Porting a Benelli SBE

FDHoundman

FDHoundman

New member
I've had my SBE for 2 years. I love the thing, but it kicks like a mule.
Has anyone ever had one ported? And did it make a difference?
I had a Sporting Clays gun done by Pro Port once, and it seemed to help.
 
not me, but we had a customer who bought the SBE 2 two years ago and he couldn't stand the recoil. We sent it to MagNaPort and had it ported for him. He still couldn't take it. Sold the gun and bought another original SBE.


I think it's all in the "fit" of the gun, myself.

bownut
 
A buddy of mine has a SBE ported. It is nice to shoot, but dont stand next to it. We were goose hunting and about blew my ear drums out. He was next to me NOT behind me at all. Get some ear plugs. My .02 MP
 
bunch of softies...hahahaha jk.. other then the beretta extrema 2, the benelli imho is the best semi auto gun on the market when it comes to reduced recoil...
i have the sbe 2 and with 3.5s in it, it doesnt kick half as hard as my old beretta 390 nwtf with 3in of the same load. its like night and day... to each his own though.

as far as the porting... i was always under the impression you couldnt port them bc of the gas systems they worked under. i guess that isnt true since guys are porting them...
 
Portig will not reduce felt recoil. It will reduce muzzle jump a little, and make the gun louder.

Bckboring the barrel and lengthening the forcing cones will reduce recoil somewhat.

I would get a Limbsaver or Kick-eez pad installed before I went the porting route.
 
Quote:


as far as the porting... i was always under the impression you couldnt port them bc of the gas systems they worked under. i guess that isnt true since guys are porting them...



Benelli's don't use gas to cycle, they are inertia operated. And as far as recoil they inherantly harder kickers because of the inertia system which doesn't bleed off any gas like a gas operated system.
 
Last edited:
Some people feel recoil differently than others. the reason for this is gun fit. A shotgun that doesnt fit well will knock your block off no matter what brand or make it is. The Benelli shotguns work well but they are designed to work from the recoil of shell, so they will have more felt recoil than say a Beretta or Remington. Beretta and Remington work from the gases of the shot shell, which in return reduces the felt recoil. If the gun is kicking you to much now dont wast your money on porting it will not help any!!! Porting is designed to help eliminate barrel jump, not recoil. What you are feeling is the blast of the shot load and the shotgun pushing straight back into your shoulder. Now if the gun is jumping up into your face and the stock is hitting your cheek bone then maybe porting will help. I have shot thousands of rounds through both ported and non ported shotguns and i never could tell a difference, but i also dont shoot a shotgun that hasn't been custom fitted to my specs! I would suggest that you keep your cash and use it towards a trade on a Beretta or Winchester super x if they feel good to you in the stock to shoulder to face fit. Shotgun fit is the hole key and most people dont even know what this means, but if you want a nice fitting and better shooting shotgun you will need to research stock fitting and educate yourself a bit. If this shotgun will only see 2 or 3 boxes of shells a year then just buy the one that feels best to you. The Beretta 391 series of shotguns have different shims that you can use to help get a better fit, this isnt a cure all but it will be sufficient for the seasonal shot gunner! Hope this helps! Lee
 
I use ported Kick's choke tubes in my SBE. One for waterfowling, one for turkey/predators. And I have an SVL pad on the stock too...

I'm usually shooting that gun when it is COLD outside so don't really feel recoil through winter clothing anyway. I'd imagine feeding a box of 3.5"ers through it in a t-shirt may not be so pleasant...

Remember, you are shooting a 12 gauge shotgun! There's gotta be some bump to it! Wanna get creamed in the face from recoil? Shoot a 3.5" load through an 835 pump...YYEEEOWW! My SBE is much more manageable & kills everything I point it at. LOVE THAT SHOTGUN!

Try a ported Kick's choke before you go putting holes in your barrel...
 
SVL pad and mercury recoil reducer combined with the best fit is about the best you can hope for with an SBE. I wouldn't trade mine for 2 of any other shotgun!
 
I wouldn't port my expensive Benelli barrel. As someone pointed out above, porting doesn't really reduce recoil, it only reduces "felt recoil" by limiting the muzzle rise. It will also make the gun a little louder. A better recoil pad and a ported choke like the Kick's would be a lot cheaper and probably more effective. As was also pointed out, fit is everything in shotguns. If the gun design doesn't fit you, you're gonna feel it. Benelli's are light weight inertia operated shotguns designed for hunting. A heavy gas gun won't bump as much as a gun such as a Benelli semi-auto or an SxS, O/U, or pump gun. That little bit of extra recoil is the trade-off for the easy packing, fast swinging, and utter reliability of the Benelli. Bothers some more than others, some not at all.
 
Quote:
Quote:


as far as the porting... i was always under the impression you couldnt port them bc of the gas systems they worked under. i guess that isnt true since guys are porting them...



Benelli's don't use gas to cycle, they are inertia operated. And as far as recoil they inherantly harder kickers because of the inertia system which doesn't bleed off any gas like a gas operated system.





/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gifshows how much i know about my guns.. thanks for clearing that up for me..

i seen some guys mentioned the kicks choke tube with porting.. i guess that might be why i dont feel as much muzzle jump as some have stated.. i bought that tube with mine when i got it..
 
Mo Bragg at Shooter's Emporium has developed a Soft-Touch stock that fits up to the Benelli. If you have never shot a firearm with the Soft-Touch, I can tell you that it takes 90% of the felt recoil out of the equation.
 
if you have a stock that fits properly you will never get hit in the face no matter what shell you are shooting. A shotgun that hits you in the face simply doesnt fit! Get rid of it before you acquire a bad habit called flinching. Lee
 
I would have to agree with the fitting part of this conversation but to get back to the question. I have a SBE and it is Pigeon Ported it is outstanding to shoot this shotgun!!


Kapac
 
I bought a used Browing 525 that is my main skeet gun. I came with a RAD recoil reducer si I did not pay to have it installed. I shoot 20, 28, and .410 in skeet with Briley tubes so I don't feel the need for a RAD. Having shot this gun for 2 years I have come to really like it. My 525 has very little if any "perceived" recoil.

Ken Rucker of Speedbump Stockworks makes a "Bump-Buster" which is a RAD made better. They're about $350-400 installed. Something to think about.
 
Back
Top