Benelli versus Beretta

[Unregistered]

I am looking for a 12 gauge semi automatic shotgun for hunting quail, dove, and turkey.

How does the Benelli M2 Field compare to a Beretta Urika or Extrema2?

[HorseoftheSea]

main difference is the Benelli's inertia driven system, and the Beretta's gas system.

I personally have a Benelli montefeltro and i love it. It cycles litght target loads and heavy duck loads.

It does have more kick than a gas system, but it doesn't bother me. I find that its lighter than the gas guns, which I reall like

[MyGunsJammed]

Any thoughts on the M4?

[Beretta16]

An m4 for hunting quail and dove? :rolleyes:

[Unregistered]

Beretta16, I am a shotgun newbie... what would be wrong with an Benelli M2 for quail or dove?

[HorseoftheSea]

nothing, any shotgun can kill a dove. There are just guns deisgned to do different things.
The m2 is a great hunting gun, and can be used for everything. An m4 on the other hand is made for defense purposes.

[LouPran]

I don't think you can go wrong with either.

I personally prefer Beretta , but it's for aesthetic reasons. And that's not to say the Benelli's aren't good looking. I just prefer the classy look of the Beretta's.

The action on either works flawlessly. Some say Beretta for sport Benelli for hunting , but I think either can do the job without worry. I've never had a failure with my Beretta's EVER.

The Beretta will be the softer shooter on recoil , the Benelli will be easier to clean because there's no gas system. The gas system IMO though is easily cleaned.

I like the Urika's and Teknys for their classic looks and flawless stocks , Sounds like you're going for synthetic working gun's . The Extrema2 I'd put up against an M2 any day. Neither will let you down.

[BigJimP]

The Benelli is my personal choice. The inertia system shoots a lot cleaner than any of the gas guns ( Beretta, Remington, etc ).

The Benelli with the comfort tech recoil system in it - is softer shooting than the Beretta. I think the Benelli also cycles faster between shots than the Beretta also ( and faster than most gas guns ).

However, buy the gun that fits you the best - shotguns do come in "one size fits all" it needs to hit where you look ( drop at comb, drop at heel, length of pull, etc ) so its not just the gun / its all the stock dimensions - maybe neither one of them fit you and you need to look at something else. My favorite Benelli is the super sport with the comfort tech - it has a lot of adjustability for fit - especially if you add the optional comb piece, optional butt piece, use the shims, etc.

[castnblast]

Big Jim said it all...It's got to fit. you can have the "best" shotgun on the market...(whatever that is to you) if it doesn't fit, you won't shoot it worth a flying flip...;) I'd look at a Franchi I-12 /limited if you like the blue barrel/nickle reciever look. It's inertia driven & a parrent company of Benelli. I own one, it shoots skeet loads just fine. There is a break in period of 4 boxes or so w/ inertia guns - you need to shoot heavier loads 1 1/8 or 1 1/16 to loosen them up a bit, after that shoot whatever. I've shot gas guns for 25 years, and just now made the switch. Inertia operated guns just don't gunk up like gas guns do, thus they tend not to jam as much as gas guns do.

[BigJimP]

just a footnote on "light loads" with the Benelli. On my Benelli Super Sports - the 12ga gun cycles 7/8 loads as long as they are at least 1200 fps - but it won't cycle even a 1 1/8 oz load at 1150 fps. I bought a 20ga model Super Sport a few months ago - for the grandkids - and I went down to 3/4 oz ( like a 28ga ) in a 20ga reload and again as long as they are 1200 fps the gun cycles just fine but it would not cycle a load at 1150 fps.

The manual does tell you to run some heavier loads thru it for break in / and it also implies that the guns will not cycle light loads - but I keep mine clean and well lubed and I have not had a single problem feeding a 2nd or 3rd shell as long as its at least 1200 fps.

[chris in va]

Just to clear things up.

Benelli M2.
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/3773/m2ev1.jpg

Benelli M4.

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/5/m4co1.jpg

[LouPran]

Just to support the Beretta side as they are both great ...

Let's not forget Beretta owns Benelli. So far Beretta hasn't felt the need to inertia drive any of their own models. IMO it's because the gains, with Inertia Drive are very marginal compared to the loses.

