This is topic New shotgun thread... in forum Predator forum at The New Huntmastersbbs!.
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Posted by Lone Howl (Member # 29) on April 27, 2016, 10:05 AM:
Whats your favorite?
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on April 27, 2016, 10:46 AM:
The one I sold!
Posted by Kokopelli (Member # 633) on April 27, 2016, 12:07 PM:
The one I can't afford.
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
Posted by DAA (Member # 11) on April 27, 2016, 12:13 PM:
Whatever Cal is using.
- DAA
Posted by UTcaller (Member # 8) on April 27, 2016, 03:37 PM:
I've shot a 870 for damn near 40 years and loved it. Everything from upland game, to waterfowl, to Coyotes. For most Coyote hunting it did fine. But since I went to my Benelli M2, I realize there's really no comparison. That M2 can flat spit them out. And I think it is damn near perfect for shotgunning Coyotes. Especially with an extended magazine.
Good Hunting Chad
Posted by 3 Toes (Member # 1327) on April 27, 2016, 03:47 PM:
Chad has my choice. A Bennelli M2 is the way to go for me.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on April 27, 2016, 03:51 PM:
Well, that's the consensus, Chad. All the big players swear by the Benelli. I don't own one, I can't bring myself to cough up two grand when my 835 seems to do an okay job. I'm trying to think, right now? I believe I bought this Mossberg when I lived in La Puente, over 41 years ago? The serial # is in the 4,000 range, so it was/is one of the originals. I'm comfortable with it, it works fine, but admittedly, I haven't made the switch like Chad where I can see what I'm missing. When I win the LOTTO, maybe?
Good hunting. El Bee
edit: oh, the one I sold. a Remington 11-47 but only has a 2 3/4" chamber. Otherwise, a neat gun. I "think" it has the same type of recoil system as a Benelli? The guy that bought it is willing to sell it back and I really feel like recovering it.
[ April 27, 2016, 03:54 PM: Message edited by: Leonard ]
Posted by jimanaz (Member # 3689) on April 28, 2016, 01:28 AM:
This one...
Posted by knockemdown (Member # 3588) on April 28, 2016, 04:15 AM:
^^^me likey!!!^^^
Only shortcoming of my 26" bbl'ed SBE is that there's no readily available shorter length barrels for it.
Been looking for a used M1/M2 shorty, just not hard enough to actually get one. Jimzy's Super 90 is about exactly what I'd want to find...
Posted by Brent Parker (Member # 4354) on April 28, 2016, 05:22 AM:
I'm running a Benelli M1 21" barrel and prefer a pistol grip stock with a dot sight as well.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on April 28, 2016, 05:47 AM:
I'm sooo embarassed! My 835 has a wood stock, and it actually "looks" like wood. Hardly legal, ain't it?
The thing is, when we Nimrods sally forth in the piney woods, we really have to look the part, and a black gun IS the uniform of the day, no getting around it. If you got it, flaunt it. Says jealous LB.
Good hunting. El Bee
Posted by Moe (Member # 4494) on April 28, 2016, 08:04 AM:
Hard to say which is a favorite. I bought one of the original Bennelli Super Black Eagles and regretted it right off the bat. For one the safety was inside the trigger guard at the back and when I fired the shotgun the recoil would cause the safety to dig into the flesh on my social finger. One day I was shooting geese and happened to look at the finger and could see white bone. I still have a scar.
Another problem was that it patterned 1 1/2' ft left and 1 1/2' low. I called Bennelli USA and they said, "Gee. Too bad." Then I called Briley Chokes to see what they could do. They could correct the problem by manufacturing a choke for me but it was $150 per choke. I sold the gun to a guy who wanted to rebarrel it anyway.
I picked up a Winchester SuperX2 and have had great results with it. I also have a Browning Gold hunter that is light weight. I've killed a bunch of ducks, geese, quail, pheasaants, chukar and Hungarian partridge with every shotgun I own. I primarily shoot the SuperX2 at coyotes but only because it's the only shotgun I have set up with a sling.
BTW....Bennelli has improved their customer service since I had problems with mine. The company corrected the safety in the trigger guard issue since I wasn't the only one to complain. When I contacted Bennelli USA they had no spare parts here in the US. Now they do and they are far more responsive.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on April 28, 2016, 09:14 AM:
Wow, that's probably the first serious knock I have ever read about any Benelli? What's good to know is to be very careful on gun show purchases, etc.
