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New SBE Disappointment


Matchshot

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My first thought was the retailer caused the issue through poor handling of the merchandise through their supply chain. I never thought Benelli quality was at all suspect. That said, I've seen a number of SBE with camo finishes that did not stay on, mostly at the wear points.

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I am doing something about this problem & like I said, I hope the gun becomes the best I've owned & lives up to the reputation I've heard about. So far there has been no resolution - and to me, the product is over-rated. My point is, I wish someone had told me the guns may possibly NOT be that great; newer models MAY have gone down in quality; they jam a lot; the black matte coating stinks, etc. To me, this forum is about customer education & if it's just about people loving their guns w/out any mention of people having problems - then it's BS.

 

I'm not trying to sound like a jerk,but I hate seing people spin their wheels with no hint of a resolution.
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Matchshot & FIB, don't sweat comments by tucker & mudhen - they love beating up on people who have trouble w/ the most expensive field shotguns on the market that have a big (& possibly overblown) reputation for superior performance. I have had trouble w/ my new SBEII - mainly w/ cycling, but also I find the coating to be highly ineffective - ALL IN MY EXPERIENCE W/ THE GUN. I suspect the newer benelli's have gone down in quality - but again all I know is my experience and the stories I hear & read (both positive & negative). I went from using one of the cheapest semi's to the SBEII - and it's been a let down - hopefully it gets fixed & becomes the best gun I've ever owned. I suspect tucker & mudhen may work for the company. But clearly they do not understand that when people hear great stories about the gun, make sacrifices to buy the most expensive field shotgun on the market, think it will be flawless, but then have some problems with it - it's a big let down. To me, there is nothing worse than having a flock of birds come in & you're wondering if your brand new, supposedly top of the line, most expensive gun will jam. I suspect even many of the most loyal benelli fans have had trouble w/ their guns, have had to get them repaired & hate or refuse to admit it. In my experience, the gun is over-rated.

Big difference between opinions and worthless lip service, just sell your over rated,expensive,unreliable SBEII so someone else can put some oil on it and enjoy what you have obviously been missing. no excuse for all the worthless negative comments about the #1 Shotgun for the money, and if i can keep one from having issues it can't be rocket science to keep any SBEII spitting hulls! Cycle issues are normally cleaning issues which can be solved by just a tad bit of oil kinda like the exterior finish and once ya figure how to clean a gun maybe your comments will not be so abrasive MR. REMOIL?

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help me understand why i have no similar problems with all of my other shotguns - which are all cleaned thoroughly. i don't use remoil - even though i works fine for all of my other "lower quality" guns - which brings up another subject altogether - one of the reasons i bought the SBEII was it is supposedly quick & easy to clean & requires relatively less maintenance - though maybe that's just another part of the folk lore. i've even had people tell me they clean theirs once per season (surely an exaggeration - but the point was they're supposed to be easy to clean & general require lower / less maintenance than others do). why must 99% of people on this forum believe it's always user error? has anyone ever had a problem w/ benelli? i've even heard the "great" tucker talk in another area of the forum of knowing people at customer support that have really helped him out with some problems - WAIT, a problem w/ a benelli - no, that can't be...must be user error. even he's sent one back...

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http://www.benelliusa.com/forum/showpost.php?p=79940&postcount=50

You my friend LIE and says here in one of your first useless post ya use it! where did ya come up with the notion it takes 300 rounds to break in a Benelli? also what kinda premium ammo ya using at 1.00 a shell, i would not shoot that cheap of ammo outta one of your cheaper well oiled shotguns. Get a grip:p

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i changed oils at the suggestion on this board & the gun still screwed up. i used many different types of ammo - all that meet the min requirements (3dr 1-1/8 oz. load for 12-ga) & got jams - though i do admin fewer jams w/ more expensive ammo - still jams on a brand new gun. even w/ 3.5" max dr loads & the bolt didn't fully close on cycle. now you are telling me that in order to get good results, i must use the most expensive ammo? is that another benelli "advantage." customer service told me the break in period could be 300 rounds. worm

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Remoil has to be cleaned out of the inside with a solvent and will not come off without using a couple applications on complete area where ya used the worthless crap! Break in really simple, Benelli Dealer was told by Benelli Rep that ya need to shoot 3 boxes of the heaviest ammo planned to ever be shot thru shotgun. i shot 30 not 300 3.5" Hevi-Shot at 2 different outings and my SBE has been SIMPLY PERFECT, no FTF,FTC no malfunctions. Tucker has a great cleaning PDF floating around and suggest doing a real cleaning per his PDF.

