[Benelli Barrels....What's a Good Price for a 21 inch?]

Hey all,

I have an M1S90 with a 24 inch barrel and want a 21 inch barrel like the one I have now that takes the choke tubes and vent rib. I know that finding a used 21 inch barrel is damn near impossible, especially one at a decent price.

So I would like to find out what a NEW 21 inch barrel would sell for and what a decent used 21 inch barrel would sell for and if I had to get a new one, what mods would I have to make to my M1 to make the M2 barrel fit?

Basically I am trying to figure out what it would cost me when I was all finished if I sold my 24 inch barrel and bought a new 21 inch barrel.....or if I was lucky one day and found a decent used 21 incher???

Anyone know or have an idea? I think a new M2 barrel is going for about $430 or so, give or take a few dollars. God that's outrageous.

Thanks

Nalajr

[Where can I buy an M1 21" barrel in black?]

Congrats on the find.

I have been trying to trade my 24 inch M1S90 barrel for a 21 inch for a while and haven't had any luck at all. I've had several offers to buy it though.

I'd like to keep it, but ultimately if I can't get a 21 inch I am going to sell it or trade it off for something I would use more.

Nalajr

[Lets See Pics of Those Benellis....]

Hey all,

I'd like to see some pics of those tricked out Benelli shotguns. Whether they are Nova's, Super Nova's, M1's, M2's or even M4's, I like 'em all. I don't see many pics of Benellis on the other forums compared to Remingtons and Mossy's, I guess there's less owners out there.

Along with the 3 gun and competition Benellis, I would also like to see some Benellis set up for Home Defense. I rarely have seen pics of either the Nova or Super Nova with extended mag tubes.

Post 'em if ya got 'em.

Thanks for the time.

Nalajr

[M1S90 24 inch Barrel Advice....]

Hey all,

I have a Benelli M1 Super 90 with a 24 inch barrel. I have been wanting to swap it out for a 21 inch barrel but have some questions. If I am able to find a 21 inch barrel it will likely be from an M2. If so, will there be any issues with the other components on my M1 like the forearm? Will the M2 barrel drop in without mods? What about adding a mag extension later, would there be any problems if it is an M2 barrel?

I am not a competitive shooter by any means. I don't use my M1 now and think it would be better served as an HD gun with a shorter 21 inch barrel. I wish Benelli stuff wasn't so darn expensive and I could just buy a spare barrel, but that ain't gonna happen when a single barrel is priced at almost $500.

Lastly, I see that they have a 3 gun model now with a 21 inch barrel. I am assuming that is an M2, correct? Do you think the intro of a 21 inch barrel version would likely increase the availability of 21 inch barrels for those out there like me that are looking for one?

Thanks for the help.

Nalajr

[21" vent rib M2 Barrels for sale]

I have a mint 24 inch on my M1 that I have wanted to trade for a 21 but couldn't find any. Now maybe my luck will change!

nalajr

[Interested in your multi-gun Mossberg 930 pics]

WOW!! Now THAT is a cool looking firearm!! Very creative. I don't think I would ever have come up with something like that in a million years.....

I have a question about the 930. Please correct me if I am wrong.

I can understand the 3 gun and competition guys and gals buying the full length barrel 930 and then cutting the barrel back and adding the goodies they want and need that will help them perform better. When it comes to the very casual shooter who is buying a 930 for mainly home defense and maybe the occasional deer or turkey hunting trip, wouldn't you be better off and save money of you just bought the 930SPX? It seems like it's pretty well set up from the factory with all you would need in that capacity.

I haven't priced the plain Jane 930, is there that much of a price difference that you would save money by going that route instead of the 930SPX? You also would have a shotgun that was ready to go right out of the box instead of having to wait for your accessories and the barrel work to get done.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's cool that you all customize your tools to your hearts content. I am just wondering why the non-competitors like me would choose the plain model 930 instead of the SPX.

Thanks for the way cool pics.

Nalajr

[Mossy 930 and 930 SPX......Differences?]

