the duck/goose season and the rest of the year, I keep her in the defense configuration. SgtCathy

Oh my God ! There's my baby wearing her long barrel and regular stock. Don't remember loaning my H+K Benelli to a pheasent hunter, but I guess I must have SgtCathy

I'm not to sure, but I think that's my H+K Benelli that posed for that picture! Or, at least it's identical to mine SgtCathy

I bought my H+K imported Benelli S90 M1 in Defense Configuration back in 1987. Holds 7+1+1 rounds. Don't have a newer model to compare quality with but for just a little over $900 dollars I got the S90 with pistol grip and 20 inch barrel with fixed sights. Plus, a 28 hunting barrel with ventilated rib, 5 screw-in chokes, magazine reduction rod and a standard stock. Took me two years just to pay for all that. H+K also sent me an extra barrel/magazine clamp with screw. I stripped the original screw. Had to put the Benelli in my will because I've got so many relatives that want it. I should add that the H+K importer was very nice and I received my new shotgun with all the extra stuff in just under two weeks!

Until you put on a heat shield, mag light, optical sight, side saddle and possible a bayonet, it's just another duck gun. Do you need a heat shield? Not really. Just sign me Rambo-ette. SgtCathy Pre-ban Defense model Super 90 M1- Bad Boy right out of the box !!

I quess I'm a little bit of a show-off, because when I'm at the range with my H+K Imported, Super 90 M1, in defense configuration, I load it 7+1+1. Then I hold onto the rubber pistol grip, tuck my baby into my side and let-her rip. Then I give whatever guy is at the range drooling over my Benelli a try. Light English rounds all the way up to 3 inch magnums, in any order, it doesn't matter! Every one, including some women friends, all have giant smiles. Oops, got carried away. I hear the Nova's are pretty snappy to. Anyways, that's the only time I keep a round in the chamber. And no, I haven't been able to get all 9 shots off in a single burst. My wrist are to small and I'm not strong enough, but I have fun trying. SgtCathy

Hi Tucker301, The show is on OLN (channel 55 in my area). It appears about once every 2 months and I believe it's called American Shooter. Don't forget to wear a lobster drool bib, you'll need it. They have a skeet range right on the factory grounds. SgtCathy

I forgot about the part of the post where you ask about keeping a round in the chamber. As you probably realize, in order to place a round in the chamber, the weapon must be cocked. Just racking the slide back automatically cocks the shotgun. My personnel opinion is that leaving a round in the chamber is very dangerous. Three reasons. First, if somebody else should get a hold of the shotgun, friend, neighbor, child or bad guy, there may be a horrible accident. Second, if your awakened at 2:11 am in the morning with the sounds of an intruder, your bound to be groggy, disorientated and may accidentally shoot yourself. And lastly, if you do indeed have an intruder, the sound of a pump shotgun racking a round into the chamber will convince the majority of folks to leave promplty. If not, at least you have made notice that you are armed and ready to dance. Of course all of this is just my single opinion. SgtCathy

Saw a show on cable TV that was about the Benelli factory with all there history plus they showed making all kinds of Benelli's. New Benelli's as far as the eye could see, WOW! Anyhow, the guest shooter explained that Italian law requires seperate serial numbers on removeable barrels, different from the serial number on the receiver. Did I mention there were rows and rows of new Benelli's? SgtCathy

Plan A: Buy her a new couch of her dreams and as you both set it up, a new $ 1500 Benelli just happens tp roll out of it onto the floor (you MUST act totally surprised). Sgt Cathy