This is an email i got from a friend of mine about his brother in law having a nightmare w/ his SBE. Not sure if it is an SBE I or II thou. Makes me uneasy but i dont know all of the circumstances thou. This is his 2 cents worth
Here's the info on the Benelli. The brother in law bought a super black eagle this year and has had consistent jams on about every hunt I made with him. I shot the thing and will tell you that the only way that I would possess this gun is if someone would give me one. I wound not waste the time and money on a gun that gives problems and cost too damn much. Also, I have shot a lot of different guns in my life time as you have and I can honestly say that a 12 gauge benelli 3 1/2" gun kicks more than any other gun I have shot. Keep in mind that I once shot a single barrel 10 gauge shotgun!!!! Call me a puss but the gun has NOTHING to absorb the recoil. There is no recoil spring nor does it have a gas release. Everything operates on true inertia and the shoulder is the absorption pad!!!! Brother save your $500 or so and go buy you a Franci 912 Variomax, Winchester SuperX 2, Remington 1100 Super magnum, Browning Gold 3 1/2", etc. I especially like the Franci because I have one. This gun is imported by Benelli but it has is gas powered and has a spring to absorb the recoil. I told the brother in law to never ask me to shoot my gun because once he did he would throw the Benelli Shoulder Blaster in the Lake. Just to give you a better idea on how much this gun kicks, the brother in law had to go down to a 3" shell because from the kick of the gun, the trigger housing would literally take the skin off of his middle finger. He still had to shoot the gun with a cotton glove on and after the first trip the glove had been cut through. Brother if you have your heart set on Benelli good luck but I hope this makes you think twice before buying. Hey, I will give the gun one thing good, it shoots very fast. Also, word on the street is that they take the first year to break in, but I say if I spend $1,200 + on a gun, it better damn well be ready to shoot and not piss me off in the blind. I will say that the Franci I got a year ago has never jammed in the blind and it does not kick me off balance.