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Out of battery firing


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There's a ton of information on the web about the causes and fixes. To name a few, guiding the bolt closed like to do quietly to prepare for a shot. In this case, just let it slam home and it won't be an issue. You can simulate this, ease it down very slowly as described. It will look like it is locked. But, take note of the extractors position. Once eased in, then bump the charging handle forward. Many times on SBE1 and SBEII's, you'll see the bolt head rotate maybe 15 degrees or so which is into the locked breach position.

Another one is the recoil spring gets weak or the tube (if original) gets rusty, or even dirty.  Then, if you are shooting high angle shots, especially with lighter loads, there might not be enough force to positively make it close. The fix for this is to first inspect your recoil tube and ensure it is clean and rust free. I highly recommend only using spray dry-lube for both it and the magazine tube. If you do get rust from it when cleaning, if it isn't bad you may be OK. If it is bad, I'd suggest swapping it with the stainless one or that aftermarket sureshot system. I do believe later SBEII guns started getting stainless tubes but I don't remember now. The last II I had was ~10 years ago. I still like my old 1995 HK SBE1 better.

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Thanks for the reply. When I did a web search all I got was about the benelli Click which has happened twice to me while shooting sporting clays. What wording did you use for the search? I looked at some of the shells I was shooting and the brass did not seem properly sized compared to some of my other sells. Possibly slowing down cycle.

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The same issue that causes the click, often causes a similar issue of firing out of battery. There are several other causes for firing out of battery including the ammo itself, dirty bolt lug, log slots on the barrel, etc but I'd still start with the same steps starting with other ammo options. If I remember right, the click is caused from being further from the locked state and it results in the light, but variable primer strikes and therefore doesn't fire. This is the most common indicator/issue. The firing out of battery issue can be caused by the bolt being closer to the locked position than the click, but still not fully locked. This allows the firing pin to hit the primer hard enough to fire, but with the bolt not locked in place, it thrusts it rearward while there is still pressure in the barrel.

If you're comfortable tearing the SBE down a bit, I'd start with what I mentioned in the post above. First and foremost check the area around where the lugs on the bolt rotate into the barrel. If they are dirty, I use those plastic picks available from most gun stores and also from Harbor Freight.

But, if those are nice and clean, remove the barrel and bolt. Then, remove the buttstock and recoil spring and give the recoil tube and spring a very thorough cleaning. If any cleaning patches come out rusty, then use your preferred rust remover and keep cleaning until the cleaning patches come out completely clean. There are a gazillion posts and videos on the web for the steps to remove the stock and recoil spring.

If it was particularly dirty or you did find rust, then after cleaning it, use a DRY spray-in rust inhibitor/lubricant. I use Jet-Lube 13241 just because we used to use it at a manufacturing facility I used to work at. There are other decent ones out there too. But, always stick with dry lubricants only for both the magazine tube as well as the recoil tube. Wet lube will attract dust, unburnt powder, and during fall bird hunting, dried grasses and other debris. Not a pretty sight. I've made a lot of extra money over the years by buying guns from hunting buddies or friends of friends that were jam-o-matics. I'd give them a  good cleaning of the mag and recoil tube, and they'd work great. Most of them had used a wet lube and got clogged up. Some ended up buying the gun back after they saw it working flawlessly again and I told them what was wrong.

If you already have the stainless tube model and/or it is very clean and no rust, then I'd consider replacing the recoil spring. They are inexpensive and many people also take the opportunity to put in a Wolff +25% spring while they are at it. That all but eliminates the related Benelli Click, but it can also cause lightweight (under an ounce) shells not to cycle the action properly. I have a +25% spring, but unless I will be firing 3.5" for an extended time, I generally just use the standard weight. I always use 1 1/8 oz loads in my HK SBE1 and it'll cycle perfectly, even with the Walmart el-cheapo ammo.

If these do not fix the issue, and after trying a few different ammo choices, then have a gunsmith take a look at it. Out of battery on a shotgun is not near as dangerous as it is on a rifle, but can still cause harm to you or your firearm.

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