meatmachineman

A fella on the cabelas forum said he had problems with the action slowing down in the cold. He said he took it apart, cleaned it up and sparingly oiled and has zero issues since.

I personally went with the M2 for waterfowl, upland bird and clays. I picked up a closeout M2 Field at Sportsmans Warehouse for $899 a few weeks back. COULD NOT pass it up. I was originally leaning towards the SBE II, but I don't like getting hit hard, so I avoid 3 1/2s like the plague (Not to mention the cheapest I could find one was in the $1250 neighborhood). Additionally, it was my understanding that the M2 will cycle lighter target loads better than the SBE II. I did hear that the SBE II will cycle faster, but I don't know if there is any validity to that, or more importantly, any real world necessity. All that sent me running for the M2, but it also fit my personal needs like a glove. If your a light load, 3" or smaller wimp like me, go with the M2. If you have the need or desire for recoil and don't shoot much clay, go with the SBE II. For their intended purposes, either one will be a fantastic gun, and I personally cannot not outperform either one.

It all comes down to what you need and what you want to spend. I have an M2 I use for hunting with no intention of using for it tactical purposes. Got a screaming deal at Sportsmans Warehouse for $899. It fit the bill on both counts.

I am a waterfowler and a relatively new Benelli owner. I was curious about the recoil on my M2 Field, so I did some excessively unscientific research with a 4 box case of cheapo Winchester 2 3/4. I took out my M2 Field, my Rem 1100, and my Rem 870. I do not know the exact weight of any, but my 870 and 1100 are definitely heavier. Running identical loads through each, I found the recoil to be comparable between the M2 and 870 with the 1100 shooting much softer (added weight and gas system). The inertia system definitley hits harder than gas, but gun weight (and fit) is just as important as evidenced by the pump and auto feeling the same. That's what I found on my *****s to oranges comparison. Running the cheapo winchester bulk crap from wally world, my magnum 1100 had a few failure to feeds, reminding me why I bought the M2. They are a little lighter than what Benelli says will function reliably, but I have had zero issues. I can't go with the Nova fans... I'll stick with my cheap, reliable, never failed, accessories galore available 870 when it comes to a pump, but I will not give up my M2 for anything except another Benelli!