One-handed shooter: Benelli UL / Beretta A400 Xplor Action / Browning Maxus Stalker

I've narrowed down the list of shotguns I'm interested in buying to these 3 and I'd love to hear any feedback from actual owners on their experiences. If anyone has one of these and lives in / near the Lehigh Valley that would be kind enough to let me run a few rounds through it, that would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks!

Well I bough the A400, and I absolutely love it . . . When I was researching the waterfowl gun I was going to buy I spoke to 2 very good friends that have a Beretta Extrema 2 (basically the older version of the A400) and one friend that has a Benelli Super Vinci.

Her is what I found out. The friend that bought the Benelli told me its strictly a waterfowl gun that it doesn't like anything low brass and sometimes has a hard time cycling them. He also told me that he tried using it for sporting clays once and it kicked the crap out of him (i saw him his face was black and blue) he did however tell me it was a great gun for geese and ducks that it shoots awesome.

The friend that has the Beretta uses it for everything from turkey to geese & ducks to shooting low brass target rounds for sporting clays and his exact words to me were "It cycles everything I run thru it without fail" He even told me he used it for a boat paddle one day when the engine on the mobile duck blind quit.

Both guns are good waterfowl guns but I wanted a gun that had no cycling issues. That's why I bought the A400. It shoots like a dream and with the kick off in the stock I can shoot it all day long and never get a sore shoulder.

Hope this helps make your decision.

Rob

Of those three, I would certainly go with the Beretta.

I've shot an A400 and it was just a damn pleasure. Smooth, soft, and overall a very well built gun. My only complaint is that it is a little on the bulky side. She's a thick ole girl. However, it's light and swings well. Briley makes a ton of upgrades for it if that's your thing.

I've also shot a Browning Maxus. While I own and swear by my two Browning O/U's, the maxus's recoil was more stout than the Beretta. It shot just fine. It was mechanically robust. The recoil was very mechanical feeling. You could feel the entire cycle of the bolt (not very smooth). However, it ate up the low power target loads with ease and the owner of said shotgun was infatuated with it.

As for the Benelli, I've got no experience there. However, I've not heard anything about this particular offering--good or bad. I've heard the Legacy, Legacy Sport, Super Sport, etc are all fantastic. I've shot the latter of two of those three and they were great. But, unfortunately, no experience with the ultra light.

Thank you both for your thoughts, it's much appreciated!

To give a bit more background, I'm planning on using this gun almost exclusively for sporting clays. The reason I'm targeting lightweight upland autoloaders is because it needs to be something I can shoot one-handed. Last weekend I went to 3 stores with a long list of shotguns I wanted to see, and these were my 3 favorites, with the Benelli Ultra Light being the clear leader due to its perfect fit, super light weight, and great sights. I questioned 2 different salespeople about the recoil of the Benelli inertia system in such a light gun and both claimed that it wouldn't be an issue for me. Personally, I'd really rather FEEL the recoil in person than take a salesperson's word for it.

The comment about the Benelli not reliably cycling low brass concerns me perhaps even more than the recoil issue. I really can't see myself moving forward with the Ultra Light without shooting it myself with low brass, so hopefully a local owner chimes in here. I liked what the Beretta offered, but the 8oz weight difference between the two was blatantly obvious and a bit of a concern. I'd definitely like to put a box of shells through a Beretta Xplor Action just to see how fatiguing it would be. For comparison, I've only done sporting clays once so far, with my 7.85lb Mossberg SPX Blackwater, and my muscles were sore from fatigue for 3 days afterwards. Despite struggling to hold the gun steady on the last 2 stations, I still shot 67/100. From what I hear, that's a pretty decent score all things considered, so I'd like to find a lighter and more appropriate gun to hopefully improve on my 67.

WOAH BUDDY, I just found that Beretta makes the "Xplor Light" model that only weighs 0.18lb more than the Benelli Ultra Light . . . best of both worlds???

http://www.a400xplor.com/light-a400-...x?m=53&did=674


EDIT: So much for that idea, the "Light" model is a bit of a unicorn . . . no stock anywhere it seems.

If its a primary sporting clays use gun personally I'd be shooting the A400.

if I was close to you id be happy to let u shoot mine but I'm like 90 minutes awqay.

I just checked the website of Lehigh Valley Sporting Clays, and they have an A400 there for Rental / Demo / Sale

https://www.lvsclays.com/pro-shop/guns-demo-guns/

Might want to call them about it . . .

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RBELARDI

If its a primary sporting clays use gun personally I'd be shooting the A400.

if I was close to you id be happy to let u shoot mine but I'm like 90 minutes awqay.

I just checked the website of Lehigh Valley Sporting Clays, and they have an A400 there for Rental / Demo / Sale

https://www.lvsclays.com/pro-shop/guns-demo-guns/

Might want to call them about it . . .

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That's a GREAT idea, thanks!

I can't comment on that specific model Benelli but I have two, an SBE and an M1. Benelli's inertia recoil system is ultra reliable as long as you don't hang crap on your gun. The spring is calibrated to the weight of the gun. I put a side saddle on my M1 and had to swap out the recoil spring due to the increased weight reducing the recoil. My SBE I did not modify. In order to test it, I loaded low brass, high brass and magnums in the same tube. It fired all of them without hiccup and has fired everything I've fed it since without hiccup.

I do think they kick harder than a gas gun because the gas isn't being bled off to cycle the action. They need the recoil to cycle. If you rest your Benelli against a fence post and fire, it won't cycle because it can't recoil. My heavier gun needed a lighter recoil spring to operate, I assume the reverse is true so a lighter gun can use a heavier spring to absorb more recoil.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by unclejumbo

I can't comment on that specific model Benelli but I have two, an SBE and an M1. Benelli's inertia recoil system is ultra reliable as long as you don't hang crap on your gun. The spring is calibrated to the weight of the gun. I put a side saddle on my M1 and had to swap out the recoil spring due to the increased weight reducing the recoil. My SBE I did not modify. In order to test it, I loaded low brass, high brass and magnums in the same tube. It fired all of them without hiccup and has fired everything I've fed it since without hiccup.

I do think they kick harder than a gas gun because the gas isn't being bled off to cycle the action. They need the recoil to cycle. If you rest your Benelli against a fence post and fire, it won't cycle because it can't recoil. My heavier gun needed a lighter recoil spring to operate, I assume the reverse is true so a lighter gun can use a heavier spring to absorb more recoil.

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I have an SBE2, and it will cycle everything I throw at it, and regularly use it for clays. Benelli recommends 3 dram equivalent minimum (approx 1 1/8 oz of #8 @ 1200fps for me), and that's what I use most often, but it has cycled lighter loads before. They definitely do kick more than gas operated guns, but they're also some of the lightest semi autos I've ever handled. Heck, it's lighter than a lot of pumps.

Thank you both for the feedback on the Benelli! The majority of my shotgun ammo is 3 dram loads, so maybe it wouldn't end up being an issue for me. The fact that swapping out the recoil spring for different weights is a possibility is definitely a great piece of info.