Owen Sparks

Galvanic reaction?

I have heard that people in arid low humidity deserts out West run their Benellis "dry", that is without oil because oil traps fine particles of sand and can gum up the action. Would graphite work if you could not use a conventional oil based lubricant?

So, my spare MI Super 90 barrel will fit on the new M2?

No thanks, I havent hunted in 25 years but that would be an equitable swap.

I have one and it is very reliable. The problem is that it does not have a shell release lever like later models. There is no way to get the magazine to release a shell without firing a shot. I have heard that some gunsmiths found a way around this back in the 80's before Benelli added that little silver lever. I would like to have my 121-M1 modified if some gunsmith still knows how.

I have several Benelli shotguns and a few parts and accessories. One spare part is a 20" barrel with slug sights. Should I hang on to it? It seems like this is the least likely part to fail unless I do something incredably stupid. Just curious, OS

Rumor has it that some company displayed a 12ga AR upper at the Shot Show. Supposedly it fits on the DPMS, Rock River .308 lower and uses HK 91 magazines. Has anyone seen this thing?

Has anyone done a modification like this on an 870? I have access to a milling machine and would like to open up the loading gate on mine. The 870 is close enough to the Benelli in shape and operation that loading is esentially the same.

Since I learned to load weak hand I can really heat up my gun. The other day I was practicing loading four at a time and shooting at stationary targets as fast as I could load, shoot and still get hits. after 24 rounds the barrel got really hot. Can this harm the gun? Will it melt the fore end or take the temper out of the springs or something? Just nervous, OS

I recently put 85 rounds through my Benelli in practice and the next day my shoulder had a slight discoloration and a vague soreness that was not really noticable till I did my bench press routine at the gym. It caused me to have to back off on the weights a little. Sunday I put 100 rounds through my 870 with the conventionaly shaped Knox recoil reducing stock and it had zero effect on my workout Monday. I could not tell any difference. This thing works as advertised! It probably is not adaptable to the Benelli's inertia based operation though, especially if you have had your bolt lightened. There is a seperate pump division at the local club (that is IF the Carters have another shotgun match this Summer) and I like to shoot in both divisions. To me working a pump is sorta like driving a manual transmission where the driver becomes part of the machine. I feel more involved.

Our local matches are somewhat independent as they are held as side matches at an IDPA club. "Shells may be carried anywhere on your gun or body" is all the rules say. I load weak hand and when it is advantageous I can get away with it in situations where the round count males me shoot to bolt lock. If I need to grab 4 shells at once, I just manage to fumble the one in my left hand on the way to the shell caddy. No rule against fumbling shells. To avoid messing up all the pistol shooters, we do follow the general IDPA format, use of cover, slicing the pie etc. but other than that these match rules are rather loose and allow lots of latitude. They also have a different division for pump guns so I shoot in both. The shell in the front hand trick with a pump can be done so fast that people don't even notice it, and I'm not really all that fast. I put one of those skinny little rubber Pachmyer fore ends on my 870 that is not nearly as hand filling and allows more room for a "concealed" shell.

Lately I have been practicing shooting with a single spare shell in my front hand in case I shoot dry and the bolt locks back. Using a version of the roll under technique I can load the chamber and push the button much faster than I can fish a shell out of any carrier. This technique is even faster with a pump. Has any one else tried this? Or have I reinvented the wheel?

I have a 1980's production Benelli 121 Military with wooden stocks. This thing is in great shape and shoots faster than I can. Have any of you had one of these? I really like the way it handles. I have only seen one other but the owner did not want to sell it. Were just a few of these imported?

Recently my nice hi-vis light pipe front sight came off somewhere in the middle of a 85 round speed drill practice. I didn't even notice till I found it afterward while picking up hulls. I have heard the skeet guys talk about how a properly fitted shotgun should hit right where you look. "You don't aim a shotgun like a rifle, you point it." and evidently in my case, they are right. If it weren't for slugs, I would have no use for sights at all.

Thanks for the video, 00bullitt, that was amazing. One other thing I learned was that this guy did not run between stages as reloading, even by the fastest, allows time to walk. Funny that they call your left your "weak" hand. As a weight lifter I can tell you my left side is every bit as strong as my right, its just a little bit retarded. I have been playing around trying to improve this by writing left handed and it actually has improved my finger dexterity quite a bit. I really am begining to belive that the weak hand can be developed through practice. Someone once posted a video of Kurt loading, the man is a machine!