Beretta or Benelli

[357 S&W]

Friends, I need some help here. The waterfowl season is fast approaching, In fact we have special hunt days this year and I am itching( you know how it feels) to buy me a new semi auto. I have to admit I was not that keen with my shotgun and till now have been shooting my trusted 870 magnum express. not that I have become lazy to pump the gun but want to upgrade in that department.
I have been reading so much about both these guns Beretta and Benelli but I am still not sure what to buy. I have however closed in on two models in both these brands and need advice from you, which to go for. Here are the models, I do not shoot 3.5"
Beretta: AL391 Urika
Benelli: M2 Field

One thing to note is I am looking for a gun which is easy on the cleaning department( you know how muddy it gets when you hunt the ducks and geese)
Your feedback is really appreciated.

[xl_target]

I don't think you will be disappointed with either but what is wrong with the 870?

I'm a big fan of the 870. It is easy to take apart and clean and you can force it to cycle no matter how cold or how dirty it is.
I've seen it get so cold on a deer hunting trip that the oil froze up in guns. The pumps could always be made to cycle though.
As far as pumping the gun, when I used to shoot it a lot, I never remembered consciously cycling the action when out hunting, it just gets to be automatic.

On the other hand, you shouldn't need any justification to get a new gun.

A comparison between the:
Winchester SX3 Field, 12 gauge, 26"
Beretta 391 Urika, 12 gauge, 26"
Benelli M2 Field, 12 gauge, 26", synthetic, comfortech.

Check it out HERE

[Vikram]

If mud and low maintenance are taken literally


[youtube][/youtube]

I never shot a Benelli.But, I only heard good things about them.

I shot a Beretta Ulrika 391 and it moved like a wand in my hands and got my first woodie with my first shot(Beginner's luck,of course, but we will not mention it ).It cycled the 2 1/2'' cartridges effortlessly. An infinitely more knowledgeable man than me said that the Beretta Ulrika 391 in plastic is the best semi-auto out there and the best handling one.I heard no reason not to trust that.

All the best.

-
Vikram


Best-
Vikram

[shooter]

I have been having a similar discussion with my friends as he is choosing between the two. We have been doing a bit of research on the subject.
We've been fortunate enough to have tried both and can tell you you wont be disappointed either way.
in cordoba, where the guns they lend to shooters can be used to fire >1000 rounds a day all year for many years, they use 391's. Those guns have shot more than a million rounds. There are hundreds of such guns all over argentina and they are still no 1 preferance.

I am citing the argentina example as there is no other place in the world that has such volume of shooting and heavy gun use.

Benelli is not a bad gun either. Ive tried the one with the normal stock without the chevrons.

I always feel buy the gun with which you can hit the birds with ; no point buying a holland and holland if you miss.

Ok i wont go into the gunfit stuff etc but different people like different makes and shoot better with one particular make even if the measurements (fit ) is the same.

Take both to the range and see which one feels better. or better still, buy both.

I have also tried shooting an extrema 2, not bad either.

[prashantsingh]

Nice video Vikram.
The Americans make such fantastic rifles. I have always wondered why the big names in Gun making are European.

[sa_ali]

Looking at that video, I am a Baikal Fan.

Amazing video.

Thanks for sharing it

[HSharief]

My first shotgun was a Beretta Xtrema, first gen model. It was GREAT to shoot and I had a LOT of fun shooting it. On the other end, I HATED cleaning the thing, the gas operation gunked up the gun pretty bad and clean up is a chore (or maybe I'm just lazy, a guy I know has very good instructions on his website of how to clean 391s if you want to know). Anyway I traded the Xtrema and another couple of pieces for a 682 and a Benelli SBE. I am really happy with the Benelli, It shoots just like the Beretta did and does not get dirty at all. Plus the "split" receiver on the Benelli is much easier for maintenance.

Other than the gunking up on the Beretta and the cleaner operation of the Benelli, in my view, performance wise, dropping birds, recoil, field use, both are on par. Some may favor the gas gun for softer recoil but if the Benelli fits better, recoil will not be an issue, I put a soft comb on the SBE which helps. In all other areas, they're both equally comparable. I hope this helps.

[357 S&W]

I don't think you will be disappointed with either but what is wrong with the 870?

I'm a big fan of the 870. It is easy to take apart and clean and you can force it to cycle no matter how cold or how dirty it is.
I've seen it get so cold on a deer hunting trip that the oil froze up in guns. The pumps could always be made to cycle though.
As far as pumping the gun, when I used to shoot it a lot, I never remembered consciously cycling the action when out hunting, it just gets to be automatic.

On the other hand, you shouldn't need any justification to get a new gun.

A comparison between the:
Winchester SX3 Field, 12 gauge, 26"
Beretta 391 Urika, 12 gauge, 26"
Benelli M2 Field, 12 gauge, 26", synthetic, comfortech.

