I have a trip to Argentina next year for Ducks/geese/doves. One of my friends says the Baretta extrema with the recoil reducing stock is the way to go. Another friend says it is much inferior to the Bennelli Super black eagle ll due to difficulty of cleaning the Baretta. Ideas/opinions/ stupid statements? Danke

My 391 handled Argentina dove shooting with
only one cleaning in 4000+ rounds. With that volume of shooting the lower recoil of the Baretta is nice. Reliability on Beneli and 391
model Barettas is very comperable. I hav't shot enough rounds through my Extrema 1 duck gun to
compare it to the Super Black Eagle.
Chip Pitcairn

I have had many semi auto shotguns over the years and used many more. the extrema and the benelli are both good guns, i dont see why the old extrema needed a recoil reducer built in and the sbe 2 has a funy style stock on it now, i dont like the way the benelli cycles it feels odd and i dont like the benelli as mutch as the beretta. Dont laugh but i am runing a Baikal mp153 and i cant fault it how it is 1/3 the price of the beretta etc i will never know.

I haven't owned a lot of semi's but I have had probably close to a dozen. Now promise not to make fun but for my money the winchester super-x2 is the way to go. I have been shooting one for the last 3 or 4 years. It has been to the duck blind, the turkey woods, the pheasant and quail field, and the dove field. It does all very well and has done so without fail. jmo

My experience is that the 391 (haven't specifically tried the Extrema model, though) and the Benelli are about equally reliable. The 391 kicks a little less. If I were shooting a lot of 3.5" shells, I'd buy the Benelli. If I was shooting mostly 2.75" shells and some 3" shells, I'd go with a 391. This is because of where I think the action is optimized. I have seen a couple new (stiff) Benellis have failed to cycle with skeet loads.

The Extrema's supposed to be set up for 3.5" shells, too, though. But I haven't played with a lot of them.

Steve

Beretta 391 all the way!!!! I just got one this year. During dove season this year I shot probably 500 rounds through it with no problems,,,,,at all.

Yes, both guns are autos, but it is like comparing apples and oranges when you get down to it.

The Beretta Extrema is a Gas Operated Gun. I have shot it and it is very nice, recoil is mild and what you would expect out of a gas gun. If you are buying a gun for dove hunting, or goose or duck hunting out of a BLIND, you will be fine. The downside to the Gun that it is HEAVY for a shotgun and a little bulky for my taste.

I own a 391 (not an extrema) that I love, it functions all of the time and I have never had a problem with it. It is light and handy.

The Super Black Eagle Two is a great all around auto shotgun. If you are looking at buying a gun for the blind and hiking around for upland this is the gun to buy. It is enertia (recoil) operated which means it will kick a little more, especially with the 3.5 inch shells. The gun is light and handy and it is quick to bring up. The trigger guard is 30% bigger than the Beretta so you can get gloved fingers in and out easier. Also the safety is large and easy to take off. The barrel is also Cyroed to relieve stress. The disassembly is not as easy as the Beretta in my opinion. Function on these guns is great to.

If I was going to Argentina I would look at a few things.

1. If you are going to do high volume shooting (a couple of thousand rounds) and HAVE TIME TO CLEAN THE SHOTGUN, mostly the gas ports, take the Beretta.

2. If you are going to do high volume shooting and don't want to clean all the internals besides the barrel, take the Benelli.

I would probably take the Beretta if hunting was ALL DONE out of a blind and I was only going to use this gun for blind hunting.

I would buy the Benelli for all around shotgun, it has more options that I like, mostly the lightness and slimmer features. The COMFORTEC system is very good a reducing recoil but its not a gas gun, if you are lefty, you will have to go with the SBE II since they are the only ones out of the two that make a lefty.

I probably confused you more, I think I am confusing myself.....

A group of us are also going "South" next year to expereince the massive dove shooting.

Everyone in the group is buying a new shotgun. Most all have opted for the Benelli Cordoba, for my tatse; a very expensive option.

I'm the only hold-out - I've got a Left-Handed Remington 1100 that has never let me down. I'm not overly picky during a day's shooting (with alot less catridges than we'll probably shoot in Argentina) but pay attention to the small details which end up making semi's go hickup, chamber, lubrication, general condition, etc..