Hey all,

I see threads talking about custom 930 builds. I was wondering if the 930SPX is the same as the stock 930 but just has tricked out sights and such? Do they operate and function exactly the same? Internally are they equal?

Thanks

Nalajr

[Why No Talk or Interest in STOEGER Shotguns?]

Hey all,

I just got done browsing the Stoeger catalog and they have some really nice shotguns. The ones on the front pages really caught my eye because they have the SAME operating system as the Benellis have. So do the pump guns. They even look like Benellis and they are certainly much cheaper than the Benellis are. Now I don't know if the accessories made for the Benellis will fit the Stoeger shotguns, maybe someone else knows and can tell us.

It just seems odd that everyone loves Benelli and here you can get the same thing for much less money and they aren't looking very popular. Does anyone know why? Is there something bad about these Stoegers that I haven't read about? I certainly wouldn't mind having one if I could get a barrel extension for it and a few other goodies. I highly doubt Stoeger would put out a junky or unreliable shotgun, after all they are owned by Benelli.

Does anyone have one of these new Stoeger autos or pump guns? I'd like to hear what you all think about them.

Thanks

Nalajr

[Thinking of Trading my M1S90....Would Like Advice.]

Hey all,

Thanks for the replies and offers. I am definitely keeping the offers in my mind and we'll see what happens. What I am going to do depends entirely if I can find someone that will trade me their 21 inch VR barrel for my 24 inch. If I can't, I will decide what way I want to go then, whether I want to trade it off or have the barrel cut.

I got it out last night to take a look at it. First time its been out in over a year. I marked with tape where possible cut off lines would be so I could see how it would look at that length. The problem with cutting it back at 21 inches is that at that length the cut would fall right in the middle of the supports for the Vent Rib and I don't think the smith would cut it there. It would turn out looking bad I think if he did. So that puts me at either 22 or 20 inches to be close to a VR support so it can be made to look at least close to factory. It's not as simple as just sending it off and saying "chop it off." I gotta make sure in any project like that that I don't end up devaluing what I've got.

I wish someone would just make it easy and trade me. That would make my day.

Thanks again for the advice.

I'd also like to see some pics of your 21 inch Benellis, if you have any.

Nalajr

[Thinking of Trading my M1S90....Would Like Advice.]

Hey all,

I have a Benelli M1S90 with a 24 inch VR barrel. I have had it about 10 years or so and it has maybe 50 rounds through it. It just sits in its case now as I don't hunt and there aren't any clay ranges around me. I also currently don't have a Home Defense shotgun. All this has got me thinking about trading my Benelli for something else like the FN SLP Mark 1. I have never handled one though. There are others that I like, but I really haven't had a chance to look at the various options.

One thing I have thought about is swapping my barrel for a 21 inch VR, but that has went no where. It seems that the people that have the 21 inchers don't want to turn loose of them. The next option I thought about was having my barrel cut back and re-threaded. When I looked into it previously I was told it couldn't be done because of the wall thickness of the barrel. Someone gave me the email of a good shotgun smith and I contacted him and he told me that it can be done but not with BENELLI choke tubes. I would have to switch to something else. His price was pretty good too. I just don't know how well it would come out.

So I am in a situation. I don't know whether to trade my Benelli for another shotgun and not look back or get the barrel cut back.

I'd like to hear what you all think. Do you think the FN would be a good trade for me? What others would you consider in a trade?

As for the barrel cut back, can it be done and come out looking good and working great? I don't want some Frankenstein looking shotgun on my hands.

What do you think?

Thanks for your time.

Nalajr

[First Shotgun for 3-gun]

As for shortening the Benelli barrel, I did a bit of research on it a month or so ago.

I am kinda in the same boat, I have a M1 S90 with the 24 inch barrel that I would like to shorten to 21 inches. The first thing I thought of was having it shortened. I called and emailed a few shotgun 'smiths including the MASTER SMITH Benny Hill. To sum it up, you are looking at probably $200 MINIMUM to shorten the barrel on the M1 and get it set up for use. That doesn't include choke tubes. Mr. Hill told me that the Benelli barrels can't be simply shortened and re-threaded to use the factory tubes, the walls of the barrel are too thin. They can be re-threaded for tubes, but they are special THIN WALL tubes. Naturally this adds money to the job. Another thing is the vent rib. I got the idea that it wouldn't be blended and tapered like it is on a factory barrel if you have it cut. It would be cut back to the nearest rib support. Now that might not matter to you, but it does to me. I want mine to look good too. To get it cut and re-threaded with the thin wall tubes it would probably be in the neighborhood of $250 or so. I don't know how the vent rib would look either.

