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Another SBE II vs. Beretta Xtrema 2


Liberty or death Jr.

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I read through the other post on this subject but did not get the answer I was looking for. I mainly goose hunt and I would like to soon get a semi-auto and my question is, which is more reliable. I know that the SBE needs to be shouldered right to shoot right. What about different angles? Does the gas operated need to be shouldered right to shoot. While I hunt I accidently bump the butt and I take over the head shots at some odd angles and would like a gun that goes bang every time. I know that if you bump a benelli it might get unseated and not fire. Does the beretta do that to? I like my Nova but want to upgrade to a semi-auto. My uncle has an old beretta and a new SBE II, both seemed to work fine last year when we went goose hunting. The old beretta did stovepipe twice though. But I think that is because it was 10 years old. Thanks

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My father in law just purchased a Beretta Extrema 2. It's a nice gun. With that being said, my buddy just bought a SBE and loves it. It too is a nice gun. If you're mainly goose hunting, you'll be shooting heavy loads. Beretta's new kick off technology and the fact that is gas operated makes it the softest shooting semi auto on the market (so they claim). No, the Beretta does not need to be shouldered in order for it to cycle. Check out the video at http://www.berettausa.com

 

Ultimately, you want to buy a gun on how it fits you, but with all of the adjustments you can make on both guns, you should get it to work for you. Good luck.

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The kick doesn't matter at all to me, I currently use a nova with the standard butt pad shooting 3-1/2 and the kick doesn't really bother me. I am really torn between the two, I'm not a fan of gas operated, but the beretta is overbored which is good because I usually use large shot sizes and the gun isn't required to be shouldered perfectly. But the Benelli is way easier to clean and it doesn't get very dirty so I could shoot it all day without a problem, and I kinda like that it is crio treated. I am mainly worried about how the inertia performs at odd angles, like upside down. I see the beretta can be shot upside down. Haven't seen the benelli shot that way. Thanks

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Only after years of extreme abuse (I never once cleaned the working parts...only the exterior) did my SBE fail to cycle flawlessly. I don't have the SBEII or the Beretta Xtrema, so I can't comment on how either works, but I'd like to know how well the Beretta works for you under extreme conditions. So, I vote that you buy the Xtrema and report back on how it worked out.

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I am by no means an expert. I am a Novice in every sense of the word when it comes to shotguns so take my opinion with that knowledge.

 

I LOVE my Xtrema 2. I know I'm not as knowledgable as I should be about cleaning it and what not, but so far I haven't had any trouble with it. I don't hunt every weekend, or shoot every week, but what I have done so far I have used my Beretta - grouse, partridge, pheasant, waterfowl and some clays (and the odd stray pigeon that may be unfortunate enough to fly past me).

 

My biggest reason for buying the Xtrema 2 was recoil. I liked both the SBE II and the Xtrema 2, and both shouldered well for me. Granted the Xtrema 2 was a little bit more bulky, but not so much so that bothered me. I'm sensitive to recoil and always have been since I first started hunting, and the Kick Off system makes that shotgun well worth the money to me. I swear it is less recoil than my 20 gauge Nova, and knowing that I go out and just hunt. I get to go and enjoy the hunt and never give a second thought to recoil.

 

I've done a minor cleaning on it since I've owned. Ran a bore snake through the barrel, cleaned up the threads on a choke that was showing some minor rust, oiled things up a bit, but so far that's it. I'm working on putting together something (for myself) on how to go through it and clean it thoroughly, but just haven't gotten that completed yet. If clean-up is your biggest hang up on the Xtrema 2 vs. the SBE II, well... again I'm not an expert but for the difference in how finicky (and finicky might be a strong word in this case) the two guns operate, I think I'd be willing to endure a few more minutes of cleaning for the performance you gain.

 

NOT to say that the SBE II isn't an awesome performer, as obviously it is by the number of people here that have one and use one. I just know that for me, that I don't want to worry if I've shouldered the shotgun good enough so that it goes bang whenever I pull the trigger. And I want to know that as long as I buy decent shells that my gun is going to cycle them despite if they are light loads or not. So far none of that has been an issue for me.

 

I truly love the gun and have enjoyed shooting it. It won't be the only shotgun I ever buy again or use for that matter, but it will get used more than it's fair share I do believe. As for the Kick-Off system - spend the extra money and get it with the gun. You're ok with recoil now, but eventually you're going to get older and sooner or later you'll start to feel it. Might as well enjoy the benefits that are available to you.

 

And if it makes you feel any better, I think one of our more well-known residents here would own an Xtrema 2 (and shoot it more than his SBE II) if they made one for left handed shooters. ;)

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Thank you sdkidaho, I have made my decision. I spend at least 15 minutes cleaning my gun every 3-4 trips or if it is really wet or dirty I will give it a thorough scrubbing. I kinda like cleaning guns so if it does take a while longer, I don't mind. As for the Kick off, I am going to have to pass, its not worth the extra $400. By the time I am old and sensitive, they will have a gun that doesn't kick at all and I'll buy it.

