Benelli Bear gun

[GJM]

My wife has been wanting a lightweight shotgun for use with Brenneke slugs, for bear protection. Here were some considerations -- she wanted it to be lightweight, she wanted it weather resistant, she wanted enough capacity to make reloading unlikely, she wanted it fast for follow-up shots, and she wanted open sights like on her Glock with HD sights. After discussing this with Jim Brockman, we decided on starting with a Benelli M2, shooting 20 gauge Brenneke slugs, which actually have better sectional density than 12 gauge slugs.

Jim cut the barrel to 18.6 inches, added a plus 4 Nordic tube giving 7 plus 1 capacity (that extends slightly beyond the barrel protecting the muzzle), milled a Beretta Trijicon HD front sight into the vent rib, made a custom rear pistol sight (windage adjustable) that he filed to elevation POI with slugs, added AR style push sling mounts, made a custom light mount, and cerakoted the barrel for weather resistance. It came out fantastic, and is a delight to shoot with slugs! We shot it at Jim's today at 25 and 50 yards, and it is right on, making me wonder about the need for an optic or aperture sights on a shotgun.

[Up1911Fan]

Nice set up.

[JDM]

DO WANT!

[Jeep]

Very nice. The sectional density point is an extremely important one when penetration is key, and it is often missed.

[HCM]

Very nice- HD rifle sights for shotguns are a great idea.

[GJM]

I am so pleased how this turned out that I am considering getting a 24 inch 1301 and have Jim cutting it back to about 18.5 and installing the HD sight set-up.

[JHC]

Since you first started thinking out loud about the sectional density of the 20 ga Brennekes I've been toying with the idea of 20 ga youth model 1100 or something.

[ASH556]

Looks like secks. I have a similar setup with my 18.5in M1 (in 12GA, though). Shotguns are a ton of fun and quite devastating with the correct load for the job.

[John Ralston]

Did you have the barrel milled for chokes or did you leave it Cylinder Bore?

Looks like a nice setup - I had my M1 drilled and tapped for a Pic Rail and have had an Aimpoint H1 and a Delta Point on it. Really like it. Mine is a 21" 12ga though.

[GJM]

Did you have the barrel milled for chokes or did you leave it Cylinder Bore?

Looks like a nice setup - I had my M1 drilled and tapped for a Pic Rail and have had an Aimpoint H1 and a Delta Point on it. Really like it. Mine is a 21" 12ga though.

Left it cylinder since our application is primarily Brenneke slugs.

The M2 is tapped for rail, but where I find the RDS excellent at turning the shotgun into a carbine in the 50-100 yard range, for the up close use we anticipate in bear defense, the RDS is slower for us. Since the bear has to be able to touch you to hurt you, the priority is speed, especially in thick brush and possible inclement weather, as opposed to further distance, more marksmanship oriented problems.