WHICH KICKS HARDER?

[CraigS.]

RaymondMillbrae - You didn't mention if your shooting pardner let you shoot his M2, try it and some other makes

thats the only way you will know what is right for you.

Edited October 3, 2009 by CraigS.

[EkuJustice]

Im the opposite of most. I can't shoot a light shotgun near as well as I can shoot a "heavy" one. The 1100 is borderline weight wise for me and the benelli is just way to light feeling. I I never move my arms when I shoot the shotgun either so the extra gun weight isn't a problem. Granted that comes from shooting an 11-11.5 pound K-80 for years too.

[1bigshooter]

Like so many things in our sport, I think the answer is subjective.

I have shot an 11-87 for 10 years. Recently bought a 22" FN-SLP. I am very impressed, I love the way it handles, recoils, and the action is absolutely smooth (especially compared with my Remi)

Anyone who aske me - I tell them to get the FN.

[pangris]

I run an 11-87 police with an 870 shell carrier... runs slick as can be, recoil is nil, sights are great, big dot safety is impossible to miss. I love that gun. I had an 1100 for years that never missed a beat.

Clean your guns and they will run fine for 200-300 low brass shells. Mine has never choked on high brass.

[sargenv]

I run a Browning Gold and I can run everything from the lightest 7/8 ounce target load up to the heaviest 3" magnum steel, tungsten/lead load through it. I like the way it feeds and shoots. I use it for everything (hunting, clays, and 3-gunning). It may not be the best gun out there, but it is the one I like.

[larry weeks]

I have a Benny Hill M2 that just runs. Oily or fairly dry, clean or dirty, never missed a beat. I loaned it to a friend for a match after his new/used 1100 became a single shot. I use it for trap (that 21" barrel and ext. tube really gets them talking!) just to become more familiar with it. I've hit 22 with it, but you have to really push to keep it swinging. I did have to shorten the comfort tech stock beyond the pad retaining ring. Glued and screwed wood plugs in and screwed a Pachmayr pad to them. Ugly but fits me. Another great thing about the Benelli is/are the adjustable spacers between the butt and the action. Gets the drop and cast just right, without a gunsmith.

[CocoBolo]

I shot 1100 Remingtons since 1964, I love them guns. They kick less than a Benelli and they weigh less than the FN, which I consider superior to the Benelli, and it will cost less. So what's the real question.

I don't think the 11-87 is as good as the 1100.

I'm shooting an FN SLP MKII love that gun, got it for $629 new last year. When and if I move to open it will be a 1100 or a Saiga.

Good Luck

[Bear1142]

Ray,

There are two primary reasons the Benelli will recoil harder, weight and operating system. Because the Benelli's don't use a gas operating system, they require fewer parts. Fewer parts equals lighter weight. The less weight a firearm has the more it will recoil (all things being equal.) The second reason is the operating system. The "Intertia Locked Bolt" system is basically a delayed blowback system. The entire energy from the spent round is put into the operating system. The system uses part of the recoil to operate the action, but the rest of its continues onto the shooter. The Remingtons and the SLP are gas operated systems. They are heavier due to the extra parts from the gas operating systems and they only use a portion of the expended gas to operate the system. Not the entire amount of available energy like the Benelli's. These are the main reasons why the Benelli's will recoil a bit harder, but with proper technique you can still shoot them extremely fast. Here's a quick video of me shooting 5 rounds of 00 buckshot in about 1 sec. It can be done, it just takes practice.

When is comes to selecting a shotgun, there are two things you should consider. Reliability and Durability. The Rems can be made to be reliable, but they were never designed to handle the abuse that 3 gun competition shooters generate. If you decide to shoot a Remington, keep a full kit of spare parts in your range bag because you will break it. The SLP's are a more modern design and they seem to be holding up under the strain of competition much better. If I had to run one of these shotguns, I would go with the SLP, hands down. Of course, there is a reason the Benelli's are so popular. They are the most reliable and durable shotguns on the market. There is a reason the vast majority of the top 3 gun shooters in the Country shoot Benelli's. They work and they last. I would be remiss if I didn't advise you to get a Benelli and jump aboard the bandwagon with your friend. You won't be disappointed.

When is comes to outrunning shotguns, I can outrun any Benelli on demand and I've done it in competitions. Never done it in a match, but I do it in shotgun side matches all the time. There have been times in matches when I've wanted to shoot a string of poppers faster than I did, but I was worried about outrunning the Benelli and so I slowed down a bit. I don't think it hurt me in the match, but it does occasionally mess with my confidence.

