NoMore Posted September 13 Share Posted September 13 As a loyal benelli owner and user for over 40 yts, I have to express my disappointment in the gradual decline in quality and changes to the benelli brand. I own multiple benelli firearms, including SBE's, M2's, Montefleltro and Ethos models. Recently purchased a 28 ga SBE III. What a piece of junk these things have become. Carbon fiber rib, proprietary Front sight which can't be replaced to aftermarket, weak cheap recoil spring, "ethos style" receiver, poor fit and finish, to name just a few issues. This will likely be my last benelli. And to top it off, customer service is rude and unhelpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trust1984 Posted September 14 Share Posted September 14 I'm not really familiar with the Ethos model, but Benelli seems to advertise the Ethos receiver style as an upgrade. Why do you find it worse? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BamBam Posted September 14 Share Posted September 14 Without question..Benelli’s overall quality now is not what it was for decades past. Being a long time owner & advocate of numerous Benelli platforms, it is clear to me from purchases made in the last few years that validates this, along with many friends that also have noticed the drop in quality & share the same views. Oddly though, Benelli “Loyalists” immediately become defensive & dismissive when anyone suggests the drop in quality, but they do recognize the poor customer service that exists with Benelli today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCswamp13 Posted September 14 Share Posted September 14 I'm newest model benelli is a 2018 m3 that I have been really pleased with. But I have handled multiple new benellis that I have not been impressed with at all. In fact, I was dead set on a new m2 20g for my new turkey gun but after handling one, I changed my mind and have decided to go with the beretta a300 ultima turkey. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my 3 benelli shotguns! But if I were to buy another one, I'd look for an older used one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fullassault Posted September 14 Share Posted September 14 I owned a M3 purchased over a decade ago and a newer M4. My M4 has a better F&F than my M3 and my M4 was built during Covid. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoMore Posted September 14 Author Share Posted September 14 21 minutes ago, Ruger Lee said: I hear your frustration, especially after being loyal to Benelli for so long. It’s tough when quality and design changes don't meet expectations. The SBE III’s carbon fiber rib and other changes have definitely sparked mixed reviews. I’d suggest reaching out to Benelli again and highlighting the long-term loyalty, which may prompt better service. I already did. I explained that I have owned 10 Benellis over the yrs, beginning with an M1 Super 90, SBE I, etc and told him these new guns are essentially garbage. He became rude and told me to sell it, rather than hearing my complaints. They don't care. They're arrogant. CS has deteriorated, along with workmanship and design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monsterbuck Posted September 14 Share Posted September 14 (edited) In my experience with any cs it has all gone to crap. Yea I agree with the previous poster about the new models. I have both an old model and new model m2 both in 20 gauge. The older model is definitely better build and better quality than the newer one, but I sold an sbe2 and purchased the sb3 and the newer sb is a better gun to me. Edited September 14 by monsterbuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoMore Posted September 15 Author Share Posted September 15 On 9/14/2024 at 4:37 AM, Trust1984 said: I'm not really familiar with the Ethos model, but Benelli seems to advertise the Ethos receiver style as an upgrade. Why do you find it worse? It's not an upgrade, IMO. I first experienced it on my Ethos and figured they did it to minimize weight. It's a cheesy separate piece for the upper receiver that I believe is made out of aluminum. It appears to me that it was done to save money in the receiver manufacturing process, rather than have a full steel receiver assembly as all the prior benelli's had. I see no advantage to it whatsoever. It's an extra piece to line up and deal with when assembling/disassembling the gun which becomes a hassle, especially if you had to field-strip the gun. The one-piece steel receiver was never a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr2jeff Posted September 16 Share Posted September 16 (edited) all brands have been seeing this issue over the last few years, no one is immune, alot of factors, but yes customer service should be #1, my brother recently dealt with Benelli about an item that came damaged and was not too pleased with their response, I own several LMT's and their all fine, maybe 1-2 areas with some rough machining, but it never bothered me, yet they get railed online recently got my a&s trigger guard and it looks like it was someone's first time on a cnc machine, looked almost 3d printed, still waiting for a response back from them Edited September 16 by mr2jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remarkable Posted September 16 Share Posted September 16 These are some great examples of choosing a dealer who stands behind the product they sell. I see no reference to the dealers whom these gun were purchased. A reputable dealer would stand behind the products placing the customer front and center. There are dealers whom make the these very issues points of differentation. These are the dealers and Manufatures who are going to succeed long term. Most if not all of these posts could be handled with great dealer support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEBEP Posted September 17 Share Posted September 17 It’s normal evolution. Companies grow big, expand, produce more, trying to optimize production costs, spending more for marketing trying to keep increasing prices instead of maintaining QC and investing in R&D. Similar situation with cars, German cars are trash now with Korean KIA and Hyundai becoming “German quality”. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoMore Posted September 17 Author Share Posted September 17 12 hours ago, remarkable said: These are some great examples of choosing a dealer who stands behind the product they sell. I see no reference to the dealers whom these gun were purchased. A reputable dealer would stand behind the products placing the customer front and center. There are dealers whom make the these very issues points of differentation. These are the dealers and Manufatures who are going to succeed long term. Most if not all of these posts could be handled with great dealer support. 100% WRONG!! None of the issues are dealer issues. A dealer has no control over quality of the items they sell. What do you expect the dealer to do? Offer my money back?? They can't do that with a firearm. Even a warranty issue couldn't be handled by a dealer. They would refer you to the mfr. Just what part of my complaints do you think should be handled by the dealer?????