Is this shotgun adequate, up to snuff for this volume of South American dove shooting?

Anyone with any experience with an 1100 in South America?

Is there anything in particular I need to pay attention to?

Needless to say I'll be bringing a small bag of various "more prone to break", Rubber "O" rings, spare parts, etc., with me for good insurance.

I've done a number of trips to South America, and the volume there is as advertised. Regardless of the gun you bring, bring two of them, and spare parts. An 1100 should be fine, but I would have to agree with some of your group, and go with a Benelli Cordoba - I have two M2's (left handed), and was pretty satisfied with them last year, but iff they made a lefty Cordoba, I would buy two.

The other big thing to remember is a couple of good pairs of gloves, as well as hearing and eye protection.

Let me know if you have any questions...

Who are you hunting with down there?

Brant

You got me thinking....I would go with the BENELLI CORDOBA over a SBE II for down there. Having the porting plus the recoil system, you have the best of both worlds.

Brant, we are going to a place called El Ricon with a guy by the name of Luis Brown. It is supposed to be one of the best. Lots of birds. Large bag limits. I have not done a lot of waterfowl hunting. For the last few years I have concentrated on rifles and big game. Deer, elk and African plains game and buffalo. Next year will be a bit different. Thanks for all opinions. Good hunting.

You should do well with Luis Brown, he's been doing it a long time. Are you hunting in one location, or doing the doves at another Estancia. I know there are some places that advertise all three in once place, I've wondered how the dove volume is at those places as compared to Cordoba. You'll have a blast for sure. We're going to Cordoba and the SW of Buenos Aires for ducks in mid-June.

Brant

It seems my son may join us also. He shoots lefty. What decent auto's come in lefty configuration? Danke.

Reading through this thread, I come up with a couple of questions and one recommendation. For the guy taking the 1100, please be sure and take spare parts with you - just as insurance. I'd take a couple o-rings, etc without fail. I've shot thousands and thousands of rounds through 1100's and 11-87's (skeet and trap) and they work. But I've also torn the o-rings when I pulled them, etc. and I'd sure want some spares along. I carried a kit with spare extractor (never used), bolt handle, o-rings, and the like.
As to the Benelli's, I own and shoot a SBE. This gun has never failed except once and that was due to my own stupidity - I tried to ease a round into the chamber and the gun didn't go into battery. Now having said that, does anyone have any experience with the new Stoeger auto? The poop sheet says it uses the Armi system with license from Benelli and it is about one third the price of a new SBE II. It is a 3" and not a 3 1/2" like the SBE but I would not think this wold matter shooting dove and probably duck - I shoot a lot of 3' through mine and rely on the 3 1/2" really only for geese.
Any thoughts on this matter?

quote:

Originally posted by D Hunter:
It seems my son may join us also. He shoots lefty. What decent auto's come in lefty configuration? Danke.

Benelli makes the Montefeltro, SBE, and M3 in left handed versions. I have all of them, and am quite happy with them. They all have a little bit more recoil than a gas operated gun, but you tend to shoot fairly light loads in Cordoba, and not nearly the same number of shells on ducks down there.

If I get a SBE for my son and a Cordoba for me will internal parts be interchangable? Are they close enough to the same gun inside? We will take a pack of "most likely to break" parts. It would be nice if that emargency pack would service both guns. Or Should I buy two SBE's? Thanks. D

I don't believe the "most likely to break" parts are interchangeable. The lefty Benellis are a mirror image of the right handed versions, so the trigger group and bolt are different. I would think some of the smaller parts are the same, but I am not positive. I used to take a SBE and Montefeltro, but now have two M2's (the M3 reference in my earlier post was a typo), so I have a group of spare parts, or a complete backup gun. Most of the lodges down there use Benelli or Beretta guns for their "camp guns", and the staff are wizards at fixing/cleaning them.

I've been shooting the same Beretta 390 for about 7 years, including a stretch of shooting 10,000+ rounds per year for about 3 years. It's my workhorse gun, shoots great, Briley and Cole gunsmithing make tons of pieces and parts for it, yet I've only put the Cole custom spring in it for the loads I shoot, and Briley chokes.

