Benelli or Beretta

S

souther33

New member
So I am going to get a new shotgun for turkey season and would like to know what you would pick. I will also use it for duck and small game. I have narrowed it down to the SBE2 or the Beretta A400 xtreme with the Kickoff. Both will be in camo and 28" barrel. I would like to know what you like, and what you don't like about each gun and why you would pick it. Please keep in mind all the Innovations and aspects, like which one shoulders better and which one is less likely to jam in wet environments also dose the crio treatment on the Benelli really help or is it just an advertising scheme as with the Beretta like the steelium barrels.:confused:
 
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In reality, you should go shoulder both of them and see which you like better. Either will function well for what you ask.

I personally would pick the SBEII with a ComforTech stock. I love Benelli's, and, while they might have slightly more felt recoil than the Beretta due to the Beretta being gas operated and the Benelli being inertia operated, for the same reasons the Benelli is easier to clean.

There is not enough difference in reliability between the two to say one will better than the other in that aspect.


And yes, I have shot both. I have duck hunted with the A400 and taken the SBEII dove and goose hunting.

Currently, I shoot a Beretta 3901 for most of my hunting because for what it costs, I don't have to worry (as much) about dropping it in a lake ;)
 
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I agree with allaroundhunter.... as an owner of a Beretta AL391 I can assure you that it is a soft-shooter and a bit intensive to clean. However, Beretta has some excellent videos that take you thru the process, step by step.

No first-hand knowledge of the Benelli, but would like to try or even own one someday.

Since I'm not a hunter, and only interested in blasting many clay pigeons, I love the Beretta's recoil - you can shoot it all day long and it won't beat you up, at all.
 
With my old Benelli M1 90 it was far easier and faster to take the action apart to show how it works than to try to explain it !:D
 
Souther,

I just bought a Beretta A400 with the Kick-Off system. I wrote an informal report here. I used it at the skeet and trap range, as well as on 3 duck hunts. The cleaning is a bit complicated the first time around, but as mentioned, Beretta has a great video on their website.

I can't comment on the Benelli, but hopefully other members can chime.

For me, the reliability was perfect and recoil was very managable with full power 3" loads. I felt the gun was pretty light, but a side by side comparison confirmed that the Beretta Urica was lighter, even with wood stocks.

Good luck!
 
The Benelli will be far more likely to continue to function in harsh dirty condtions. It will be lighter and will recoil more.

The Beretta will be heavier, will be just as reliable, as long as it is kept reasonably clean. (not always possible in a duck blind). The Beretta will have a bit less felt recoil because of the gas system and greater weight.

My personal peference is the Benelli M-2. I have no need for 3.5" shells. Any of the 3.5" guns will be less than 100% reliable with the lighter 2 3/4" ammo used most often. The 3" guns will be more reliable with lighter loads. I don't see the logic of owning a gun that will shoot the shells I'll use the least (3.5"), and have a less reliable gun with the ammo I'll shoot the most.
 
My stepfather has a Benelli SBE2 and loves it. It cycles reliably and is a soft shooter, even with 3.5 shells. If I had the extra cash, it is what I would buy.
 
jmr40,

I'm not sure where you are getting your information regarding the Beretta and the 2 3/4 inch loads being unreliable. I shot about 4 boxes of 2 3/4 inch at the range and did not have a single hiccup. I was using standard weight #8 loads. One of the reasons I went with the Beretta was its ability to handle a wide variety of loads.
 
still have not decided what to buy yet. just waiting for more replies but I have look at both of them it seems that the Benelli shoulders better but fells a little plasticy while the Beretta fells like it is better built
 
I've got a Benelli M-1 Super 90. It's had low thousands of rounds by now through it and it has never had a failure of any kind. It's ugly as homemade sin. Not much of a fault with a shotgun that you can hit with though, and know it's going to function every single time.
 
it seems that the Benelli shoulders better but fells a little plasticy while the Beretta fells like it is better built
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what you mean by more "plasticy", because the Beretta is all synthetic as well. The Benelli is lighter though, because it does not have to use a gas system which removes some weight.
 
Benellis do work, but I would prefer any gas gun. I just don't care for inertia, or long recoil, guns. Beretta builds some very good ones.
 
I own the A400 with kick off, it is easy to clean, a soft shooter, and will handle anything, even my 3/4 oz reloads. Benellis are good guns, but they are lighter meaning more recoil to your shoulder
 
By their nature, inertia guns require the receiver and bolt to move to the rear rapidly under recoil. They are simple, and therefore also light. They either kick the crap out of you, or they utilize a two piece stock. REALLY hate those stocks. Since it is entirely a matter of taste. I won't say anything about the Benelli's looks.
 
Inertia is different than long recoil. Think of an inertia shotgun as basically like a blow back pistol.......both actions act in a similar nature
 
Sorry to quibble, but an inertia action does not function at all like a blow back pistol. The bolt in an inertia action is locked to the barrel until it is unlocked after the shot is long gone. In short, when a round is fired, everything in an inertia gun, except the rear section of the bolt, recoils to the rear. The rear of the bolt resists moving (due to inertia) and compresses a spring. When that spring uncompresses, it throws the bolt to the rear as the shooter stops the gun.
 
^^ Correct. Which is also the reason some complain about the recoil. It's no different than firing any fixed breech shotgun (think 870 or OU). Which never bothered me and reduced recoil was not a feature I was looking for when I bought my Benelli. I was looking for reliable and easy to maintain. And I got them both.
 
^^^^ True. But, back when, I was looking at an SBE (not the 2 model) with a wood stock. I liked the looks passably, and the feel. Shot a bunch of heavy 2-3/4" and 3" loads. Shot it quite well. Then I tried some of the 3-1/2" Roman Candles. :eek: I swear that was the worst kicking gun (and it did fit me) I have ever shot since I pulled both triggers at once on a 10 gauge SxS. It shouldn't have, but it kicked worse than a Mossberg pump. I went to a 10 gauge until tungsten came along. I specially lightened a 10 gauge BPS - as in machined away metal, so it's not like I am a recoil wimp.
 
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