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEBEP Posted September 17 Share Posted September 17 47 minutes ago, NoMore said: 100% WRONG!! None of the issues are dealer issues. A dealer has no control over quality of the items they sell. What do you expect the dealer to do? Offer my money back?? They can't do that with a firearm. Even a warranty issue couldn't be handled by a dealer. They would refer you to the mfr. Just what part of my complaints do you think should be handled by the dealer?????? Did you see a word “dealer” in my reply? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bambihunter Posted September 17 Share Posted September 17 I think CEBEP meant that with a dealer, you could have opened it up and inspected it in person before walking out the door. I've also had a dealer swap out a gun I had just purchased within the week for a different one when they were able to replicate the same issue I was having (they had an on-site range). The owner passed away and the store has since closed, but while they were there, I always checked there first before I bought anything. When possible, I'd have them order for me even if it was higher. However, I have eclectic tastes so often can only get what I am after on places like gunbroker.com Yes, like others have mentioned, customer service is nearly extinct in most companies anymore. I haven't dealt with Benelli directly since circa 1994 when they handled my issue beautifully. It's possible with Beretta now owning Benelli that they have intentionally lowered Benelli standards in order to elevate their own brand. Just a theory... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remarkable Posted September 18 Share Posted September 18 100% WRONG!! None of the issues are dealer issues. A dealer has no control over quality of the items they sell. What do you expect the dealer to do? Offer my money back?? They can't do that with a firearm. Even a warranty issue couldn't be handled by a dealer. They would refer you to the mfr. Just what part of my complaints do you think should be handled by the dealer?????? Please list the issues one by one that you don't think a great dealer should or could handle, the comment made look very foriegn to you because you have not choosen a great dealer. In addition list your concerns about the Ethos, the comment about the two piece reciever, this concept was introduced as weight savings, a feature Benelli has excelled in. Again these are all features that could have been introduced by a great dealer who assists customeds by asking qualifying questions before the purchase and has incredible knowledge about features and insights about each model because they have used the product themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bambihunter Posted September 18 Share Posted September 18 No, they are not dealer issues. However, a dealer is the last line of defense so to speak to ensure that you, the customer, gets the product you are after. Everything the OP mentioned is overtly visible upon inspection. To be clear, I prefer the older Benelli's as well, HK era specifically. That is why I buy them. I don't buy the newer ones then complain about the changes when I could have just got an older one with the features I wanted. Now, if one buys a new firearm and it won't function, or won't shoot POA like some have had issues with, then I get it. The manufacturer should absolutely stand behind their product. I had a situation with Taurus circa 1998 where their customer service was useless and refused to help stating no issues found even though it was 100% repeatable. As such, I sold every one I own and will never consider another. I buy a lot of stuff through Gunbroker and I know that what I buy is mine, meaning I don't get the luxury of inspecting, working the action, etc. of a firearm before purchase. As such, I have gotten things I didn't like that I thought I would. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remarkable Posted September 19 Share Posted September 19 Carbon fiber rib, proprietary Front sight which can't be replaced to aftermarket, weak cheap recoil spring, "ethos style" receiver, poor fit and finish, to name just a few issues. These truely are dealer issues, a great dealer would have assisted him in selecting the Benelli that fits his needs and preferences. There are models that do not have a carbon fiber rib or the two piece reciever. Assisting in choosing the correct gun for the customer starts by qualifying the customers, asking questions what is it going to be used for, etc.. A customer who purchases a two piece reciever and then discovers he can not assemble it is not a good fit for the customer, a great dealer would replace it with a model that best fits his needs. Great dealers execute points of differentiation and customer service cultures that drive business long term. If you look at a recent post about a SBE 3 BEST, I recommended the gun if you are not particularilty hard on your gun like hunting out of a boat, and banging the rib against the boat.... I like some of the H&K imports as well, imported one of the very first Montefeltros into the USA. Many features and design changes of newer guns are much better however. Example the SBE 1 has a ejector that was held in with a ejector plate and 2 .05 mm screws. I have replaced many sets of these as well as broken ejectors. You see a much improved version of the ejectors in the SBE 2 & 3. Lets look at the new revised M2, the incut reciever, greatly assists in loading of the magazine tube. Two piece carrier latch, great makes loading the magazine tube easier. I like H&K versions as well however the brand did not change at the time of importation change. The lineup is robust, assisting customers in choosing the correct Benelli or Franchi is vital to customer satisfaction. I think we can find agreement the parts availabilty needs to be much improved. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bambihunter Posted September 27 Share Posted September 27 I don't know if others feel the same, but I feel they have really bastardized the Super Black Eagle moniker by applying it to first to the 3" 12 gauge and now a 28" gauge. The original Black Eagle was a 3", they extended the chamber to the 3.5" making it "Super" Black Eagle. Now they are making a 28 gauge sub Black Eagle but riding the name recognition of the SBE. Shameful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bambihunter Posted September 27 Share Posted September 27 (edited) 1 hour ago, NoMore said: Show me a Benelli 28 ga with a one piece receiver and a non-carbon rib They made an earlier style Ultralight that I believe was based off the Montefeltro that I am quite sure was available in a 28 gauge. They are identifiable by gold inlay on the words Ultra Light and have a gold trigger. They were around the HK or early Benelli USA era. While not exactly rare, they are not terribly common either. This is a 12 gauge, but you get the idea: https://doubleshotguns.com/images/usedguns/15749/15749DS-02.jpg Edited September 27 by bambihunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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