Benelli SBE III or Beretta A400 Xtreme Plus

[khunter20]

I like to think I am biased towards Benelli but I keep reading that the SBE III has POI issues yet I know two or three people that own them and say that theirs shoot 60/40. Which isn't a problem for me. Are there anymore SBE III owners out there that can chime in? Am I better off going with the a400 Xtreme plus? Its too bad you can't return these things if you dont like them!

 

[Santa]

Benelli M2 in 20gauge! Hear me out. My elderly father had to switch to a 20ga a few yrs ago after shoulder surgery. Having hunted w/ 10ga or 3.5" 12's, and shooting #4's or 5's, our entire lives...we were both worried about how much it would limit him. What we found, was that turkey ammo has improved SO much in the last few years (especially w/ the tungsten loads). He rocked 3 gobblers that year, with 2 shots being 45 and 50 yds, respectively. I put my SBE in the gun safe last year and bought an M2 20 gauge last yr before we went on our grand slam quest. I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed having such a lighter gun, while running through the swamps of FL, the canyons of NE/SD, the hardwoods of the SE, and the arid Rio territories. It's a pleasure to shoot, so much handier than a big, bulky 12, and knocks 'em down just as hard. My farthest kill was 52 yds on a monster Merriams. Shooting TSS #9 turkey loads, I dropped him stone cold in 30mph wind. I'll never go back to turkey hunting with a 12 again.

 

[Breckenridge]

+1 SBE 3

 

[Brendan]

Missed this when initially posted. Haven't shot a Benelli, but love the A400 XTreme Plus. It'll cycle everything from light #9 skeet loads straight through magnum turkey and waterfowl loads. Adjustable stock for drop and L/R cast. Front and rear beads. Receiver tapped if you want to add a rail for a red dot. Reported to have the best recoil management on the market. I probably shoot it better than my Beretta O/U on the skeet range right now.

 

[wannabemtnman]

I went SBE 3 while my dad has two of the A400 Xtreme Plus's and I really like both, you can't go wrong with either and not one of the guns has had an issue. I personally think the A400 action is smoother, due to the gas system vs the inertia in the SBE 3. Both are soft shooting and easy to handle. I personally like the ergonomics of the beretta a little better. Never owning a benelli before I thought there was a weird bump on the grip that sits in the center of your had when shouldered, don't love that but you get used to it. As I said, both great guns, if you have experience with either brand in the past stick with that because there are some differences but you'll be happy either way.

 

[willidru]

I shoot the A400 and love it along with everyone else in my blind. My cousin bought the SBE last year and sold it after 1 hunt because of POI issues. To me choice has a lot to do with how you personally like the rib on the gun. Look for a good sporting clay outfit around you some of them will have those options as rentals.

 

[HaydenB]

Super Black Eagle

 

[Justin Crossley]

I would shoot them and see which one you like better personally. I really like them both. The SBE3 feels better in my hands but I think I shoot the A400 a little better.

 

[norcal7.3]

I find the SBE 3 to be a more fluid gun. Points better and is much easier to swing than the Beretta. I have both and prefer the Benelli. I didn't think the SBE 2 could be beat, then I picked up the 3. As far as the POI issues I was worried about it as well and have yet to be effected by it. Gun shoots where I aim.

 

[Wassid82]

a400 is the best shotgun I've ever shot or owned and I've tried to many to count

 

[Terrapin]

I really like the Benelli shotguns for hunting. I’ve had better luck keeping them functioning in adverse conditions than anything else. I also shoot them well. They certainly have a bit more recoil than the gas operated Beretta action. I’ve stuck with the older SBEs instead of gambling on POI issues with the comfort flex stock. I probably wouldn’t go SBE unless I had a driving need to shoot 3.5” shells. For me, that is only late season big geese. If that isn’t the case, then you may be better served with an M2 or Montefeltro.


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[Dingus]

I shoot a new Browning A-5, but have shot both the Beretta and Benelli in question. The Xtreme Plus would be my pick. I would switch to it, but when I throw my A-5 to my shoulder birds drop.

 

[Dingus]

...10% of the time. Read that back after posting.

 

[khunter20]

Thanks for all the replies, it sounds like I just need to get my hands on both. I currently own a stoeger m3000 which has been a heck of a gun for the price with 4 seasons and zero malfunctions running from Alaska all the way to Nebraska but its time to upgrade. It seems as if Scheels actually has a return policy on firearms for anyone that didn't know. Im going to have to stop in there and get more details on that.

