Beretta or Benelli
 

I have been hunting pheasants for two years now, and I am thinking of upgrading from my 12ga pump to an auto. The two guns that I have in mind are the Benelli SBE and the Beretta 391. What are the pros and cons of these two guns? Any others that I should maybe consider as well?

RE: Beretta or Benelli
 

Save a little money and take a look at the Franchi variomax 912. Same Family, same great gun!!!!

j

RE: Beretta or Benelli
 

J
How long have you had your Franchi? How much do they typically go for?
obby1

RE: Beretta or Benelli
 

i would go with a benelli simply because of its inertia recoil system, ie less working parts equals better longevity. i considered the franchi before i bought my sbe and in my opinion the benelli is of superior craftsmanship, althought the franchi is a nice gun.

the only problem i have incurred with my sbe is it doesnt like to cycle light 2 3/4 loads.

RE: Beretta or Benelli
 

I've had mine for not quite two years! I really enjoy it. From what I remember I paid Mid 700's for it. The MSRP on mine with the Realtree camo is $885, if I recall correctly. Check out the website, all prices are listed under specifications. It was on sale at the time. They were trying to get rid of some inventory.

Last season I got to use it quite a bit. I picked up duck hunting with it, and I also did some pheasant hunting. Shot a TON of rounds out of it. Never jammed once, and too a little guilt...I never cleaned the thing until January. All I ever did was wipe it down if it got wet. Worked wonders. I also hunted deer with it, shooting slugs from it...no riffled barrel. I really enjoy it. I'm not going to say it's better or worse than a benelli or Baretta, I just think it's worth a look!

www.franchiusa.com

hope I helped.

Jay

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RE: Beretta or Benelli
 

Really? I haven't had even a hiccup with mine. Shoots everything I've put in it with no problems at all.

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RE: Beretta or Benelli
 

Owning both...I prefer the beretta in the auto.

Lots of guys around here duck hunt with benellis and berettas. The only way the benelli guys can get their SBE's to go BOOM more than once is by putting a surecycle system in them. Just too finicky in a wet, muddy duck blind for me. Reminds me of a Jaguar...when they run right they're hard to beat but they hardly ever run right!!! ;)

Do yourself a favor and go with the beretta! ;)

RE: Beretta or Benelli
 

I can't recommend the SBE for upland. 2 3/4" shells are king here so, why buy a gun that will more than likely have problems cycling them? If you must have a Benelli look at the M1 or better yet the Montefeltro. Which Beretta 391 are you asking about? AL391 (Tenkey or Urika) or A391 (Xtrema)? Again, I won't recommend any 3 1/2" gun (Xtrema) for upland. The AL391, M1, and Monte are close in weight, performance, and cost. Of these three I would go with the Monte. It's slightly lighter and much thinner than the other two.
Others worth consideration are the Browning "Fusion and Evolve". Both are very light and extremely reliable. Both are gas operated and have a lot of features.
Franchi also has two models that are very good for upland. The AL 48 and 612/620. The 612 is a 12 gauge and the 620 is a 20 gauge. They are almost as light as the Brownings but cost $200.00-$300.00 less. The AL 48 is all I use for pheasants. It's very light and slim. It handels more like an over/under than a semi-auto. They are not made in 12 gauge anymore but can be found as left overs in shops. They can also be found on the used market and even sometimes NIB.

RE: Beretta or Benelli
 

due to the Benelli's interanal system, they have some issues cycling low power field loads. But I see alot my duck hunting friends love them. Too me, I guess it a "if you got the money type thing." I like the browning gold over both of them. I shoot the berretta alot and it can run three rounds at a goose in what seems like 2 sec. Currently this year, been using a 1187 premier. Never had a problem, but its not like my gold. I like that quick load feature of the gold when you need that last shell to finish off a bird. Remember, more expensive doesn't always mean its better. Especially in this case.

RE: Beretta or Benelli
 

I own a Benelli Super 90 and a Beretta 391 Urika. Both are good guns. If pheasant hunting is your mainstay then a 2 3/4 inch shell is all you will ever need. Further even if I am hunting turkeys a three inch shell is more than adequate. I have owned the 3 1/2 inch shooters and for ME it was overkill in every area, especially the pocket book and recoil.

It is hard to beat the Beretta 391 Urika in my opinion with its slim lines and easy handling characteristics. I have no problem cycling 1 1/8 ounce shells at the sporting clays range all day. In my opinion it is exceptionally balanced. For me when on the course there is also a noticeable felt difference in recoil between my Benelli and Beretta. In a hunting situation however I doubt that it would be noticeable.

Good luck.

RE: Beretta or Benelli
 

to clear up any confusion, my sbe cycles 2 3/4 in high brass every time; the only thing it doesnt like are the low powered, low brass game loads.

also

One problem with the Benelli is that if the cocking handle gets bumped back the bolt will turn, thus causing you to not be able to fire the gun without resetting the bolt.
The only Beretta SBE I've ever shot didn't kick out 2 3/4 trap loads. It was essentially a single shot.

which is which; there is no such thing as a beretta super black eagle (as far as i know)

RE: Beretta or Benelli
 

obby1,
Franchi is made by Benelli. The two guns look similar. I myself own an SBE and wouldn't take for it. This past waterfowl season my brother-in-law and some friends went to the duck blind and the goose fields. While hunting Geese in the sandy peanut fields, one friend of ours had an SBE and was sitting right beside me, his gun was jamming because of the fine gritted sand but mine was cycling like a champ. The SBE is a dam fine gun and just keep in mind that it is ALL in how you clean it and what you clean it with. I only wiped mine down for about a month only because my dog stepped on it and got mudd down in the action. But while the mudd was still in the action during the hunt, it never failed me one time. Matter of fact, it has never failed not once. Even shooting low brass 1 1/8 ounce loads through it. I guarantee you you will not be disappointed in a Benelli SBE. BTW, if you look on Benelliusa.com you will find at the bottom of their site a link to Franchi. Franchi also has a link to Benelliusa on their site as well. In case anyone is wondering what I clean my guns with, it's BreakFree with CLP and for the bore I use Synthetic Nitro Solvent to improve velocity. Good luck!