Option #2. Benelli doesn't make barrels for the M1 anymore. The barrels for the M2 will fit though. There are 21 inch M2 barrels available with choke tubes. A new or GOOD USED M2 12 gauge barrel will cost you anywhere from $400 to $450, depending on who you are buying from. You can sell your barrel and put about $100 with it and get a 21 inch barrel and you're set right? NOPE!! If you get one of the M2 barrels for your M1 your front forearm won't fit anymore. You have to buy one of the M2 forearms and they sell NEW for about $150 or so. I don't know what a USED one would sell for. So if you go that route you are looking at about $250 or so, give or take for a new M2 21 inch barrel and forearm, if you sell your barrel to offset the cost. Straight up buying the stuff puts you at about $600.

Option #3. You can sell your newly acquired M1 with the 28inch barrel and put the money towards a NEW or used M2 with a 21 inch barrel. This would probably run you anywhere from $300 to $450 depending on what kind of deal you could find the M2 for.

Option #4. You can keep your 28 inch barrel and shoot it for a while until you find a 21 inch M1 barrel and then buy, trade or sell your barrel for it. Here again the cost outlay is going to be about $400 for a straight up M1 21 inch barrel, naturally less if you sell yours or trade it.

So that's what I have found out in looking into the exact same thing you are talking about. I am still looking. I am going to try and find a 21 inch M1 barrel and if and when I do, I am going to sell my 24 inch barrel and buy it. Who knows how long it'll take.

Good Luck.

BD

[Can You Shorten a Factory 1100 Barrel without Problems?]

Yeah I could have it cut and rethreaded. I have checked into it with several places. To have it done would cost about $225 and up, depending on how detailed I want it and the chokes used. Apparently when you cut back the Super 90 barrel it is too thin to rethread for the factory choke tubes, instead you have to have special THIN WALLED choke tubes installed. I would also want the vent rib to be shortened and matched up nicely. I am told that they can cut it back to a point where the rib attaches to the barrel and leave it that way meaning it wouldn't be blended in like it is now and it certainly wouldn't look as nice. In just don't think it would look that good, maybe I'm wrong. It certainly would be less expensive than the 1100, you're right. I have recently came to the conclusion that it would be smarter to either wait to find a 21 inch M1 barrel and try to trade my 24 inch for it or sell mine and get it OR get a 21 inch M2 barrel and try and work a similar deal with them. Or I could always have a dealer order me a new M2 barrel and just sell mine and pay the difference which might be as much as $150 or so. If I go that route I would have to buy a new M2 forend because the one on my M1 won't fit the M2 barrel. Who knows how much that forend alone would cost. Benelli told me $159, but I expected that. NOTHING is cheap at Benelli.

So many choices.....

Thanks.

BD

[Can You Shorten a Factory 1100 Barrel without Problems?]

Hey all,

Thanks for the advice. I doubt if I would be able to pick up an 11-87 at the price I can pay, they are just too expensive. The 1100 is much less expensive and that's why I am concentrating on it. I was looking around a shop that carries a lot of USED stuff for different options to set up a RANGE FUN and HD shotgun and along with the 870, I looked at the 1100. There were lots of different guns at all different prices.

I would want it to be able to reliably shoot HD or Home Protection stuff foremost and then I would LIKE it to be able to function reliably with the Value Paks at Wally and other Sporting Goods stores that are 1 1/8th OZ target loads. I think it would be a hoot to stride out to the line with a tricked out 21 inch 1100 with the mag extension and other mods and shoot clays against my buddies that would have full size 870's, Ithacas, Winchester M12's and others. It would just be for fun anyway, nothing serious at all. I can see it now.....

