Benelli SBE lll point of impact issue

[RiverBuck]

I've been doing a bunch of research on the SBE's... to the point of dropping a few grand on a new one until I started reading a bunch of SBE 3 owners point of aim vs point of impact issues.

What I came across was most of the new SBE3's don't impact where you aim and it appears there is a design flaw in the revised Comfortech stock. "The radically skeletonized buttstock of the Benelli SBE3 is a jellyfish".

Anyone have this type issue?
Did you fix it or sell the shotgun?

[Meleagris gallopavo]

I have the original SBE and a relatively new Super Vinci and both have the same POA/POI, high and to the left.  I went with a red dot on them for turkeys before retiring them to just waterfowl hunting.


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[the Ward]

My son has an sbe3 that he bought 2 years ago. It shoots slightly high for him, depending on ammo. About 60/40ish. We haven't had to change shim that came in gun. The stock theory is some nonsense put out by someone who hides on a certain forum so he doesn't get roasted. I have seen that some guys have fixed their sbe3's that shot excessively high by turning in the mag tube a bit deeper into receiver and that solved it. The guns have a ramped rib to begin with, so if you aim it like a rifle(or turkey gun) it will shoot high, due to the rib being taller at the rear than at the muzzle. That being said, it could very well been a manufacturing problem that happened in early production guns that has since been fixed(or not) but i don't know for sure. I have shot his gun quite a bit, and it has been great. When we get out to pattern again i will have him try it out with turkey chokes and loads and see what it does. He doesn't use it for turkey, it's strictly a wing shooting gun for him, but i have chokes from my benelli that will fit it, so I can give it a try.

[lacire]

My son also has an SBE, it's a 20ga he bought last year. We patterned it with a Carlsons .555 TSS choke and Fed 3" 1.5 #7 and it patterned fine, if I remember right it was around 130 pellets in the 10" and 90 in the 20" at 40 yards. He hunted with it durning the fall season and took some squirrels and quail with it along with a nice tom. He never complained about how the stock felt, but he doesn't complain much about his guns, he just kills things with them. 

[RiverBuck]

My son has an sbe3 that he bought 2 years ago. It shoots slightly high for him, depending on ammo. About 60/40ish. We haven't had to change shim that came in gun. The stock theory is some nonsense put out by someone who hides on a certain forum so he doesn't get roasted. I have seen that some guys have fixed their sbe3's that shot excessively high by turning in the mag tube a bit deeper into receiver and that solved it. The guns have a ramped rib to begin with, so if you aim it like a rifle(or turkey gun) it will shoot high, due to the rib being taller at the rear than at the muzzle. That being said, it could very well been a manufacturing problem that happened in early production guns that has since been fixed(or not) but i don't know for sure. I have shot his gun quite a bit, and it has been great. When we get out to pattern again i will have him try it out with turkey chokes and loads and see what it does. He doesn't use it for turkey, it's strictly a wing shooting gun for him, but i have chokes from my benelli that will fit it, so I can give it a try.

Appreciate the reply.
In the back of my mind I was hoping that write up by Randy Wakeman was simply more made up garbage you find on the internet but with all his blown up diagram sketches of the Benelli buttstock.. it can be convincing. I've read some other posts and he does seem like a guy with an agenda.
Buying a Benelli with the steady grip has been on my bucket list for a while and I'm having a hard time finding older models of the SBE but it seems like the market is flooded with new and used SBE3's.

[lacire]

Well eat the meat, spit out the bones, that's my assessment of most gun writers and I've read most of what Randy Wakeman has published on the internet and watched his videos. With that said he wrote a lot of bad things about the Benelli Ethos. After handling one, I bought it despite his reviews, I've been shooting for over 40 years and it's one of the best handling guns I've owned. It's not meant to be a skeet or trap gun, but it's a great upland game gun and I also just killed my fall turkey with it. I'll be taking it back out for the spring season.
Someone is always ready to say something about something, there's no perfect gun for everyone, or turkey vests......just look at the posts.

