SBE1124" and A400Extreme26

[ffgats]

Up North we are limited to 5rnds (SEMI) of the longest shell the SG is chambered, so the 3.5" will at least take 7 rnds of 2 3/4, a round more the 3" chamberSG.

Im interested with these 2 SG models only ( No VM)

Both are 3.5" chambered, prices are very close and reputation are almost at par

Handled both SG at Cabelas and Bass Pro although the A400 is heavier and bulkier it seems to swing and balance nicely, the SBE on the other hand is lighter and slimmer. My concern is more on the modification that can be done on the A400 especially on the loading port area, there are 2 pins on both side of the loading port are, I beleive the pins are for the bolt release lever and shell stop lever. these 2 pins might limit on how far the loading port can be lowered. any feed back , opinions and experience would be very helpful. especially on actual shooting handling, reliability and ease of modification.

by the way its for IPSC/ 3gun and ocassionally trap too. Thanks

[co-exprs]

Either gun willl serve you well. A quick observation if I may. If your shotgun will spend as much time in the blind as at the range and you are looking for maximum versatility, the A400 is faster cycling than the SBE, will run lighter loads for 3gun, without swapping springs and has noticably less recoil with heavy duck and goose loads. This makes it a supremely versatile scattergun. If you are an occasional hunter and not bothered by the heavier recoil of the SBE then the superior balance, weight and pointability of the Benelli would be a wonderful fit. I will be back at the local shop tomorrow and look at the pins you are wondering about. See if there will be any issues with the A400. Both guns are excellent choices and either will serve you very well.

[ffgats]

Thanks for taking the time, I have both the 1301 and M2, so the SBE and A400 are 3.5 version, you are more technically have the know than me, would appreciate your opinion on this. Like I said my concern with the A400 is the loading port. 80% on this gun will be for Ipsc/3gun, and 20%informal trap, no hunting on this

[co-exprs]

I know that the SBE is known as "the" hunting gun. But in this case I think it is probably your best choice for an IPSC shotgun as well. The SBE is better balanced and quite a bit lighter. The safety is in the right place and you can get it in a 24". You can easily set it up to run lighter loads as well. The A400 is a fantastic shotgun, but the main advantage is lighter recoil with the heavy loads. If you are using it for mostly IPSC shotgun, the SBE wins in almost every other catagory. I will still let you know what I find regarding the A400 load port.

[co-exprs]

Here is a photo of the bottom of the A400. The pins in question are deeply recessed into those holes and will not be any problem at all. However, there are two other issues to consider. 1st is the location of the SN. It's right where you would want to open up the feed port. This is not a major issue if your load technique is old style weak hand from caddies or if you do the over the shoulder load two method with your right hand. With those two techniques, you could get away with a light chamfer on the SN side and a deep cut on the other side of the port. If however, you prefer load two with your left hand, Horner style caddie loading or quad loading, you would need to lower the SN side more than this configuration will allow and in my opinion, would be a major show stopper. The second concern and this is a much smaller concern is the placement of the shell release button. If you are running load 2 method or quad loading, you will be striking that button often. When the button is struck at the wrong time, it will attempt to release a shell, as you are trying to depress the lifter and could gum up the works. Between you two chosen platforms, I think the SBE is going to be your best choice by far.

[ffgats]

I have a 1301 and it's almost the issue with the serial#, although I use load 2 strong hand so it's not that bad, most likely it will be modified same as the 1301. Since it's a 3.5" chamber, is it safe to say that the port of the a400 is more generous?

Btw, big thanks for all the effort

Francis

[co-exprs]

Yeah, there is plenty of meat all the way around. Just don't get into that SN.