chp5 Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 I just purchased a used M1S90 for use as a Limited SG. I keep hearing about the "Benelli thumb." What is it? How do you avid it? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidwiz Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 It is when your thumb gets caught between the shell you are loading into the magazine and the lifter. The lifter rides up on your thumb where the cuticle and nail meet, and rips a big honkin' piece of skin off. It does hurt, I can tell you and bleeds quite a bit! The fix is to have someone weld up the lifter, so that it extends so that it almost comes in contact with the magazine tube. Beven Grams of Grams Engineering does this. -David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtm Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 Pat Kelly in Kansas/Oklahoma also welds them up! He did mine and it is a work of art. I think he charges $50.00 for this service and it is well worth it. I know he did a big batch of them for Mid South shooting Academy. His turn around time is usually 1 week as opposed to Bevins 4-5 weeks ( he is busy tuning mags and I REALLY RECOMEND THIS SERVICE from Bevin). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glockster96 Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 A (poor) picture of my Benelli after Pat welded the lifter. E-mail me if you want better pictures (I'll have to take more). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardschennberg Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 One word: GLOVES! Richard Schennberg.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chp5 Posted March 18, 2005 Author Share Posted March 18, 2005 Thanks Guys. I haven't caught my thumb yet, but I guess it's only a matter of time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PacMan Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 Fixed mine without welding, just take a Dremel to the scallop part of the receiver in front of the feed gate, and lots, lots, lots of practice. Haven't had a blue thumb in a year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paule Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 Pat's lifters are nothing short of exquisite. Getting ready to send him some more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AH6IP Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 Are the lifters aluminum? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gun Geek Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 Any contact info for pat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeamGE Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 Here is some info for you guys that are extending the lift gate to help solve "the Benelli thumb". There is more work that needs to be done to the gun if you don't want feeding problems. The notch in the end of the lift gate, (that your thumb is getting stuck on) is there to help guide the nose of the shell to the chamber. When you fill it in and extend it, shells will have a tendency to feed more eratic, sometimes trying to feed into the extractor notch in the barrell or even out the ejection port. This becomes worse if you are holding the gun with the ejection port toward the ground. When I extend the lift gate, the extention is not flat, but curved, and to help the shell get into the chamber, I do some extensive blending of the chamber entry so the shell won't get stuck on square corners. This issue was the first of many problems that I ran into when modifying the M1. So, modify'ers beware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AH6IP Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 One of the things I tried (while experimenting with a Benelli) is shortening the shell carrier, like I do on a Browning Gold. With that being said, I had to bend the carrier so the mag tube feed angle didn't change. It seems to work real well, and of course, being shorter, your thumb doesn't get caught. Feeding into the chamber still works just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glockster96 Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 E-mail contact for Pat Kelley (the one in Oklahoma, not Oregon): kelley.pat@sbcglobal.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claudio Posted March 19, 2005 Share Posted March 19, 2005 This is how I modified my lifter in order to stop "Benelli thumb". I had to do no other mod's with regards the feeding, to the gun whats so ever. As I kept the angle that the lifter, lifts the same - I have had no feeding problems what so ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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