Benelli choice?

Thejunk07 · March 10, 2012, 01:58 AM

I have money set aside (about 1200, maybe more) for a shotgun purchase and I've decided I want a benelli semi auto 12 gauge. I want something that will be versatile, able to shoot bird shot just as well as buck or slugs, but don't want to sacrifice any performance. I love wood stocks, but since I want it to be indestructible basically I figured polymer would be best(but could possibly change my mind). I'm leaning toward the Vinci, but does anyone else have any input on any other models and why I might want to change my mind?

PoorRichRichard · March 10, 2012, 02:07 AM

I'm was thinking along the same lines a few months ago and got their 2011 promo video. Bad idea... They make so many cool guns! More lost than ever. Super Vinci might be for me- 3-and-a-half inchers for geese and long duck shots. My buddy has the Nova (pump) and I really dig it. Shot my only double of quail with it this past season, and I only used it once while using my Moss 500 on my other 20+ quail hunts.

jmr40 · March 10, 2012, 07:59 AM

I have no use for 3.5" shells. I like the trimmer lines of the M-2 much better.

zip22 · March 10, 2012, 01:45 PM

Has anyone had any experience with the Franchi Affinity?

http://www.franchiusa.com/franchi-affinity-shotgun/

http://randywakeman.com/FranchiAffin...aderReview.htm

Thejunk07 · March 10, 2012, 03:17 PM

So nobody with any preference over any of the benellis?

PoorRichRichard · March 10, 2012, 03:35 PM

I prefer the Nova over the Vinchi, but ONLY because of cost.

carp · March 10, 2012, 09:48 PM

I started with a nova for duck and geese. I liked the nova so much I bought a sbe2. I've used it on geese,ducks,swans,rabbit,and for trap. Never had a problem with it. Light ir heavy loads.

Thejunk07 · March 10, 2012, 09:50 PM

Anyone have any opinion of the montefeltro? How's the accuracy/performance compared to the Vinci or other models?

jondallas311 · March 11, 2012, 01:10 AM

^^^^+1

I'm curious about the montefeltro as well. And the Legacy...

They all look pretty awesome.

LSnSC · March 12, 2012, 07:18 AM

The M2 is the best general purpose benelli IMO.

Dave McC · March 12, 2012, 02:15 PM

Benellis have lots of happy owners. I've handled and shot maybe 10 Benellis of sundry models. They all have worked perfectly.

The triggers are less than stellar, and same with the price. Otherwise, hard to fault them.

RUT · March 12, 2012, 11:04 PM

I have a pair of Sport ll's (12 & 20), and they're my clay shooting guns of choice.

Rugerismisticness · March 13, 2012, 04:57 AM

I've got a Monte, I've used it for clays the past 2 years putting down 2100rnds. It's hasn't shown any signs of wear whatsoever. I did throw in a Wolff +25 spring because it improves cycle speed and just makes things smoother. The Monte is an M2 reciever with a really tough coating, a Legacy barrel, and a legacy magazine tube. It's really Benellis crossover between birds, deer, and clays. I've also shot about 50 slugs through her, shes quite accurate and handled the slugs just fine. Fitting the shim system changes the recoil so much.

BigJimP · March 13, 2012, 12:20 PM

I have a pair of SuperSport's a 12ga and a 20ga ...and they've been very good guns...kind of a do everything well...a little hunting, some clays, etc..in one gun.

I've fired a number of Benelli models ....and they're all solid guns / when you pick one model over the other...look at the stock dimensions ( drop at comb and heel, length of pull, weight ) and pick the gun with the most adjustability ( does it have shims, changeable comb pads, etc ) so the gun fits you.

