I'm not cleaning my Benelli

[The Deer Hunter]

Ok, I'm not going to be cleaning my Benelli M1-Super 90 for at least for 1000 rounds or until it starts failing to work.

Of course I will clean the barrel and oil it, and maybe wipe down the bolt face because sometimes I just do, but I will leave the majority of junk in the gun.

I just use it for trap shooting, and probably goose hunting this upcoming season, but not security so its really not life or death(well, you know what I mean). I will be bumping this thread every once in a while, probably every time I shoot, which happens to be about once or twice a week. I will be shooting doubles for the next month or so, so I will also be testing function of the magazine and such too.

I was inspired to do this because I know a guy who bought a Beretta semi-auto, he cleans it every time and it has problems when shooting doubles time to time. I have only had two ftfs(right after I bought it, I cleaned it and no problems so far) and decided to see how much abuse it can take.


As of July 14th, 2007(my b-day btw) I have had 125 rounds through it and no problems yet.

Ammo-Federal target loads.

Notes: I have observed the Federal target loads are incredibly dirty, and smell bad if you shooting a semi and the wind is just right.

[PJR]

I doubt you'll have a problem. Interesting comments about the Beretta however. I tested my 391 Sporting and it went 1,500 rounds without failure. I cleaned it and repeated the process and it went about the same number but this time after an ftf I sprayed the gun down heavily with Break-Free and it went another thousand before another malfunction.

The Federal target ammunition is junk IMO. The one ounce is the only brand that ever heaved up my 391 and that includes my 7/8 ounce reloads loafing along at 1,150 fps.

Perhaps your friend with the Beretta isn't lubricating properly. The 391 likes to be shot wet. When it gets dry then problems arise.

Let us know how the test results go on your Benelli.

[sm]

.

[Chuck R.]

A couple of years ago I was duck hunting with a guy that was having problems with his SBE jamming. It seems he had NEVER cleaned it in the 3 years he'd owned it since his dad had given it to him. He just wiped it down after each hunt. I offered to show him how to break it down completely.

It was amazing the crap that that was inside the recoil tube of that gun. I spent about 25 minutes taking it apart and cleaning/lubing the recoil system and bolt/bolt carrier. It was fine again after that.

As clean as my M1S90 and SBE shoot, I don't think you'll have a problem as long as a large amount of duck hunting crap doesn't get into the action.

Chuck

[Dave McCracken]

BTW, Happy Birthday!!

[The Deer Hunter]

Thanks Dave.

I got a couple of cases of the Federal stuff, so i best be getting to work, well play. :D

[The Deer Hunter]

July 15

25 rounds, Federal 2 3/4 dram, #8, 2 3/4" shells.

no malfunctions.

total-150 rounds, no malfunctions.

[silverlance]

=)

already beat you to it. well sort of.

benelli m1 super 90. pg stock standard foreend 5+1, rifle sights. imp cyl.

920 rounds, no failures, no cleaning other than three passes with a bore snake.

ammo used:
win ranger
fed tactical
pmc express #7.5h
estate #8
brenekke slug
fiocchi #4
wolf slugs

as you can see i expect my inertia guns to run everything.

[GunTech]

I've been down this road as well. 1230 rounds of reduced recoil 00 buck through my M1 S90 with no cleaning. Zero malfunctions. The nice thing about the inertia guns is that almost everything goes out the barrel - no piston and such to gum up.

[RKellogg]

What one is better the M1 / M2 or the SBE II . Also , what is the differnce . I have a buddy trying to talk me into getting a SBE II , but that is a lot of money .

[Chuck R.]

What one is better the M1 / M2 or the SBE II . Also , what is the differnce . I have a buddy trying to talk me into getting a SBE II , but that is a lot of money .


What are you going to do with it?

The M2 differs from the M1s in the comfort-tech stock and the cryo barrel treatment, same for the SBE I and II.

The SBE makes sense IF you’re going to be doing a lot of shooting with 3.5”, I use mine for our spring snow goose hunting and bought it before a lot of the newer non-toxic shells came out. Steel 3.5” is cheaper than the 3” non-toxic shells when you go through a bunch a season. If you’re going to stick to 3” or under, you can save some cash and get the M2, then if you do want to do some goose hunting just pony up for some heavy shot etc.

One very cool feature for the SBE is the split upper and lower receiver. I used to think it was pretty stupid because it raises the cost of another barrel. But I’ve had mine go overboard a couple times and the ability to split the gun in the field to flush out the action saved me on a couple hunts.

