duckht183 Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 I figured i'd give Benelli CS one more call today and finally I got an answer! Benelli is sending me out a new bolt handle for my Franchi I-12 at no cost and it should be here in 7 days. Thanks Tucker for trying to help me out, I owe you one. I'll hit you up when my Cabela's promo card comes in the mail again;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tucker301 Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 You don't owe me a thing amigo. I just wish I could have done more. I expect the cumulative effect of the holiday, employees taking time off, and the middle of hunting season has pretty much turned Benelli CS into the equivalent of a KFC grand opening in Ethiopia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckht183 Posted November 30, 2010 Author Share Posted November 30, 2010 Now I just have to figure out why in the **** my bolt wants to throw that bold handle.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckht183 Posted November 30, 2010 Author Share Posted November 30, 2010 I expect the cumulative effect of the holiday, employees taking time off, and the middle of hunting season has pretty much turned Benelli CS into the equivalent of a KFC grand opening in Ethiopia. A company that sells guns and fried chicken.... I'd open up a place like that in Oakland for sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike100 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Thanks for posting the solution. I've been following your thread and wanted to know how you solved the problem. --Spike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike100 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 But hold the phone! I thought that you reported the same problem (a lost/thrown bolt-handle) before, and you have lost at least two bolt handles? http://www.benelliusa.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24248 If that is the case, I wonder if simply replacing the bolt handle a third time will be a fix. Doing the same thing (now at least 3 times) and expecting a different result might be foolish. I wonder if it’s the bolt itself that’s the problem. It will be interesting if this third attempt fixes things, and if it does not; if Benelli is willing to provide you with a new bolt. Subscribing… --Spike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckht183 Posted December 1, 2010 Author Share Posted December 1, 2010 (edited) I've had my bolt handles thrown 3 different times, the first time the bolt handle ended up at the bottom of my duck blind (thankfully), in December of '08 I had it thrown and sunk to the bottom of one of my duck ponds and Sunday is when the recent one has been thrown... It's tough to say whether it is my bolt or a malfuction of the actual design because I used to work over at BPS and every auto that Franchi and Stoeger that I have handled has had the same issue (I wanted to compare the way mine was compared to the others coming into the store that were brand new). Both bolt handles come out with ease so that makes me question the design. Benelli CS said if it happens again to send my gun back for a new bolt, but here's the issue that I have with that: I've done alot of work to this bolt like taking steel wool to almost every part of it to get any excess burrs off that were left behind. I started with a gun that would not cycle the 2nd or 3rd round, I sent it back to benelli and they sent me a new bolt; Then I had a gun that would cycle the 1st and maybe the 2nd shell but not the 3rd, sent it back again; After the 3rd bolt was doing the EXACT same thing as the previous two I decided to do work on the gun myself and finally after 2 years of hard duck hunting, I have that gun cycling all 3 shells every single time no matter where or what kind of crap that im hunting in! So im a little hesitant to trade out this bolt. I love my Franchi and i've killed alot of birds with it but damn I want these little defects to be fixed already! The Beretta Xtrema 2 uses a key bolt handle that can only be removed if the bolt head is 3/4 of the way engauged and it still requires some big biceps to pull it out... It can't be that hard to design something like that. I'd rather have a bolt handle thats a b**** to get out then one that just likes to dis-engauge on its own. Edited December 1, 2010 by duckht183 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike100 Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 ^^ Thanks for the thorough explanation. I understand now. In fact I have a Franchi autoloader I purchased about 15 years ago. I bought the Franchi autoloader for pheasant hunting since it was light weight (6.5 pounds) and recoil operated (I thought this would be a better choice hunting fields with lots of dry debris that finds its way into a gun). I absolutely love the gun since it’s a perfect fit for me and I shot it very well. However, I have the same issue you mention. The gun frequently fails to feed even the second shot after firing it just a few times or hunting in conditions that allow debris into the gun’s interior. I actually started field-stripping the gun and cleaning it after firing just a few rounds while hunting just to keep it operating. The Franci model I have is recoil operated, but its mechanism is very different from my Benelli Montefeltro. The Bennelli has a sliding bolt while the Franchi has a sliding barrel that pushes the bolt for auto loading. My model Franchi uses a copper ring that is placed on the barrel ring that fits over the feed tube on which the barrel slides. I have two rings, and each is designed to handle the load I’m using (heavy or light). I’ve tried everything I can think of to make my Franchi work reliably, and I have not found the solution. I’ve tried using just the copper light load ring, oiling the feed tube and not oiling the feed tube, different (and hopefully cleaner powder loads), more and less oil on the bolt rails, etc. I’ve not used steel wool on the bolt, but after reading you message, I’m definitely going to work on the Franchi’s bolt with some steel wool and a little “elbow grease.” It’s really frustrating having a gun you love to shoot because it fits so well with great balance, and then experience blockages. The scenario: A very long shot… you go for it and make a great hit with the first shot, but at that range it’s not a kill and the bird struggles along in the air. No problem you think, I’ll make the next shot and kill it. You get back on the bird… and then… misfeed (no shell in the chamber)… Damn it! Mercifully, I’ve never had the bolt handle fall out. That would be the last straw for me and this gun with all the other problems I have had. The Franchi is no longer my primary gun, but only my backup gun for my Benelli Montefeltro. --Spike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMAC Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 To me the I-12 and Stoeger M2000 share much of the same problems when it comes to the bolt handle flying out, and from all accounts there has not been a good solution for this occurance.......I might be wrong but I does seem to be a reoccuring theme with the M2000 as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckht183 Posted December 2, 2010 Author Share Posted December 2, 2010 It’s really frustrating having a gun you love to shoot because it fits so well with great balance, and then experience blockages. The scenario: A very long shot… you go for it and make a great hit with the first shot, but at that range it’s not a kill and the bird struggles along in the air. No problem you think, I’ll make the next shot and kill it. You get back on the bird… and then… misfeed (no shell in the chamber)… Damn it! Yepp I know exactly what you mean. I dont know how many times I felt like sinking the damn thing! A shotgun of that price should cycle every load, every single time no matter what conditions you hunt in. Take some steel wool to the bolt and the bolt head, the inside of the reciever, and to the barrel where the bolt locks into place. Let me know how it goes and hit me up if you have any questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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