Super Black Eagle for HD

treelogger · Apr 30, 2004

Here's a thought. Buy a Benelli Super Black Eagle II, with a nice long barrel. With a good sight, it can be used for hunting (slugs or buck shot). With the same barrel, it might make a decent (but somewhat overkill) trap/skeet gun.

Then, for home defense, get a second barrel, and have a gun smith cut it down to 18". Or maybe the short barrel from a Nova or M1 might fit. Put a ring sight on. Get a magazine extender. Use it for tactical and home defense.

Advantages: For HD and tactical, 3.5" cartridges might be a good idea (for nearly everything else, they are overkill). Also, it is an excellent and reliable gun. And you need to practice with only one gun, so at the time of worst need (in a tactical HD situation), you have the shotgun you're most familiar with. And even though the SBE2 is quite expensive, it is probably cheaper than heaving yet another gun for home defense.

Disadvantages: Can you even shorten the barrel, or obtain shorter ones? Can you get ring sights and magazine extenders for the SBE2? Aren't pump guns more reliable in extreme situations?

I'm looking for an interesting discussion!

Grizzlywinmag · Apr 30, 2004

treelogger said:
Disadvantages:

You forgot cost. The few times I've looked, spare Benelli barrels are running $250 and up. If you can afford an SBE in the first place, though, I guess that wouldn't make much of a difference.

ALMODUX · May 3, 2004

The SBE barrel is attached to an upper reciever...no other Benelli Barrels will fit, and their in th $350 and up neighborhood. It would work, but you'd be much more practical to buy a good $350 HD shotgun and leave the SBE for the field.

JKVirginia · May 3, 2004

That's one advantage to having several different versions of whatever gun you prefer (Benelli, Remington 870, Mossberg 500, what have you). If the gun you hunt with has the same manual of arms as the gun you reach for when somethign goes "bump" in the night, you run less chance of buggering something up.

In the words of some wise man or another... "Beware the man with only one gun; He probably knows how to use it"

Benelli3.5 · May 4, 2004

Treelogger,

A while back I thought about doing the same thing with my SBE, but by the time you add up the cost of the barrel, the sights, and the gunsmithing work, you'd have pretty close to the cost of a new gun (or at least a very good used one).

I also didn't like the idea of having to switch back and forth. Taking into account the number of days I chase ducks and geese a season, the idea of unloading and switching barrels every time I decided to go out wasn't a pleasant one. There's also the extra receiver length to take into consideration. An 18" barreled SBE is about the same OAL as a 20" barreled anything else. Also, most M1s handle light loads better than SBEs. My M1 handles 1oz loads without a hitch, my SBE chokes on them occasionally.

As for 3.5" shells being a good idea for HD, I guess it depends on what you're defending against. If a 2 ¾" load can't do it at HD distances, nothing short of something with a lanyard on it will. I use my SBE with 3.5" turkey loads, and it is not a pleasant experience, it would be difficult at best to make an accurate follow-up shot in a hurry. Luckily, turkeys don't hang out for a second shot anyway. :mrgreen:

After thinking it over, I decided to just break down and buy another gun. The M1 has the same basic parts, same operating controls, and shares the same stock, so there's not much of a difference.

Besides, any reason to buy another Benelli is "a good thing". :mrgreen:

Chuck

Super Black Eagle for HD

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