It's a horse a piece.

A while back I'd read about the worry of a Beretta gas system failing in cold wet huntng weather. This was shooting times I believe. They author shot 54 boxes of shells before the gun became "sluggish". A finger swipe of lube from a fellow hunters receiver loosened the action right up for another few hundred rounds.
Not once did the BERETTA gas system fail.
==========
Excerpt from that article
I knew I was shooting a reliable shotgun once I reached 50 boxes of ammunition with not a single malfunction. But I also knew that the fun and games could not possibly go on forever, and I was right. At only three shells shy of 54 boxes (1347 rounds), bolt travel of the AL391 became a bit sluggish. The gun did not malfunction, but I knew it was about to, so I stopped shooting. Mountie Mizer of Beretta who was with me field-stripped the gun. We were shooting ammunition loaded in Argentina, and though its performance is quite good, it does seem to leave more propellant fouling behind than ammo loaded in the U.S. So it came as no surprise that the innards of the gun had become rather dirty. But a lack of lubrication and not crud is what slowed everything down. We didn't have a bottle of oil on hand, but Mountie found just a trace on the inside of the magazine cap. Using a finger, he transferred it to the operating rod. The amount of oil he found was hardly enough to dampen the end of the finger, but it was enough to get the AL391 shooting again. That night the gun received a well-deserved cleaning and lube job.

==========

Here's the article on the 54 boxes shot hunting without failure (Page 2 of 3) ... http://www.shootingtimes.com/longgun_reviews/al391_080505/index1.html

As for recoil control , there's simply no comparison. Especially if you get the Extrema2 with the new Kickoff butt pad.

Here's an article on the Extrema out turkey hunting ... http://www.shootingtimes.com/longgun_reviews/a391xtrema/

[Tbag]

Beretta, you will end up loving it when your older. It's a recoil thing.

[diesel83]

I love my Beretta AL-391 Ulrika. Landed me two pheasant a couple weeks back. :D It's very soft on the shoulder and points nicely. I prefer the wood stocks. I find it to be very light when walking fields.

I find the Benelli actions to be a bit faster and the recoil a little harder on the shoulder. The Benelli that I've used seemed to foul rather quickly and gum up.

I really hate the assembly procedure for the Beretta. It's a bit of a chinese puzzle during re-assembly. Take your time with it and be careful to watch gravity's affect on the bolt assembly during the insertion procedure (ie: Don't watch action movies during cleaning).

Both are great guns for their own reasons. I would recommend both, but give the Beretta an added tick for it's fine handling and looks.

[RUT]

>>The Benelli that I've used seemed to foul rather quickly and gum up.<<

Well, that's a first!! :confused:

[diesel83]

Yes, RUT. I call it like I see it.

[Steve Morgan]

OK, I know this one since I have them both:D

Both are very reliable.
Both can be fitted with the shims that come with them.
Both have a chrome-lined barrel.
Both can be shot thousands of times between cleanings (just take along some oil for the bolt grooves if either gets 'sticky'.

The differences are:
Benelli is MUCH easier to clean.
Benelli has a raised rib (higher than the reciever).
Benelli 'jumps' a little more making for a longer recovery for second shot.
I figured this one out by shooting true pairs at a skeet range by moving
back behind the #3 station until I didn't have time to shoot the low bird
and I could move further back with the 391.;)

For hunting, the camo M-2 is hard to beat IMO. Shoot and just put it back in the case. There's nothing else to do.

For clays, I shoot better scores with the 391 probably because of the recoil difference and raised rib:confused: ... and I wouldn't want to look like a redneck by shooting a camo gun around all those o/u's.:rolleyes:

[BigJimP]

Some of the Benelli's are ported - like the super sport - so it reduces the muzzle jump significantly ( I don't believe there is a version of the M-2 that is factory ported ). Porting does nothing to reduce recoil - but a ported gun is an asset in skeet, sporting clays and in the field, in my opinion - since the barrel stays down as you acquire a 2nd bird. All guns can be ported in the aftermarket - by Briley, AnglePort, etc