Benelli super black eagle?

I have 2, one right hand that I gave to my son when the lefty became available. The guns are not designed to shoot under a 3 dram load. One of mine will the other will jam on occasion with light loads. Both guns have shot several cases of waterfowl loads under poor weather conditions without a single failure. Recoil was moderate, but is much improved when I put Simms pads on the guns. I also like the ability to adjust the drop in the stock to fit the shooter. I do not presume to discredit any other brands, this has been my experience with the SBE.
 
Thank you TwoShot. I shot a buddy's this spring and was really impressed. Is there any adjustment in the gun that would allow me to shoot different loads in the gun?
 
I had one that would not shoot anything under a 3" magnum, and cycle, rust came through the parkerising, despite my best attempts against it, Absolute garbage in my opinion, i got rid and bought a proper auto, a berretta, wont ever have a recoil operated auto again.
 
I have one and it will shoot anything from 7/8oz light loads to 3 1/2" roman candles. Don't expect yours to shoot anything lighter than 3 dram EQ per the owners manual. I did a properly break in my gun and that has helped a lot. The "proper" way to break them in is to clean all of the shipping grease off and then shoot the hell out of it. Shoot nothing but hunting loads out of it for about 100rnds. After that you should be able to shoot at least the Wally World 3 gram EQ 1 1/8oz 1200fps.

My gun is always getting muddy! And you will fight the rust with the flat black finish on the Beretta made barrels. When I am done hunting the barrel is whiped down clean. I also put a light coat of CLP on the black finish to prevent the rust from taking over.

Overall I am extremely happy with my gun.
 
I have a SBE 2.It's a lefty.waterfowled (is that a word?) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gifwith it and turkey hunted with it this past winter and spring.I had no failures.I also dove hunted shooting light field loads with no problem.If I had not specifically wanted a left hand auto however,I would have purchased a Brownin g Gold Hunter.I used a buddies for a while and really liked it.After shooting with a right-handed gun for 34 years I wanted a lefty.I don't think you would b e displeased but you might want to go to Benelliusa.com and cruise their forum.
 
I bought one several years ago and it would not even come close to shooting to point of aim, it shot very high and I could not adjust it with the shims to do any better. I had the barrel ported and when I told Benelli what it was doing they said that the porting probably caused it!! Needless to say I would never own another Benelli product.
It did appear to be well designed and made very good but just wouldn't shoot where you aimed!!
 
Here's the thing with shotguns... You could own the certified, all-around, A-1, top of the line, money back guarenteed, best shotgun ever made and if that particular gun doesn't fit you, you'll struggle to hit the broad side of a barn with it. Why you would want to shoot a barn with a shotgun, I have no idea, but I digress... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif So even if you love the SBE, and it performs well for any number of other people, it may not work well for you. Case in point, the best operating, most reliable auto scattergun I've ever owned was a Beretta 391. I loved everything about that gun, except for the fact that I could shoot it worth a darn. Well, I played around with all the shims and adjustments I could make to the gun without shipping it off somewhere for an adjustable comb and buttplate. But I couldn't get it to work for me. Best gun I ever got rid of. Do yourself a favor and "test shoot" a number of comparable shotguns before you reach a final decision. See if your buddies have some they'll let you try. Also, if you have any ranges or trap/skeet/sporting clays clubs in your area, many of them rent guns. Sometimes, with a knowledgeable sales associate and throwing up a few different guns, you can tell a lot about fit. But putting 50 rounds through a gun will tell you much more about whether or not it will fit you. If you can't naturally and smoothly mount a gun and acquire a good target picture, it doesn't matter if the gun is infailable mechanically, it won't help you bag any birds.

