Randy Wakeman will take issue with your assessment of recoil. Every review I have read of his concerning the Ethos is that is it is a hard recoiling gun. I find that hard to believe, though, since I shoot a 12 ga Montefeltro with 1 1/8 oz loads and have always felt the recoil was quite light and manageable.

Looks like a really nice gun. Keep us informed on the performance!

 

My fiance and I put another 200 rounds through my Benelli ETHOS yesterday, bringing the total number of rounds through this gun to 500...

Ammo used was Federal promo loads - 1 1/8 oz. @ 1,200 fps. and Federal Top Gun pink box 1 1/8 oz. loads...

Performance: FLAWLESS!

 

Again, a very nice gun. Just out of my price range. I'll just have to be content shooting my Montefeltros.

 

Halwg,

this gun was far out of my price range too! I had enough guns to trade in on this one, that kept me from having to pay anything out of pocket for it. Otherwise, it would still be sitting in the dealers gun rack...

 

Continued round count:

Friday -300 rounds Remington Nitro Sporting Clays...

Saturday - 300 rounds Winchester AA...

Total round count - 1,100 with "0" gun issues!

 

I shot an Ethos on a South Dakota Pheasant Preserve last fall, shot 9-10 pheasants a day, using Hi-Powers; 1 1/4 oz loads @1330 fps, never noticed the recoil. No issues with the gun, fast handling, perfect for that upland situation. Really didn't notice any recoil difference compared to the Beretta A-400 Light that I shot the previous trip, using the same load. The Ethos is definitely softer shooting than the Benelli Ultra Light, and about the same as the Benelli M-2 with comfortech stock.
For me, the Progressive Comfort shock absorber in the Ethos stock is a winner!

 

Randy Wakeman will take issue with your assessment of recoil.<Snip>

And I'll take issue with Mr. Wakeman. Let me start with a brief intro, as this is my first post here. I am a life long shooter (I'm 72), but never really shot shotguns until the beginning of 2015. Now I shoot Skeet and Trap.

That being said, I bought an Ethos 11 months ago. It has had 2209 rounds through it as of today. I do only shoot 1 1/8th oz low base loads for Trap & Skeet but under these conditions, the Ethos barely has any recoil. An incredibly easy shotgun to shoot. This week I scored a 828U. We will see how that compares!

 

Bike Effects,

72 years old, God Bless you Sir!

Sounds like you like your ETHOS as much as I do...

As far as Randy Wakeman goes, I have never heard his name before joining this forum, and neither have the guys I shoot with...

 

Two things are for sure; 1) Randy's been around awhile, check out his website, and 2) recoil is subjective. Compare one gun to the next and make your own assessment. Fit is key.

 

Randy Wakeman will take issue with your assessment of recoil.

Nothing could be further from the truth. I don't take "issue" with anyone's opinion of felt recoil and never have. It is merely a matter of opinion and personal preference and there is no reasonable comparative formula for that.

No matter how hot or cold a room is, it is still "Room Temperature." If you say that room feels hot, you're right. If you say the room feels cold to you, you are equally right.

 

Randy, I enjoy your reviews of new guns especially the detailed analysis such as trigger pull, actual gun weight , etc. However, your disdain for any kind of "springy recoil thing" is clearly noted. In the case of the Benelli Ethos, I see the the Progressive Comfort recoil system as innovative and a welcome improvement. The 1/4-3/8 inch of flex when shot with a heavy load doesn't negatively affect my shooting one bit. Same is true of the Beretta Kick-Off setup.
Innovative, compared to the weighty, expensive stock modification(Graco) style of the past.

The Ethos is a stylish evolvement of art of shotgun design,IMO. The trigger pull weight works for me. On the two, I've shot, one safety was a little stiff, but nothing a little lub and working it wouldn't cure. As I recall, you stated you had little use for the gun, which may be the case, since your "go to" upland seems to be a 20ga M2 with 24" barrel. That's great for you, but my guess is there may 10-20% of the pheasant hunters out there that select 3" 20ga over a 12ga, and maybe 10% of them would select a 24" barrel.