Wouldn't you think the safety issue would have been discovered in research and development? That's unfathomable?
If a shotgun patterned that far off point of aim, (for lack of a better word) wouldn't somebody suspect a barrel that had been run over by a truck? I would.
Good hunting. El Bee
Posted by 3 Toes (Member # 1327) on April 28, 2016, 11:32 AM:
It is uncommon, but not unheard of for any brand of shotgun to not hit point of aim. I asked a world champion skeet shooter about it and what to do if you got one. He said simply to trade it off as there is no easy fix.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on April 28, 2016, 12:35 PM:
Yeah, easiest solution but hardly honest. I would pester the manufacturer and at least purchase a new barrel at discount. I was once burned at a gunshow, the rifle had a bulge in the chamber I only discovered when I extracted the empty case. That event kind of soured me on buying a firearm at a gun show.
Good hunting. El Bee
Posted by Moe (Member # 4494) on April 28, 2016, 07:17 PM:
I need to correct something I said. The safety was in front of the trigger inside the trigger guard at the top. When the gun was fired the sharp edge of the safety would dig into my finger. On a cold day it hurt like hell.
Also, the Bennelli SBE was brand new in America and this was one of the very first ones. There were no parts available. They would've had to send me a brand new gun. Back then I was hearing a lot of complaints from other SBE owners and apparently so was Bennelli.
I've hunted waterfowl with Bennelli owners with the newer guns and they shot where they were supposed to and functioned properly. I don't know about the new guns but the original SBE wasn't gas operated. That's what attracted me. Most gas operated semi autos gum up in cold damp weather causing the gun to stop cycling properly. My SuperX2 doesn't do that.
And about the gun shooting left and low...I took the gun to the trap, skeet and sporting clays club in Gervais to use their pattern board. While I was there I asked some other shooters to pattern the gun. All with the same results. One of the guys was Des Young who is a popular TV celebrity here in the Northwest. He hosted a show called Hunting With Hank and Des and Dash. He travels to pheasant shooting facilities and gives them some publicity. Nice man and a pretty damn good skeet shooter.
Posted by jimanaz (Member # 3689) on April 28, 2016, 07:33 PM:
Ya know what Leonard, I was using a 30" 1100 prior to acquiring that Benelli. A friend of mine proposed a deal I couldn't pass up, and that's how the M1S90 came to live with me. Truth be known, I'd lusted after an M4 for years prior, and I don't think you can get one in black.
[ April 28, 2016, 07:41 PM: Message edited by: jimanaz ]
Posted by knockemdown (Member # 3588) on April 29, 2016, 04:26 AM:
I'd LOVE to see a ~20" barrel become available for the SBE/SBE2. Possible that Benelli fears the sales of the M-series 3" semis would suffer, if they did so?
Have toyed with the idea of having an SBE barrel cut down & re-threaded for chokes, but the barrels cost more than many pump shotguns! Just don't make sense to do it...
Leonard, dunno how ya do it with an 835. I had one as my first turkey gun, and even with the ported factory barrel and a ported Kick's choke, that fucker would rattle ya teeth loose with 3.5" shells!!!
Posted by 3 Toes (Member # 1327) on April 29, 2016, 05:12 AM:
A few things about the Bennellis that most of you probably know. They aren't gas operated. Inertia driven. So as Moe pointed out they aren't as prone to quit running when it's bitter cold or they get dirty. The other major benefit of they way Bennellis run is that the shell in the chamber is easily unloaded without another one automatically loading from the magazine. Very important when there is aircraft involved, and pretty handy all the time. I've had some other shotguns, but none I liked as well. I even had a Remington 550. I've been told Remington didn't make a model 550, but thats what mine was. It was an 1100 that worked about half the time.
Posted by Lone Howl (Member # 29) on April 29, 2016, 06:53 AM:
lol
Yep those Bennellis are tuff. Thinking about getting one this year...maybe.
Mark
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on April 29, 2016, 07:16 AM:
Fred, I never said that cheap Mossberg didn't kick with 3 1/2" shells. Maybe that's the real reason I quit using them? I convinced myself that Winchester doubleXX 3" #4Buck worked good enough.
