Lets talk Shotguns

[Sniper338]

I have 3 Benelli's..

A 12 ga supernova - duck hunting, boat paddle, do it all gun works reliably every time..

I have a 20ga ultralight semi auto thats my wifes she loves it.

And I have a silver monefeltro 12ga - dove hunting and shooting sporting clays and skeet every once and a while..

Ill admit up front I had a ol cheap semi auto charles daily from walmart once upon a time and I could put the HAMMER DOWN with that thing, I mean whoop up on ya shooting skeet, hunting and all... I cant shoot as good with the benelli's but they are more reliable. I wore out that charles daily and threw it away it got shot so much... I could and did shoot cases of shells through it a day, no problem.

With my monefeltro I can dove hunt easily with it, limit out no prob, shoot it no problem... Its fine for hunting, BUT after a box of shells through it I just hurt in the shoulder so bad. I cant fit it right to me.. Ive tried the different stock shims to adjust the stock at different angles and just cant get it feeling right...

I love benelli, I'm wondering if a super sport or cordoba 12 ga may be better? They have ported barrels, more rubber/carbon fiber and may recoil less as they are made for skeet and or tons of shooting...

Whats yalls thoughts?

 

[Bbear]

All of the benelli shotguns are 'recoil' shotguns, somewhat similar to the old Browning A5. It seems to me you're a bit recoil sensitive on the benelli's. I'm also guessing that the stock doesn't fit as well as your old Charles Daly did. Benelli's do come with some different shims to allow you to better fit a stock. It adjust drop and cast if I recall correctly.
A fairly easy way to check the fit is:
1. wear clothing similar in thickness to what you'll wear shooting - IE a t-shirt for dove or a heavy coat for duck.
2. with an UNLOADED gun, pick a spot up on the wall at about the angle of a crossing shot.
3. Close your eyes AND KEEP THEM CLOSED. Mount the shotgun at your imaginary target and open your eyes.
4. check to see if you're looking down a flat rib, high rib or low rib. In other words. do you have to move your head to look flat down the rib to the front bead.

If you head/view is:
to the left (on a right-hand shooter) of the rib - you need less cast
to the right of the rib - you need more cast
looking down on the rib - you need more drop at the heel
looking into the back of the action or have to raise your head to look flat - you need less drop

Do the test multiple times and see how you're viewing that rib/bead combo. It may just be that you need the shotgun to better fit you.

I have tried many times to like the Browning O/U's. But every one of them is too high on the comb for me. This causes me to push my cheek into the stock resulting in a sore cheek. I also have to push into the stock to get my eye behind the bead (I'm looking down the left side of the barrel).
On the high end guns like Perazzi, the drop on some is too much, causing me to raise my head. This results on my shoulder taking a bit more of a thump and the stock banging into my cheek.
Beretta O/U and Ceasar Guirenni shotguns seem to fit me better as do the Ruger Red Labels.

For semi-autos the Remingtons and the Beretta's seem to be custom-made to fit me. The Browning and Winchesters, not so much. Go figure.

 

[Sniper338]

All of the benelli shotguns are 'recoil' shotguns, somewhat similar to the old Browning A5. It seems to me you're a bit recoil sensitive on the benelli's. I'm also guessing that the stock doesn't fit as well as your old Charles Daly did. Benelli's do come with some different shims to allow you to better fit a stock. It adjust drop and cast if I recall correctly.
A fairly easy way to check the fit is:
1. wear clothing similar in thickness to what you'll wear shooting - IE a t-shirt for dove or a heavy coat for duck.
2. with an UNLOADED gun, pick a spot up on the wall at about the angle of a crossing shot.
3. Close your eyes AND KEEP THEM CLOSED. Mount the shotgun at your imaginary target and open your eyes.
4. check to see if you're looking down a flat rib, high rib or low rib. In other words. do you have to move your head to look flat down the rib to the front bead.

If you head/view is:
to the left (on a right-hand shooter) of the rib - you need less cast
to the right of the rib - you need more cast
looking down on the rib - you need more drop at the heel
looking into the back of the action or have to raise your head to look flat - you need less drop

Do the test multiple times and see how you're viewing that rib/bead combo. It may just be that you need the shotgun to better fit you.

