Benelli Comfort

[Daveo]

This is my first attempt at a review.
Im hoping to record my first few outings and thoughts.
After my first trip out with the gun today use this as therapy....
The gun in question is a Benelli Comfort 12 bore semi-auto.
It was a toss up between a Beretta and Benelli semi and i chose the latter simply because i prefered it, no science behind it.

I picked ip the gun yesterday.
I comes in a grey plastic carry case and as the salesman said "as made by hoover" It serves a purpose i suppose!
First impressions where good, Great bluing and seems really well made.
I don't like the nut that holds the forend on, It has already started to mark the forend because it has a detente to stop it loosening.

I took the gun out today and shot 100 sporting clays.
On the very first shot it jammed and that pretty much set the president for the rest of the day.
I did'nt cycle well with Eley first, Claybusters, Lyalvale or RIO cartridges all 28gram fibres.
It seemed to get worse the hotter the gun got.
In fairness the hand book says shoot 4 boxes of game cartridges before using target loads to run the gun in.
I have bought some 32 grammers for tomorrow! and im also going to put some 36 grams though it to get it in the mood.
Second instalment tomorrow.
Be lucky

[throdgrain]

Where you may have gone wrong mate is in reading the manual, reading that it says shoot a few boxes of heavy cartridges first, then ignoring it and shooting light ones


My Benelli must be near 20,000 cartridges now and rarely jams. It does like specific cartridges though, blue diamond being it's favourite

[Daveo]

I arrived at the shoot early today armed with the Benelli, three boxes of 32 grams one box of 28s and a handful of 36s.
I put all the 36s through the gun with out a jam (about nine shots)
five or six 32s cycled ok still didnt like the 28s though.
First stand it jammed on the first shot. With a 32 grammer
I tried it for abit longer then borrowed a gun.
Its going back tomorrow.
On closer inspection its not ejecting the spent hull, Just bringing the new cartridge up behind it.
The opinion was either some kind or burr in the chamber thats holding the shot hull or a fault with the extracter claw.
But everything looks the fine

[Gungeek]

This is a great shame, you appear to have been very unlucky but since it's covered by a warranty it should be sorted out at nil cost to yourself. I bought a new M2 and never did or have to this day, put any loads heavier than 28gms through it, and it cycles everything flawlessly. Last time out, somebody gave me a couple of 65mm, 21gms Hull Comp X to try - no problem, it spat 'em out just the same as everything else. Regards .... Geek

[Chris St. MH]

I recently bought an M2 and took the precaution of buying a few boxes of 3" 49 gramme Aplhamax fox loads to bed it in.

[Taz]

when I bought my M2 it was as new having about 10 shells through it, I never even read the manual and just took it down to my clay ground and started clay busting, the only shell it doesn't like are the Hull comp X as they are really short 2 1/2" although eley firsts are fine ? apart from that it's never jammed or miss fired or anything it just cycles flawlessly with anything

[Daveo]

I agree that i have been unlucky
I choose the Benelli because a couple of lads use them where i shoot use them and they have been very reliable and never really missed a beat.
I have used them in the past and put 24 gram carts through them.
Also the seem more weather proof and feel to recycle quicker than other semi's.

This review was not ment to go this way, I had a bad start with the gun but i honestly expected to say it had settled down and started working properly on the Sunday.

Next instalment when the gun is sorted
Ill keep you posted......

[Gungeek]

Eley First 21gms are 67.5mm but I think the 24gms are 65mm. This probably isn't the point though. When I tried both, I felt sure the 21gms 'kicked' harder than the 24gms! As a simple test, load one type in the chamber and one of the others in the magazine - see what happens.

Keep us informed mate, we'd like to hear some good news for you. Best Regards ... Geek

[Daveo]

Right lets start again
The shop took the gun back under warrenty and swapped it for the same gun but with a 28" barrel (last one was 26")

I have also fitted the thicker recoil pad (3 are available)
Also included with the gun are a full set of chokes and a proper choke key with a thread cleaner and a small bottle of something that might be oil?

I took the gun to Rufforth to try my hand at Skeet today I took some 32 gram and some 28 gram loads.
Between me and my mate we put about 130 cartridges through the gun without a single fault
The gun shot whatever we fed it from 2 1/2 " game cartridges to 2 3/4 target loads, we mixed them together and were unable to get a jam.
I was very happy.
One thing that did become clear was the recoil it feels to kick alot even with 28s but i have been told this will get better the more its used.
I did three rounds of skeet today and shot 21, 23 and 22 not bad for a first timer
So far im really pleased with this one I hope it contues to impress
Next trip out is Sunday ill keep you informed.