I just bought an Extrema 2 with the Geltek pad, not the new recoil one, and except for dropping the stock as low as I could get it, and putting a Briley IC choke in it, it shoots great for me also. One note, removing the bolt/charging handle is a pain on the Extrema, and I did some cleaning and polishing inside the gun, as the bolt head was not fully closing. Might have just been some shipping grease, but I did a little extra work while it was apart..

As a side note.. my buddy hunts with a SBE2 and has a sporting clays SBE2, and probably puts 5000+ rounds a year through them, with no complaints..

Find a gun that fits you well, and patterns well for you, and get it... both are fine pieces, and with a little care, should perform and last.

Ihave several shotguns for my clients ,berettas are good but sometimes i broke the rear piece of the bolt i dont know the name in english ,the benelli Cordoba is just for the trip ,browning are good too .Juan

Which semi auto will cycle with the cheap 7/8 and 1 oz. 12 gauge loads - out of the box with no adjustments or modifications?

quote:

Originally posted by GuyG:
Which semi auto will cycle with the cheap 7/8 and 1 oz. 12 gauge loads - out of the box with no adjustments or modifications?

I think it will have to be a gas gun - the ONLY one I've ever had that would shoot anything I ever put in it was the 1100 Remington. Some others might but I have not seen one that will. My Benelli SBE is super reliable if you stay with the heavier 'light' loads, down to 3-1 1/8 equv. - anything less than 1 1/8 oz and it doesn't work. The Beretta's are super nice guns but I've seen them cough with really light loads; they may be better now.

I agree with TrapperP. Get a gas operated gun. I do a lot of dove shooting in NE Mexico. Shooting with a beretta al 391 and a browning b80. Both 12 ga. No problems what so ever with the lightest loads. Just do a bit of maintenance before going to bed. A friend takes his two gas berettas in 20ga. Same comments. No problems at all.

Well thanks for all the advice. I did end up with SBE's since the Baretta doesn't come in a lefty. Hopefully we will be shooting heavy enough loads to make them work. The last time I was in Argentina I used the guns provided and they were older Bennelli's they worked just fine. I will post and let you guys know how they did. I hope to get them in the next week or so. I got them at Hyatte's in Charlotte NC. I have been told that I need to take a bag of Most Likely To Brake parts. The smith at Hyatte's said that "Don't worry, you will not need parts with the Bennelli. You will not break anything on that gun." My thinking about things is that with my track record and highly skilled abilities, If I can't break it I can surely lose it. What do you guys think about parts and which ones to take?

I have done the Argentina "extreme" dove shooting a couple of times and it is very rough on the guns. Depending on how much shooting you can take, you will be shooting a minimum of 1000 rounds per day. The most die-hard in our group shot 2000 per day! At this rate, just about any gun can/will have a problem.

The consensus of most of those we travelled with was that the Benelli's and the Berettas are the ones that fare the best. However......By all means take a back up gun! Shit does happen! The best insurance is a back-up.

Someone asked about how 1100's fare. I took one and it did ok....but make sure you have spare "O" rings. One thing....avoid...at all costs taking out the trigger group for cleaning. If you do, you have a very high probability that the "shell latch" will fall out.....It is major pain in the butt to put back in if you dont have the staking tool to re-attach.

Another piece of advice...take a shooting pad to put on your shoulder. No matter how soft your gas gun shoots, 1000 rounds per day is something you will feel!

The SBE II's are very nice guns. we are impressed. These hopefully will be lifelong friends. A matched pair right and left. Hope they hold up as well as they look. They are in camo which should hide some of the dings and such. Good hunting.

TrapperP

I can say with certainty after selling various models of Stoeger firearms...STAY AWAY AT ALL COSTS. I have sent back so many of them that I will walk a sale rather than take someones money for a Stoeger of any flavor. If it was my call we would not sell them at all. WIth a stoeger it's not a question of if it's going to break, it's a question of when. Yes the bolt design is simular to a Benelli, but they are not made of the same grade of materials and other internal components are different.

Still no list of likely to break parts? Thanks D