Benelli double-duty....

stovepipe · Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 6:42 am Post subject: Re: Benelli double-duty....

Yeh that butt-stock is the nicest thing I own!

Ominivision1 · Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 9:51 am Post subject: Re: Benelli double-duty....

Now that's one nice looking stock.

stovepipe · Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 10:01 am Post subject: Re: Benelli double-duty....

Thanks boys...it's a treat to hunt with @ 5 pounds even. Lil fancy for this caveman but...I guess one's allowed one nice thing. Got a Pachmayr Decelerator slip on I'm going pop in place after removing the stock butt pad- stock one slips right off no screws, and an 8oz Graco mecury filled magazine cap for clays shooting- wasnt going the weighted mag cap route but, it's simply way too light to shoot clays with. These tidbits and lots of trigger time should make it tollerable. Stay tuned!

Bushmaster · Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 12:46 pm Post subject: Re: Benelli double-duty....

"8oz Graco mercury filled magazine cap"...Does the USSR of C know you have some mercury?

stovepipe · Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 12:53 pm Post subject: Re: Benelli double-duty....

SHHHHHHHHHHHH damnit!

stovepipe · Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 10:10 am Post subject: Re: Benelli double-duty....

Fun fun fun, man was it HOT out, was sweating all over my stock!

I switched to a M, Trulock choke of the same type- the IM was too tight and I couldn't call my misses.

Now, at 16y from the house it's still puff them or clean whiff if I miss, lil hard to judge my miss still from there. At 21y from the house it's a lot of fun with the M choke on the little 20ga. Good sweet spot there. I can break them if I'm off a little and still smoke them when I'm on and misses are easier to call. The little wire hull catcher I modified is dialed in and nothing is hitting the ground now. Guy next to me was tagging me pretty good though...great. Almost dinged my barrel once! I just turned sideways when he fired.

I shot a 12 from 16y ( Mad

), then a 15 from 21y and an 18 from 21y from the house.

I stuck a Butler Creek slip-on recoil pad on there in place of the factory one that pops off, interesting set-up there and it uses spring clips in the pad that snap onto studs in the stock screwed into the butt, and even without the mercury recoil reducer the slap has been tamed a lot. No more bruising and just a light hint of soreness.

I have a slip-on Decelerator and the mecury recoil reducer mag cap coming in today and I'll post some pics of that tonight hopefully, if the Komisar in Sacramento don't intercept it first. Super happy with this gun now as a clays shooter and all this junk comes off in a jiff for hunting. Sill got a lot of room for me to improve as there's still some holes in my swing , etc., but...happy happy now. Weeee! Very Happy

Pic of my barrel and the cleanest loads I've ever used. 75 rounds and it cleaned up in 10 min's.

Vince · Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 11:05 pm Post subject: Re: Benelli double-duty....

You havin' trouble with recoil on a 20g mate...holy sh1t. I am assuming that the discipline you shoot is Trap, not Skeet mate?

I'm shooting 2.75" 12g 26 gram loads doing 1350 fps when I shoot clays. For every round of 25 targets I shoot and average of 40 shells...even more now I am trying to convert from right to left handed shooting.

Weekend before last I shot an 18 and a 19 from 15 metres...left handed. Weekend before that I shot 3 x 11's using 50 shells per round...was a tad sore after that day. I'm having all sorts of problems getting onto the target quickly with my second shot...muscle memory just isn't there yet and every shot is a conscious effort on my part instead of a natural swing.

Having an adjustable comb fitted soon. My O/U is a Field Grade gun, but because it is the only one I have and I use it in the field I don't want to turn it into a pure trap gun.

Cheers, Vince

Aloysius · Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 11:59 pm Post subject: Re: Benelli double-duty....

Vince, have you ever shot an Auto 5 in cal 20? There was a time that I tougth that would be an outstanding dove-gun, but my shoulder got other ideas. That FN/Browning Auto 5 in cal 20 only weights about 2.6 kg...

Elvis · Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 1:35 am Post subject: Re: Benelli double-duty....

man I still cant see why so tight a choke?? imp cylinder should be any amount tight enough for the furtherest range you are stating and give you more lee way.

Aloysius · Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 2:54 am Post subject: Re: Benelli double-duty....

Elvis, that's somekind of disease that usually comes together with magnumitis... it's supposed to compensate for aiming.

Vince · Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 6:48 am Post subject: Re: Benelli double-duty....

Haven't shot a 20g Aloys...but I now have a set of 20g tubes for my 12g that I intend to put to good use...just have to see if my mate will load up a heap of 20g shells for me on his MEC Loader.

Cheers, Vince

stovepipe · Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 6:53 am Post subject: Re: Benelli double-duty....