Its my opinion - that the other affiliated Beretta corp mfg's ...some are similar to Benelli - but the parts are not interchangeable / and the quality is not the same. Benelli seems to be a much better gun - in the inertia guns - than most of the alternatives. Beretta - under their own name ..only makes gas guns ...and leaves the inertia guns to their subsidiaries like Benelli, etc.

offroadTRD · April 27, 2012, 05:03 PM

Benelli m2..... simple as that. This gun is a maximum workhorse with no issues at all. But that is from my experience. Best semi shotgun I have ever bought and the best fitting shotgun I have ever put up to my shoulder.

westcoastmountainman · April 30, 2012, 01:25 PM

Check out the nova its a very nice pump gun,I know your looking for an auto, but for the money the novas are worth every penny and cost half as much as an auto. They will handle birdshot,slugs, and buck shot the same as an auto. Just my p's and q's.

Anthony66 · April 30, 2012, 04:58 PM

my BIL has a 12 gauge M-2 field model with wood furniture. I've shot it a number of times with great success. Nice gun...

Nate Shult · April 30, 2012, 11:24 PM

I have a Nova and it's a fantastic, indestructible pump gun for birds. Mine doesn't shoot slugs well at all. Started at 30 yards with a clean gun and 10 boxes of rifled slugs (2 boxes of 5 kinds). Cleaned it after every 10 shots. Hit a 2' by 2' target twice in 50 loads. Handed er over to my dad and he hit the target once in 10 shots. We got his SBEI out and got about the same results. This was 8 years ago or so when the SBEI was new and I had just picked up the Nova. We then got his old 1300 out and ran the same slugs through it. Both able to hit a paper plate at 80 yards with a plain bead sight and smooth bore, so the results weren't us just shooting poorly. That being said, out of all the people I know who own Nova's I hear 2 responses: "Shoots rifled slugs amazing for a smooth bore," and "Can't hit a bull in the hind end." I don't know if people have that differing of opinions or if it really does just matter on the gun but I was not impressed with either of ours.
The Vinci is a sweat gun for a waterfowler, but everyone I know that owns one uses 3 dram shells when trap shooting or they jam. That may make a difference if you hunt quail. The same SBEI my dad had the lousy run of slugs through has fired absolutely flawlessly on everything from trap loads up to 3.5 inch mags for geese and every SBEII that I have seem to have a similar rep. The M2 has a reputation for reliability as well and the only one I ever shot ran slugs fairly accurately. Can't say much about the Monte other than as far as I know it was designed for upland and is very light so it's nice for walking, but firing a box of steel loads through it may be painful if you duck hunt a lot.
Next time you're at a gun store take a look at a Browning Maxus. I've shot a few and never seen one jam. It shoulders nice for me and is weighted nice for me.

rbernie · May 1, 2012, 01:39 PM

I have a Vinci and think VERY well of it. It's light enough to be a good field 12ga (just under seven pounds, unladen), it has excellent ergonomics for me (despite its unconventional looks), and I find it to be very easy to maintain. About the only negatives are the price and the smooshy trigger.

It struggles a wee bit with light-ish 7/8oz loads but shoots 'normal' to heavy recoil loads very well indeed.

westcoastmountainman · May 1, 2012, 02:16 PM

My nova shoots slugs rather well. I got mine when they first hit the market in Oregon. Paid 364.00 for mine(no sales tax there), I do not have any mods for it everything is stock. Used to have an old savage bolt action shotgun with a bulbous poly-choke on the end of it, use the same loads in it and was able to push the slugs out to 200yds just fine. I also use a super full choke on my benelli with number 4's are inside the diameter of a standard coffee cup at 25 yards. the choke extends about an inch beyond the barrel, which is normally 28''. 3'' mags are a joy to shoot, have yet to try ny 3 1/2'' mags, just haven't bought any. Mainly they are too expensive, and when I do have the money, good old bills catches up with me lol.

. I use number fours for quail, grouse, ducks, turkeys, squirrels, and rabbits. My gun and that shot size pattern rather nicely. Many auto lovers, who have shot my benelli, were newly converted to pump action lovers.

Grant D · May 1, 2012, 02:59 PM

I have a Montefeltro and I love it.My wife bought it for me for my birthday.(left handed model) Works well for skeet and dove hunting,and it's also a pleasure to clean, being that it's inertia operated.
And I like the wood.