 

Again, I think it's a beautiful gun, that is sorely out of my price range!

 

When you finish a discussion of a gun merely by saying "it's not all it is cracked up to be," that is hardly ranting and raving, nor should it be construed as some sort of mandate what other people might like or might not like. Some of the more spectacular "experiences" come directly from my readers: http://randywakeman.com/READERMAILFebruary2016.htm .

One of the most "unwanted" e-mails is from someone who just bought a new gun, and THEN they want to know all about it. That's really the wrong order of things, there is nothing to say except "good luck with it." There is no point to considering reviews after the purchase when you already have the gun in hand, at that juncture it is time to draw your own conclusions.

There are dozens of very long Benelli Ethos threads on Shotgun World, so this ground is extremely well-covered and well-worn at this late date. If the fascination is with the "Progressive Comfort" array, there is no universal agreement on it to say the very least, nor is there anything remotely approaching consensus on the various "Kick-Off" attempts.

As far as the goofy statement that "Randy Wakeman will take issue with your assessment of recoil," that's silly. Felt recoil is and always has been completely personal and there is no formula for how a gun feels to everyone. We can't agree on the single best type of recoil pad, much less the constant barrage of Comfortech, Kick-Off, SuperCell, Micro-Core, Inflex, or even the old "inertia vs. gas operated" stuff. That's why they call them choices.

It is no secret that Beretta, Benelli, Franchi, and Stoeger are all brands of the same company. If the "Kick-Off" was the holy grail, all Benellis would have them. If the Comfortech was the great answer, all Berettas would have them. If the "Progressive Comfort" was the universally agreed upon magic answer, naturally Beretta and Franchi would use this vital, can't live without it approach.

Yet, no Berettas have Progressive Comfort options, no Benelli's have "Kick-Off" options, and so it goes.

 

I too thought this a very nice looking piece, so I bought one in early Octorber. I adjusted the fit and got it to where I liked it the way it came up for a new gun. After putting a flat of shells thru it at trap,skeet and five stand I considered it reliable enough for my SD pheasant hunting.

I hunted with it for two days. The wind was blowing and the birds were moving fast and high so I was shooting over priced and over hyped feather drawing #5 prairie storm. I could hit with it but really felt like it was beating me up. Nothing a good fitted stock would not fix but still too much for my liking. During a break I handed the Ethos to my best friend and said happy birthday. I went back to my Vinci. In my humble opinion it's the best auto loading shotgun to date, provided it fits you correctly.

 

Gold E,

were you not able to adjust the drop and cast to fit you? I probably spent over an hour adjusting the stock for a perfect fit for me, and then I started shooting the gun better...

If there was just one thing I could add to this gun, it would be a 30" barrel. I just prefer long barrels, and think the ETHOS would actually handle better with a longer barrel. Still overall though, it is a very well made and and balanced gun - perfect for upland game, with the occasional duck hunt thrown in for good measure...

I failed to mention the trigger pull in my first post, and after putting another 600 rounds through this gun, it is really beginning to grow on me. Total round count now is 1,700 rounds with "0" issues...

Ok, now the trigger. I have not done anything to the trigger on my gun, and just now put a Lyman digital trigger pull gauge on it, and it broke 7 times in a row at 3 lbs. 5 oz.. No other shotgun I own has as nice a trigger pull as what this gun does. I still like this gun, and so far I have had absolutely no issues whatsoever with it...

 

Gold E,

were you not able to adjust the drop and cast to fit you? I probably spent over an hour adjusting the stock for a perfect fit for me, and then I started shooting the gun better...

If there was just one thing I could add to this gun, it would be a 30" barrel. I just prefer long barrels, and think the ETHOS would actually handle better with a longer barrel. Still overall though, it is a very well made and and balanced gun - perfect for upland game, with the occasional duck hunt thrown in for good measure...

I failed to mention the trigger pull in my first post, and after putting another 600 rounds through this gun, it is really beginning to grow on me. Total round count now is 1,700 rounds with "0" issues...