Once you get all that junk oil outta the guts you should have less issues like you have said , you have been having less problems. You can use cheaper shells to break in but i just listened to the beneli Rep not the Janitor that answered the phone or was that mudhen that answered:) Operator error is 99% of problem with this shotgun and once ya figure out you are the problem and decide to pull your head out it's amazing how the problems will deminish unlike you:o worms are better than LIARS!

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now we are getting somewhere - though i still do not understand how rem oil can cause such problems w/ this gun & not any of my other ones. i changed oil a while ago - never lied about it. i did not use solvent before switching. The manual says to use benelli oil, yet you get just one very small bottle of it & cannot buy it in the US – how stupid is that? the internet faq says do not use wd40, dry lube or 3-in-1 oil – though i hear many using break free clp, which is a 3-1, and loving the results.

 

what oil do you use? what ammo do you use? and it better not be the $3-4/shell stuff.

 

hopefully, this fixes the cycling issues & i can get over somewhat minor problems (which i consider design flaws) w/ the barrel coating & the comfortech system. other areas might include strick tolerances (which are not specified / given by the company) for oil & ammo. thanks for your help

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Teflon is problem i have with Remoil, that and Remington makes it, i use MILITEC-1 Synthetic and Hoppes #9 oil, use CLP on reciever when stripped but hand applied on rag or brush and use as little of it as i can get by with. never had a drop of rust on outside of barell using Hoppes oil and started using Hoppes #9 Solvent instead of CLP recently, like it better! Were you once one of the Marketing Team Executives for Benelli and now a disgruntled employee?:confused:

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Anyways....Try useing FP-10 oil....CLP...or No.9 Hoppes, From what i'm told Remoil just cloggs and invites dirt..and i did notice it in my other semi....i've ran 300 to 400 shot threw my SBE2 since Dec2007...i can honestly say no jams or cycling problems...and for guys saying they only clean their guns at the end of the season is Bs...why would you not clean a Benelli after every hunt....the gun costs an arm and leg..and if you have a Black one you have to watch it even closer...for rust from what i've read...any guy that puts a wet gun in a wet case and leaves it there for 24 hours, does'nt deserve a Benelli in my Book...anyways...i hav'nt had any of the problems with my Black SBE2 that,i've been reading....its been pretty sweet....Honkers41

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T'wasnt me. Today was my day to chip camo, tighten safeties, hide the camo Cordobas, grease up Gel pads, and strip the finish off the barrels so they rust faster.

 

All in a day's work :D

 

ROTFLMAO...........

 

mud, you forgot about shooting the barrel rings off your SBE2's but i took care of that on my end! lol

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I know this might seem weird but back to TOPIC, i allways look at something for a long time before I purchase something and no i do not take and tear a firearm down in the gunshop prior to purchase but i do look it over depending on the price of the firearm. I figured that since my SBEII only had minor rub marks on it that it would pass my test and it has been SIMPLY PERFECT since day one! Seems Matchshot had Cabelas step up and fix the issue without him going to Benelli, but someone had to go to Benelii to get it taken care of and KUDOS to Cabelas. Lotta places are once ya paid and walked, it is between you and the manufacturer. I feel Benelli would do the correct thing for the consumer if it was not his fault the coating was damaged. since this thread has so many views due to its topic i would suspect a lotta people will be looking a little closer before they throw down them Andrew Jacksons. MY SBEII has been a smoke pole since day 1 and thank god i have been happy with it:D I also feel during warranty time that Benelli would fix anything and probably a lotta things they are not even required to fix just because they are BENELLI! So yall give props where props are due and do not be so slow on saying thanks once ya bad mouth something and need to make things rite! CROW? taste good to me but i am an Arkanite trapped in NM:eek:

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Were you once one of the Marketing Team Executives for Benelli and now a disgruntled employee?:confused:

 

no, i'm not a disgruntled ex-employee – just a new sbeII owner trying to live the benelli dream. as i started to hunt significantly more often, i decided to trade up from the low end of the market to the supposedly top of the line – with the decision also helped by ridicule from my hunting snob co-workers. so far, i’ve been disappointed – but hopefully that changes. surely many errors have been made or things could have been better explained – be it my operator error, an incomplete owner’s manual, no specific recommendation from benelli on the best/approved (and locally available) brands of oil & ammo, a bad retailer that didn’t suggest the best oil/ammo/break in methods, too high/narrow tolerance levels for oil/ammo, new owner expectations that are far too high, etc. or possibly, there are improvements to be made to the gun (aka sbeiii - surely w/ a msrp of $2k+).