I have a Rem 11-87 SP, bought new, oh, actually won it, but never mind. in damned near 20 years, I have hardly cleaned it and it has never failed, admittedly, almost exclusively dove and quail loads. It's black, with a factory sling. I don't think I ever fired buckshot in it? I'm a fairly reliable 17/25 shooter.
Good hunting. El Bee
edit: but, what about my question? that 11-47 I used to own was recoil operated; just like a Benneli, correct? I'm going to get that sucker back!
[ April 29, 2016, 07:19 AM: Message edited by: Leonard ]
Posted by UTcaller (Member # 8) on April 29, 2016, 09:30 AM:
I have zero complaints with my Benelli. It shoots and ejects every time I pull the trigger. whether it's clean or dirty and kills whatever I'm shooting at very consistantly. I was told that it would not cycle 1 oz trap loads so the first thing I did was go out and buy some 1 oz. trap loads. Shot a box of them never missed a beat.
I think Benelli and Beretta are the same Company now, maybe that's why alot of the bugs got worked out.
I have been doing some serious looking for a Beretta 390, just because. They are pretty hard to come by anymore,
At least for a reasonable price.
I too had a 550 Remington like Cal, bought it in about 1981 or 82. used it for about a year,went back to the old trusty 870 troubles went away immediately.
Good Hunting Chad
[ April 29, 2016, 10:35 AM: Message edited by: UTcaller ]
Posted by R.Shaw (Member # 73) on April 29, 2016, 02:03 PM:
Another thing about the SBE 1. You can load 4 with the magazine plugged for two.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on April 29, 2016, 02:45 PM:
Well, I'm a rebel on that issue, as well. Just like I fail to see why we can't use 30 round, or 20 round magazines in AR's. Same thing on game birds. It's not that I need it, I could really care less, but I feel that Fish and Game uses that regulation in an aggressive and punitive manor. Probably every year, in every state, somebody is busted because they forgot to install the damned plug. I remember, one year, in a particularly hot location, at an unfortunate time. This guy was a Captain in the California Fish and Game, a Warden. He had a home made gadget made from a piece of garden hose which he jammed into tube magazines, and if it went in too far, I guess he was prepared to write a ticket. There were somewhere around 30-40 guys almost shoulder to shoulder. He didn't write any tickets but he sure interfered at a productive time of the morning. You can say I have an attitude but my opinion was shear harassment. Everybody had a license and everybody had a plugged shotgun. BFD.
Good hunting. El Bee
Posted by Mert Bargenquast (Member # 772) on May 03, 2016, 05:17 AM:
I had my SBE cerecoated and it works in adverse cold conditions. Lub not required.
Posted by knockemdown (Member # 3588) on May 03, 2016, 05:54 AM:
My SBE got the shit soaked out of it this weekend, no worries!
Best part about that thing is how easy it is to break down & clean. Took all of 5 minutes to strip, dry, lube everything & re-assemble...
I useta run Eezox lube in my SBE for winter waterfowling in the salt marsh. Temps in the teens, mini-icebergs floating by, decoys freezin' up & tippin' over...but the SBE always fired! Even dropped it overboard, twice, and rinsed it with saltwater before using it. That inertia system is the schizz...
Posted by Lone Howl (Member # 29) on May 03, 2016, 11:23 AM:
Poor little fella..
Awsome Fred!!
Mark
Posted by Paul Melching (Member # 885) on May 04, 2016, 03:34 AM:
Sold my old wooden oversized Rem.1187 wish I hadn't done that it worked every time. now I use my wife's little Benelli Super Nova , Tru lock choke no complaints.
It kills em dead.
Posted by Moe (Member # 4494) on May 04, 2016, 05:36 AM:
Actually the trick to keeping a gas operated semi auto working in cold damp weather is to make sure there's no oil in the gas chamber.
I started shotgunning with a double barrel. Then I bought a pump gun and just couldn't get the hang of pumping the action after each shot so I bought a Remington 1100. At first I went through hell with the gun because after the first shot it wouldn't fully cycle. I learned that you have to clean the gun every night and then make sure you don't use oil. I had been wiping the inside of the gas chamber with a light oil.
I guided waterfowl hunters at Tule Lake for a few years before I got a full time job with Contel. Some of the other guides made jokes about my 1100 but as long as I kept it clean it worked good.
