DuckSouth.com

Any recommendations on Benelli SBE II? Barrel Length, Camo Pattern, etc?

Wanting to buy one as a Christmas present. Not too big on the MAX-4 pattern. How does the AP pattern look?

Hard to find a 28" in AP. I found a 26" in AP but should i hold out for a 28" barrel?

Thanks

I like the 28 better

I like 28 as well for the longer sight plane. There is a HUGE thread on this somewhere in this general forum.

I have an SBE II and love it. Unless you just really, REALLY want a camo pattern, save the $100 and just get it in black.

I just bought an extrema 2 and had the same question on barrel length. Beretta told me that there is no difference between the 26 or 28 barrel except the sight plane. they said a 28 might help you aim a little better but the powder burns 20 inches out inside the barrel so it really is just preference but the performance is exactly the same. Thoguht that might help you out a little.

I love my SBE II. Max-4 camo to me is a little too "yellow" on a gun, especially if it also serves as a turkey gun. I've got a 26" barrel on mine and it still has excellent pointability. Hunter's Haven in Tupelo used to have the cheapest Benelli's when I was looking for mine.

The price on these and the beretta's has gone up in the last year due to the exchange rate between the dollar and euro. If the US dollar will regain some value, these things should come down in price...in theory anyway.

There is no difference in velocity in a 24" and a 30" barrel worth mentioning. The handling dynamics are TOTALLY different. You won't find many (any) people who make their living shooting in the pigeon rings for money with short barrels, even on automatics. Depends on what you want, what you physically can handle, and if you care much about resale.

How about a shooting mechanics post, ye old wise one?

I have the Beretta Xtrema ll and the SBE ll and I hate the Beretta.

Drakeshead wrote:I have an SBE II and love it. Unless you just really, REALLY want a camo pattern, save the $100 and just get it in black.

I agree..........great gun.......save the money...like shooting a BB gun compared to my OU.

Mine is 24" with Timber pattern and I love it, but I grew up shootin a short barrel gun and I'm short and it just seems to fit me better, it about the same length as a 26" barrel on a 3" gun (my 870 with 28" barrel is just about two inches longer than my SBE II). I too would probably go with the black model.

I shoot an SBE II with a 24" barrel and I love it. You can get a faster bead on the target and there are no pattern differences because of barrel length. A friend of mine convinced me to go to a 24" barrel and I thought he was crazy. Turns out, he was right.

I have an SBE 2 in black. I just got it back from Mr. Birdsong after he teflon coated it. I have been impressed with the gun.

SBE II is a fine piece of equipment.... It can be field stripped to almost nothing using a nail in about 2 minutes.

Mechanics are simple and the perfomance is tops - well worth the money, regardless of how you dress it up!

However, after having recently hunted ducks and doves in Argentina, my next purchase will be an Benelli M2 20 ga...

Shoot 500 rounds in a day and you'll understand why... Too bad the SBEII is not available in a 20 guage model .