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Thread: HD SBS Benelli Setup?

  1. #1
    S.L.O.W. ASH556's Avatar
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    Feb 2012
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    HD SBS Benelli Setup?

    Hey guys, I recently got the stamp back on a Benelli M1 entry. This is the 14" SBS and this particular one is a pre-ban HK import that's been sitting in the NFA cage new in box for the last decade+. Now that I have it in my possession I want to get it ready to go for HD. I've installed a Surefire forend and one of the later Benelli large triangular paddle-style safety buttons. This one has the rifle sights on the barrel and I've painted the front with some hi-vis yellow/green.

    My main question at this point is ammo carriage. The idea is that if the fight is going to be outside/away from my house, then I'll grab my AR15 SBR, but for in the house, I believe in the single shot wounding capabilities of the 12ga. I've got Doc's recommended buck (LE1321B) and slug (PB127DPRS) loads on-hand. Should I do a side-saddle? I've got some velcro and one of the SKD shotgun cards on my 3gun shotgun that I could pull off and use on this. I've also seen the Mesa stock saddle that attaches to the sling tab in the Benelli stock. For those that have run these guns hard, what are my best bets for setup? Currently I just have it loaded with 5 + 1 + 1 of the #1 Flite Control buck (LE1321B).

    Thanks for input/feedback!

    Food Court Apprentice
    Semper Paratus certified AR15 armorer

  2. #2
    Member Peally's Avatar
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    Try one as a temporary fixture at first (AKA don't drill one into the frame). The M1 is sometimes a finicky thing the more weight you add to it.

    If you do make a decision let us know how it goes, I pretty much have the 18 inch version of what you have minus the surefire and I'm curious as well.
    Semper Gumby, Always Flexible

  3. #3
    S.L.O.W. ASH556's Avatar
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    Probably worth noting that I have another 21" Benelli M1 that I use to shoot 3gun and had setup as an HD shotgun before getting too deep into 3gun and buying the SBS for HD. In other words, I'm readily familiar with what cycles and works in them and the manual of arms. My question is more centered around how many rounds is a good rule of thumb to keep with on the gun (maybe none), slugs vs buck, and where/how to keep them?

    As a slight side note, I've thought for awhile now that mounting a 3gun type caddy on the side of the receiver would allow for a much faster reload than one at a time from a side saddle. Any thoughts about that?

    This kind:
    Food Court Apprentice
    Semper Paratus certified AR15 armorer

  4. #4
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    Feb 2011
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    North Georgia
    Since you're using it for HD, as long as your gun patterns FC Buckshot well, I'd load it up with that, and load a Velcro card with buckshot.

    It just depends on how tight it's shooting, and the distances you would encounter in your house.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    "I want to see someone running down the street with a sims-gun shrieking 'I am the first revelation' " - SouthNarc

  5. #5
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    Mar 2013
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    south TX
    I have the 18" version as well. As someone with T-rex arms, I really dig the Mesa Tactical Urbino stock:

    http://mesatactical.com/products/cat...l-grip-stocks/

    As far as gun mounted ammo carriers, I've pondered if the juice is worth the squeeze WRT balance and handling characteristics. I haven't been able to do a lot of work with them.
    "It's surprising how often you start wondering just how featureless a desert some people's inner landscapes must be."
    -Maple Syrup Actual

  6. #6
    I have a different take on a 14 inch set-up. My use is carrying in the field, loaded primarily with slugs, and isn't to suggest your approach is wrong for your use.

    I like the Benelli Comfertech stock, in the shorter compact length, and the forearm drilled for a small piece of rail, for a Surefire Scout light. This gives me a lighter weight shotgun for carrying, since I only add the light when it gets dark. I also prefer the shorter length LOP straight stock, for fast handling, and not having the pistol grip bang on me when carrying it.

    I use a Raven velcro side saddle, but only carry two extra shot shells there, a rubber bullet projectile and a 7.5 high base birdshot. That gives me the option of shooting a rubber bullet to deter a bear, and the shot to harvest a bird. I carry extra slugs on my belt in a Wilderness carrier.

    Most often, I plan that my pistol is my reload, but I have different projectiles available on the side saddle and more slugs on my belt if circumstances allow, once the dust settles.

    For your home defense role, I would have a quick fastening belt available with my pistol holster, extra shotgun ammo, an AR magazine and a Surefire. Probably amplified hearing pro, too, especially with the short barrel shotty.
    Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.

  7. #7
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    I could be doing it wrong but my home defense shotgun/vehicle gun is loaded with 6 and in condition 3 (no round in chamber). If I need more than 6 shells of buckshot to solve a problem or be able to run away, I am having a really bad day.

    Seen sidesaddles be quick and effective for loading more rounds.

    Cookie Monster

  8. #8
    S.L.O.W. ASH556's Avatar
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    So I patterned the 14" barrel with the #1 FC load this weekend and wow, that 4.5" of barrel makes a huge difference! Here's the #1 FC load through my former 18.5" setup @ 25 yds:



    And then 2 rounds (I couldn't believe the spread, thought it was a fluke so I fired a second round) of the exact same #1 FC load through the 14" gun @ 25yds:



    By contrast, though, at 10 yards the FC load is pretty much a slug out of the 14" gun:




    Part of me thinks that in absence of a useful pattern, or rather, the sporadic nature of the patterns being produced by the 14" barrel, that I might be better served by loading all slugs. Inside 10 yds, the buckshot is acting like a slug anyway and beyond 20 yards, the slug would probably be a lower liability vs that massive pattern and the possibility of an errant pellet with the buck load.

    Additional thoughts? I live in a subdivision in a rural area. 1 acre lots, but houses are still probably only 15-25 yds apart. The obvious concern with the slug is overpenetration. I suppose that even if the buck load acts like a slug up close, it still has reduced mass and therefore lower (over)penetration capabilities.
    Food Court Apprentice
    Semper Paratus certified AR15 armorer

  9. #9
    I primarily run Brenneke slugs, but I have a different use.

    I don't think slugs are a great primary load for you, because of where you live. And, if you use slugs anyway, you end up with a low capacity firearm, that recoils a lot, and is less desirable than your AR. Since the reason you have a shotgun is pattern, I would try a variety of different loads, and see how they work in your barrel. I have had good luck with Remington LE 8 pellet buck in a number of my 14 inch 870 shotguns. If none work, I would consider another barrel, either 14 or longer. With the inertia system, I believe you can cut down barrels without worrying about function the same as with a system like the 11-87.
    Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.

  10. #10
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    south TX
    Before giving up on BS, I would try some different loads. While #1B is the hotness, if it doesn't pattern in your shotty, then it doesn't. There are a plethora of 00B to try out. I would try a few of the Federal Flite-Control and the Hornady offerings, among others.
    "It's surprising how often you start wondering just how featureless a desert some people's inner landscapes must be."
    -Maple Syrup Actual

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