Benelli inertia driven- pros and cons

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  • rbird7282

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 6, 2012
    18,530
    Columbia
    ^^These are the ones I was looking at. How are the Stoegers doing overall? Reliability, durability? I realize they are relatively new, but any insights?




    Haven't heard of these before. Have to check them out. Thanks.


    I have a Stoeger M3K that I bought for 3 gun, I shoot both target loads (7 1/2, 1 1/8oz) as well as slugs. Have never had an issue with any ammo. Gun was $650. No way I was going to spend $2K on the Benelli which basically has the same system.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     

    SWO Daddy

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 18, 2011
    2,468
    Haven't heard of these before. Have to check them out. Thanks.

    The Retays are basically Turkish copies of Benellis. If I recall correctly, you can't put a magazine extension on them because of the way they're designed. Personally, I'd rather get a Franchi for marginally more money that's made in the Benelli factory.
     

    gwchem

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 18, 2014
    3,434
    SoMD
    I bought a Stoeger m3000 from a member here. No clue on the number of rounds through it, though I've shot about 200. It's stupid easy to clean, and recoil seems on par with most other semis. Seems to cycle light target loads just fine.
     

    Gcs7th

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 26, 2012
    1,280
    AGC
    Benelli all the way! Amazing guns incredibly reliable. I have a M1 I ran 20k rounds through with no issues and the gun was bought used. I’ve shot tons of shotguns but the simplicity of the inertia system and cleaning is the best.

    The retay is 100% a Benelli clone trigger group is an exact copy. However you sometimes get what you pay for with machining and inferior steel/metals. My friends with stoegers they either run great or have problems. I’ve read some people replace the extractor and inertia spring with a Benelli part for increased reliability. Your mileage will vary.
     

    Sirex

    Powered by natural gas
    Oct 30, 2010
    10,380
    Westminster, MD
    I have a M3 clone. For me, the recoil is a little harsher than my gas guns, but less than a pump action. I like how easy they are to clean.
     

    Inka

    Member
    Apr 25, 2010
    32
    I have owned a Montefeltro for close to 25 years- very reliable and lightweight. Kicks more than gas but makes for a better hunting gun in my opinion
     

    jollymon

    Active Member
    Dec 6, 2016
    852
    Now in Tennessee ,
    My Benelli M1 is so old it says HK , I shot a friends at a Tactical Shotgun class and the next day started selling my Remington 11/87's and 1100's bought a M1 Tactical and a 26" bird barrel and a mag cap so I could leave the extended mag tube home . I added a 20 ga. Montfeltro for Dove and upland . Never had a problem with them , I did jump on the 3.5" bandwagon when I saw SBE on the used gun rack at Atlantic Guns Silver Spring , Never had a problem with it but the cost of Ammo and the lack of choices and I learned that it kills at bought ends , Sold it to the guy who owns the farm on the eastern shore were I shot geese . I don't like gas guns because of the blow back of gas in the face sometimes and there's a lot more cleaning required , Benelli all the way
     

    730waters

    Active Member
    Apr 20, 2013
    102
    Rising Sun, Md
    SBE2

    I have been shooting an SBE2 for about 8 years. I usually shoot about 2 flats of 3 1/2" Black Cloud out of it a year and have never had a problem. I chase waterfowl on the East coast and run out West for the spring snow goose flight. As long as you keep it clean and oiled up it runs without issues.
     

    fabsroman

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 14, 2009
    35,852
    Winfield/Taylorsville in Carroll
    My M1 Super 90 Kicks like a mule IMHO

    The only reason it could possibly feel worse than your pump guns is if you have more drop at comb on the Benelli M1 than on the pump guns. Nice thing about the Benelli is that the stock is adjustable with the shims that came with the gun. I have never little drop at comb on my Benellis, which is lucky for me, because they just fit me better with those shims on the gun.
     

    fabsroman

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 14, 2009
    35,852
    Winfield/Taylorsville in Carroll
    OP - the only downside to something like the Benelli SBE that I can think of off the top of my head is that mine will not cycle anything less than 1 1/8 oz loads at 1,200 fps. Other 12 gauge Benelli guns that are not 3.5" gungs might not suffer from this. Yeah, based on science the gun is supposed to recoil more than a gas gun, but so much goes into felt recoil. Personally, I do not notice a recoil difference between my gas operated Beretta 391 Teknys and my Benelli SBE. Both of them have mercury recoil reducers in the stocks though. With that said, I use the Beretta 391 Teknys for clays and the Benelli SBE for almost all my hunting needs. I have taken the Beretta dove hunting a couple of times, but not often. The Benelli was purchased in 1997, the Beretta in 2002.

    Now, the Beretta 391 is a nice gun too, but it requires a lot more cleaning than the Benelli SBE. When my kids grow into a 12 gauge, I will be buying the Benelli Super Vinci, which is even simpler to take down than the SBE. The recoil mechanism is also a lot simpler to access in the Super Vinci versus the SBE. Ah, that was another drawback with the SBE. I have had unburned powder from waterfowl loads get stuck in the recoil tube. Over the 24 years I have owned the gun, I have had to clean out the reoil tube twice because in cold weather the gun was barely cycling. A rod with Hoppes on it down the tube and a new stainless steel recoil spring and the gun was good to go.

    The gas guns suffer from carbon build up in the gas ports. I need to take a dremel with a drill bit on it to the ports to keep them clean. The Beretta is just a bigger PITA to maintain than the Benelli. However, I will continue to buy Berettas for my clay shooting and Benellis for hunting. Then again, I did buy a a Beretta A400 Action in 28 gauge a couple years ago that I would not hesitate to take upland hunting and I have a Beretta 391 Teknys in 20 gauge that I have used for upland hunting. Hoping my son graduates to the 20 gauge this year and my daughter can use the 28 gauge.

    If I could only buy a single gun, it would be a Beretta A400 Excel gas gun. However, before I ever bought my first semi, I already owned a couple o/u guns and a pump gun. The SBE purchase was because it was one of the first 3.5" semis back in 1997 and I realized in 1996 that I sucked with the BPS on the 2nd and 3rd shot while waterfowling. Could not hit the second clay in skeet with the BPS to save my life.
     

    STeveZ

    Thank you, Abelard
    Sep 22, 2011
    779
    Aberdeen, MD
    I've shot friends' Montefeltro's and UL's. Both handle nicely and I didn't find recoil much different from a gas gun. What I didn't like was the sounds and sensation of the gun's operation taking place in front of my nose and being felt through the stock.
     

    SCARCQB

    Get Opp my rawn, Plick!
    Jun 25, 2008
    13,614
    Undisclosed location
    You can accessorize it to the point of failure. Added weight hampers the inertia system from functioning reliably.

    Inertia systems must be kept simple. More is less.
    My m2 had to go on a diet ( discarded the mall ninja doodads ) to keep it reliable.

    All the add ons are now on the m4. ( the m4 is a heavier gun and operates on a dual piston system instead of inertia. It’s not weight sensitive )
     

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