clueless
29-08-2006, 03:54 PM
Hi everyone, have been reading the site daily for a couple of months now and have learnt a lot from you guys, so i thought i would put a little back, not great at this sort of thing, but here goes!
I have owned and used shotguns and firearms for twenty odd years now and although i have always been really keen on the slightly unusual and occasionally military/police style of weapons, i have always stuck to sporters, ie over & unders, bolt action rifles etc more for the sake of fitting in with the norm at my local shooting grounds. However a converstation with a sadly deceased friend made me realise that life is too short to spend trying to please others and more importantly that i should stop almost apologising for my chosen sport, after all a gun is a gun regarding of looks...
Anyhow enough waffle, after managing to track down and try my first choice, (Spas 12), i decided although fun, it was not the gun for me, and sticking along the same functioning of action i bit the bullet so to speak and ordered a Benelli M3 switchable auto/pump from Bond & Bywater in preston. I was told to expect a sizable wait as the gun would have to be ordered from the factory in italy and as i know from my job, italian manufacturers can be a bit slow during the summmer months. 6 months later (and many phone calls to beechwood the importers) my gun finally arrived.
My M3 came as standard spec for the uk with 5+1 capacity wearing a fully synthetic stock and fore-end. the barrel length is 26inches and the gun weighs in at approx 7lbs when empty. i had also ordered a pistol grip stock from bennelli. Also included are five interchangeable screw in chokes along with choke key, gun oil and full instructions. My only dissapointment so far was the gun arrived in just it cardboard and polystyrene packaging. I also have a benelli super black eagle and costing the approximately the same (£795.00) this came with a solid plastic carrying and storage case.
The gun was however extemley well protected by oiled packaging and was realtivly straightworward to assemble. Just a question of inserting the bolt handle into the breech bolt unit, take the magazine cap and front sling swivel
off and slide the barrel over the pump handle and into the receiver. screw the front sling swivel back on and the magazine cap and bobs your uncle.
Excitement time, i have had probably a dozen semi autos and used to have winchester ranger pump for rough shooting many years ago, but none have the look of this thing. The front section from the back of the pump handle towards the muzzle is extremly solid, very special purpose looking. (dont wish to send like some sad military wannabe, but is the only way i can describe it). Even though it is quite square looking and relativley heavy when loaded it comes to the shoulder exeptionally quickly and swings like it has a much shorter barrel.
Loading procedure is pretty much standard stuff for an auto. First of all push the safety catch from the left side of the reciver to engage the catch then pull back to lock the bolt, drop in your first cartridge and release the bolt, turn the gun upside down and fill the magazine. Its chambered for up to 3inch magnum cartridges, but i used a case of lyalvale express super comps to bed it in.
On its first outing it went to my usual shooting ground and i was only around ten off my usual score on a round of sporting. I usually use a beretta 687 EELL and and i could not belive how well the gun performed, using my usual clay load there is so little percived recoil i shot well over 500 carts in one session with no tiring effects and not one malfunction of the guns part. the gun attratcted a lot of intrest as well and everyone who had a go was as impressed as i was. Although to keep in with the clubs owner i kept it on semi as their policy is no pump guns allowed at any time. Unfortunate but thats the rules.
I had the chance to use the pump the next day at Blackpools shooting grounds. It may sound a little complex but switching to pump is a doddle and takes a coulpe of seconds at most. At the front of the pump handle is a spring powered swivel ring, just a quarter turn anti-clockwise and the pump handle drops a couple of mils and locks itself.
Just pull back on the pump grip and you have a conventional pump gun, this gun was originally designed for police/military use and this feature is supposed to enable the gun to fire low powered rounds such as gas or bean bags. For me though it just adds a bit of fun to shooting as there is no need to use it really. Using the same loads as the previos day, there is a little more kick but still not that noticable comapred to a standard field gun. My Scores dropped drastically using the pump as cycling the action tends to pull you off target although i was having too much fun to care.
Two weeks later on my uncles farm, my cousin and i ran some heavier stuff through it including BB, AAA, and finally SG. This was in prep for a planned fox hunt as they have been having big probs this year including two of his daughters pet cats killed within a week. I am not a big hunter and tend to stick to targets of varying sorts. But we eventually bagged it with 2 carts of 36SG at 35yds, i have never seen knock down power like it even with center fire, although i do not condone shotguns for fox, we all know that centerfire is more likely to guarantee the results required, but the benelli was there at the appropriate time.
I have now put more than 5000 assorted carts throgh it and it has never missed a beat, in fact i like it so much i rarely use any other shotgun unless i am shooting somewhere where it is frowned upon.
Its exceptionally weather resistant and very easy to strip and clean which i must admit to not doing very often, it does not seem to get dirty easily, which is always a bonus.