Chuck

[Red Label]

Just keep shooting it and see how far it will go. BTW I am a clean freak with my guns but I've got a Ruger 10/22 that hasn't been cleaned in over a year with probably 2000 rounds through it. I think sometimes particular guns get cleaned too much!

[Zak Smith]

I shot my M1S90 for over two years in 3-Gun without cleaning it at all. I finally cleaned it after sub-zero temps had coagulated some goop inside and it was running sluggish.

[Dave McCracken]

Zak, have a WEG on how many rounds that took?....

[Zak Smith]

At least 2000 rounds since last cleaning. During MGM Ironman 2005, I sprayed brake cleaner into the receiver to remove a bunch of sand (no disassembly). It had been quite a while since I had cleaned it at that point. The sub-zero temp incident was this last December, and I had just added some lube which was a mistake considering the weather.

[USP45T]

tag. i gotta follow this one. I clean my 12g Legacy after every use just cuz it's so purdy but, even after 300rd target sessions, I find minimal debris in the action. Choke tubes however are tough to clean. It's like the stuff bakes on there. The stench of target loads is overwhelming when I get home and open up the gun case. Up to 1746 rds in 2 yrs, mostly target loads with 2 failures to eject in the 1st 100rds fired. 99.89% function! long live Benelli!

[50 Shooter]

I haven't cleaned my super 90 M3 for about 3 years now, it's running like it's new so I can't see why. Just keep on shooting it and adding a little lube now and then. I'm guessing that you wont have to clean it for a long time.

[Man With A Gun]

I had my BE coated with camo film and use it for ducks and geese. After use I just take the garden hose and wash it out, then oil it. Never had a problem.

These guns LOVE oil but you need to cut the crap out of the action.

The only thing I have ever seen go wrong with the BE is junk gets into the spring in the stock ( same is true of Beretta 390-91 guns) and it sound gritty. You have got to wash the gun out and use some oil.

[oletymer]

You just have to love the owners of clangerbangers who don't clean their guns. I really love them during shoots when then their wonder gun screws up.

[The Deer Hunter]

I feel a little discouraged now....

but anyways,

July 17, 2007

rounds-100
total-250

no hiccups.

[DawgFvr]

A side by side with fewer moving parts will probably last twice as long as your shotty...and what does that tell us? Rediculous thread...it's like seeing how long your car will run without changing the oil. You know what...they will go for a very, very long time...some BMW engines will go even longer than the run-of-the-mill Chevy before they seize up. And your point is?????

[Zak Smith]

Don't know about anyone else, but I'd just as soon run a weapon that will run longer and with less maintenance because it gives me more margin of error when conditions are less than ideal. And I'd rather be shooting or loading than cleaning.

[The Deer Hunter]

A side by side with fewer moving parts will probably last twice as long as your shotty...

Yeah well, I don't have a side by side.

No, if you don't change the oil in your, you engine will blow up. How about this, I'll keep not cleaning my gun, and why don't you not change the oil in your car and we will see which one dies first.

:barf::barf::barf:

[DawgFvr]

Either or....but they will both fail at some given point. Personally...I am not into failure...especially with a weapon...eh?

[ArmedBear]

Hell, if all you are going to do with it is play with it, why not find out how long it will last?

It's not like a Benelli inspires any more emotional response than the power drills they resemble. Despite the price difference, I'd feel worse about trashing a nice color casehardened Uberti Colt clone than a Benelli that costs several times as much.

But if you're going to use it for defense, hunting, competition, or whatever, who cares if it will go 500, 1500 or 2500 rounds without the most basic care? Nobody who is serious about shooting it will let it go past 500, so they'll never know.

I let some .22's go until their accuracy and feeding degrades. I shoot too many rounds through them to be motivated to clean them every time, and I won't be using a heavy barrel .22 auto pistol for home defense. But if I sign up for a match, the thing will get cleaned. Every time.

[Dave McCracken]

Zak, thanks....

And folks, I'm with Zak on this one. It's a real comfort to know that the tools I may bet my family's lives on doth not go Diva if I cannot keep it 100% pristine.

However, there's not often dirty firearms in Casa McC.....

[PJR]

And folks, I'm with Zak on this one. It's a real comfort to know that thew tools I may bet my family's lives on doth not go Diva if I cannot keep it 100% pristine.
I couldn't agree more. It's always best to find out for yourself. I've run some guns a very long time between cleanings just to see how long they would keep working. Now that I know I have much more confidence in the guns.