[Gobbler428]

I hunted Brownings, A5's and BPS for 30 years and really liked them both. Three years ago i got the itch for a new turkey gun and wanted something different. After much reading which included the high/left issue as well as the famous " Benelli Click", I decided to say the heck with it and drank the cool aid anyway. Bought a slightly used 12 ga SBE2 and immediately installed a Vortex Venom and haven't looked back. No clicks and it shoots wherever you put that dot. I love the Inertia Driven System, easy to take apart and super easy to clean. I just bought a SBE3 in 20 ga a few weeks ago, shot it last weekend and it shoots a 50/50 pattern. I put a red dot on it this week, had to go with a rail mount since the 20's are not drilled and taped and I will be dialing it in tomorrow with TSS #9's.  If everything goes as planed, I'll be carrying it to the woods on opening day in a few weeks.

[lacire]

I hunted Brownings, A5's and BPS for 30 years and really liked them both. Three years ago i got the itch for a new turkey gun and wanted something different. After much reading which included the high/left issue as well as the famous " Benelli Click", I decided to say the heck with it and drank the cool aid anyway. Bought a slightly used 12 ga SBE2 and immediately installed a Vortex Venom and haven't looked back. No clicks and it shoots wherever you put that dot. I love the Inertia Driven System, easy to take apart and super easy to clean. I just bought a SBE3 in 20 ga a few weeks ago, shot it last weekend and it shoots a 50/50 pattern. I put a red dot on it this week, had to go with a rail mount since the 20's are not drilled and taped and I will be dialing it in tomorrow with TSS #9's.  If everything goes as planed, I'll be carrying it to the woods on opening day in a few weeks.

You'll like the new gun, I have a Browning auto 5 in 12ga. and a 3" magnum in 20 ga. At 8.5lbs the 12 was made when men were men and mainly for a duck blind, I did drag it out to shoot one turkey with it when I knew I wasn't going to do much walking (hunted from a blind). With the 20 I've killed all kinds of upland birds and most of my turkeys with it, at an even 7lbs with a 28" Miroku barrel it was an easy tote 25 years ago. The Benelli is an even 6lbs loaded and ready to hunt. For me, I do a lot of walking and losing that pound has made a big difference.

[Lcmacd 58]

I switched from a 12 to a 20 this year and patterned the 20 with a Rob Robert's choke. Dead on .... no issues with Federal TSS

[Greenhead12]

I switched from a 12 to a 20 this year and patterned the 20 with a Rob Robert's choke. Dead on .... no issues with Federal TSS

Did you buy the sbe 3 20 gauge? If so what is your barrel length?

[Old Gobbler]

I've been doing a bunch of research on the SBE's... to the point of dropping a few grand on a new one until I started reading a bunch of SBE 3 owners point of aim vs point of impact issues.

What I came across was most of the new SBE3's don't impact where you aim and it appears there is a design flaw in the revised Comfortech stock. "The radically skeletonized buttstock of the Benelli SBE3 is a jellyfish".

Anyone have this type issue?
Did you fix it or sell the shotgun?

buy yourself one of those Lazer bore sighters for the chamber and put it in , in the store it will tell you exactly where the gun points

I have 2 of them , they are like 10 bucks on eBay

[perrytrails]

Had this issue with a M2 years ago. Pattern was 60/40 maybe a little more to the high side.

If you want to just shoot a simple bead and you have a high pattern, simple fix.

Order a benelli nova bead for it.
The nova bead was a much Bigger bead and that will bring your pattern down with a tip of bead hold.

If it's left or right I can't help other than suggest a red dot.

[Tom007]

I have a first year SBE with a Satin Wood Stock and a early SBE Steady Grip Turkey model. These are both Heckler & Koch  Benellis. There are no point of impact problems with either Guns, they shoot real well. And I never experienced the Benelli click. That is a function of the bolt not being seated forward all the way. If the Montefeltro Bolt which rotates is slightly turned and not fully closed, it will "click". Can't speak about the SBE 3, haven't owned one. Be safe...

[zelmo1]

I have a 12 and a 28 and they both shot high. The shim kit works if installed correctly. The red/green dot makes it a non issue for turkeys. I lowered mine for waterfowl and they both shoot fine now. Close to 50/50. Z

[cuppednlocked]

I've posted information about how to fix the POI by adjusting the ring on the magazine tube.