Vince- yer not the first one that's said that. The gun out of the box is barely 5# and it has a very minimalist pad and I'm not a big guy- it'll knock the snot outa yer shoulder. Yes, shooting trap for now, moving up to skeet when things get settled in. Yup- same here with me, I want to shoot all sorts clays comfortably yet still keep it light and snappy for long hunts. I'm having success with my mods and I've got less than 100$ invested and they all come off in a jiff for field use. I'm not mesing with the comb or the fit as I want it the same on the course as in the field. Yup! Double-duty. Very Happy

I had another gun for clays but sold it as I stopped and wanted funds for another gun I had an eye on.

Elvis- I'm still finding what choke works where on this with clays, only second time out with it on a course. I've shot it alot in the field but on the course it feels weird and I'm not dialed into it yet. At 21y from the house, the bird's I'm guessing 40y plus from me by the time I'm on it, way farther when I pull trigger. I agree though with your more-open trend. Still experimenting.

And I like magnum-itis!

stovepipe · Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 1:01 pm Post subject: Re: Benelli double-duty....

Vince wrote:

I'm having all sorts of problems getting onto the target quickly with my second shot...muscle memory just isn't there yet and every shot is a conscious effort on my part instead of a natural swing.
Having an adjustable comb fitted soon. My O/U is a Field Grade gun, but because it is the only one I have and I use it in the field I don't want to turn it into a pure trap gun. Cheers, Vince

My swing's pretty jerky at times due to too much time off. Practice practice practice. The comb kit should be a nice option! Love to see some pics of that mod. Yer not alone on that front. I know of one other shooter that did that. I'm looking forward to getting some skills back and trying skeet. That looks like a hoot, I've never done it.

I know it might sound a little weak complaining about recoil on a 20ga, but for some reason that light gun and thin pad just digs in after a couple boxes- and I dont shy from recoil. It's interesting how much of a difference the simple mods I've made as far as shooting comfort goes. And like you I dont want it dedicated as a target gun.

stovepipe · Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 1:14 pm Post subject: Re: Benelli double-duty....

Elvis wrote:

man I still cant see why so tight a choke?? imp cylinder should be any amount tight enough for the furtherest range you are stating and give you more lee way.

OK- chokes! I'm using #8 lead, pretty much at the limit of it's oomph factor (I think) distance wise, and I think unless I'm using an M choke at these ranges there will be giant holes in the string? I'm on board with a IC @ 16y from the house, but shooting at 27y from the house (pls 20 or 30y more before I get on it) an IC w/ #8 would be pepper in the wind by the time I get on it and get the shot off, or so I think. I've never given it much thought till now to be honest. I normally just stick the M in and leave it and go get dinner becasue it works on such a wide range of pell sizes and all that.

stovepipe · Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 4:48 pm Post subject: Re: Benelli double-duty....

OK- The Benelli Double-duty is done!!!

I canned the shell deflector, it was only 95% reliable, sometimes a hull would touch it too soon and not clear the action and stay on the ramp...so that's for a later date and some math beyond me, the hull is very fussy about guidance so...shooting doubles guy next to me is gona have to deal with it. Wire catcher is 100% now.

The whole recoil pad thing was an issue. I'm not sold on a grind-to-fit as that's major mods. The factory one is solid plastic with a tiny bit of of gell on it-this makes up for the lack of wood on the butt, fine for hunting but too little for clays. The butt is really holllow to save weight, the factory unit snaps onto and off of lugs in the stock with wire springs in the hard plastic pad backer so just any ol' slip on aint gona work. So after trying a couple I settled on the 14$ Buttler Creek unit- works a treat. And, I had an extra factory pad that was chewewd up from chukar hunting (dont ask), shaved most of that down and used that in it's normal place with the BC slip-on, the LOP increase is negligable- (as you can see in pic with them all lined up), I actually like it a smidge longer for warm weather hunts in shirt sleeves so it's a win-win. When it's cold the factory one just snaps back on for use with a coat- neat design. The slip-on exhibited is tough and not too soft with a solid backing on the inside and it aint coming off by accident. The Pachmayer Decelerator I got was a flimsy gooey blubbery joke, it almost drooped off the butt under it's own weight. Its going back. Very suprizing there as I normally love their stuff and use their stuff on other guns.

The mag cap weight is from C&H Research and is filled with mecury, really nice unit with it's own spring already installed so I dont have to swap them back and forth. It makes it feel like a 28+" barrel- it's 8oz. of good weight. It's really going to swing nice on the range, it's "supposed" to reduce some slap.

All of it comes off and the factory flush choke (2nd to last pic under muzzle) goes in in two seconds for hunting so I'm not lugging the extra tonnage or snagging on stuff.

I even upholstered the factory case with some of my famous "red carpet" firearm exhibition blanket- I spilled something on it so, it's donor dealio now...the case was fine w/ nice cut-outs but it had no soft padding- just some weird coating on the plastic that made it feel softish...anywho, it's done!

It goes from clay-buster to upland feather weight in less than a minute and the case even got some love, it all fits in there even in the modified state, I spent under 125$ for it all and wow- does it swing NIIIICE now. Very Happy

Thanks for looking gang! Razz