Benelli Woodcock

Flint123

I'm thinking of buying one. I know that they are recoil operated and I've read every article that I could find on these, but would appreciate the views of shooters who have used this gun in particular or Benellis in general. I expect to shoot mostly 28g to 34g loads. Are Benellis as reliable as every review seems to suggest. Also will this particular shotgun fall under the category of a restricted firearm after July. Thanks.

meathstevie

I haven't had a Benelli but a semi-auto of Turkish origins that used the Benelli system under licence ( or whatever the correct formula is for using someones technology with their approval ) it recoiled very softly with any load and pointed very nicely. Problem was that in general it was crap and bits were literally falling out. Benelli themselves wouldn't tolerate such sloppy quality and the recoil system wouldn't require as much maintenance and cleaning as a traditional gas system.

J.R.

Flint123 wrote: »

I'm thinking of buying one. I know that they are recoil operated and I've read every article that I could find on these, but would appreciate the views of shooters who have used this gun in particular or Benellis in general. I expect to shoot mostly 28g to 34g loads. Are Benellis as reliable as every review seems to suggest. Also will this particular shotgun fall under the category of a restricted firearm after July. Thanks.

I've a Benelli Montrefeltro 12g left handed - brilliant gun!

They have a very soft recoil and cleaning is simple. They are as reliable as reviews state - never jams. Also easy to collect empties afterwards as they're recoil operated - they just flick them out beside you rather that fire them 10+ feet like a Beretta / Remington or other gas operated.

Benelli come with a metal rod plug limiting cartridges to two in magazine & one in breech so perfectly legal and should not be on the restricted list.

Benelli come with shims which can be used to alter cast and height of stock to customise gun to your needs (similar to Beretta).

One gripe I would have with the Benelli is that I found the stock to be quite short (I'm 6'1" & large build). I removed butt plate and fitted a much longer recoil pad - solved problem & is now perfect.

The Benelli can handle shots from 24g to 52g automatically adjusting to pressure generated.

All in all a great gun - I would buy another if changing. I fire 1,500 to 2,000 cartridges per year and it has never let me down once in the six years I have it.

Forget the Turkish ones using the Benelli recoil system - they just fall apart!

Go to www.youtube.com and do a search for benelli to see how reliable they are with low recoil.

G17

I had a Benelli M3 Super 90 auto/pump and it fired light clay rounds to slugs in all weathers without fail. There was a lot of showing off, rapid fire, 8 rounds in an awful hurry shooting and I would have remembered any jams 'cause my ego would have been dented! I've also had some other great semi autos like a Beretta 390, Winchester Super X2 and a Remington 1187 and some crappy ones (old Lanber with external chokes).

My next shotgun will be another Benelli, maybe a Super Black Eagle if I can just sell this other kidney.

quackquackBOOM

i have a benelli and cant fault the gun
fired both 28gr and 34gr loads
easy maintinence and very few parts in the gun to go wrong

cavan shooter

I shot a Benelli Super 90 for three years as my principal clay and rough gun. I now have a o/u for clays and a beretta 391 for the field. I loved that gun and alot of people say I shot better with it and should never of trded it:mad:

If I had the money I would buy a woodcock, a lovely gun light and short ideal for the field. It only takes three shots (2+1) factory.

The only downside about the Benelli is the lack of a hold open for the reciever.

Go for it!

Vegeta

I have a benelli super black eagle 2 (even more expensive than a beretta Xtrema2)

Handles very well and fits like a glove

It is not as reliable as the review make out. I can expect at least 1 if not 2 jams per outing for duck sometimes even on 36 gram loads.

It cycles 28 gram Eley Olympic blues well but that's because they are hard hitting carts. Maybe 2 jams per 50 shots

Forget 24 gram stuff

If you do not put the gun exactly right against your shoulder it greatly increases the risk of jams as it needs something to kick against to cycle the cartridge. Think big heavy jacket when duck shooting. It doesn't always shoulder 100%

Recoil is a lot lot heavier than an Xtrema2 (my brother has one)

It is more difficult to unload than the beretta.

They also have a bit of a quirk where if the bolt is not let forward at pace it will not engage the cartridge properly. The extractor claw will be ever so slightly in the wrong position. It looks normal unless you know about this quirk but when you pull the trigger it will just make a loud click and do nothing. My brother had the original Super Black Eagle and it was the very very same.