Having that said, I just spent some quality time with a friend's SBE last weekend. We were shooting the cheap Wal-Mart special Winchester 3 dram eq., 7/8 shot size all day long and it never hiccups once. I don't know how many rounds the gun has had through it, but I know it's fairly new. I hit damn near everything (all but one) that was thrown. I think I may be adding one to the collection in the future. But take a look at the Browning Gold, Beretta 391 and 3901 (and their other autos), and the Franchi autoloaders. It'll be like high school english class essays all over again, compare and contrast. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
I put a 1000 rounds through that gun, as my dealer told me it would require breaking in /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gifI think that was plenty.The gun was advertised over here, as being able to handle any load from an ounze upwards, which is why i bought it, so it could become my all round shotgun, clays pigeons, game, and foxes, i took it back, and lost money on it, it just didnt do what it was supposed to. I kept it well oiled, as i do all my guns, it never saw anything more than light rain, and it still rusted, that gun cost me £850, which equates to $1532, for that sort of money, i expect a gun to do what its ad men say.
 
Thanks to everyone who posted, you've given me much more to consider. It's a shame though because that benelli really fit.
 
Baikal is and alturnative to high dollar 3-1/2" guns. They run about $350.00 w/synthetic stocks and cycle everything from 1 oz. to 3-1/2" no problem. They are light to carry and control recoil very well.
 
(Baikal is and alturnative to high dollar 3-1/2" guns. They run about $350.00 w/synthetic stocks and cycle everything from 1 oz. to 3-1/2" no problem. They are light to carry and control recoil very well.)

That is the way I would go. I have a SBE and for that kind of $$$$$ it sucks /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/angry-smiley-055.gif. I shot a friends SBE and loved it. It was an older model though.My brothernlaw and uncle and about 4 more guys I know have the Baikal and it shoot better than my SBE. But if you have the cash to spend and that is what ya want go for it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif. Just because my Sbe dosen't shoot good /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif doesn't mean the one you buy won't.
 
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Thank You! for this post. This morning I was dead set on plunking down +$1000 for the SBE II. Read this, went in and found a lightly used Beretta AL391, took out this pm for opening day and LOVED IT! Best shotgun I ever shot. Thanks for all info and saving me +$600!
 
MarkA, I am also glad I asked the question. I'm sure there's many people without any problems with their sbe, but it makes you wonder what your odds are of getting one like that. The beretta you bought, is there a good selection of barrels for it?
 
FalFan: I am a MUCH Bigger/Semi Knowledgeable Rifle person. Shotguns, I am learning, but slowly. I shot this last night and LOVED IT! Barrels, I do not find on the Beretta site that there are any barrels but the one with which it came equiped. This site has so many folks that know so much, if that is not true it will be corrected shortly.
 
Congratulations, youve probarbly bought the finest semi auto available today, i have the same gun, and i can honestly say, hand on heart, from brand new, it has NEVER jammed , or failed to cycle, with any load.
 
As I mentioned above, the Beretta 391 was hands down, the most reliable, best built shotgun... nay, most reliable, best built firearm , I have ever owned. Pity I couldn't shoot the thing! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

My buddy reminded me of one problem I had with it a few years ago. But for that one problem I blame myself, my German Shorthair, and an acute case of Rooster Fever hitting me a few minutes before shooting time. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif Let's just say, if you lean your gun against a vehicle with the action open, on a morning with temps in the single digits and 8 inches of snow on the ground, near an overly excited gun dog, expect the worst! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

You'll never hear me utter a bad word about Beretta shotguns. But I'll stress this again, make sure whatever gun you buy fits you.

I've had good experiences with autoloaders from Beretta, Benelli (SBE as well as others), Browning, and Franchi. I can't speak to autos from other makers too much. I can tell you I've taken a look at Baikal shotguns, as well as some other eastern european imports, and they appeared to be about what I expected. Very "Russian" in my mind, which has both good and bad. Fit and finish quality leaves a lot to be desired. They are reportedly, as some have said above, very reliable and go bang when you want them to. I wonder about how long that will last, myself. Especially under heavy usage. Only time will tell for sure. If they can stand that test, then I might put them on par with some of the higher priced autoloaders. All I know is I won't be buying one for my dedicated sporting clays gun.
 
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