340 Weatherby · May 1, 2012, 05:45 PM

I've got a shoestring relative in NoCal who is a gunsmith. He is a rifle nut himself, but before and during the season he works on a lot of duck hunters stuff. He says the M2's are superior to anything as far as relibility goes. He just gets them brought to him at the end of the season for a thorough cleaning. He says that the 3.5 inch SBE's can and do break parts on occasion but most guys are happy with them. Most of the Super Black Eagle owners have an M2 at home to fall back on. Pretty interesting observations from a guy that doesn't really care about shotguns that much.

LSnSC · May 1, 2012, 07:08 PM

You can save yourself some money with the M-2 American. It will do everything you want a semi auto to do.

westcoastmountainman · May 1, 2012, 10:12 PM

The M-2 is a great war gun too. The us Military uses it extensively, as well as the others. The marines still prefer a simple pump gun.

I still prefer my nova over most of everything else out there but if I were to get an auto it would probably be the M-2, just because you can do an awful lot to it.

123kiwi · May 2, 2012, 12:49 AM

Quote:

The M-2 is a great war gun too. The us Military uses it extensively, as well as the others. The marines still prefer a simple pump gun.

I still prefer my nova over most of everything else out there but if I were to get an auto it would probably be the M-2, just because you can do an awful lot to it.

I thought it was the M4 they used?
Anyway, the M2 is a great shotgun, I will keep using my M1 for a while longer but if I ever feel the "need" to upgrade, it will be to the M2 more than likely

March 10, 2012, 01:58 AM	#1
Thejunk07 Member Join Date: February 23, 2012 Posts: 58	Benelli choice? I have money set aside (about 1200, maybe more) for a shotgun purchase and I've decided I want a benelli semi auto 12 gauge. I want something that will be versatile, able to shoot bird shot just as well as buck or slugs, but don't want to sacrifice any performance. I love wood stocks, but since I want it to be indestructible basically I figured polymer would be best(but could possibly change my mind). I'm leaning toward the Vinci, but does anyone else have any input on any other models and why I might want to change my mind?

March 12, 2012, 11:04 PM	#12
RUT Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2004 Location: NH, USA Posts: 812	I have a pair of Sport ll's (12 & 20), and they're my clay shooting guns of choice. __________________ Liberals don't care what you do... as long as it's mandated.

May 1, 2012, 01:39 PM	#19
rbernie Senior Member Join Date: August 10, 2004 Location: Plain Ol', TX Posts: 713	I have a Vinci and think VERY well of it. It's light enough to be a good field 12ga (just under seven pounds, unladen), it has excellent ergonomics for me (despite its unconventional looks), and I find it to be very easy to maintain. About the only negatives are the price and the smooshy trigger. It struggles a wee bit with light-ish 7/8oz loads but shoots 'normal' to heavy recoil loads very well indeed. __________________ -A conclusion is not a destination, it's simply a convenient place to stop thinking.- -Reading a thing doesn't automatically make it so; repeating it doesn't necessarily make it any truer.- -Every Texan should be a member of the Texas State Rifle Association.

May 1, 2012, 02:16 PM	#20
westcoastmountainman Member Join Date: April 29, 2012 Location: Logan, Utah Posts: 21	My nova shoots slugs rather well. I got mine when they first hit the market in Oregon. Paid 364.00 for mine(no sales tax there), I do not have any mods for it everything is stock. Used to have an old savage bolt action shotgun with a bulbous poly-choke on the end of it, use the same loads in it and was able to push the slugs out to 200yds just fine. I also use a super full choke on my benelli with number 4's are inside the diameter of a standard coffee cup at 25 yards. the choke extends about an inch beyond the barrel, which is normally 28''. 3'' mags are a joy to shoot, have yet to try ny 3 1/2'' mags, just haven't bought any. Mainly they are too expensive, and when I do have the money, good old bills catches up with me lol.. I use number fours for quail, grouse, ducks, turkeys, squirrels, and rabbits. My gun and that shot size pattern rather nicely. Many auto lovers, who have shot my benelli, were newly converted to pump action lovers.