So to sum up. My benelli handles and fits better than any shotgun I've owned but is not as reliable or as easy to use as the beretta.

I owned the Beretta before my brother and put a few thousand carts through it and never even once got a jam and I barely ever cleaned. Twice a season maybe or if it got soaked.

Grizzly 45

That's Italianios for you.Beautiful to look at and fine figures.Tempermental and emotive when they are needed.And thats just the people.:D:D:D
[with apologies to any Cara mia Italiano reading this].
Truth I have a Luigi Franchi auto loader and it is as picky on the ammo as Veg described on his as well as suffering from the shoulder mount problem.
It's only advantage is for a semi auto .It is as light as a double barrel and points as well.

meathstevie

Vegeta. Your post sounds a lot like what was happening with that Stoeger of mine with the difference that the build quality wasn't as good as a proper Benelli. It has found it's way back to the shop and has been traded for a non-ejector SXS Merkel.

I wouldn't discount the Fabarm Euro Lion either, a very knowledgeable man ( friend of the da, qualified gunsmith and dealer ) I've been talking to a few times swears by them as one of the best not overly expensive semi's on the market at the moment. He should know as he uses one himself while he has Berretta's and Benelli's for sale on his shelves.

Vegeta

meathstevie wrote: »

I wouldn't discount the Fabarm Euro Lion either, a very knowledgeable man ( friend of the da, qualified gunsmith and dealer ) I've been talking to a few times swears by them as one of the best not overly expensive semi's on the market at the moment. He should know as he uses one himself while he has Berretta's and Benelli's for sale on his shelves.

My first semi was a Fabarm Euro Lion and it was very reliable indeed, great bidget semi

I upgraded as I wanted a more all rounder that could deal with any situation, 3.5' mag etc

I got the Xtrema2 which was a great gun. Then I got the Benelli as it fitted better and I thought it would be as reliable as the Xtrema2, that was a mistake on my part

J.R.

Vegeta wrote: »

I have a benelli super black eagle 2 (even more expensive than a beretta Xtrema2)

Handles very well and fits like a glove

It is not as reliable as the review make out. I can expect at least 1 if not 2 jams per outing for duck sometimes even on 36 gram loads.

It cycles 28 gram Eley Olympic blues well but that's because they are hard hitting carts. Maybe 2 jams per 50 shots

Forget 24 gram stuff

If you do not put the gun exactly right against your shoulder it greatly increases the risk of jams as it needs something to kick against to cycle the cartridge. Think big heavy jacket when duck shooting. It doesn't always shoulder 100%

Recoil is a lot lot heavier than an Xtrema2 (my brother has one)

It is more difficult to unload than the beretta.

They also have a bit of a quirk where if the bolt is not let forward at pace it will not engage the cartridge properly. The extractor claw will be ever so slightly in the wrong position. It looks normal unless you know about this quirk but when you pull the trigger it will just make a loud click and do nothing. My brother had the original Super Black Eagle and it was the very very same.

So to sum up. My benelli handles and fits better than any shotgun I've owned but is not as reliable or as easy to use as the beretta.

I owned the Beretta before my brother and put a few thousand carts through it and never even once got a jam and I barely ever cleaned. Twice a season maybe or if it got soaked.

If your semi auto jams frequently (any make!) it may be the cartridge housing that needs lubrication. (the pipe under the barrel that stores the two cartridges)

This can get soiled with pieces of chaff, grit etc. Just take the oiled cleaning mop and push it against the plunger to oil & clean the pipe area the plunger travels along and rubs against.

This should solve a lot of problems.

Vegeta

J.R. wrote: »

If your semi auto jams frequently (any make!) it may be the cartridge housing that needs lubrication. (the pipe under the barrel that stores the two cartridges)

This can get soiled with pieces of chaff, grit etc. Just take the oiled cleaning mop and push it against the plunger to oil & clean the pipe area the plunger travels along and rubs against.

This should solve a lot of problems.

This is a good tip and I will definitely try it out. When I say it's harder to load the Benelli, this is exactly what I was saying. It is way tougher to push the cartridge into the pipe/tube under the barrel and it is way tougher to get them out when un loading. Will give this a try and see how I get on

Thanks