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I am mainly worried about how the inertia performs at odd angles, like upside down. I see the beretta can be shot upside down. Haven't seen the benelli shot that way. Thanks

 

 

So that's what I've been doing wrong? I haven't been shooting upside down, but since I shoot an SBEII I guess can't anyway. I wonder If I could kill more ducks if I was shooting upside down?

 

My buddy owns an extrema2 and after a days hunt, I'm done cleaning my gun way before he is.

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My buddy owns an extrema2 and after a days hunt, I'm done cleaning my gun way before he is.

 

With no desire to sound rude I would have to say... so? Anyone that buys a gun should go into it knowing they have to clean it from time to time. 20 minutes of cleaning versus 10 really isn't going to ruin my day if the performance in the field is what it should be. ;)

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What I mean by upside down, is further then straight up. You may not be as flexible as me, but I have gun past the point of straight up. It was easier to say upside down. And when I am laying in a goose blind, I follow the birds even when they have flown past, and the gun is actually upsidedown.

 

Don't get me wrong, the SBE II is a great gun, and yes easier to clean, but I don't want to have to worry about shouldering my gun right so it will actually shoot. Plus I like the overbored beretta a lot more because of the large shot size I use. And I like cleaning guns, so if it takes me a little longer, I have no problem with that. I am definately going with the Beretta.

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I sold the SBE II I owned. I tried the factory, Briley and Terror chokes tubes, but the patterns I was getting with large shot were still very poor. I never did really like that shotgun.

I purchased a Xtema 2 w/out kick off.

Recoil is nill.

The recoil spring is easy to clean, and the pistol only takes a few minutes. I have hunted with mine here this season, and on a 2 week hunt to North Dakota. It has been flawless and eats everything from light target loads to heavy goose loads. Patterns are excellent with factory chokes.

IMHO-The Xtrema 2 is a great shotgun.

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Liberty,

 

Tom Knapp and Tim Bradley shoot their Benelli's upside down, right side up, side ways and any other way you can think of. I have talked (through e-mail) w/ Tom and he says there are some events he shows up and the dealer or range gives him new guns in the box. He says he builds them and runs a magazine full of shells through them to check them out and also to get the crowds attention and then starts the shows.

 

My opinion, pick the gun that fits. I bought the Benelli over the Beretta. It fit better, wasn't as bulky and I like the comfortech because it is easier to adjust the LOP and Comb plus the comb pad is soft. I LIKE SOFT, ha, ha.... Time was also very important to me and even if it is 10 minutes here or there I take it. The Benelli is faster and easier to clean. Someone said it is only 10 more minutes than the Benelli. Times that every time you go out and shoot and if you are like me I spend a lot of time at the Clays course and that 10 minutes over a short period of time becomes hours. I don't have hours with the job I do and amount of travel.

 

So my 2 cents. Get the one that fits and you weigh the factors on the cleaning, recoil, bla, bla, bla....

 

CR

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I like the fit of both, the beretta fits a little better. Where can I see these Tom Knapp videos? I only have the mens channel. I have seen him once on the history channel and he shot the gun behind his back. As I have said before, I like cleaning guns, maybe its the fumes but I find it kinda fun and any time I watch tv, I'll pull out a gun and clean it. Anyone happen to shoot their guns upside down? Or anything? Next time one of you is at the gun range. If you wouldn't mind, try shooting your benelli upside down, odd angles, behind the back, not shouldered well, but only if you want to. I just want to be sure before I get a $1500 gun that it does what I expect it to.

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Liberty,

 

Check this out on YouTube. Good info too on Benelli.

 

 

This should give you all the look at what a Benelli can do. Oh yeah, if you notice that there were no jams in the guns. This is really good info on what Tom says. I know they get paid but as Professional sponsored Bicycle rider it is hard for me to lie about something that doesn't work. You don't want to be a sell out and you truly want something that works or you wouldn't use it. It just is icing on the cake if you can be paid.

 

CR

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Do you hunt geese? If so, what size shot do you use and how does it work for you? I mostly use #2 3-1/2 with a modified and they do pretty well out of my Nova. When I hunt ducks I like to use #4 and it does well too. I use T shot sometimes but the #2 winchester supremes shoot plenty far with a modified choke. If the #2 pattern well out of a SBE II, I might just have to get one of them and learn to use it right. Easier cleaning would be nice. Plus I liked my uncles SBE a lot.

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Tim was a Beratta guy but they wouldn't support him and then Tom got him hooked up with Benelli. I sure like my Benelli's... Good luck.

 

Actually Tim never was a Beretta guy. The video that you see of him shooting the Xtrema 2 was self made by Tim. He made that and sent it to Beretta hoping to get a job with them. Apparently at the time, Beretta wasn't looking to add any shooters to their team so they never took him on. Shortly there after he joined the Benelli team.

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sdkidaho,

 

Your right about Tim. What I meant by saying he was a Beretta guy is that he was using a Beretta. I always do that when talking about a person. If they shoot a Benelli they are a Benelli person. I guess if you had many different guns then you could be a different guy each day, ha, ha.... I didn't throw the details about the video he made and Beretta not giving him a chance or didn't want a sport guy like that. Thanks for the correction.

 

CR

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