[Revopop]

I ran across a deal on a used Benelli M1. It was a cop gun, so it has an 18" barrel, ghost ring sights, and an extension which I think makes it 7+1 capacity. I know this is less than ideal for 3-gun, most like a longer barrel, greater capacity and a vent rib, but how much of a disadvantage would it be? I'm not going to shoot my first 3-gun match until spring, I have very little experience with shotguns, I have an FN police pump gun that I've only ever used for informal clays. I like the rifle sights on that gun, but I find Benelli rifle sights to be less than useless.

I was just going to save up a little more and get an FN SLP, but I ran across a deal on this Benelli and I'm wondering what the experts would recommend.

[bigbrowndog]

if it comes with screw in chokes it is perfectly useable, if the sights are the low profile rifle sights it is perfectly useable, if its fixed choke it can be useable you will just have to play with ammo selection for some targets, if the sights are the high profile rifle sights barrel and receiver mounted, take them off and mount a lower profile set or wait and get another barrel.
I shot a fixed choke, low profile sight gun for the first year or two and did not feel needlessly handicapped.

Trapr

[Merlin Orr]

Useless. Totally.

Benelli barrels are next to impossible to find. If it has the pistol grip stock that is problematic and hard to get to run correctly with regular ammo.

Non vent rib barrels suck large for flying targets and are harder to point.

Pass it by.

Just my .02.

[Charles Bond]

I started out shooting one of these and did not have the screw in chokes so everything was shot out of cylinder bore which was OK with quality ammo. Pistol grip stock loads well weakhand but less well strong hand. Gun worked well and never failed and the price you will save on this one over a new M-2 will pay a couple of match entries and the ammo you need to shoot it. And if in the future you go with the M-2, these are solid home defense guns.

[StealthyBlagga]

I assume the 7+1 is with a ghost load ? If the deal is good, jump on it and get an extended mag tube to get up to 8+1; it does not matter if the barrel hangs way out past the muzzle, you won't shoot it off. As for the choke, don't worry about it - I've run a sawn off barrel for 10 years and still place near the top of most matches I shoot (what I lose on long steels I gain on close clays). If you find some steel give you trouble, buy a few boxes of heavy game ammo and use it when you need a little extra horsepower.

If the price is close to the Winchester/FN, then look at it first. You can't really go wrong with either.

This post has been edited by StealthyBlagga: 20 October 2009 - 08:01 PM

[Bryan 45]

Get it if the price is good. When you feel your performance is being handicapped by this shotgun, you will easily be able to sell it for what you spent on it.

Some of the old HK marked M1s have a fixed magazine tube that you cannot change out. Not really a problem, but you will be stuck w/ 7+1+1 if that's the case.

Of course, if dropping the money on the SLP isn't a problem, you may as well start at the top.

This post has been edited by Bryan 45: 21 October 2009 - 04:50 AM

[Revopop]

What I'm looking at is $650 OTD for the M1 vs. $800 plus tax for the SLP. It does have the regular (non-PG) stock, fixed choke and ghost ring sights, rear sight is on the receiver.

This post has been edited by Revopop: 21 October 2009 - 01:48 PM

[Rob D]

I'm in almost the exact same boat except for I already bought my M1. I got the HK marked police model for $550 with a surefire forend/flashlight. It holds 7+1+1, has low profile iron sights, no pistol grip, and 18.5" cylinder bore. I've been trying to find a barrel to swap out, but it seems like they're impossible to find. I'm thinking hard about just selling this gun to someone for home defense and rolling the money into an M2 or something.

[BigCat88]

Merlin Orr, on Oct 20 2009, 05:25 PM, said:

Non vent rib barrels suck large for flying targets and are harder to point.

Just my .02.

I would disagree on the non-vent rib comment. When I fist got my FN SLP MK1, I took it to the sporting clays (100 rounds)course to break it in, and did just as well as with my O/U Beretta Sporting. Ribbed v. non-rib barrel = push, in the right hands. And when they stick those flyers in with the steels and poppers....haven't missed one.......YET. (knocking on wood)

[shooter steve]

While the FN does not have a vent rib, I still wouldn't put it in the "non vent rib" category as the little rail on top and the front sight act as a raised rail in a way. It isn't a rail, but it is a long way from looking at a low mounted bead at the end of a long smooth barrel. My FN is a long way from sighting down the barrel of my old Win model 12. Just my .02. I know this is serious thread drift, so I'm not trying to derail anything. Sorry in advance.

[BigCat88]

shooter steve, on Oct 21 2009, 10:10 PM, said:

While the FN does not have a vent rib, I still wouldn't put it in the "non vent rib" category as the little rail on top and the front sight act as a raised rail in a way. It isn't a rail, but it is a long way from looking at a low mounted bead at the end of a long smooth barrel. My FN is a long way from sighting down the barrel of my old Win model 12. Just my .02. I know this is serious thread drift, so I'm not trying to derail anything. Sorry in advance.

Very good point. But concerning flyers, if a person is shooting instinctively, does it matter (rib/no rib)? I aim my rifles and point my shotgun.

[Revopop]

The main thing that's making me hesitate is the Benelli barrel availability issue. It just annoys me that you can easily find reasonably priced barrels for virtually any other shotgun, and it makes me not want to buy their stuff.

[Rob D]

Revopop, on Oct 21 2009, 11:54 PM, said:

The main thing that's making me hesitate is the Benelli barrel availability issue. It just annoys me that you can easily find reasonably priced barrels for virtually any other shotgun, and it makes me not want to buy their stuff.

+1 I still want a Benelli because they're awesome, but somebody should start selling some aftermarket barrels. The only new barrel I've seen available is the 24" rifled slug barrel with irons on it, and it's somewhere around $500. You would think a guy could at least buy SOMETHING with a vent rib and a bead.

[Charles Bond]

Revopop, on Oct 22 2009, 12:54 AM, said:

The main thing that's making me hesitate is the Benelli barrel availability issue. It just annoys me that you can easily find reasonably priced barrels for virtually any other shotgun, and it makes me not want to buy their stuff.

There is an entire recent thread on that. My advice is to find you a cop buddy and let him see if he can secure it. Benelli seems to offer law enforcement special attention.

I think I have exactly the same gun as you are considering except mine has the pistol grip. I would not take $650 for mine even though I have likely put over 100 cases of shotshells through it.