As far as the adjusting of gas ports, would that be something that an amateur home gun tinkerer could do or would it have to be sent to someone that worked on Remington 1100's? If I understand what you all have said, it would be OK to cut back the barrel to say 20 or 21 inches on a 1100 without suffering any reliability or function problems?

If I am able to come up with a 21 inch barrel for my Benelli M1 S90 I wouldn't have to do something like this. But it looks like finding a barrel is harder than I thought it would be......and more expensive too. Those 21 inch barrels are SCARCE...

Thanks for the help everyone.

BD

[Who Makes a ROUND Commander Hammer?]

Hey again,

Thanks everyone for the info. Those hammers from Cylinder & Slide and Kings are just what I am looking for. NICE!!

I'll try to address the point brought up and explain what I am thinking and wanting to do.

I don't claim to be any kind of gunsmith, I just enjoy working on my 1911 pistols and making little changes here and there. I have already made several to it, but I don't mess with things I don't know how to do nor have the tools or expertise to do right. More than likely I would get a new sear when I get the new hammer. If it isn't part of a kit where the parts come already done and ready to go, I will try them and see how the trigger feels and if it isn't acceptable I would send it to a competent smith to have them stoned for correct fit. Of course I would make sure the gun was SAFE before I would ever load the first round into the chamber.

I had no idea Berryhill was making his hammer again. If he is, I will probably go with that one as it looks the best out of all the other hammers i have seen. Larry Vickers now makes fire control parts and you can buy a set that includes the hammer, sear and disconnector and he does have a round style Commander hammer that looks really good. He has the other style Commander hammer too for those that like that oblong kind that comes on most 1911's these days. The only problem with the Vickers parts is that they are EXPENSIVE. The hammer alone is almost $75, if I remember right.

Right now, with the stock hammer, sear and disconnector, my XSE Commander has a pretty darn good feeling trigger. Now i have never felt a TRUE CUSTOM trigger job like a Wilson or Yost so I can't compare. Maybe if I would feel one of those I would think mine felt like crap, who knows. The reason I want to switch to the round style hammer is because I think it LOOKS much better on a Commander sized 1911. I think it gives it sort of a RETRO look which I like. When I do get the new hammer I will make sure I get the other parts to go with it. No sense swapping out a hammer and not getting a new sear and disconnector. They aren't that expensive anyway. I will also make positive that the pistol is SAFE before anything else or worrying about a trigger pull.

Off to check BerryHill.

Thanks for the info and help everyone.

BD

[Who Makes a ROUND Commander Hammer?]

Hey,

The first one is from Berryhill and they are no longer made. I don't think they have been available for a while now. I have seen mention of the Caspian part, but that GIANT hole doesn't really look very attractive. If you compare it to the one in the first link it isn't hard to see which one looks better. It's a no contest. The one in the last link is not a ROUND COMMANDER HAMMER. That's just like the one I have on my Colt now and want to replace.

The hunt continues.

Thanks

BD

[Can You Shorten a Factory 1100 Barrel without Problems?]

Hey all,

I would like to know about the Remington 1100. If I were to pick up a stock 12 gauge 1100 that is used and several years old, could I shorten the barrel without having any reliability problems or any other trouble in other areas? I am talking about going down to say 20 inches or so. Basically I would be turning a hunting gun into a Home Defense gun. I would also want to add a mag extension and other accessories that would be a benefit for use in a HD situation.

What do you all think about such a project? Anything to watch out for that would cause problems?

Thanks for the help.

BD

[Who Makes a ROUND Commander Hammer?]

Hey all,

I would like to replace the factory hammer that came on my Colt XSE Commander with one of the ROUND COMMANDER style hammers. The problem is that they are hard to find. In my Brownells book I didn't see a single one. I know there are some that are available as a KIT, but I don't need a kit. I just need the hammer, strut and strut pin and then I'd be good to go.

I have made a few mods to my Commander and this one is next on the list.

Thanks for the help.