 

[skierhs]

I prefer the berreta. It’s a little more Hefty but cycles any load I want without issue, and it shoots more true for me than the other. I am gonna pick up a m2 in 20ga because they do make good guns but for a 12ga hardcore waterfowl gun I will take the Beretta every time. The Berretta is heavier though if that’s an issue for you.

 

[HuntHarder]

Both are solid shotguns but if I had to choose between the two, I would go with the Beretta. It has slightly less felt recoil than the Benelli and personally, I like the feel of the Beretta better. I would be happy with either gun but if I had to pick, I would go with the Beretta.

 

[bayoublaster7527]

I can’t comment much on the benellis as I have only owned one, an M1 Super 90 defense shotgun. However, I have owned the full line of Semi auto berettas from AL390, AL391, Extrema 2 and now A400 (not the new plus). All have been extremely durable, reliable, and soft shooting. Being a gas gun they do get dirty and require cleaning but if you do that they will serve you very well for a long period of time and plenty of spent cases of shells.

 

[USMC-40]

I have long arms and prefer a longer LOP - its tough to get a 15" LOP from the benelli, I tried. Have been shooting a new A5 and the A400. Both allow me to get the LOP where it feels more natural. There are some 1/2" or 3/4" spacer pads available from Benelli, but they are expensive and do not allow anywhere near the 15" mark.

 

[Bonehammer]

I just picked up the SBE3, and had this same debate before making my decision. They both should very nicely, I dont think you can go wrong with either choice. I chose the SBE because inertia driven tend to need less maintenance than gas. Excited to give it a try

 

[ssrhythm]

I shoot my SBE 2 so well its ridiculous. Unfortunately, it requires that I break it down completely and clean it after every hunt the way most guns get cleaned once or twice a year....just to make it thru the next hunt without ejection/feeding problems. Sometimes, if its a barn-burner of a shoot, I'll get hang-ups despite thoroughly cleaning the night before. I clean it exactly like Benelli says it should be cleaned, and I shoot HeviShot, Heavy Speed Ball, Hevi-Metal, and Federal Bismuth 3" duck loads, so unless I'm clueless and those are junk loads, I have to say that I am extremely disappointed in the reliability of the gun. I had a Beretta xtrema in the early 2000s that was way to long for me (I shouldered it and bought it wearing a t-shirt...never again) and I sold that gun to a 6'8" friend/neighbor, but I hunted with it for a few years...and I can not recall it ever having the slightest hiccup. Both the Beretta and the Benelli have cost me longbeards due to the infamous Benelli "click," (Beretta does it too) so I was happy to see that Benelli pretty much resolved that issue with the SBE3. That said, I hate to not hunt with my SBE2, because when it goes bang, 90% of the time, a duck, crane, or goose has just died. That said, I go on week long turkey and duck hunts where I might be living out of my truck or a tent, and breaking it down and cleaning every nook and cranny after every hunt is getting old and it is going to result in me losing a spring or pin somewhere in the woods and being without a weapon.

I was hoping I just got a lemon, but it seems more and more as if there are a lot of fanboys willing to look the other way over assinine reliability issues simply because it is the sweetest swinging and shooting gun out there...when it dosent malfunction. It isn't just the shooting high issue giving me pause about the SBE3...hell, that may make it even more deadly in a duck blind; I'm pretty sure that the vast majority of my misses are low, but the fact that Benelli didn't just bite the bullet and fix it and reassure all potential buyers that it is a done deal and that the gun is guaranteed to shoot 50/50 0r 40/60 at 30 yards...that's indicative of a deeper issue that overshadows what the gun may or may not do.

I'm heavily leaning toward Beretta now. Everything from them since the xtrema 1 has shouldered well (and maybe someone sold me an xtrema 1 xl or something and I was too ignorant to realize it), and I don't see anyone anywhere reporting any cycling issues that come close to what I read about and have personally experienced with Benelli...I just hope I will see the same number (%) of birds folding when I pull the trigger as I do with my SBE2.

Does anyone know if Beretta has improved/upgraded their rotating bolt head and Beretta "click" issues like Benelli did? If I call in another turkey and watch it haul the mail after another "click" I may lose it and flat ruin whatever gun does it to me again.