Can anyone tell me the difference in the Benelli and Browning Silver??

[BrowningGuy88]

I don't know about all the advantages and disadvantages of each, but I am a die hard Browning and Winchester man when it comes to my dedicated hunting rigs. I honestly can't say that a SBE2 won't shoot because I hunt with a man who shoots one and with a Briley choke and XR 6's it is devastating out to 50 yards in the real world - never seen him shoot paper. I prefer a gas operated auto unless we are talking A-5's all original made in Belgium - and I sure as heck wouldn't drag that through the turkey woods.

My money is going for the SX3 which is basically the same as the Silver.

[ghillie]

I can sum it up....gas vs inertia

Own both..by far the SBEII has less muzzel rise and am able to get on follow up shots quicker.

Both have great patterns with the right set up...>250 with the SBEII setup I have now...so please don't tell me it can't be done..

SBEII is lighter and easier to clean..

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

I can sum it up....gas vs inertia

Own both..by far the SBEII has less muzzel rise and am able to get on follow up shots quicker.

Both have great patterns with the right set up...>250 with the SBEII setup I have now...so please don't tell me it can't be done..

SBEII is lighter and easier to clean..

Over 250 with what shot size, ghillie?

It ain't hard to be over 250 with 7s.....

[WildTigerTrout]

I have a Benelli SBE. I bought it because it fit me well, is recoil operated, very reliable, easy to clean and IMO the best shotgun on the market.

[reynolds243]

I can sum it up....gas vs inertia

Own both..by far the SBEII has less muzzel rise and am able to get on follow up shots quicker.

Both have great patterns with the right set up...>250 with the SBEII setup I have now...so please don't tell me it can't be done..

SBEII is lighter and easier to clean..

Over 250 with what shot size, ghillie?

It ain't hard to be over 250 with 7s.....

it has nothing to do with HARD vs EASY but 250 is a perfect number to kill a turkey with. Why would it have to be higher then that.

Again i dont have either as they are way over my price range but i am a benelli fan in general and if i won the lottery the SBEII would be the first shotgun i got.

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

I can sum it up....gas vs inertia

Own both..by far the SBEII has less muzzel rise and am able to get on follow up shots quicker.

Both have great patterns with the right set up...>250 with the SBEII setup I have now...so please don't tell me it can't be done..

SBEII is lighter and easier to clean..

Over 250 with what shot size, ghillie?

It ain't hard to be over 250 with 7s.....

it has nothing to do with HARD vs EASY but 250 is a perfect number to kill a turkey with. Why would it have to be higher then that.

Again i dont have either as they are way over my price range but i am a benelli fan in general and if i won the lottery the SBEII would be the first shotgun i got.

It isn't about good vs good enough.  It's about achieving premier performance and the larger bore guns will post the highest numbers day in and day out. 

250 is good enough. 280 is better. 300 is even better. 

I'm not one who has ever been satisfied with "good enough" because I perceive it to be a higher level of mediocrity.

Benelli is in no way a mediocre firearm, they just fall short in the areas I value the most for turkey guns.

[reynolds243]

see that is the funny part to me....how is 250 just "good enough" does 300 kill a turkey more then 250 numbers wise?? I mean sure mathematically 300 is better then 250 but from a 40yds turkey hunting gun 250 is much more then "good enough"

at your logic then i should be striving to find a gun that will shoot 400 so it is even better then 300. Numbers are just that...numbers but there is a step and logic to those numbers.

if you are shooting at a bird at 40yds and putting 250 EVENLY DISTRIBUTED pellets in the kill area he is going to do no slower then if i hit him with 300.

Now you want to argue 150 vs 250 or something that is a different story as the gaps start to become large enough to make a difference.  I am not downing on what you find important and what your expectations are as we all struggle with the numbers game but to say 250 is "good enough" is comical.

also unless i missed it he didnt say if it was a 3" shell or a 3.5" shell or even 7's for that fact.

[WildTigerTrout]

I don't understand the muzzle jump theory?  I lighter harder kicking gun has less muzzle jump?