Check it out HERE

Thanks xl_target for your info, Actually there is nothing wrong with the 870, I just need to upgrade, You are right I do not need a justification for a new gun, but I have to give one to my wife to add one more gun to my collection.

-- Wed Sep 15, 2010 11:41 am --

If mud and low maintenance are taken literally


[youtube][/youtube]

I never shot a Benelli.But, I only heard good things about them.

I shot a Beretta Ulrika 391 and it moved like a wand in my hands and got my first woodie with my first shot(Beginner's luck,of course, but we will not mention it ).It cycled the 2 1/2'' cartridges effortlessly. An infinitely more knowledgeable man than me said that the Beretta Ulrika 391 in plastic is the best semi-auto out there and the best handling one.I heard no reason not to trust that.

All the best.

-
Vikram

Thank you Vikram for your valuable advice and also for sharing the video with us.

Best-
Vikram

-- Wed Sep 15, 2010 11:45 am --

I have been having a similar discussion with my friends as he is choosing between the two. We have been doing a bit of research on the subject.
We've been fortunate enough to have tried both and can tell you you wont be disappointed either way.
in cordoba, where the guns they lend to shooters can be used to fire >1000 rounds a day all year for many years, they use 391's. Those guns have shot more than a million rounds. There are hundreds of such guns all over argentina and they are still no 1 preferance.

I am citing the argentina example as there is no other place in the world that has such volume of shooting and heavy gun use.

Benelli is not a bad gun either. Ive tried the one with the normal stock without the chevrons.

I always feel buy the gun with which you can hit the birds with ; no point buying a holland and holland if you miss.

Ok i wont go into the gunfit stuff etc but different people like different makes and shoot better with one particular make even if the measurements (fit ) is the same.

Take both to the range and see which one feels better. or better still, buy both.

I have also tried shooting an extrema 2, not bad either.

Thanks Shooter for your advice too. You are so right on the birds, there is no point in buying an expensive gun when you cannot shoot right

-- Wed Sep 15, 2010 11:49 am --

My first shotgun was a Beretta Xtrema, first gen model. It was GREAT to shoot and I had a LOT of fun shooting it. On the other end, I HATED cleaning the thing, the gas operation gunked up the gun pretty bad and clean up is a chore (or maybe I'm just lazy, a guy I know has very good instructions on his website of how to clean 391s if you want to know). Anyway I traded the Xtrema and another couple of pieces for a 682 and a Benelli SBE. I am really happy with the Benelli, It shoots just like the Beretta did and does not get dirty at all. Plus the "split" receiver on the Benelli is much easier for maintenance.

Other than the gunking up on the Beretta and the cleaner operation of the Benelli, in my view, performance wise, dropping birds, recoil, field use, both are on par. Some may favor the gas gun for softer recoil but if the Benelli fits better, recoil will not be an issue, I put a soft comb on the SBE which helps. In all other areas, they're both equally comparable. I hope this helps.

Thanks, Sharief for the advice, Actually I am a bit lazy on the cleaning side, I am glad you brought up the gunking issue, I would like to stay away from that. That makes me lean on the Benelli..... I will see what my local stores have in stock.

[captrakshitsharma]

wow.. dont they say the same for all guns from mother russia...10 saal gatar main daalo bahar nikalo fire karo..... koi dikkat naheen

[Baljit]

Friends, I need some help here. The waterfowl season is fast approaching, In fact we have special hunt days this year and I am itching( you know how it feels) to buy me a new semi auto. I have to admit I was not that keen with my shotgun and till now have been shooting my trusted 870 magnum express. not that I have become lazy to pump the gun but want to upgrade in that department.
I have been reading so much about both these guns Beretta and Benelli but I am still not sure what to buy. I have however closed in on two models in both these brands and need advice from you, which to go for. Here are the models, I do not shoot 3.5"
Beretta: AL391 Urika
Benelli: M2 Field

One thing to note is I am looking for a gun which is easy on the cleaning department( you know how muddy it gets when you hunt the ducks and geese)
Your feedback is really appreciated.

Hi, 357 I think the both guns are grate i never shoot a Beretta 391 but i do shoot a Benelli M2 and i like it .

Baljit

[vrohan59]

wow.. dont they say the same for all guns from mother russia...10 saal gatar main daalo bahar nikalo fire karo..... koi dikkat naheen

And they're pretty cheap too!A new Baikal MS6 costs around 250$!!!

[shooter]

As i said before, the most important thing is to hit them.

Sharing what my humble webley and scott 810 achieved:



Now I am not saying that a webley is better than a beretta or a benelli but the most important thing is to use what you are comfortable with or what you can afford.

[Vikram]

As i said before, the most important thing is to hit them.

Sharing what my humble webley and scott 810 achieved:

[ Image ]

Now I am not saying that a webley is better than a beretta or a benelli but the most important thing is to use what you are comfortable with or what you can afford.

Shooter, that is wicked! Congratulations.Tell us the story,please.If you like to,start a new thread.That is very nice.

Best-
Vikram