Well, pdoughertyMU, I've had my I-12 since August 2005. It's a great shotgun and I especially like the balanced/neutral feel of the I-12. Although the recommended minimum load is 1 1/8oz, I have put several hundred 1 oz game loads through it without any problems. I've even shot 50 or so 1 oz Gamebore target loads and the I-12 didn't miss a beat. I believe the recoil pad with the gel insert is fantastic and I can easily shoot a round of sporting clays (100 shells) without any ill effects on my shoulder later in the day or the next.

The inertia system is clean-shooting and with the spring around the magazine instead of in the stock like the M2, it's easier to clean.

I did recently get my I-12 back from Benelli, however. I had to send it in because the screw that holds the extractor in place worked itself out the last time I was shooting. There was also a minor issue with one type of ammo (Federal 1 1/8oz ammo in the Wal-mart 100 round packs) that involved the second shell getting stuck on the carrier about 4/5ths of the way out of the magazine. The gunsmith deburred something or other on my I-12 (I couldn't read his writing on the repair form) that was related to the carrier. Took the same ammo out that used to give my I-12s problems and it didn't get hung up one time in the 70 or so rounds I shot.

If you want more info, jump over to shotgunworld.com and read the message boards over there. There's info on the Franchi board about the I-12 or you can do a search for info posted on one of the other boards. I've posted my experiences with the I-12 over there. My user name over there is crushert.

Oh, one other thing. The original I-12s like mine were drilled and tapped for scope mounts. From what I've read recently, that's no longer the case.