I have tried many times to like the Browning O/U's. But every one of them is too high on the comb for me. This causes me to push my cheek into the stock resulting in a sore cheek. I also have to push into the stock to get my eye behind the bead (I'm looking down the left side of the barrel).
On the high end guns like Perazzi, the drop on some is too much, causing me to raise my head. This results on my shoulder taking a bit more of a thump and the stock banging into my cheek.
Beretta O/U and Ceasar Guirenni shotguns seem to fit me better as do the Ruger Red Labels.

For semi-autos the Remingtons and the Beretta's seem to be custom-made to fit me. The Browning and Winchesters, not so much. Go figure.

Ill have to look again... but the old charles daily had no rib it was flat, and my cheek and sights lined up exactly with it mounted, perfectly...

This benelli I cant drop the butt of the stock enough or straighten it enough to get a good flat sight picture down the barrel rib.

 

[Sniper338]

the benelli is inertia driven as where my charles daily was gas driven. I think the gas driven tends to take out a lot of the recoil and keeps it smoother making for faster follow up shots.... I think...

 

[Gary in MD]

I recently bought a Benelli Ultra Light 12 gauge from a forum member here. I was a little worried that it would kick the sh*t out of me because it is so light.
I just got a chance to shoot it yesterday with some light dove loads at some clay pigeons. I couldn’t believe how soft it kicked, it seemed to be less than my old Rem. 870.
I only shot it 8 times behind the house but I hit 7 out of 8 birds. I’m extremely happy with the Benelli!
Gary

 

[HTSmith]

the benelli is inertia driven as where my charles daily was gas driven. I think the gas driven tends to take out a lot of the recoil and keeps it smoother making for faster follow up shots.... I think...

You are right gas operation tends to lower felt recoil. The other thing is that Benelli’s tend to be light and that also makes for more recoil. Porting will make your shotgun noisier and that’s about it. Gun fit certainly matters. Lastly, if your guns will function with them, use lighter loads for targets. In my 12 ga I use 7/8 oz for skeet and 1 oz for everything else. I get every target I deserve and my shoulder is in good shape after 100.

 

[Sniper338]

You are right gas operation tends to lower felt recoil. The other thing is that Benelli’s tend to be light and that also makes for more recoil. Porting will make your shotgun noisier and that’s about it. Gun fit certainly matters. Lastly, if your guns will function with them, use lighter loads for targets. In my 12 ga I use 7/8 oz for skeet and 1 oz for everything else. I get every target I deserve and my shoulder is in good shape after 100.

I wondered if porting my barrel would help or just make it louder....

 

[johnfred1965]

All of the benelli shotguns are 'recoil' shotguns, somewhat similar to the old Browning A5. It seems to me you're a bit recoil sensitive on the benelli's. I'm also guessing that the stock doesn't fit as well as your old Charles Daly did. Benelli's do come with some different shims to allow you to better fit a stock. It adjust drop and cast if I recall correctly.
A fairly easy way to check the fit is:
1. wear clothing similar in thickness to what you'll wear shooting - IE a t-shirt for dove or a heavy coat for duck.
2. with an UNLOADED gun, pick a spot up on the wall at about the angle of a crossing shot.
3. Close your eyes AND KEEP THEM CLOSED. Mount the shotgun at your imaginary target and open your eyes.
4. check to see if you're looking down a flat rib, high rib or low rib. In other words. do you have to move your head to look flat down the rib to the front bead.

If you head/view is:
to the left (on a right-hand shooter) of the rib - you need less cast
to the right of the rib - you need more cast
looking down on the rib - you need more drop at the heel
looking into the back of the action or have to raise your head to look flat - you need less drop

Do the test multiple times and see how you're viewing that rib/bead combo. It may just be that you need the shotgun to better fit you.

I have tried many times to like the Browning O/U's. But every one of them is too high on the comb for me. This causes me to push my cheek into the stock resulting in a sore cheek. I also have to push into the stock to get my eye behind the bead (I'm looking down the left side of the barrel).
On the high end guns like Perazzi, the drop on some is too much, causing me to raise my head. This results on my shoulder taking a bit more of a thump and the stock banging into my cheek.
Beretta O/U and Ceasar Guirenni shotguns seem to fit me better as do the Ruger Red Labels.

For semi-autos the Remingtons and the Beretta's seem to be custom-made to fit me. The Browning and Winchesters, not so much. Go figure.