BD

[New 1100 Tac-4 Now what]

I called Benelli just the other day and asked about both the M2 21 inch Barrels and the M2 Shotguns with the 21 inch barrels and was told that the barrels were in LOW supply and that if I wanted one I better place an order quickly and that they were OUT of the M2 shotguns in that barrel length. She said they were expecting them in 6 weeks. I don't know if that makes you feel any better about your wait.

Good Luck with your wait. How about some pics and a range report when you get it?

BD

[What's a Good Alternative to the Benelli?]

Well I would love to get a new M2 with a 21 inch barrel. The problem is that I would have to sell my M1 first and then go hunting for a dealer that sells M2's at some kind of reduced price. I cannot afford to add $500 or $600 to what I would get for my M1 to get the M2. And judging by what I am finding from their dealers in this barrel search I have been on, I highly doubt I'll find any dealers willing to sell a new M2 with any kind of meaningful discount. I would be willing to add some, but I'm sure "some" won't even get me close to the M2.

If you know of any "discount" dealers, feel free to pass them along and I'll certainly check into it.

Thanks,

BD

[What's a Good Alternative to the Benelli?]

Hey all,

I have always liked my Benelli, but when I started going through this stuff of trying to find a 21 inch barrel and finding that every dealer I ask wants full RETAIL for their barrels, it has kinda left a bad taste in my mouth. Combine that with the dozens of reports of people talking about waiting 6 or 8 months to get what they paid for even though they were told it was "IN STOCK" just doesn't give me a good feeling about dealing with them anymore. It's almost like they have an attitude that you are gonna pay what we want and put up with us or you ain't gonna get it. They seen to have very little regard for the people that keep them in business, the US CUSTOMERS!!

So I am really thinking very seriously about dumping this M1 and getting something else. I don't know what else to look at, maybe one of the FN SLP autos. How are those autos working for those that own them? What are the disadvantages to them?

I also don't know about the Remingtons as I have read lots of people that have problems with the gas rings, being picky on ammo, shorter barrels, and such. So I don't know that would be a good alternative either.

What are some other autos I should check out for HD and general shooting fun?

Thanks for the help.

BD

[Any PICS of a 21 Inch Benelli M1 S90?]

Thanks for the pic. That's the very first one I have seen of the elusive 21 inch barrel.

That is one sweet looking shotgun you have there for sure. Now that I have seen it, it makes me want that 21 inch barrel that much more. I am going to have to sell mine and order a new one or trade it or something. Now I gotta have it!!

Thanks again.

BD

[Any PICS of a 21 Inch Benelli M1 S90?]

Hey all,

I just remembered this site for 3 gunners.

I have a Benelli M1 Super 90 12 gauge with a 24 inch vent rib barrel. Since I don't have a Home Defense shotgun right now and my Benelli just sits in my safe without having a round through it in several years, I thought I could make a HD shotgun out of my Benelli.

I had originally checked into cutting the barrel back to 20 inches or so, having it re-threaded to take the factory tubes I have, have the rib shortened and blended to match nicely with the shortened barrel and then replace the front sight. Well it looks like having that done would be quite a bit of money. I also had one smith that told me that it couldn't be re-threaded because the walls would be too thin. So that idea looks like it's scrapped.

I then had someone tell me to look at trying to find one of the Benelli 21 Inch vent rib barrels to buy or trade for. I wasn't aware that they even made a 21 inch vent rib barrel. I looked on their website and didn't see any mention of one and I went to a couple of older catalogs I had and didn't see info there either. I did see a post in here talking about the 21 inch barrel, but there wasn't any pictures with the post.

So I would like to ask and see if anyone has any pics of an M1 with this 21 inch VR Barrel on it. If you do, how about posting it cause I'd really like to see it. Can you tell me about how common they are? Is this the desired barrel length for the 3 gun competitors? Also if they are hard to find, as they apparently are, how likely would it be that someone that had one would trade for a 24 incher or sell it?

I am trying to figure out what way to go with this project and this information you all can hopefully provide will help me out in seeing if I just need to sell mine and buy what I want. The problem I have is that I really like the looks of the Vent Rib barrel....

Thank you all for your time and help with this.

BD