I cannot recommend it highly enough. and If anyone tells you (whatever you shoot) they are not suitable or acceptable, then BO***CKS to them and go elsewhere there are plenty of shooters who still enjoy the fun aspect....
I have owned and used shotguns and firearms for twenty odd years now and although i have always been really keen on the slightly unusual and occasionally military/police style of weapons, i have always stuck to sporters, ie over & unders, bolt action rifles etc more for the sake of fitting in with the norm at my local shooting grounds. However a converstation with a sadly deceased friend made me realise that life is too short to spend trying to please others and more importantly that i should stop almost apologising for my chosen sport, after all a gun is a gun regarding of looks...
Anyhow enough waffle, after managing to track down and try my first choice, (Spas 12), i decided although fun, it was not the gun for me, and sticking along the same functioning of action i bit the bullet so to speak and ordered a Benelli M3 switchable auto/pump from Bond & Bywater in preston. I was told to expect a sizable wait as the gun would have to be ordered from the factory in italy and as i know from my job, italian manufacturers can be a bit slow during the summmer months. 6 months later (and many phone calls to beechwood the importers) my gun finally arrived.
My M3 came as standard spec for the uk with 5+1 capacity wearing a fully synthetic stock and fore-end. the barrel length is 26inches and the gun weighs in at approx 7lbs when empty. i had also ordered a pistol grip stock from bennelli. Also included are five interchangeable screw in chokes along with choke key, gun oil and full instructions. My only dissapointment so far was the gun arrived in just it cardboard and polystyrene packaging. I also have a benelli super black eagle and costing the approximately the same (£795.00) this came with a solid plastic carrying and storage case.
The gun was however extemley well protected by oiled packaging and was realtivly straightworward to assemble. Just a question of inserting the bolt handle into the breech bolt unit, take the magazine cap and front sling swivel
off and slide the barrel over the pump handle and into the receiver. screw the front sling swivel back on and the magazine cap and bobs your uncle.
Excitement time, i have had probably a dozen semi autos and used to have winchester ranger pump for rough shooting many years ago, but none have the look of this thing. The front section from the back of the pump handle towards the muzzle is extremly solid, very special purpose looking. (dont wish to send like some sad military wannabe, but is the only way i can describe it). Even though it is quite square looking and relativley heavy when loaded it comes to the shoulder exeptionally quickly and swings like it has a much shorter barrel.
Loading procedure is pretty much standard stuff for an auto. First of all push the safety catch from the left side of the reciver to engage the catch then pull back to lock the bolt, drop in your first cartridge and release the bolt, turn the gun upside down and fill the magazine. Its chambered for up to 3inch magnum cartridges, but i used a case of lyalvale express super comps to bed it in.
On its first outing it went to my usual shooting ground and i was only around ten off my usual score on a round of sporting. I usually use a beretta 687 EELL and and i could not belive how well the gun performed, using my usual clay load there is so little percived recoil i shot well over 500 carts in one session with no tiring effects and not one malfunction of the guns part. the gun attratcted a lot of intrest as well and everyone who had a go was as impressed as i was. Although to keep in with the clubs owner i kept it on semi as their policy is no pump guns allowed at any time. Unfortunate but thats the rules.
I had the chance to use the pump the next day at Blackpools shooting grounds. It may sound a little complex but switching to pump is a doddle and takes a coulpe of seconds at most. At the front of the pump handle is a spring powered swivel ring, just a quarter turn anti-clockwise and the pump handle drops a couple of mils and locks itself.
Just pull back on the pump grip and you have a conventional pump gun, this gun was originally designed for police/military use and this feature is supposed to enable the gun to fire low powered rounds such as gas or bean bags. For me though it just adds a bit of fun to shooting as there is no need to use it really. Using the same loads as the previos day, there is a little more kick but still not that noticable comapred to a standard field gun. My Scores dropped drastically using the pump as cycling the action tends to pull you off target although i was having too much fun to care.
Two weeks later on my uncles farm, my cousin and i ran some heavier stuff through it including BB, AAA, and finally SG. This was in prep for a planned fox hunt as they have been having big probs this year including two of his daughters pet cats killed within a week. I am not a big hunter and tend to stick to targets of varying sorts. But we eventually bagged it with 2 carts of 36SG at 35yds, i have never seen knock down power like it even with center fire, although i do not condone shotguns for fox, we all know that centerfire is more likely to guarantee the results required, but the benelli was there at the appropriate time.
I have now put more than 5000 assorted carts throgh it and it has never missed a beat, in fact i like it so much i rarely use any other shotgun unless i am shooting somewhere where it is frowned upon.
Its exceptionally weather resistant and very easy to strip and clean which i must admit to not doing very often, it does not seem to get dirty easily, which is always a bonus.
I cannot recommend it highly enough. and If anyone tells you (whatever you shoot) they are not suitable or acceptable, then BO***CKS to them and go elsewhere there are plenty of shooters who still enjoy the fun aspect....