Home Defense and Competition - What to get?

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Personally I"m a "pump" man, I won't turn down a semiauto but I really like reliability and the cost of a pump. My Nova SP is quite nice for me.


I agree with TexasTactical as he himself I think was the RO when my dad shot the shotgun sidestage of his IDPA match....... my dad hadn't shot anything since about '95, and hadn't shot a shotgun since at least 1991 (Gulf War, he was issued one), so he kept forgetting to pump. We were all yelling "PUMP!" when he forgot after some shots.... he got better after the first couple rounds, but he knew he really needed the practice.

Edit: Benelli M1 Super90s are very nice, as I've shot many but I think I'd prefer the 1100CM or maybe a FN Semiauto Police (a beefed up Winchester Super X2).
 
I'm really leaning towards the Benelli. I think I like the way it handles and the way I can move and acquire with it. I like the fit and finish better than the Competition Master, though the CM is not bad by any stretch of the imagination.

One major difference in the two is closing the bolt.

On the CM, it is a "button" that is part of the shell carrier and when you press it, the bolt closes and you can load a round. So your put one in the chamber, flip it and start loading. The bolt automatically closes.

On the Benelli, the bolt close button is on the side. So there is potentially one more thing to do when reloading.

Has anyone had a problem with this, or felt it slowed them down? How about the overall reloading speed of the two guns? Since that is where many competitions are won and lost, is one better, or is it just a matter of practice, practice, practice??


BTW - Thanks for ALL the input. This is helping more than I can say. What an awesome forum!!!!
 
If, in a practical competition, you are reloading into an empty chamber, you've already messed up as the gun should never be run dry. However, s--t happens, I have a 3-Gun Gear 2 round carrier just ahead of the chamber and have added an extension to my Benelli's bolt release. This is very fast and becomes natural as I load into an empty chamber at the beginning of every stage while loading the gun. I think that as far as stuffing rounds in the magazine tube goes, both guns will reload the same with practice. This winter during the off season, I practiced reloading every Saturday. I have been competing with a shotgun for several years and believe that a Benelli is more reliable then a Remington 1100 based gun when fed the ammo it likes.
 
What do you find to be the ammo that your Benelli likes?

And, in competing, what type of shells are you using most of the time? Obviously slugs come into play, but do you find yourself more with 6-7-8 bird shot or moving up into buck shot?

With all the stuff I ran yesterday, the Benelli seemed to have no problems. I guess it would just be a matter of finding what I do best with in combination with what it cycles best.

BTW - what did you use to practice your reloading? Live shells is not the best idea, and I don't reload shotgun (yet). I was thinking getting someone to make me some 12 gauge "dummies" with shot and no powder or primer.
 
Looks like I am going to get the Benelli M1 Tactical!! :D

So, I need to get some dummy rounds and do LOTS of practicing with reloads. And then with live stuff on the range, practice paying attention enough to not let the gun go empty!!!!!


Thanks to all for the incredible input!!!! I am sure I will have many more questions once I am officially a Benelli owner!!!
 
Good choice Stress!!!!

For steel I use the Remington heavy dove #6, 3 1/4 dram, 1 1/8 oz shot.
These run my gun with a sidesaddle, after it was broken in.

Federal Std 00 buck runs and patterns good enough for me.
 
If you put a sidesaddle on before it is broke in you might have to use high brass #6s. This is what I used to break mine in. I think I ran about 6 boxes of the high brass before I tried the Heavy dove loads.....again. Also the heavy #6s from Winchester with the same 3 1/4 dram, 1 1/8 oz shot load would not cycle my gun reliably when I made the switch to the Remington equivalent load. So apparently the Winchester load is shorting either powder or shot....or something.
 
Accessories?

Ammo, ammo, and of course ammo. After a thousand rounds or so, then consider the bellsnwhistles.
 
Agreed!! I was asking more tongue-in-cheek than anything.

Mag extension (in Sept??), night sights and surefire forend is about all I plan on dealing with. I may try a side saddle at some point, but it may be just as easy to load from a waist or shoulder device, especially if the side saddle **may** make the Benelli finicking.

I think I will go pick it up today or tomorrow. What is the normal procedure BEFORE the first trip to the range? Complete teardown and cleaning, regrease and then the range? What oil/grease have you found to be the best in the Benellis? I use Militech on my pistols, but am up for what works best with the gun.
 
StressPuppy,

I use oil on my Benelli.

Your gun, if purchased new, will be accompanied by Benelli's bottle of oil.

Militec-1 (oil), CLP, RemOil, FP10, Benelli's oil, you name it. Even motor oil.

I use oil for lube with a dab of grease (not too much) on the bolt cam pin.