Ok, now the trigger. I have not done anything to the trigger on my gun, and just now put a Lyman digital trigger pull gauge on it, and it broke 7 times in a row at 3 lbs. 5 oz.. No other shotgun I own has as nice a trigger pull as what this gun does. I still like this gun, and so far I have had absolutely no issues whatsoever with it...

I was able to make it fit pretty well but just didn't like shooting it. I was hoping I would because, as we all know it looks much better than the Vinci. I really prefer the Vinci trigger. It reminds me of a 1911 trigger.

 

MOST shooters who say there is no or little recoil have not shot a lot of shotguns.
Hunting is different and recoil is not as noticeable.
I shoot 3 1/2" shells at geese and do not notice the recoil!
My Beretta 391 quit working in So Dak this December (single shot).
I replace the lifter bar and went to the range to see if I had it fixed.
I shot my pheasant loads. 1 3/8 oz #5. It cycled the loads fine.
The recoil was incredible! Yet, I don't notice it while hunting!

 

Why in the world anyone would ever shoot a 3 1/2" 12 ga. load at waterfowl is beyond me. I think it is one of the worst designs ever for a shotgun! It does NOT increase the kill range, and it does absolutely nothing to bring more birds to bag...

 

Why in the world anyone would ever shoot a 3 1/2" 12 ga. load at waterfowl is beyond me. I think it is one of the worst designs ever for a shotgun! It does NOT increase the kill range, and it does absolutely nothing to bring more birds to bag...

Each to his own.
Rarely do we get the geese to come into the decoys, feet down
These are big Canada geese, 12 lbs. Lots of feathers and fat.
Most shots are are quite long.
I choose to shoot 3 1/2" shells, sorry you don't agree.
I'd shoot 4" shells if they made them! :lol:

 

Why in the world anyone would ever shoot a 3 1/2" 12 ga. load at waterfowl is beyond me. I think it is one of the worst designs ever for a shotgun! It does NOT increase the kill range, and it does absolutely nothing to bring more birds to bag...

Each to his own.
Rarely do we get the geese to come into the decoys, feet down
These are big Canada geese, 12 lbs. Lots of feathers and fat.
Most shots are are quite long.
I choose to shoot 3 1/2" shells, sorry you don't agree.
I'd shoot 4" shells if they made them! :lol:

Plus one on the 3.5 for big migrating 12 plus pound geese, but I'd trade it in heartbeat if Benelli would make a SBE 10 gauge

 

I have shot a lot of the Greater Canadian Honkers, with a 2 3/4" load of T steel, and it will kill any goose ever encounter to 60 yards with ease, provided of course, that the bird is hit...

I goose hunted over five years with Norman Schwarzkopf, and he shot those broom handle shells too. After our first hunt together, never again did he shoot those big shells, or even 3" shells as far as that goes...

 

I have shot a lot of the Greater Canadian Honkers, with a 2 3/4" load of T steel, and it will kill any goose ever encounter to 60 yards with ease, provided of course, that the bird is hit...

I goose hunted over five years with Norman Schwarzkopf, and he shot those broom handle shells too. After our first hunt together, never again did he shoot those big shells, or even 3" shells as far as that goes...

They are Canada honkers, named after Robert Canada!

 

You can shoot Canada's, but you can't shoot Canadians! :lol:

 

Yeah I know, auto-correct changed it and I sent it before realizing it had changed...

 

MOST shooters who say there is no or little recoil have not shot a lot of shotguns.
Hunting is different and recoil is not as noticeable.
I shoot 3 1/2" shells at geese and do not notice the recoil!
My Beretta 391 quit working in So Dak this December (single shot).
I replace the lifter bar and went to the range to see if I had it fixed.
I shot my pheasant loads. 1 3/8 oz #5. It cycled the loads fine.
The recoil was incredible! Yet, I don't notice it while hunting!

I feel like I've shot enough shotguns(100 or so) to say that the recoil on my new Ethos is the same as anything I've ever shoot. Including my 300 ultra. It's non-existent. I have never complained about recoil. Ever. Nor has any other man I've ever been around. Ever. It's just not something anyone talks or is concerned about. It always surprises me to read about it on this board.