Benelli vs Beretta
02-12-2003 | 10:26 PM
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Nontypical Buck
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,597
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From: Heaven IA USA
Benelli vs Beretta
I have always wanted to compare the performance of the inertia recoil system vs a gas system in a good quality 12 gauge shotgun. I finally bit the bullet (no pun intended) and bought two new (unfired) 12 gauge shotguns. One was a Benelli M1 Super 90 (Now the M1 Field) and the other was a Beretta AL Urika 391.
Of course I realize that a couple of years ago Beretta bought out Benelli so in essence they are made by the same manufacturer (albeit mine is an H&K).
It is to early to give an in-depth report but I thought it might be beneficial to share a few observations I have made early on.
Both guns cycle the ammo as advertised in their perspective brochures. Perhaps that seems ho-hum to some, but when you consider the versatility of these guns it is simply amazing.
I should mentioned that in the mid 90' s I owned a Beretta 303. In those days I competed fiercely in three disciplines of the shotgun sports and could not get my 303 to cycle my hand loaded one ounce hand loads reliably. I loved the gun but in competitions the one ounce loads allowed this recoil conscious wimp to hang in there with the " pros" so it was important to me that they cycle properly.
It is interesting what technology has done for the shooting sports. Not only will this Urika 391 cycle my one ounce loads, but also my 7/8 ounce handloads! I find that pleasantly incredible.
The 391 is a " softer shooter" than the Benelli but that is not a real surprise since the Super 90 is recoil operated. However it is no where near the recoil of my old Browning A-5. Certainly the Benelli is not unpleasant to shoot.
As far as cycling ammo goes the Benelli is probably a tad quicker than the Beretta but most of us couldn' t tell the difference. Under field conditions there is virtually no difference in my opinion.
In my hands the Beretta balances slightly better, but that is a personal thing. The Benelli also balances very well.
Again these are just some preliminary observations that I have had playing around with the two of them recently. Perhaps down the road there will be more to share....................
Of course I realize that a couple of years ago Beretta bought out Benelli so in essence they are made by the same manufacturer (albeit mine is an H&K).
It is to early to give an in-depth report but I thought it might be beneficial to share a few observations I have made early on.
Both guns cycle the ammo as advertised in their perspective brochures. Perhaps that seems ho-hum to some, but when you consider the versatility of these guns it is simply amazing.
I should mentioned that in the mid 90' s I owned a Beretta 303. In those days I competed fiercely in three disciplines of the shotgun sports and could not get my 303 to cycle my hand loaded one ounce hand loads reliably. I loved the gun but in competitions the one ounce loads allowed this recoil conscious wimp to hang in there with the " pros" so it was important to me that they cycle properly.
It is interesting what technology has done for the shooting sports. Not only will this Urika 391 cycle my one ounce loads, but also my 7/8 ounce handloads! I find that pleasantly incredible.
The 391 is a " softer shooter" than the Benelli but that is not a real surprise since the Super 90 is recoil operated. However it is no where near the recoil of my old Browning A-5. Certainly the Benelli is not unpleasant to shoot.
As far as cycling ammo goes the Benelli is probably a tad quicker than the Beretta but most of us couldn' t tell the difference. Under field conditions there is virtually no difference in my opinion.
In my hands the Beretta balances slightly better, but that is a personal thing. The Benelli also balances very well.
Again these are just some preliminary observations that I have had playing around with the two of them recently. Perhaps down the road there will be more to share....................
