Questions about Benelli Super Black Eagle?

[vynx]

Hi
After reading so much about semi-auto shotguns for home defense I finally broke down and bought a Benelli Super Black Eagle and a recent auction. I really liked the FN SLP but its going for $930 at Turners in Southern Cal. which is kinda steep for me. I got the Benelli new in the box with a 26" barrell for $650 + 12% auction fee which seemed like a great price for a very reputable semi-auto.

So do you think this is a good move for a home defense shotgun?

Also, can I get an 18" barrel for this shotgun or do I need to cut down the 26" barrel it came with?

Thanks

 

[Kurt_M]

I don't believe that Benelli makes an 18" barrel for that model, and I would NOT recommend cutting down the barrel on your SBE. They're excellent hunting shotguns but not well suited to self defense because of the long barrel. Benelli makes several excellent tactical shotguns, namely the M1, M2 and M3. Personally I would keep the SBE for hunting and invest in an M2 if you really like Benelli, or trade the SBE towards something more suitable such as a Remington 870 Police or a Mossberg 590. You can easily get a large portion of your investment back, Benellis hold their value fairly well. Best of luck.

 

[bosshoff]

If you want to use it for HD, by all means cut it. It is not a collector model! Make it fit to YOUR needs. I would recommend having a gunsmith chop it to 18.5". the reason I would not do it yourself is due to the rib on the barrel. You want it to look decent.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Upside of shortening the barrel. Handiness.

Downside, reduced chances of resale without a large loss.

Shoot it first. Skeet, trap, tin cans, rats. See how it handles for you. If you still want to after, cut away.

IMO, there's a truckload of good HD shotguns out there costing way less.....

 

[HSMITH]

One thing you do NOT do to a Benelli is change something without extensive testing. Adding or removing weight can affect cycling reliablility, sometimes drastically. No way in heck would I use a modified Benelli for a defense gun, box stock maybe but modified I don't think so.

 

[vynx]

I forgot that Benelli has the "inertia recoil design" but it says it can handle 2.75, 3 and 3.5 inch rounds without changing anything - they also mention the only way to stop it form cycling is to hold the butt against a wall because it needs to move rearward. You would think that something like shortening the barrel wouldn't adversly affect it. But I do remember something about the military not wanting the inertia design becasue adding weight (i.e lights) might affect it. Still a shorter barrel should be lighter and have more recoil.

http://www.benelliusa.com/innovations/inertia.tpl

Well I guess I'll just have to buy another barrel cut it down and shoot it a few hundred times to test it out. Unless an extra barrel costs too much.
Then, it may be better to just invest the extra few hundred in the FN Self loading police.

I'll let you know what happens

 

[45crittergitter]

Removing mass should make it more reliable, if anything. Adding mass can make it less reliable, though substitution of heavier loads may compensate for more gun mass.

 

[HSMITH]

Well, here is what I know. My SBE would jam when it was held too tightly, and it would jam when it had no support. This tells me that adding weight is bad, and dropping weight is bad. I see the same thing in guns belonging to guys I hunt with.

I would NOT change anything on one and rely on it for defense without extensive testing.

There are custom competition Benelli's out there with lightened bolts and lightened springs and all sorts of modifications that run great. The bottom line is someone did the testing and found out what works and what doesn't. I am not going to undertake that on a defensive gun. If I want a reliable semi I will buy a gas gun that isn't sensitive to minutia the way a recoil operated gun is, if I did get an inertia gun I would leave it ALONE!!

 

[Marshall]

Don't screw up your gun.

Go buy a brand new Remington 870 Express Synthetic 12GA, 18 Inch, Fixed Cylinder, Black Synthetic, 6rd Tube for $259.00.

 

[fspic]

The NRA magazine for Dec 2005 has a review of this gun. It is made as a sophisticated "sprung stock" gun for particular use with heavy 3.5" magnums on high geese and ducks. The current model is the Black Eagle II and is reviewed. If you want a home defense gun get something like a Mossberg 500 with pistol grip (if you can handle that sort of recoil comfortably - depends on the size of your wrists, hands, arms, etc. But a butt makes a nice club. I have one w/ 18" bbl and pistol grip which is now configured as a 28" sorta-kinda trap gun.

I wouldn't mind something of greater than 18" length with a bayonet lug on it. Actually you could make a folding baynot for one with a decent grade of a commercial hunting knife. But I would go for a conventional stock - a solid grip all the way around is important - and you can always launch or horizontal or vertical butt stroke - for which a metal buttplate is noce..