Benelli SBE I

[Chris Downs]

Guys, I'm going to turn my SBE I into my new turkey gun.  I realize it's all about patterning and trial and error, but just wondering what combos you guys are having success with in your SBE I turkey guns.  Mine has a 24" barrel.  Just wondering about your choke/load combos.  Kinda give me a starting point.  Thanks.

[davisd9]

Wish I could help more but I am not familar with the gun.  Pure Gold, SumToy, and Indian Creek chokes are hard to beat.  Would suggest Hevi-Shot 6s or 7s or the Winchester XD 6s.  Good luck and keep us up to date.

[allaboutshooting]

Guys, I'm going to turn my SBE I into my new turkey gun.  I realize it's all about patterning and trial and error, but just wondering what combos you guys are having success with in your SBE I turkey guns.  Mine has a 24" barrel.  Just wondering about your choke/load combos.  Kinda give me a starting point.  Thanks.

I bought my first SBE in 1991 and have the 24", 26" and 28" barrels for that original gun. I've shot literally thousands of turkey loads though mine and have tried, to the best of my knowledge, all of the commercially produced turkey chokes available and some of the custom made chokes. It is a great gun and one that I plan to keep always.

I have used that gun in the turkey woods and in competition. I used to shoot a lot of 3.5" shells but found over time that the 3" shells patterned just as well or better with much less recoil. The very best shell that is currently produced, in my experience, is the 3" Hevi-13 "Bronze" shell with 2 oz. of #6 or #7 shot. I actually prefer the #6 shot shell.

After sorting through all of the turkey chokes that have been available for that gun over the last 22 years, there are 3 that have produced outstanding results. The SSX, the Hevi-13 and the JEB's chokes.

These are very different chokes in price, appearance and design but all 3 deliver excellent results.

I look for dense "core pattern" at both 25 yards and at 40 yards. I expect the difference to be in the fringe patterns. They should be somewhat larger at 40 yards than at 25 yards and that's what I see with all 3 of those chokes.

Your SBE, as you know has a chrome-lined barrel. That barrel can appear to be clean, even when it's not and again in my experience, SBEs pattern better with clean barrels. I recommend that you "deep clean" yours. You may be surprised at the gunk that comes out of it, even though you've routinely cleaned it over time.

Lastly, you have an excellent and totally reliable gun for the turkey woods. With only minor maintenance, it will function perfectly in all conditions and temperatures.

Thanks,
Clark

P.S. You can read the article "Cleaning a Shotgun Barrel" that has the guidelines for deep cleaning by clicking on the banner below this post.

[gobblingghost]

I shoot a SBE that I have turkey hunted with for several years. It has a Sumtoy choke and 3.5" hevi shot 2.25oz #7. It puts about 300 in a 10" cir @ 40 yrds.

[Chris Downs]

Thanks guys.  I really appreciate the suggestions and info.  Please keep it coming.

[SumToy]

That thing will show out with 650 to 660 with the Winchester or HV13 in 6's or 7's.   Pick a  SumToy or IC choke. 

[SKFOOTER]

I shoot a SBE that I have turkey hunted with for several years. It has a Sumtoy choke and 3.5" hevi shot 2.25oz #7. It puts about 300 in a 10" cir @ 40 yrds.

What size Sumtoy choke??

[WiLL B]

The Heavy 13 chokes shoot good in mine and several others I have patterned for other people. With pretty much all shells.

[allaboutshooting]

The Heavy 13 chokes shoot good in mine and several others I have patterned for other people. With pretty much all shells.

They are very good and reasonably priced turkey chokes.

Thanks,
Clark

[SumToy]

660 Should fix you up

[gobblingghost]

My choke is a 660

[Sand Man]

Here's some results from my old SBE I with 24" barrel thru an Indian Creek .665 with both factory and TSS reloads.





One at 20 yards just to see where the Red Dot was hitting.



Now the TSS reloads.  The first was 2oz of TSS #9's at 40 yards and the second was 1oz of TSS #9's and 5/8oz Hevi-shot 7.5's at 40 yards.






Hunting with that gun was just flat unfair on turkeys.  Be sure and deep clean your barrel.  At the very least I would run a bore snake thru the barrel on the above patterning shots if not deep clean between shots.

[nyhunter]

Mine does not like the tighter .650-.655 choke's it does fair with the .660, but it really does well with the .665 choke's " with H-13 and Win. xtend range. From what i have read and talked with others mine seem's to be an exception tho. Most are getting better results from the tighter choke's than me. Like others have already said go with a quality choke that the owner will work with you and stands behind there product. I.C , Final strut , Sum toy are the best out there in my opinion.