Erik

Edited October 9, 2009 by Bear1142

[kurtm]

I would add one more criteria to Eriks wonderful post ( sounds like I am sucking up doesn't it? And he isn't even going to be a match director at any match I am going to shoot.) It has to FIT you or be able to be made to fit you. IF it doesn't, no matter what, you won't be able to use it well! KurtM

[Charles Bond]

Posts like those from Erik and Kurt above make this forum a must read.

[bigbrowndog]

Given the info from Erik, and understanding that the only real difference between a M2 and M1 is the stock, replacing the factory recoil pad on an M1 or any SG not using a newer technology recoil pad will make a worlds of difference in the felt recoil.

Just like recoil preferences in pistols (quick and snappy vs. soft and smooth) the felt difference in a Gas gun and a Recoil gun is a personal preference, I know when I first shot my Benelli I was used to Remmy's and I had to ask if the gun had kicked a shell out because it happened so fast. The majority of Gas guns I've fired feel soft and sluggish to me compared to the quick snappy feeling a Benelli generates. this can lead to thinking that the Gas gun simply kicks less because the recoil impulse is spread out over a longer time frame.

What Kurt said about the gun fitting you, is something that many many shooters do not take into consideration, I have shot my SG's with a standard length pad, and just recently tried a shorter one and the difference in fit and mounting is amazing, the difference in length is only 3/8".

Trapr

[00bullitt]

To add to Erik,Kurt and Traprs posts....I just wanted to talk about the gun I replaced my Benelli with. The Winchester SX3.

Its basically the same gun as the FN SLP MkI but on a diet and it has a vent rib barrel but 26" instead of the 22" barrel of the FN. My SX3 weighs under 7#. Benellis weigh in at a little over 7#. The FN is just over 8#.

My Benelli was a jam up shotgun. It was the older M1 that was purchased used from another Benos member when I first got into 3 gun in 2006. I put a little over 15k rounds through it on top of the undisclosed round count he had run through it. It always ran assuming you kept good springs in it and a little oil on the bolt. Recoil to me was very manageable. It was a little finicky on its diet but I just fed it what it wanted.

I would not hesitate to own another Benelli but this time probably an M2. What got me interested in the SX3 was that I won one of the FN's and shot it some and really liked it. It was very soft and ate just about anything I put in it. A little unlike the Benelli. But at just over 8# it was a bit heavy but it soaked up alot of recoil and at the same time cycled extremely fast. Like Erik(the moose that he is) I could outrun my Benelli on demand even with a lightened bolt. Its never happened in a match but it has happened in one side match that I remember at FNH 2 years ago. Now for the SX3......its a bit longer than the FN and Benelli with a 26" barrel but bearable. The most notable thing was that it was a gas gun at a bit under 7#. Notably lighter feeling than the Benelli and with a 26" barrel. But...recoil was more in line with the Benelli.Much snappier. Definitely not as soft as the FN. But I liked it. Fast and snappy and very light to swing like the Benelli. But,I wanted a SG the length of the Benelli to be able to work a bit smoother in confined spaces. The 26" worked fine 95% of the time. But there were those few instances that I wanted the shorter barrel so I decided to send it off and have it cut down which turned out to be a nightmare in itself. But I really liked the way the gun handled with a 22" vent rib barrel. Plus it knocked another 3 ounces off the weight of the gun. But for comparison sakes.....heavier guns definitely soak up more recoil. But the lighter ones are in no way unmanageable. A quick note on the 1100/1187 gas guns. they are a bit heavier than the Benelli and recoil is felt much less,but it also feels very sluggish to me. I'm personally not a fan of the Remmys.

Just like what was mentioned....reliability and durability are a huge factor in our game. And I will say in closing.....that shotguns are just finicky by nature and all of them will hiccup. Some hiccups will be smaller and easier to deal with than in other brand guns......but shotguns are gonna have their moments. Just seems to be the nature of the beast. Benellis have a very good track record and the Winchesters and FNs are coming on strong.

Take up all offers to shoot as many as you can before buying.

[gose]

I have both an M1 and an M2 and I know of a few 1100s around, so if you want to run them side-by-side, let me know.

I'm ROing at Richmond next Sat (17th), so I could bring them then, if you want, or we could met at JA any time...

[Rennie]

The best cure for felt recoil I have found is to shoot an ATA regestered trap match the day before a multigun match.After 500 or so rounds fired through a trap gun any semiauto shotgun feels soft.

I spent years with an 1100 that fired flawlessly in practice but failed too many times in competition, had Benny build a M2 for me and have not had a failure yet.

Rennie.

[MRMAJOR]

Well I love my Benelli and have for a long time like so many folks BUT for my two cents there is no doubt the softest shooting Shotgun is a properly tuned Saiga (AK47).

And there are so many things an IPSC shooter can fine tune like loads, amount of gas let into and regulated by system and recoil springs etc, etc..