 

speaking of the break-in – from the owner’s manual & this is the only mention of breaking in the gun: “If you experience any initial functioning problems, we recommended firing three or four boxes of standard hunting loads to allow for this break-in period”

 

i’ll make the changes w/ the solvent – already use one of “approved” oils – and report on my progress – though for me, it will have to be w/ sporting clays vs more typical ducks & doves. but just to make sure we cover all areas, mudhen, tucker and hogwild – what ammo do you recommend? again, for sporting clays, ducks & doves. thanks again

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If I may add my 2cents. Something that does not get brought up much is that the way you hold or shoulder an inertia operated gun can affect the operation of the gun. I had a buddy who bought an brand new SBE2 we went and shot it together for the first time and it would not cycle the second round for him every time he shot it. He asked me to try shooting it and to his amazement it worked fine for me every time I shot it. Then he shot my SBE2 and it did the same thing his did, it would not cycle the second shot. To shorten this we learned that it was the way he was holding the gun that made the difference, he was not holding it firm to his shoulder and that was the problem. Any one who doubts this try taking there inertia operated gun and shooting it while not having it firm against there shoulder it will jam every time.

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I LOVE SBE II's! They shoot great and I get free beer from them!

 

I have one and my buddy - from seeing how well mine performed - got one. We both hunt the same with them waterfowl: ducks & geese - 3" shells for the most part. At the end of heavy usage (snow geese or sporting clays) we break em' down and clean 'em. I get a 6-pack of Miller High Life everytime he attempts to clean his SBE II because HE CAN NEVER GET HIS BACK TOGETHER! And so he gives me a 6 pack of beer to put it back together for him.

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Don't have a SBII, but do have a H+K Defense model M1 S90. It's almost 22 years old and I clean it with Break Free. It has never failed to fire, eject or stove-pipe and can empty out 8 rounds of mixed shells (2+1/2 inch English rounds to 3" magnums) FROM THE HIP every time, as I have demonstrated countless times at the range. Clearly I have a defective Benelli and I'm demanding my money back !! Shotguns that work like mine are why people want Benelli's and why they have such good reputations. My other Benelli, a short stock 20 guage Monty that I'e owned for almost 6 years and brutilize in the filed, works just as well without and problems loading, firing or ejecting. And yes, the little Monty gets cleaned only at the beginning and end of the Quail season, unless I get caught in the rain. Am I sold on Benelli's? You bet! I also own a lot of Remington 1100's and 11-87's that need cleaning all the time and a beautiful, older Browning Special Upland Field model that has such tight tolerances that a daily cleaning is a must. I love my Remingtons and Brownings but if you should see me in the filed, it's my Benelli's that I will most likely be carrying.

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Oh, I almost forgot. Just for giggles, last summer at the range I loaded up my little short stock 20 guage Monty with 5 rounds of cheap promo shells and holding the Monty away from my body (not against my shoulder or against my side) was able to fire all 5 shells without any problems. I guess my little Monty is just as defective as my older M1 S90. I'm sure that the SBII shooting 3+1/2 inch shells will need a solid shoulder to function well and of course the bolt closed completely, but my two Benelli's work better than advertised and I couldn't be more pleased with them. :)

 

SgtCathy

 

Cape Cod

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i'm with Sarge on this one my SBE's have ALL fired multiple rounds from a low gun position (not on my shoulder)......having said this I'm also shooting "magnum" or high velocity" ammo and my guns cycle flawlessly. I've never tried a light target load but my M1S90 20 ga that see's a lot of dove field action is frequently fired with light loads and there have been many times I fired this little gun without having it mounted properly (not completely against me shoulder) and she cycled everytime.

 

i've seen this happen with semi-auto handguns mostly 1911's, called "limp wristing" and maybe it can happen with a shotgun....i've just never witnessed it with ANY semi auto's i own and shoot?!?!

 

BTW - The military, i.e. Marine Corp prefer gas operated semi-auto shotguns because they are "self regulating" meaning they will typically shoot ANY load they choose to fire...low recoil "rubber bullet" loads to heavy buckshot loads! A gas operated gun is more reliable when it comes to lighter loads this is why the military demanded a gas operated M4.

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I appreciate the followup on my original post. Actually the gun really was dinged and I figure when you are paying as much as you do for a SBE, it should be pretty close to perfect. If I mess it up, it is my responsibility.

 

Anyway, I returned it, Cabelas had another in stock. They assembled it there, I looked it over and I brought it home.

 

I am delighted. I got the gun I am going to use for many years and I got the best.

 

 

That's what I'd have done. Others already mentioned it, but the forearm is supposed to stay on. I always assemble the gun and look it over before buying if I can. But if it was dinged I would have returned it for another. I'm sure now that you now how to assemble it, you'll love the SBEII. I know I love mine. It aint ever going anywhere.

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