DawgByte

10G - I had Briley match the .723 bore, so I'm good there. I think you've hit the nail on the head on the difference between the Beretta and Benelli, which would explain why the Benelli shoots tighher patterns. I went back up to my club today and shot two rounds of skeet an one of SC. The gun shoots amazingly well and has improved my scores over the Beretta. The consistency of pellet distribution in my patterns is outstanding. I'm rapidly reaching a point where this is the only gun I want to shoot!

Haven't done a side-by-side comparison, but I think that's in order.

"What I’d like to have is a good comparison between the various Benelli models (M2, SBE, Cordoba, etc.) the Franchi I12, and the Stoeger M2000. My understanding is that in the broadest terms they are similar in that they are all based on the Benelli inertia action." I went through the same process back in Nov. I chose the Benelli Cordoba, with a 30" barrel. Why? In my opinion a 3.5" magnum is not necessary for any North American bird, or any other bird for that matter. I've killed geese plenty well with a 2 3/4" high base shell. When you factor that with the SBE II's difficulty in cycling 1 oz. light target loads that easily ruled out that choice. The M2 is a field gun that has an identical design to the SBE II with the notable exception that it doesn't come in 3.5". The Super Sport is designed for Sporting Clays and shares the exact same design as the Cordoba with elongated forend, raised top rib and ported barrel. The only difference is the carbon fiber magazine and wood option. The Super Sport is not really a hunting option, primarily because of the finish... too shiny. The Stoeger is similar in design to the previously mentioned Benelli's, but is clearly the K-Mart version. Quality and overall features are not the same in my opinion. I was just on a duck hunt over the weekend and one of the hunters had a series of problems with his Stoeger. I wouldn't recommend going down that path. "For example are the M2 and the SBE identical guns except for 3” vs 3-12” capabilities?" Yes see above. "Is the Stoeger M2000 so cheaply manufactured as to compromise the inherent reliability of the inertia system? Is it the equivalent of a Rem 870 express (cheaply made, prone to rust) vs. a real Wingmaster?" I've shot almost every semi auto on the market including Beretta's Extrema II, Remington's new CTI & 1100, Beretta 391 models, Winchester's, Browning A-5 etc. After hunting with the Cordoba and tearing up clays I'm absolutely sold on the Cordoba. To me it's the most enjoyable, accurate and reliable gun I've ever shot. I like it so much I'm going to buy one in 20 gauge!

This past weekend I had a fantastic duck hunt down in the bayou of LA with my new Benelli Cordoba (30"). Prior to the hunt I bought a Briley skeet choke for my gun in the hopes of opening the pattern over the Benelli factory Cyclinder choke... yes Cylinder! To my surprise even the Briley choke was only slightly more open than the Benelli Cylinder. It was however, deadly on ducks at both medium (25 - 35 yds.) and long ranges (60+ yds.). However, a diffuser choke throwing a wider pattern would have probably been better on short range Teals coming in over decoys. In my years of experience with both a Remington 1100 and Beretta 687 EELL DP (multiple choke options), this Benelli throws significantly tighter patterns. Do you have any recommendations on a diffuser/spreader choke that would work well with the Benelli?

Timb99 - I should have mentioned I have a Benelli Cylinder tube. Based on my 35 years of shooting I've never shot a gun with as tight of patterns as this Benelli. For example, my Beretta in a Skeet choke configuration at 35 yards has more than twice the shot pattern diameter than the Benelli in a Cylinder config. My Benelli Cylinder tube shoots as tight a pattern as a Modified tube in my Beretta - that should give you an idea of what I'm talking about. I went Duck hunting in LA the past three days and could have used a more open pattern shooting Teals that were coming in close over decoys. On the flip side, with a Briley skeet choke I was nailing Greys, blue/green winged Teals and Widgeon at 60+ yards... and that wasn't even maxing the killing range. For what it's worth this Benelli Cordoba was an absolute joy to shoot and proved to be a real duck slayer. I'm going to look into the "spreader" option.

I've got a Benelli Cordoba (30" barrel) and would like to get some recommendations for a choke tube that will really opens the pattern. I just bought a Briley Skeet choke, but it's still tight. If I'm not mistaken Tru-Glo makes some kind of choke that really opens things up, but I'm not sure. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks.

It is cheaper than buying a whole new gun. If Bass Pro had the Cordoba in 28", that's the gun I would have bought. One way to look at is... the 30" is great for driven Continental Pheasant, Ducks and Geese and the 28" for everything else.

Scratch that... I called Benelli back and got someone who knew what they were talking about. Consumers can buy Cordoba barrels separately. I now have the part number. Currently they're sold out and won't be in stock for 90 days.

I called Benelli and the customer service rep said they don't sell separate barrels for the Cordoba, however they do sell them for the Montefeltro line. The only question I didn't get answered was whether they come in the same matte finish as the Cordoba.

Not to sound flippant, but of course they would say that. I've seen it happen and talked to owners of SBE II's that have experienced ejection issues on light target loads.

But can you shoot 2 3/4" (7/8 oz.) loads without ejection issues?

I recently went through the same decision process. I tested the Beretta Extrema II, Remington CTi, Benelli SBE II and wound up with the Cordoba. All were fine guns, but for reasons I'll state below this was the right move for me. Why did I choose the Cordoba? I too wanted to shoot Ducks and Geese with my new gun, but I also wanted to shoot Sporting Clays and other game. The SBE II is nice, but I've seen it struggle cycling light target loads (7/8 oz.). There has also been some technical discussions on the Web around shot deformation when shooting 2 3/4" ammo through a 3.5" chamber. To avoid those issues I went with the Cordoba. It shoots a 3" Magnum load, which has more than enough muscle for even the most monsterous of Canadian Geese. After testing the Cordoba over the weekend, I couldn't be more pleased with my choice!

It could be the Cyrogenic barrels on the Cordoba that add the extra cost. I just purchased one in 12 gauge and absolutely love it! :-)

I purchased a Cordoba with a 30" ported barrel and would like to get a 28". Does Benelli sell barrels separately and if so how do I get one? Thanks, DB

Not to sound like a putz, but last year down on the Bayou I killed a Snow with 3" Mag. of Hevi-Shot... I estimate the bird was 70 yards overhead. When it landed in the water it was a football field away. It took the Lab 10 minutes to retrieve it.