Your fit sounds just like mine. I bought a Citori thinking it would be better than sliced bread, NOT. If I was shooting for money, my old 1100 would be in my hands.

For the OP: Do you know the model of the Charles Daly you had? You could look up the stock dimensions and compare them to the benelli, see where you might have a difference.

 

[joshb]

Get yourself a nice old Parker side by side!

 

[AckleymanII]

I had the SBE I and II.

Sold both of them due to how hard they kick with just regular Remington Dove loads from Wal Mart. Those shotguns turned my arm green in shooting 10 boxes of shells. I drank the Kool Aid on how little they kick....phoey....give me gas operated auto's.

Now I own a Beretta 390 and 391.

Hard to imagine just how much less the Beretta's kick than the SBE.

 

[Hopkins]

The drop and length of pull on the Remington 1100 -11-87 family is about average perfect fit for most wingshooters. You will never see a benelli used by a serious competitive skeet or trap shooter because of its recoil. Gas operated repeating shotguns are the rule for those disciplines when repeaters chosen. If I remember correctly the Charles Daly and the SKB gas guns were one and the same.The SKB drop and LOP were almost identical to a 1100's

 

[HTSmith]

I had the SBE I and II.

Sold both of them due to how hard they kick with just regular Remington Dove loads from Wal Mart. Those shotguns turned my arm green in shooting 10 boxes of shells. I drank the Kool Aid on how little they kick....phoey....give me gas operated auto's.

Now I own a Beretta 390 and 391.

Hard to imagine just how much less the Beretta's kick than the SBE.

Yikes! What do you shoot 10 boxes of shells at?

 

[RHux]

Used Beretta Gas gun from the 390 on up to get to Master Class in NSCA . Never broke a part.

 

[Sniper338]

Yikes! What do you shoot 10 boxes of shells at?

10 boxes aint much when you got a good private skeet or sporting clays event going drinking beer and bbqing with all the buddies around..

 

[Intheshop]

Several classic SXS's,20g Citori,bunch of Remingtons,even still have an old "pro stock" Turkey shoot rig but the one that probably stands out the most is a Ted Williams semi,rebadged Winchester 12g full choke.Keep it halfway clean and it just keeps chugging along.Nicer wood figure than most.

 

[22BRGUY]

You fellas are in a different universe from me but I have an older H&K/Benelli Super 90 that I bought several years ago to replace my beautiful Japanese made A5 that just got too heavy for grouse hunting in northern Minn. I really like the benelli for it's light weight.
Yesterday I went out with 2 close friends down here in Iowa with my old Rem 31 and we shot 77 crows in about 3 hours! What a HOOT!
Wish I could offer something to help but you're way out of my league on shotguns except maybe try a 20ga??
Hope you find a good solution.

 

[johnfred1965]

The drop and length of pull on the Remington 1100 -11-87 family is about average perfect fit for most wingshooters. You will never see a benelli used by a serious competitive skeet or trap shooter because of its recoil. Gas operated repeating shotguns are the rule for those disciplines when repeaters chosen. If I remember correctly the Charles Daly and the SKB gas guns were one and the same.The SKB drop and LOP were almost identical to a 1100's

they may not use them in trap or skeet, but the 3-gun guys are in love with them. More kick, but fast as a thief in the hands of a talented trigger puller.

 

[johnfred1965]

10 boxes aint much when you got a good private skeet or sporting clays event going drinking beer and bbqing with all the buddies around..

That is a family thing for us on labor day weekend. Cousin fires up the pit, chicken, ribs, maybe a few squirrels if we had a good morning. After lunch we head to his 5 acre side yard. He keeps 2 double throwers set up there, I put my single far right, my brother has his far left, and for fun I"ve got a hand thrower on a golf club shaft! Those are fast enough to simulate the late season screamers! We went through 1200 clays, and Lord knows how many shells.
wish I could shoot Fclass as good as I do clays!!

 

[Intheshop]

I've shot some pretty nice SC events and they are very competitive but,me and the boys love taking a hand thrower down in the woods with some early SXS's and se who can come up with the best shot.The "thrower" who calls the shot has to be good enough to get the clay to snake through the timber so,it's sort of a two way street.....throwing is almost as fun as shooting,haha.

 

[wholman]

A browning maxas with light load is almost recoilless.