I know this will make benelli guys mad, but to me it's just a price thing.  They are way more expensive guns than their competition so when guys buy them they have to start beating their chest on the reliable, light, and easy to clean thing. Which makes them feel better about spending all the cash.   They are finicky when it comes to patterns, rarely shoot poa, and have the most recoil of any auto-loader in my experience with them.  They jam just as often as the next auto.  I guess I don't see what all the fuss is about.

My SBE throws very good patterns,shoots POA and has NEVER jammed. It does kick some but then don't all 3.5" Magnums? I never beat my chest to make myself feel better about spending the money on one. IMO they are worth every penny. Plain and simple , you get what you pay for.

[Reloader]

I've shot Brownings, Winchesters(same system), and the Benelli.  I've also been around both in pit blinds as well.  It's a Ford vs Chevy argument at best.  I don't like the Benellis, they just feel cheap, kick hard, and though touted to be very reliable, I have seen them fail.  I've seen just about any auto fail come to think of it.  I looked at all the newer autos last year and decided to pick up two Winchesters.  The Wins just felt better than the others and didn't have that cheap look or feel.  That doesn't mean they are any better, just my opinion.

On avg Benellis do not pattern as well as larger bores with turkey loads. Something to consider.  Lots of folks have POI/POA issues with them as well. I know quite a few guys that have had POI/POA issues with theirs.  Haven't run into that issue with Wins or Brownings, though I'm quite sure it happens.

[TANK]

A friend of mine won a Benelli SBE II as a door prize at a banquet 2 years ago. He then had the POA/POI issues. The gun shot close to a foot to the left & about 8 inches low at 40 yards. Different shells/chokes didn't help. His isn't the first I have seen the same problem from. I notice the HS Strut guys shoot them, and almost all of them have some type of optic on them. I wonder if thats because of the same thing.

[ghillie]

Muzzle jump is reduced by the spring set up in the stock...even with 3.5" i'm on geese and ducks faster than anyone in my group..it pisses them off and they frequently tell me to slow down.  It really has nothing to do with how light the gun is...the energy is absorbed mostly by that spring.  I have upgraded to the all stainless replacement from SureCycle and I swear it runs even faster now than before.

[GobblinNC]

I have a silver nwtf.

When looking for a new gun I considered the Benelli sbe 2, beretta extreme 2, and browning silver.  The most important criteria I used in choosing my gun was first patternability and then fit.

Initially, there are several significant mechanical differences between the browning and Benelli. They have already been mentioned in this thread.  Now to discuss patternability:

The browning is backbored to .742 and uses the invector plus choke system. These features created a solid platform for building a gun that would shoot high #s.  After a trigger job to 3lbs with no creep and travel, and barrel polishing to mirror finish, I now have a gun that shoots 287 hits in a 10" circle with an Indian creek .675 and nitro 4x5x7s at 40 yards.


Good luck finding a Benelli that will do that with their .710 bores.

guess im lucky. Shooting a SBEII with rhino .660 and nitro 4x5x7 puts up numbers from 270-290 at 40 all day long

[fitter]

Couple hundred dollars to rich for me

[sbe2#]

I have never shot the Browning but I do own the Benelli SBE2.  At the gun shop the SBE2 just felt better to me than the Silver.  As far as comparing them shooting, I don't know. As stated they are two completely different designs, gas vs. inertia.  Other than feeling better in hand,  another selling feature that sold me on the Benelli was that it came with a hard case, 5 choke tubes and I can assemble and disassemble in about 30 seconds.  Also the barrel is cryo treated which is supposed to improve patterns, wether it helps or not I can't say but I guess they have some sort of proof to back it up.  I have done some patterning with two different chokes with it, the Jellyhead in .660 and a Wrights #3 turkey choke in .650.  At 40 with 3 1/2 mag blends with 40 degree temps I got 230 with the Wrights and 200 with the Jellyhead. POA/POI was dead on with the Wrights and the Jellyhead shot about 5" high of POA.  I'm going to do some more testing with some Hevi 7's when it warms up.  Either gun will get the job done, but it's all about getting your hands on them side by side and deciding which fits you.  Good luck with which ever you decide to get!