Give the gun a good teardown and lube and you'll be set.

Like Dave said, purchase a bunch of ammo (first day out) and hammer away.

Jim
 
I'm planning to get to the range about 4pm on Thursday, and since it doesn't get dark until 8pm or later....................... :cool:

Now, if I can get out of here early today and go to the FFL...............

Work....Gun.....Work.........GUN!!!!!!!
 
competing with shotguns

I noticed some of you have referred to competing with shotguns in IDPA. Is this different from using them in PPC? I use my AR at the PPC competition at Chabot gun range in San Leandro (bay area NorCal), but to use the shotgun in that competition, you're supposed to shoot all slugs (60 of them) which I don't want to do. Is IDPA any different?

Thanks
 
As far as I know, IDPA does not have anything with shotguns. It is (I)nternational (D)efensive (P)ISTOL (A)ssociation, after all.

I think what people refer to, myself included, is that some of the IDPA groups have "side-matches" using shotguns. Meaning that when the normal IDPA match is completed, there is an additional stage or stages using the shotgun.

Here in Central VA, it is pretty common for there to be some sort of additional match after the IDPA match, that is not part of the match, nor is it associated with it. And usually there is a separate fee to keep the two completely separate.

Hope this muddy's the water some more................
 
Stresspuppy, Dave is right, run your 'Nelli before buying more stuff. My remark was tongue-in-cheek....

Run it at classes and competition since informal plinking at the range doesn't really help you determine your needs. And with the Benellis don't buy too much of the ammo at once in case it doesn't work.... :eek:
 
FINALLY picked up the Benelli!!!!! :neener:

Plan to head to the range this afternoon with some different stuff, including buck shot and slugs. But mainly 6 and 7 bird shot, about 3 1/4 dram stuff.

I was told to put a good 100-200 rounds through it to get it broken in and such. Then think about side saddle or other.

What loads would you recommend I use to "break it in"?
 
The birdshot you have will work, though you may have a few smokestack jams at first. Live with them and they should dissipate in short order.
 
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I think I is in wub!!!!!!!

I put 50 rounds of 3 1/4 dram, 1 1/8 oz 6 shot through. In the first magazine, I had 2 or 3 failures. I was VERY concerned. But I figured that like most guns, there is a break in period (most have told me 200 rounds).

I kept putting rounds through and never another hitch. I put a couple of 00 buck and about 5 slugs, again, no hitches.

I am heading back out tomorrow afternoon to put even more through. I have a 3 gun match I want to go to on Saturday, so I would like to make sure the gun is functioning and I am used to it.

At first, I thought this "Benelli Thumb" was quite a farce. Let's just say that one of the first things I will be doing is replacing the shell carrier!!! My thumb is sore.

But I do really like the gun. By the time I got to the slugs, I expected to "feel" it. But not so much. I had them mixed in with 00 buck, and when I got to the slugs, I had to stop for a second and look at the target to see the hole to realize it was a slug.

I do need some help/instruction on the best/fastest way to reload. Flip (barrel sure gets hot!)? Or load from underneath? Where to keep the shells?

Thanks!
 
StressPuppy,

RIGHT ON!

Buy a GRIP of ammo and burn it as fast as you can tomorrow, for the break-in, ya know?

At first, I thought this "Benelli Thumb" was quite a farce. Let's just say that one of the first things I will be doing is replacing the shell carrier!!!
Click to expand...

Check out the services offered by a gentleman on these forums, c-rum.

I've never received "Benelli thumb" but have decided to purchase one of his modified carriers. This was due in part to watching my girlfriend's thumb get chewed up on our last range trip.

Jim
 
I do need some help/instruction on the best/fastest way to reload. Flip (barrel sure gets hot!)? Or load from underneath? Where to keep the shells?
Click to expand...

The fastest method that I've employed is the following:
Load what you shoot. Shoot 3, load 3. Shoot 1, load 1, Shoot 'n', load 'n'.
Flip the gun over so the barrel rests on the support forearm (I usually wear a jacket or long sleeve shirt while doing this) and with the strong hand, pull cartridges out of the SideSaddle and look as you load them into the loading port. The problem with this is that I take the gun and my eyes off the target.

However, this is the method that I currently use:
The method that I use for defensive purposes is to load all my cartridges, brass down. This goes for SideSaddle and butt-mounted fodder carriers.
With the support hand, load them into the port. When loading from the butt-cuff, I just bring my arm under and pull the cartridges straight down and then slide them into the magazine. All this takes place with my shotgun and eyes on target.

Spare ammo is attached to my Benelli via SideSaddle and Eagle Ind. buttcuff.

Jim
 
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