The 3 rounds only rule was implemented to keep you from shooting at birds that were out of range after the first 3 shots. Check the regs because the plug is generally a federal reg and only applied to hunting waterfowl. California over regulates everything as do some other states.
For hunting coyotes here in Oregon you can remove the plug although I don't.
Posted by DanS (Member # 316) on May 04, 2016, 05:50 PM:
I picked up a used Mossberg 935. Haven't had a chance to shoot it yet.
Posted by 92soggy (Member # 4362) on May 05, 2016, 09:10 AM:
I picked up a used SBE 2 last summer and I really appreciated it for hunting in the thick sage. Only problem is the barrel is way too long. Put a speed bead on it but didn't really see that it helped much. I think I just left it turned off after the first couple of stands.
That shot gunning coyotes in the thick sage is lots of fun but pretty stressful. They are on you so fast and it seems like you only have a couple of seconds before you better be shooting.
Posted by TOM64 (Member # 561) on May 10, 2016, 11:53 AM:
Sorry I'm late but there is no better shotgun than my M1 Super 90 with 21" barrel. Of course the M2 would've been better without the pistol grip stock.
I've had a few SBE's and much prefer the M1.
Posted by DAA (Member # 11) on May 10, 2016, 03:36 PM:
Where does the Vinci fall in the lineup? Or does it? Complete shotgun ignorance here. Just have handled one once, saw another up close today, seem like kinda funny looking shotguns...
- DAA
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on May 10, 2016, 05:05 PM:
^ what he said, at least the part about not knowing anything about shotguns.
Tom, which one is which, and why do you have both?
I like the one with the sights. Could care less about the pistol grip, but haven't used one, they might be great, for all I know?
Good hunting, El Bee
Posted by TOM64 (Member # 561) on May 11, 2016, 04:27 AM:
The one with the pistol grip and sights is the M2 and it's been traded off a few years ago.
I wanted to see if sights on a shotgun equalled teets on a boar and they did. If you have to aim it, you're not getting any benefit out of a shotgun. The pistol grip stock is great sitting on sticks but doesn't help in pointing the shotgun.
That's why my M1 is king. I bought it to shoot quail and wound up killing a million quail, pheasant, Turkey, dove, coyote, clay targets, rabbits, squirrel, snakes and anything else that has needed killing. It's the only shotgun I have left and does everything well cause it fits.
That's the most important part of any shotgun, it has to fit you or you'll never shoot it well.
Posted by TOM64 (Member # 561) on May 11, 2016, 04:30 AM:
Oh and the Vinci is too fancy for me, I just never cared for it so I never even shouldered one.I do have a buddy that likes his though.
Posted by DAA (Member # 11) on May 11, 2016, 05:22 AM:
Thanks for the comment Tom. The Vinci felt awfully plastic and kinda cheap to me, so I was really surprised to hear how much it cost.
I really AM NOT a shotgun guy though, so, what do I know.
- DAA
Posted by knockemdown (Member # 3588) on May 11, 2016, 06:21 AM:
I wasn't crazy about the Vinci, either.
Wouldn't mind one of these, though:
Benelli Ultralight in 28ga. For bunnies, grouse, squirrels & whatnot...
Posted by Lone Howl (Member # 29) on May 11, 2016, 06:45 AM:
A beauty.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on May 11, 2016, 07:14 AM:
I googled that Vinci. Looks like a piece of shit, if you ask me? I mean, I guess you don't pick a shotgun based on looks, (well, maybe) but that thing is too weird looking for me.
Good hunting. El Bee
[ May 11, 2016, 07:15 AM: Message edited by: Leonard ]
Posted by Lone Howl (Member # 29) on May 11, 2016, 08:52 AM:
Same here...the Ethos looks really good to me though.
Mark
Posted by Moe (Member # 4494) on May 14, 2016, 06:33 PM:
There are some really great shotguns out there. I can't speak for Bennelli for the reasons I've already stated but Beretta, Browning and Winchester make some fine guns. There are others, too. When I shot trap competitively I shot a Perazzi MX8 Combination. I won a little over $16,000 at a Mint Gun Club Mid Winter Chain shoot one year. Now, that is fun.
Hunting birds with a shotgun is the most fun you can have standing up fully dressed. And you can eat what you shoot. I'd bet you guys that say you know nothing about shotguns already know where to go to find birds.