March 10, 2012, 02:07 AM	#2
PoorRichRichard Senior Member Join Date: April 13, 2011 Location: San Berdoo Posts: 269	I'm was thinking along the same lines a few months ago and got their 2011 promo video. Bad idea... They make so many cool guns! More lost than ever. Super Vinci might be for me- 3-and-a-half inchers for geese and long duck shots. My buddy has the Nova (pump) and I really dig it. Shot my only double of quail with it this past season, and I only used it once while using my Moss 500 on my other 20+ quail hunts.

March 10, 2012, 07:59 AM	#3
jmr40 Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,805	I have no use for 3.5" shells. I like the trimmer lines of the M-2 much better.

March 10, 2012, 01:45 PM	#4
zip22 Member Join Date: April 29, 2009 Posts: 99	Has anyone had any experience with the Franchi Affinity? http://www.franchiusa.com/franchi-affinity-shotgun/ http://randywakeman.com/FranchiAffin...aderReview.htm

March 10, 2012, 03:17 PM	#5
Thejunk07 Member Join Date: February 23, 2012 Posts: 58	So nobody with any preference over any of the benellis?

March 10, 2012, 03:35 PM	#6
PoorRichRichard Senior Member Join Date: April 13, 2011 Location: San Berdoo Posts: 269	I prefer the Nova over the Vinchi, but ONLY because of cost.

March 10, 2012, 09:48 PM	#7
carp Member Join Date: February 26, 2012 Location: Middle of nowhere,Wisconsin Posts: 19	I started with a nova for duck and geese. I liked the nova so much I bought a sbe2. I've used it on geese,ducks,swans,rabbit,and for trap. Never had a problem with it. Light ir heavy loads.

March 10, 2012, 09:50 PM	#8
Thejunk07 Member Join Date: February 23, 2012 Posts: 58	Anyone have any opinion of the montefeltro? How's the accuracy/performance compared to the Vinci or other models?

March 11, 2012, 01:10 AM	#9
jondallas311 Junior Member Join Date: March 10, 2012 Posts: 1	^^^^+1 I'm curious about the montefeltro as well. And the Legacy... They all look pretty awesome.

March 12, 2012, 07:18 AM	#10
LSnSC Senior Member Join Date: January 5, 2010 Posts: 514	The M2 is the best general purpose benelli IMO.

March 12, 2012, 02:15 PM	#11
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	Benellis have lots of happy owners. I've handled and shot maybe 10 Benellis of sundry models. They all have worked perfectly. The triggers are less than stellar, and same with the price. Otherwise, hard to fault them.

March 13, 2012, 04:57 AM	#13
Rugerismisticness Senior Member Join Date: December 22, 2010 Posts: 909	I've got a Monte, I've used it for clays the past 2 years putting down 2100rnds. It's hasn't shown any signs of wear whatsoever. I did throw in a Wolff +25 spring because it improves cycle speed and just makes things smoother. The Monte is an M2 reciever with a really tough coating, a Legacy barrel, and a legacy magazine tube. It's really Benellis crossover between birds, deer, and clays. I've also shot about 50 slugs through her, shes quite accurate and handled the slugs just fine. Fitting the shim system changes the recoil so much.

March 13, 2012, 12:20 PM	#14
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	I have a pair of SuperSport's a 12ga and a 20ga ...and they've been very good guns...kind of a do everything well...a little hunting, some clays, etc..in one gun. I've fired a number of Benelli models ....and they're all solid guns / when you pick one model over the other...look at the stock dimensions ( drop at comb and heel, length of pull, weight ) and pick the gun with the most adjustability ( does it have shims, changeable comb pads, etc ) so the gun fits you. Its my opinion - that the other affiliated Beretta corp mfg's ...some are similar to Benelli - but the parts are not interchangeable / and the quality is not the same. Benelli seems to be a much better gun - in the inertia guns - than most of the alternatives. Beretta - under their own name ..only makes gas guns ...and leaves the inertia guns to their subsidiaries like Benelli, etc.

April 27, 2012, 05:03 PM	#15
offroadTRD Member Join Date: February 17, 2012 Location: Virginia Posts: 16	Benelli m2..... simple as that. This gun is a maximum workhorse with no issues at all. But that is from my experience. Best semi shotgun I have ever bought and the best fitting shotgun I have ever put up to my shoulder.