[Gungeek]

He-he, that's better news Dave. I've been using my M2 exclusively for the past couple of months and sure, the recoil did seem a bit 'sharp' initially but now it doesn't. Whether this is because the stock has started to flex more, in accord with the way I shoot, or whether I've just got used to it, can't say. Just as likely, I'm now mounting the gun more consistently - the handling I now think is great! A few more outings and you'll be over the moon with it I'm certain. The M2 is the best buy I think I've ever made. Finally got my clay shells sorted; Gamebore White Gold XLR 24gms No.8's (70mm cases), £128 per thousand locally - that's value! Regards .... Geek

[Daveo]

He-he, that's better news Dave. I've been using my M2 exclusively for the past couple of months and sure, the recoil did seem a bit 'sharp' initially but now it doesn't. Whether this is because the stock has started to flex more, in accord with the way I shoot, or whether I've just got used to it, can't say. Just as likely, I'm now mounting the gun more consistently - the handling I now think is great! A few more outings and you'll be over the moon with it I'm certain. The M2 is the best buy I think I've ever made. Finally got my clay shells sorted; Gamebore White Gold XLR 24gms No.8's (70mm cases), £128 per thousand locally - that's value! Regards .... Geek

I take it your cycles the 24 ok? have you tried 21s through it?
I have shot a total of 205 cartridges though mine now without any kind of malfunction.
I took the barrel off today when i had finished shooting to clean the gun I looked down it and then put it back together, it was spotless.
This is why i wanted a benelli

[Mr. Gain]

Glad to hear your second gun is behaving.

It sounds like the first one was a lemon, but all the same, I wonder whether the Comfort system doesn't tend to accentuate a known cause of occasional malfunctions in the Benelli inertia system, namely a loose gun mount.

(Very) basically put: if there isn't enough resistance from the shooter's shoulder and the gun is allowed to recoil too freely there can be insufficient energy left in the system to cycle the mechanism. This can happen even with standard loads, so would presumably be more likely with light target loads, and more so when a significant amount of the gun's recoil is absorbed by the stock and butt pad.

This said, failures of this sort are ultimately down to the user being too quick on the trigger rather than the gun itself, and, for me at least, negligible compared to the benefits in ease-of cleaning, versatility, and handling offered by Benelli's designs.

[Gungeek]

I take it your cycles the 24 ok? have you tried 21s through it?
I have shot a total of 205 cartridges though mine now without any kind of malfunction.
I took the barrel off today when i had finished shooting to clean the gun I looked down it and then put it back together, it was spotless.
This is why i wanted a benelli

I have 'put' a few (very few) 21gms cartridges through it; Eley Firsts (67.5mm) & Hull Comp X (65mm), both cycled as usual but this isn't any kind of definitive test. I have a dislike of the Eleys, dirty cartridges and they kick no less than the various 24gms I've used since day one. I've shot several hundred RC1 24gms No.7½/8's through my M2 without any malfunction, but since these are £16 per thousand more expensive than the Gamebore XLR's, I'll only buy them again if my local RFD runs out of the Gamebore shells. 28gms Eley Olympics (70mm cases) are good value round here, they work well. Certainly the Crio barrels don't seem to attract much filth and therefore take less cleaning, even so, the Eley cartridges make a mess. The other 24gms cartridge I've used is Lyalvale Express HV 1400fps (65mm case), these have a short, sharp recoil, probably why they worked fine.

Glad to hear your second gun is behaving.

It sounds like the first one was a lemon, but all the same, I wonder whether the Comfort system doesn't tend to accentuate a known cause of occasional malfunctions in the Benelli inertia system, namely a loose gun mount.

(Very) basically put: if there isn't enough resistance from the shooter's shoulder and the gun is allowed to recoil too freely there can be insufficient energy left in the system to cycle the mechanism. This can happen even with standard loads, so would presumably be more likely with light target loads, and more so when a significant amount of the gun's recoil is absorbed by the stock and butt pad.

This said, failures of this sort are ultimately down to the user being too quick on the trigger rather than the gun itself, and, for me at least, negligible compared to the benefits in ease-of cleaning, versatility, and handling offered by Benelli's designs.

Very good point, several in fact. I'm sure my gun mount is at times inconsistent but the M2 'hasn't ever noticed.' I've had only one misfire, this was one of a pair of No.9 shot cartridges 'borrowed' from somebody and probably due to a reversed, damp or damaged primer cap. Regards ... Geek

[John_R]

Glad to hear your second gun is behaving.


(Very) basically put: if there isn't enough resistance from the shooter's shoulder and the gun is allowed to recoil too freely there can be insufficient energy left in the system to cycle the mechanism.

I can certainly see why this should be so, but then look at Tom Knapp and his ilk all trick shooting from the hip, or under a knee with nothing at the butt at all.

I am enjoying my M2 now, I am way down the learning curve, but improving none the less.

[Daveo]

Glad to hear your second gun is behaving.

It sounds like the first one was a lemon, but all the same, I wonder whether the Comfort system doesn't tend to accentuate a known cause of occasional malfunctions in the Benelli inertia system, namely a loose gun mount.

(Very) basically put: if there isn't enough resistance from the shooter's shoulder and the gun is allowed to recoil too freely there can be insufficient energy left in the system to cycle the mechanism. This can happen even with standard loads, so would presumably be more likely with light target loads, and more so when a significant amount of the gun's recoil is absorbed by the stock and butt pad.

This said, failures of this sort are ultimately down to the user being too quick on the trigger rather than the gun itself, and, for me at least, negligible compared to the benefits in ease-of cleaning, versatility, and handling offered by Benelli's designs.

I understand what your saying and this point was brought to my attention on my first time out with the original gun.
I tried holding it as tight as i could and it still missed.
To be honest i think the comfortech system is a gimmick i have shot an older well used m2 and it kicked less than mine.
I have been told felt recoil will reduce when the inertia spring has had some use
But i have to say I was supprised by the amount of recoil produced even with light (28 gram) cartridges