This is my opinion so take it for what it's worth to you. I'd never buy a shotgun with a pistol grip unless it's a Mossberg Cruiser which is a cut short gun made for self defense. In a regular shotgun a pistol grip limits what you can hunt effectively. You should be able to hunt quail, pheasants, Huns, chuckar, coyotes and deer all with the same shotgun.
As far as barrel length goes for a 12 gauge I like a 28" barrel. Not many people know this but with modern powders the powder is burned within the first 14 inches of barrel but barrel length gives you a good sighting plane. a 28" barrel is a trade off for shooting rising targets and crossing targets. If you shoot nothing but rising targets, pheasants, etc, a longer barrel gives you an edge. If you shoot more crossing targets a shorter barrel gives you a faster swing. A field gun is meant for the guy that shoots everything.
If I was in the market for a new shotgun I'd be talking a hard look at a Beretta. But that's just me.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on May 15, 2016, 08:42 AM:
I'm not a shotgunner, that's for sure. But seems those guys, well, I can't tell one autoloader from another. I only own two, a 11-87 and my 835, which I prefer. For just about everything. I couldn't get arrested as a shotgunner!
Good hunting. El Bee
Posted by Moe (Member # 4494) on May 15, 2016, 12:01 PM:
When I wore out my 1100 I bought an 11-87 but my main interest was waterfowl hunting and Washington state has some pretty rough conditions for an autoloader. That 11-87 was the main reason I bought the Bennelli SBE. Plus the Bennelli was a 3 1/2" gun. I believe it was the first 3 1/2" gun. South of Wenatchee there is some world class goose hunting that mainly offers big Canada geese. The first steel shotshells were made using technology that worked with lead shotshells only a lot still had to be learned about steel shells. Guys were mainly using 10 gauge guns for big geese until the 3 1/2" gun came along. Since those days it's been learned that speed is the ticket with steel. Back in the days of lead too much speed damaged the lead shot destroying patterns. Steel shot doesn't deform and speed really does kill.
BTW...for most upland bird and coyote hunting that 11-87 is a great gun. Also, Remington and others have made improvements to their shotguns that have improved the performance of their autoloaders for use in cold, damp weather. Neither my Browning Gold nor my Winchester SuperX@ have ever malfunctioned in it or in any other conditions.
I always carry a shotgun on a calling trip. You just never know when it will give you a big edge in some calling conditions. In eastern Oregon during the deer and elk drawing hunts rifles are illegal to use in most GMU's so a shotgun is imperative. This law covers most of the deer seasons between October and late December. During this time I generally drive to northern Nevada but sometimes I just leave the rifle in the truck and hunt anyway.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on May 15, 2016, 12:19 PM:
I always have a shotgun when coyote hunting, myself.
Nevada? How's the hunting up there?
I always thought that Mossberg had the first 3 1/2" chambered gun. I bought mine as soon as I heard about it, the serial # is in the 4,000 range. Shells have always been spendy.
Good hunting. El Bee
Posted by Moe (Member # 4494) on May 15, 2016, 12:38 PM:
Mossberg may well have had the first 3 1/2" gun. The first one I ever heard of was the SBE, tho.
Northern Nevada is like anywhere else these days. Sometimes it's hot and sometimes it isn't. My best calling days have been in southern Nevada, California and Arizona. Mostly Arizona in recent years.
Calling in Arizona is the most interesting because of what may come in. A few years ago I stumbled into a herd of Javelina on my way into a stand. Most of them scattered but one of them just stood a few feet away from me with its hackles raised daring me to take another step. The standoff lasted maybe 5 minutes. There were a couple more about 20 feet away. I had my 222 mag pointed at the one closest to me just in case.
That same day I bumped into a huge covey of quail and got a limit. I was staying with one of my daughters and that evening my other daughter and her husband came over. I put the quail on the BBQ and we had them for dinner. I also killed 8 coyotes and a gray fox that day. Great fun.
Posted by UTcaller (Member # 8) on May 15, 2016, 02:44 PM:
Calling in Northern Nevada is terrible, wouldn't waste my time.
Like Moe said I would really like to find a nice Beretta for some of my upland bird hunting. Either and older AL2,302,or a 390.
Good Hunting Chad
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on May 15, 2016, 03:10 PM:
Yeah, that's what I thought, Chad. Lots of better locations, huh?
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