The Benelli M1 is a field gun and with the fiberglass stock is not readily modified to clays games. It can be done but requires some extra work based on the particulars of the hollow stock there are some recoil pad makers have made some adapters.
Part of the cleanliness issue will be based on the shells and powders that you use and conditions. Cheap shells tend to burn dirty, with lots of unburnt powder and residue. Better powders and shells have less. In AR when it is dry the field and road dust can get everywhere inside a gun and I've learned to shoot a dry gun or one with less oil.
Two areas of concern with the M1 are:
1) the area where the rotating bolt contacts the barrel. If there is debris in the slots the bolt will not rotate into battery and the gun will not fire as the firing pin will be too far from the primer.
2) the recoil spring assy in the stock. This spring/piston assy needs to be kept free from debris or it can slow the cycling of the shells, especially light dove or target loads.
So, in my personal experience I can shoot 100-500 target rounds depending on the conditions and shells used before needing to really check everything, you could shoot either a sporting clays course or a trap tourney with no problem. One of the nice things about the Benelli is that the bolt assy can be disassembled, cleaned and put back together in no time. You can use a Q-tip to clear the rotating bolt slots or some break/engine cleaner. And some spray oil in the back of the receiver and move the bolt back and forth several times to keep that spring moving freely.
One thing that you will notice is that the recoil is different than either an o/u or a gas operated auto, its just feels different.
I have thousands of rounds through mine, from targets, dove, ducks, geese, turkeys, pigeons, and some blue sky. It works well for sporting clays and 5-stand, but the comb and rib arent right for me for trap and a high gun hold.
And even though I CAN not clean it I tend to break it down anyway, old habits are hard to break.
Part of the cleanliness issue will be based on the shells and powders that you use and conditions. Cheap shells tend to burn dirty, with lots of unburnt powder and residue. Better powders and shells have less. In AR when it is dry the field and road dust can get everywhere inside a gun and I've learned to shoot a dry gun or one with less oil.
Two areas of concern with the M1 are:
1) the area where the rotating bolt contacts the barrel. If there is debris in the slots the bolt will not rotate into battery and the gun will not fire as the firing pin will be too far from the primer.
2) the recoil spring assy in the stock. This spring/piston assy needs to be kept free from debris or it can slow the cycling of the shells, especially light dove or target loads.
So, in my personal experience I can shoot 100-500 target rounds depending on the conditions and shells used before needing to really check everything, you could shoot either a sporting clays course or a trap tourney with no problem. One of the nice things about the Benelli is that the bolt assy can be disassembled, cleaned and put back together in no time. You can use a Q-tip to clear the rotating bolt slots or some break/engine cleaner. And some spray oil in the back of the receiver and move the bolt back and forth several times to keep that spring moving freely.
One thing that you will notice is that the recoil is different than either an o/u or a gas operated auto, its just feels different.
I have thousands of rounds through mine, from targets, dove, ducks, geese, turkeys, pigeons, and some blue sky. It works well for sporting clays and 5-stand, but the comb and rib arent right for me for trap and a high gun hold.
And even though I CAN not clean it I tend to break it down anyway, old habits are hard to break.