April 30, 2012, 01:25 PM	#16
westcoastmountainman Member Join Date: April 29, 2012 Location: Logan, Utah Posts: 21	Check out the nova its a very nice pump gun,I know your looking for an auto, but for the money the novas are worth every penny and cost half as much as an auto. They will handle birdshot,slugs, and buck shot the same as an auto. Just my p's and q's.

April 30, 2012, 04:58 PM	#17
Anthony66 Junior member Join Date: April 16, 2012 Posts: 54	my BIL has a 12 gauge M-2 field model with wood furniture. I've shot it a number of times with great success. Nice gun...

April 30, 2012, 11:24 PM	#18
Nate Shult Junior Member Join Date: April 23, 2012 Posts: 14	I have a Nova and it's a fantastic, indestructible pump gun for birds. Mine doesn't shoot slugs well at all. Started at 30 yards with a clean gun and 10 boxes of rifled slugs (2 boxes of 5 kinds). Cleaned it after every 10 shots. Hit a 2' by 2' target twice in 50 loads. Handed er over to my dad and he hit the target once in 10 shots. We got his SBEI out and got about the same results. This was 8 years ago or so when the SBEI was new and I had just picked up the Nova. We then got his old 1300 out and ran the same slugs through it. Both able to hit a paper plate at 80 yards with a plain bead sight and smooth bore, so the results weren't us just shooting poorly. That being said, out of all the people I know who own Nova's I hear 2 responses: "Shoots rifled slugs amazing for a smooth bore," and "Can't hit a bull in the hind end." I don't know if people have that differing of opinions or if it really does just matter on the gun but I was not impressed with either of ours. The Vinci is a sweat gun for a waterfowler, but everyone I know that owns one uses 3 dram shells when trap shooting or they jam. That may make a difference if you hunt quail. The same SBEI my dad had the lousy run of slugs through has fired absolutely flawlessly on everything from trap loads up to 3.5 inch mags for geese and every SBEII that I have seem to have a similar rep. The M2 has a reputation for reliability as well and the only one I ever shot ran slugs fairly accurately. Can't say much about the Monte other than as far as I know it was designed for upland and is very light so it's nice for walking, but firing a box of steel loads through it may be painful if you duck hunt a lot. Next time you're at a gun store take a look at a Browning Maxus. I've shot a few and never seen one jam. It shoulders nice for me and is weighted nice for me.

May 1, 2012, 02:59 PM	#21
Grant D Senior Member Join Date: August 14, 2011 Location: Brazos County, Texas Posts: 1,038	I have a Montefeltro and I love it.My wife bought it for me for my birthday.(left handed model) Works well for skeet and dove hunting,and it's also a pleasure to clean, being that it's inertia operated. And I like the wood.

May 1, 2012, 05:45 PM	#22
340 Weatherby Senior Member Join Date: March 25, 2012 Posts: 139	I've got a shoestring relative in NoCal who is a gunsmith. He is a rifle nut himself, but before and during the season he works on a lot of duck hunters stuff. He says the M2's are superior to anything as far as relibility goes. He just gets them brought to him at the end of the season for a thorough cleaning. He says that the 3.5 inch SBE's can and do break parts on occasion but most guys are happy with them. Most of the Super Black Eagle owners have an M2 at home to fall back on. Pretty interesting observations from a guy that doesn't really care about shotguns that much.

May 1, 2012, 07:08 PM	#23
LSnSC Senior Member Join Date: January 5, 2010 Posts: 514	You can save yourself some money with the M-2 American. It will do everything you want a semi auto to do.

May 1, 2012, 10:12 PM	#24
westcoastmountainman Member Join Date: April 29, 2012 Location: Logan, Utah Posts: 21	The M-2 is a great war gun too. The us Military uses it extensively, as well as the others. The marines still prefer a simple pump gun. I still prefer my nova over most of everything else out there but if I were to get an auto it would probably be the M-2, just because you can do an awful lot to it.