[The Deer Hunter]

I have an 870 that I keep clean btw. If it helps you sleep better at night.

[gezzer]

I have never been to lazy to clean a gun after shooting. However I make my living from guys who don't so never clean it until it won't work and you cannot fix it cause:neener: I need the money.

[silverlance]

i literally sleep with my guns occasioally, so they need to be clean or the girlfriend is going to have a fit when she sees my sheets.

plus lead tastes disturbingly sweet.

[Chris Rhines]

It's not like a Benelli inspires any more emotional response than the power drills they resemble. Sigh. Way to set an example for the rest of the membership - berate other members choice of firearm on aesthetic grounds. Very high road.

Nobody who is serious about shooting it will let it go past 500, so they'll never know. You'd be wrong about this as well. Go over to brianenos.com/forums and ask some of the USPSA GMs how often they clean their guns, and if they think it's a good idea to clean them right before a big match. The answers might surprise you.

- Chris

[ArmedBear]

Sigh. Way to set an example for the rest of the membership - berate other members choice of firearm on aesthetic grounds. Very high road.

Berate?

You assume that a tool is a bad thing. I don't. Why is the comparison necessarily an insult?

I'm just saying that there are some guns that inspire one to clean the thing, wipe it down with one's favorite rust preventative, wax the stock, and just plain admire it. These guns often don't get used as much as the power tool variety, and they sometimes don't get used in the field at all.

Or have you never met someone with a few really nice engraved O/U's that only go to the range, but a few autoloaders and/or pump guns that go with him when there's dirt and mud?

I grudgingly clean my 870 Express when it seems filty; I wipe down my 1100 until it seems to be moving stiffly; I carefully clean my trap single.

Frankly, the 870 Express is the best tool among them, and I would advise anyone who wants a first shotgun to buy one. Nobody ever regretted having one, even after he's become a shotgun snob.

The Benelli's best attribute is that you can toss it into the safe, and at 3AM you can toss it into the truck and go hunting, and it will work even if neglected. No O-rings to bring along, no worries about temperature.

It lacks the aesthetic beauty of a nice O/U, and there's no amount of engraving, etc. that can change that. However, beauty is only skin deep.

My point is that, like the 870, I wouldn't feel bad about leaving it dirty. It's a rugged tool. The dirt won't hurt it (much), and like a rugged pump, it's not the sort of gun I take out of the safe and admire when I'm not going to go shoot it.

An O/U I would feel bad. My knowledge about how easily the things can be destroyed internally by accumulated grit, and how easy it is to keep the grit out of the action, make that feeling a valid one.

If you take that as berating, well, so be it.

WRT shooting more than 2 cases without rudimentary cleaning -- I'm not talking about detail stripping, just basic hygeine -- that indicates that the owners of the things perceive them as tools, as well, things to be beaten on and used until they're used up.

And it's not something I would advise someone to do, if they rely on the gun for anything, whether that's defense or an early morning coffee-fueled hunt. That the gun CAN do it is a good thing, just like it's great that a well-made sedan CAN go 150 MPH or it CAN stop in a very short distance. Doesn't mean I think it should be advised as a general practice.

To summarize...

1. I am more likely to neglect cleaning a gun without guilt if I see it more like the tools in the garage than a piece of art.
2. It's good that a Benelli CAN go without cleaning as long as it can.
3. It's not a good idea to actively abuse machinery just because it can take that abuse for a while and still function.

[silverlance]

If i was filthy rich, rich enough to not worry about my large caliber investments rusting or corroding away...

I'd simply pay someone to clean my guns for me.

personally, though, I enjoy cleaning my guns. it's just that there are somany other responsibilities lining up all the time.

[starsandstriper]

i have an 870 TB that has benn shot for about 2000 rounds thus far without more than a coat of fresh oil on the outside to prevent rust. :neener: I'll bet i have $1000.00 worth in ammo through it before a FTF. Heres the kicker, this gun was made in 1979. Seriously though, if reliability is an issue, than maybe you should not be shooting a semi. and if you dont wish to clean your gun than maybe you shouldnt be shooting, as it goes with the territory. Yes, this may sound hypocritical as i just said i havent cleaned my 870 in about 2000 rounds, however, i have complete confidence that it would still function properly, and i can assure you that i will clean it long before it is too dirty to function.