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How Do the Benell Semis Differ from the Stoeger Shotguns?


Nalapombu

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Hey all,

I was talking with a few other shotgun lovers the other night and the topic came up about wanting a new semi.  One wanted to switch to a semi for Home Defense and the other just wanted a reliable semi kind of an all purpose shotgun he could use for home, clay target fun and also some 3-gun when he finds a match close to him.  I mentioned that I owned a Benelli M1 and gave it my recommendation but some had concerns about the price.  I then started talking about the STOEGER M3000 and the M3K.  I don't know anything about them other than what I've read on here and the Stoeger site.  I know they have the Inertia system licensed from Benelli, whom I think owns them.  Isn't the Stoeger Inertia system in a different area than the Benelli?

Would you all mind giving some info on how the Stoeger semis that have caught on so much with you 3-gunners, are different than the Benelli M1 and M2 shotguns that many other 3-gunners swear by and have used for many years?

For those that have compared them, do the Stoeger semis run just as well as the Benelli guns even with the low cost, light weight practice and target bulk packs in Wal-Mart and other sporting goods stores?

Any other info you care to add would be appreciated.  Thanks for your help.

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Disclaimer: I am far from an authority on shotguns.

From the 1000ft view the biggest differences in function between the two is that location of the recoils system and the shell catch arrangement. The Benelli has the main spring in the stock behind the bolt, the M3k has it around the mag tube, forward of the bolt. The inertia system works the same on both, it is just were you place the spring that returns the bolt into battery. I'm not smart enough to say which one is better. The benelli way probably is more reliable as it stays cleaner and last friction, the M3k way just lets you have shorter stocks. The Benelli's shell catch is one piece, the Stoeger is two piece. I like the two piece one for the sake of easy unloading.

Benelli's surely seem better made, but I'm not sure that means the the Stoeger are not made well enough. In my experience I've seen then same number of failures for both guns. My M3000 runs the same ammo Benelli's do and chokes on the same ammo that Benelli's do.

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Failures?? Or do you mean malfunctions?  If we are truly talking failures, I would like to point out that Benelli inertia springs don't seem to break, where as the Stoeger does so with some regularity. Benelli,s don't seem to need their extractors replaced with Benelli extractors....like the Stoeger does. The disconnnect and Hammer sear on Benelli,s also don't tend to break. Next big thing is the receivers don't tend to crack as often (read almost never on Benelli).....those are failures.

Now this is not to run down Stoeger. It is a fine gun for the $$$ and with some simple upgrades it is a fine gun. It is no Breda, or Benelli but for the average 3-gunner it will do yeoman service, but it will need some Breda or Benelli parts for any semblance of longevity. 

Edited by kurtm
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Adding a bit to Kurt's post.

Both will run 2 3/4 Dram (1 1/8 ounce) loads, both can be run a long time without cleaning.  The M3000 is a tiny bit more accurate with slugs than the M2.

The M3000 weighs a little more and that weight is a little more forward which I do not like.  It can also have the stock shortened easier and the handguard is longer, both can be nice for smaller and larger shooters.  I know a few guys over 6 foot that chose it over the M2 because of the handguard.

The Benelli comes with the shims, spacers and offsets to fit the gun (which is a huge deal) whereas you have to do a bit more work to fit an M3000.

I would say that in most cases, people pick the M3000 over the M2 due to cost.  My son picked it because he shot it better than the M2 (and the 1301 and VM) and it was a lot easier for him to load.  He has the P3K signature edition from MOA Precision and it is his favorite gun.

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When I was shopping for a 3 gun shotgun, I had decided that I wanted an inertia as they seem to be the most reliable. The easy answer was the Benelli M2 as they are the most widely used from what I have seen. But I really did not have the money to spend on one, I was going to get the Stoeger M3K but I really did not want a 24 inch barrel.

Read  a thread on here and heard about the Franchi Affinity. The Franchi is made by Benelli in the same factory the M2s are manufactured. They also use the recoil spring setup as the Stoegers. Best way to think of it is a M3000 made actually by Benelli.

I was able to buy my Franchi Affinity off of Gunbroker for $630 dollars shipped. So it was a little bit more than a Stoeger would set you back. A plus is it takes Benelli M2 drop in parts, my has the Taran Tactical lifter, safety and extended bolt release. I have compared it side by side to a Stoeger I do think the quality is a little bit better. For example there are several posts about people having to polish the shell tube where the recoil spring resides. The Franchi comes from the factory with some kind of coating on the tube that is already very slick no need to polish.

Really either way you can not go wrong they are all great guns. Pick one that suits your fancy for whatever reason and you will more than likely be happy.

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  • 6 years later...

Sorry folks,but I have inertia and gas shotguns...inertia guns suck ass,ammo fussy,kick hard,if you don't hold em right they don't cycle. Bought a Mossberg 930 this spring,light kick even with heavy slugs,cycles crap loads reliably,(federal 1150fps birdshot). My m3 only cycles heavy loads. Benellis and any other inertia guns are crap! Sorry but they suck and you got raped like me if you bought one! Love you all🤭.

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Congratulations on your good luck with your 930. Three of my buddies have them and only one guy’s 930 runs reliably. He does however, takes it apart any time he shoot’s it and completely cleans and lubes it. My M2 will run for months without that much maintenance. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

The 930 is ridiculously sensitive to cleaning; if it’s a shotgun heavy match you might need to clean it mid-match. They seem to have problems when they go over 150-ish rounds between cleanings. I have nothing positive to say about that shotgun; I see so many newbies show up with a jam pro expecting it to be hot s#!t only for it to go down halfway through the match.

 

As for the other complaints about inertia guns, yeah, that’s fair, but most of them can be solved by hitting the gym and finding a consistent ammo load. I’m a smol lady and manage my M3K just fine. 

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On 9/8/2022 at 9:25 PM, dapribek said:

Congratulations on your good luck with your 930. Three of my buddies have them and only one guy’s 930 runs reliably. He does however, takes it apart any time he shoot’s it and completely cleans and lubes it. My M2 will run for months without that much maintenance. 

Yeah my 930 was a piece of s#!t. I got it running. Right into an m2 that runs and runs and runs. 

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  • 3 months later...

I shoot regular with a couple guys that have the m3k. I've got a 930 jm. Funny thing is I've had to loan both of them my shotgun to finish a match. I may have gotten lucky but the only time my 930 has ever malfunctioned was when the trigger stop screw backed out. A little red loctight and never another problem. One of them has finally switched to an m2.

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