I would submit that you are bothright and wrong.

Stoeger is not part of the benelli "line". Benelli liscenses it design of the inertia system to Stoeger and then, in turn, Benelli imports them. This is, of course, refering to the Model 2000 (semi-auto). Design-wise, there is very little (if any) differnce between a Stoeger 2000 and a Benelli Super 90 (or M-1). There is a difference in quality control, fit and finish and of course, price.

As to performance, every 2000 I have shot, including the 3 that good friends of mine own, have performed every bit as good as their Italian counter parts. I was VERY skeptical, especially after seeing some of the sorry excuses Stoeger put out for O/Us and SxS's, but the M2000 is one of the only (if not the only) new, currently produced, "cheap" semi auto I would enthusiastically recommend. The cammo version (depending on where you go) is typically only $50 more, and they all come with 5 choke tubes, which is an extra bonus usually reserved for guns over $1000 (remember, all Browning Citori's only come with three, and they have two barrels to fill at once!).

If you are on a <$500 budget for a semi, its THE ONLY thing worth not saving your money on. Unless of course, you get a used 1100.

One other thing to consider, you can find a heck of a lot of used Benelli Super-90s and M1s (as well as original SBE's if you think you need a 3.5") on the used market for under $650 right now. I saw one in the local shop today, looked almost new, with all five tubes for $599.