hattles

SgtCathy, very good advice. I've got a 13-7/8" LOP and had both my wood stocked HK/SBE and my sythetic SBE(c.1996) shortened to fit. I set them up just a tad short to fit my waterfowl jacket during duck season. As for my Vinci, I had to buy a new short gel pad($122 ouch) in order to shorten it to fit. My 5.5lb 20ga Montefeltro was a perfect fit out of the box.

With your wife being short, two things to think about. 1. Length of pull. More than likely she'll need the shortest gel pad which will cost between $95-$122 depending on where you're able to buy one. 2. The comfort tech stock of the SBEII will help absorb more of the felt recoil than the standard American stock will. You might even consider a Vinci or an M2 for her rather than the SBEII. Just a thought. Good luck either way as they're all great shotguns.

I have Calson's extended chokes for my HK/SBE, Vinci and Rem 1100G3 and find them reliable, agreeable and affordable. THEY WORK, IN MY OPINION, AS WELL AS ANY OTHER CHOKE TUBE OFFERED.

I now shoot a Vinci but I still have an HK SBE 3-1/2# to fall back on if need be. I really haven't shot the big shells in years but do remember the last time I did was duck hunting in N California with Snow geese passing over occasionally. I kept some 3-1/2 #2's handy and picked off a limit with them. The interchangeability was nice, If they're decoying well or you pick your shots you should get by with a 3" Vinci no problem. Of course the money you save on a Vinci could be spent on "heavy" 3" shells to make the difference.

Sure: FullII-Improved ModifiedIII-Modified Improved CylinderIIIII-Cylinder Skeet ISkeet II TurkeyPassDecoys

If you can't locate one locally may I suggest Gunbroker.com, I've used their website extensively to buy and sell without a glitch. http://www.gunbroker.com/ scroll down left side to "firearms" click on shotguns. when you get the page open type in the search window top-right side: "Benelli SBE". Warning: prices range from $900-1300 used.

Isn't that the "goods"...

Beretta is owned and is run by Ugo Gussalli Beretta and his sons. The parent company; Beretta Holding, also owns Beretta USA, Benelli since 1983, Franchi, SAKO, Stoeger, Tikka, Uberti, the Burris Optics company and a twenty per cent interest of the Browning arms company.

I'm certainly no doctor but I would think that over time your body and mind will allow the natural transformation to again become an instinctive shooter. This very thing happened to a guy at our skeet club and it took him less than six months to make the switch. He's now hunting and shooting skeet and five stand like he used to...we've nicknamed him "dead eye", not because of his loss but because of his ability. Best of luck and good shooting.

I have to agree with you. I do use Carlson's extended chokes for three reasons only. 1. easy to change 2. choke variety 3. quality for the money

I'm sure the M2 20ga is very similar to the 20ga Montefeltro I shot for years without any problems. My suggestion would be if you want a 20 gauge, buy the M2. It's proven effective and reliable.

Welcome aboard. I would suspect that the camo finish would affect the already tight tolerances of the barrel fit. It'll wear in with use.

If I may ask, what state or should I say country do you live in? I bought my Vinci through Gunbroker.com for $1150 and I really like it a lot. I've been shooting an HK/SBE for 18 years. That said, the M2 is another great gun also. You can't go wrong, in my opinion, with the purchase of either one.

I would say $800 for a near new M-1 is very fair. Looking at Gunbroker I see them asking for $550-$1300, both Benelli and HK/Benellis'. Benelli has always been the manufacturer, HK was just the importer before Benelli USA was established. They've been owned by Beretta since 2002.

I would suggest a proffessional like Carlson's Chokes do the cut down and re-install. Carlson's The Shooter's Choice 720 South Second Street - PO Box 162 - Atwood - Kansas 67730 PHONE: 785.626.3700 FAX: 785.626.3999 http://www.choketube.com/instal.html

Welcome to the Benelli world. You ask: What am I in for? Hopefully some wonderful pheasant dishes and a lot of great memories. :cool:Good Luck!

Contact Benelli customer service. I'd bet they could tell you where to get one.

HOGWILD, my thoughts exactly.

You could go to Carlson's Chokes as they make just about every choke to fit every shotgun imaginable. I'm not 100% positive but I do think the early crio chokes were equivalent to the standard Benelli choke and not the newer crio "plus" chokes of today. http://www.choketube.com/mobilchoke.html or http://www.choketube.com/crio-plus.html

Here is what the "Gun Nuts" from Field and Stream had to say... 1. 16% greater pellet energy. 2. Leads reduced by 8 inches on 40 yard crossing shots. 3. A recoil headache. The 1 ¼ ounce Hypersonics will generate almost 50% more recoil than a “standard” 1450 fps 1 ¼ ounce high velocity steel load. High velocity steel does seem to work even better in the field than it does on paper but my gut reaction to HyperSonics is, the extra recoil isn’t worth the extra killing power and shorter leads. Of course, I am easily bruised. So, is it worth it? You tell me. http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/ammunition/2009/11/worth-recoil-remington%E2%80%99s-new-hypersonic-high-speed-steel-shotgun-loads

Rost, I completely understand, I've owned 4 Benellis. Benelli fixed my 17 year old HK SBE last year when it quit cycling and and it only cost me the price of shipping it to them. Shoots like new again. It's semi-retired now that I have the new Vinci.

Good luck. That is a very tough task for any gunsmith and I would imagine very expensive. The problem will be the synthetic stock. I recommend calling Benelli CS to start with.

Just amazing what a little bit of confidence in your shotgun can do for your shooting ability.

I agree. I'll shoot IC when the birds are in our faces, up close and personal.