Benelli SBE

Ian2005 · October 10, 2006, 10:03 AM

While taking a hunting class, the instructor mentioned he had one of these that he's had to send back to the factory twice. Is this shotgun a pile, or did he just get a bad one. SBE owners report in. Thanks

mete · October 10, 2006, 11:12 AM

Must have gotten a bad one. In Argentina dove hunting can mean as much as 1000 rounds per day !! The favorite rental guns there are Beretta and Benelli autos !! That's certainly a good recommendation. When I got my M1 90 I talked to the gunsmith , he said that 50% of the guns returned because they 'didn't work' only needed a cleaning !!And a Benelli is the easiest to clean.

HSMITH · October 10, 2006, 11:26 PM

I had an SBE and it never ran consistently no matter what I did to it. Same for the M1 I had. I see LOTS of guys hunting with them, and I haven't seen one of them run 100% either. I have a LOT better luck with my SuperX2 3.5" and Browning Golds than I did with the Benelli guns, I also see the same thing from guys I hunt with.

I hear a lot about Benelli's that have never jammed, but I haven't seen one yet with my own eyes. They are a pretty good shotgun, but IMO they are $450-500 shotguns, not $1000 plus. I put them in the same category as a Remington 11-87, and figure they should cost about the same for the same level of performance.

Powder_Burn · October 11, 2006, 12:08 AM

I've owned many autos and nothing compares to the refinement and reliability of my Benelli's.

Many people cause their own problems by running cheap low velocity ammo that doesn't produce enough inertia to make the SBE cycle correctly. The bolt on the SBE is long since it's a 3 1/2" gun so shooting smaller 2 3/4" loads requires some power. I normally shoot 2 3/4 AA "Super Handicap" in my SBE for doves and have never had any problems. Before that I ran regular AA's and had no problems. Only when I ran cheap "Dove Loads" did problems arise. Prior to buying my SBE, I even confirmed that the SBE is reliable with 2 3/4" trap loads with none other than Tom Knapp himself at one of his performances a few years back. It's OK to run cheap ammo too, but it needs to have some horsepower. 3" and 3 1/2" shells are a non-issue since they have the power needed.

joeranger · October 17, 2006, 05:30 PM

Yes. It is the sportscar of the shotgun world. Awesome performance but can be tempermental.
Use higher power shells and don't "baby" it. It has a rotating saftey which does not fire unless the bolt slams forward.
It is well worth the money

quack fiend · October 17, 2006, 05:36 PM

baikal mp-153, from russia, aka remington spartan spr-453: all the performance, less recoil, better balance, 1/4 the price

(flame suit on) doesn't eject its barrel into the marsh either! "Super Barrel Ejector"

BigV · October 17, 2006, 11:24 PM

I have never had any problems with my SBE. I have loaded it with cheap 2 ¾” trap loads and heavy duty 3 ½” goose loads. I have even mixed 2 ¾, 3” and 3 ½ in shells and never a hiccup.

October 10, 2006, 10:03 AM	#1
Ian2005 Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 355	Benelli SBE While taking a hunting class, the instructor mentioned he had one of these that he's had to send back to the factory twice. Is this shotgun a pile, or did he just get a bad one. SBE owners report in. Thanks

October 11, 2006, 12:08 AM	#4
Powder_Burn Member Join Date: May 25, 2006 Posts: 70	I've owned many autos and nothing compares to the refinement and reliability of my Benelli's. Many people cause their own problems by running cheap low velocity ammo that doesn't produce enough inertia to make the SBE cycle correctly. The bolt on the SBE is long since it's a 3 1/2" gun so shooting smaller 2 3/4" loads requires some power. I normally shoot 2 3/4 AA "Super Handicap" in my SBE for doves and have never had any problems. Before that I ran regular AA's and had no problems. Only when I ran cheap "Dove Loads" did problems arise. Prior to buying my SBE, I even confirmed that the SBE is reliable with 2 3/4" trap loads with none other than Tom Knapp himself at one of his performances a few years back. It's OK to run cheap ammo too, but it needs to have some horsepower. 3" and 3 1/2" shells are a non-issue since they have the power needed. __________________ Keep 'em in the 10 ring!

October 10, 2006, 11:12 AM	#2
mete Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2004 Location: NY State Posts: 4,937	Must have gotten a bad one. In Argentina dove hunting can mean as much as 1000 rounds per day !! The favorite rental guns there are Beretta and Benelli autos !! That's certainly a good recommendation. When I got my M1 90 I talked to the gunsmith , he said that 50% of the guns returned because they 'didn't work' only needed a cleaning !!And a Benelli is the easiest to clean.

October 10, 2006, 11:26 PM	#3
HSMITH Senior Member Join Date: June 22, 2002 Posts: 2,019	I had an SBE and it never ran consistently no matter what I did to it. Same for the M1 I had. I see LOTS of guys hunting with them, and I haven't seen one of them run 100% either. I have a LOT better luck with my SuperX2 3.5" and Browning Golds than I did with the Benelli guns, I also see the same thing from guys I hunt with. I hear a lot about Benelli's that have never jammed, but I haven't seen one yet with my own eyes. They are a pretty good shotgun, but IMO they are $450-500 shotguns, not $1000 plus. I put them in the same category as a Remington 11-87, and figure they should cost about the same for the same level of performance.

October 17, 2006, 05:30 PM	#5
joeranger Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2006 Location: Illinois Posts: 375	Yes. It is the sportscar of the shotgun world. Awesome performance but can be tempermental. Use higher power shells and don't "baby" it. It has a rotating saftey which does not fire unless the bolt slams forward. It is well worth the money

October 17, 2006, 05:36 PM	#6
quack fiend Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2005 Location: liberty, ms Posts: 268	baikal mp-153, from russia, aka remington spartan spr-453: all the performance, less recoil, better balance, 1/4 the price (flame suit on) doesn't eject its barrel into the marsh either! "Super Barrel Ejector"

October 17, 2006, 11:24 PM	#7
BigV Senior Member Join Date: October 26, 2005 Location: Akron, OH Posts: 328	I have never had any problems with my SBE. I have loaded it with cheap 2 ¾” trap loads and heavy duty 3 ½” goose loads. I have even mixed 2 ¾, 3” and 3 ½ in shells and never a hiccup.