I called Benelli this morning and they will take care of the problem.
1) No matter what year the gun was made, The type of problem is covered by the warranty
2) If I ship it out through Benelli's dealer, it's free to charge. And that includes Dick's sports good and a local gun shop.
3) I also asked about the issue I had with light loads. The rep said: "1-1/8oz, and 3 dram of powder". I guess that confirms the gun's limitation.