Benelli Performance Shop Auto

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bberguson

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I have a chance to get one of these (used but looks brand spanking new) and was wondering if anyone had experience with them. I have a Benelli Vinci I'm going to sell so I'm familiar with Benelli and their inertia action. I love it! But, my son is on a sporting clays team and I want to upgrade his gun and but again, the Franchi he's shooting I got him for Christmas and I don't want to get rid of it. The Vinci is just a gun with no meaning to me so I don't mind getting rid of that one. I think the new Benelli would be a nice upgrade to the old one and a great upgrade for my son.

Any thoughts?

BB
 
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I have both a 12 and a 20 Super Sport. I love them. They are utterly reliable and the stock design does reduce recoil a bit. I think they are the very best autos ever made. I believe they also even make a 28 gauge.

A note for lefties The recoil pad is shaped for the shoulder ball socket. They make one for lefties and it just snaps on with no tools.
 
A cautionary note about the action. It is nickel plated. Do not use Hoppe's #9 to clean it with. I know someone who did and it took the nickel right off.

Many a fine nickel gun has been ruined by Hoppe's #9. I once saw a nickel Colt Python that broke my heart. :(
 
Super Sport is a solid gun ...and I have them in 12ga and 20ga as well. They have adjustability in terms of the comb pad height and the recoil pad to adjust for length of pull. Action shoots clean. Downside is they're a light gun...so some of us add weight to them, to smooth out the swing - even with a 30" barrel.

Is it a significant upgrade over the Franhi - yes....but it comes down to "Fit"..but the Super Sport has more Fit adjustments to it.

Benelli Super Sports are the guns I use to train some of the young shooters in my family ....( 10 - 16 yrs old or so )...a lighter gun is better when kids have limited upper body strength.

Having said all that ...semi autos will never be the dominant gun for sporting clays or for any of the clay target sports. O/U's will continue to dominate the clay target games... especially if they have built in adjustability in comb - with the leaders in terms of the most gun for your money coming from the upper end models from Browning or Beretta.

While I prefer the older model of O/U from Browning the XS Skeet in a 30" barrel...the new model 725 Skeet with a parallel adj comb and 30" barrels would be a good option as well...new for around $ 3,200. 2 barrels mean 2 different chokes / Citori's are 500,000 shell guns for reliability - but its more money than the Super Sport. Super Sport is my semi-auto of choice ---and a good all around, all weather gun - and my travel gun where I only want to ship one gun on an airplane to do a little of everything pretty well.


http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?fid=033B&cid=013&tid=617
 
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The Super Sport is a great shotgun, the Cordoba is as well. I assume those are the two possibilities you could have a line on.
 
Yes, it is a super sport, 30 inch.

Thanks for the Hoppes tip, I'll stay away from it with this gun.

My son is 6 feet tall at the ripe old age of 13! Taller than me the little (big) puke! :) He shoots the Franchi very well but it's a hunting gun and isn't as smooth as my Vinci and not even close to the super sport. I'm thinking he'll adapt to it well and beat me a whole lot worse than he does already...

He's shot a few doubles and doesn't like them, he really likes the automatics and doesn't want to give them up. I figured I'd just pull it out and start using it next time we shoot sporting clays and see if he want's to "try" my gun. We'll see...:)

Thanks for the replies and experiece, exactly what I was looking for!

BB
 
Downside is they're a light gun...so some of us add weight to them, to smooth out the swing - even with a 30" barrel.
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I tried that and lost reliability. I added lead inside the butt for better balance with the long barrel and red fore-end weight and it would intermittently jam, especially after 50 - 100 shells. I talked to a guy who said the military (I think marines) was trying to adapt one to take rail accessories and abandoned it for that reason. I removed the weights and it went back to being 100% reliable. I highly recommend the 28" for that reason, balance + reliability. And maybe save the money and just get the standard super sport instead of performance shop which might work better with 30" barrel since you don't have that red fore-end weight that looks cool but makes it muzzle heavy.
 
The Marine Corps Benelli - is a different model / its a gas operated M-4 ...very different than the Benelli super sport inertia system.

I've added 8oz of lead tape under the forend...and 8oz inside the stock on my 12ga Super Sport...( for the last 3 or 4 yrs )....and there were some years I put 8,000 shells a yr thru it ...with no cycling issues...so my experience is different...( no idea why )...
 
Ive found with my Vince that size does matter. I shot with a buddy once who was getting beat up by his old Ithaca so I let him use my Vince. I'm about 5'11" and 180 and he's about 5'11" 280. The Vinci wouldn't reliable cycle for me with 7/8 loads but never missed a beat with him shooting them. Same as shooting an auto pistol limp wristed I guess.

BB
 
Actually, it is the opposite with an inertia gun. The more solid hold will stall them more than the looser hold. We have several women shooting the low recoil loads in Benellis in 3Gun matches. A larger guy picks up their gun and it won't run.
 
The Marine Corps Benelli - is a different model / its a gas operated M-4 ...very different than the Benelli super sport inertia system.
Click to expand...

I heard they switched to a different Benelli when they could not get inertia to work, so possibly both stories are just different parts of the same elephant.

I suspect there is some variance out of tolerance that I went on the wrong side of, glad you didn't. I just thought it might be worth posting in case someone else stumbled onto it.

I only added weight to the butt, not the fore-end because it felt out of balance to me, maybe that's what's different.

I took it dove hunting opening day and it never missed a beat. I had my limit by 9:00am.
 
Mark, the Vinci is an inertia gun and my findings were opposite of yours. Heavier 1oz loads and every 1 1/8 load will cycle the action no matter who or how is shoooting. It was the 7/8 loads that gave us the problems and some low recoil 1oz loads.
 
I think you misread what I said.

Most Inertia guns need a 3dram or heavier load to run reliably. However, when you are close to the edge, a softer shoulder will allow full function where a more solid shoulder will stall the gun. Inertia guns need to move to run and the softer the load, the more they need to move.
 
No, I read it correctly. Now I have to go do some testing! :) I have some really light 7/8 loads I loaded for an over under, 16.2 grs red dot to be exact. Maybe I've been treating these loads all wrong... I'll have to try them in my sons Franchi Affinity though, Vinci is for sale at the gun shop.

BB
 
Regarding the admonition against using Hoppes No.9 on nickel-plated guns, it should be noted that damage only occurs if the solvent is left on the finish for an extended period of time (like over-night). Just touching the surface with it (and wiping it off) is not harmful in any way.
 
Both of my super sports....the 12ga and the 20ga ...will run reliably with a shell that is at 1200 fps....whether its 7/8 oz or 1 1/8 oz is irrelevent...but part of the trick is to keep them clean and properly lubed as well. I know the manual says they need faster loads....but mine don't.

Its interesting about the weight issue...I don't know...why the variation..??

Typically gripping an inertia gun more tightly ...and putting it firmly into the shoulder...should help it cycle...not gripping it loosely.
 
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