Switching guns

[Beretta_hunter_forlife]

I have a Browning Gold right now and I am thinking or trading it in for a Benelli SBE. It is a very dirty gun and I am thinking the ineria in a benelli will keep cleaning down to a minimum. My gold only holds 3 inch and the benelli is a 3 1/2 inch gun. Should I keep the gold or make a trade and spend a few extra $ on the SBE. Really need help!!

[migrator00]

Benelli's are nice..but for my $..i do love my beretta..poor man's benelli :) but they are sweet guns all the way around. Beretta has a few inertia operated guns..like the pintail. My brother actually has a pintail for sale in advantage camo...barely used and in awesome condition. 3" chamber.

[hoosierhunter]

I personally went from a Gold hunter 3 1/2 to a Benelli SBE 2 3 1/2, it was the best move I made. I absolutely hated my other gun, it would jam on me always. The Benelli is such a lighter and better fitting gun also, and it cycles much much faster, great gun! 8) If you got the $, go for it, you won't be disappointed.

[simp-ink]

I did the switch too and went for a new gun the one that fit me the best and felt the best being left handed was a Benelli SBE II. Man let me tell you it's a sweet gun and a breeze to clean when needed! I love it, but thats just my opinion.

[Max4Gooser]

I am trying to decide between the two myself, I plan to buy in the next month or two, and can't make up my mind, I seem to lean to the Gold 3 1/2 one week, and the SBE II the next. I am not concernedabout the cleaning issue, I was brought up being tought to clean my gun after every hunt or atleast every few days on an extended trip.
Right now I use pumps only, and I am shooting Nova's for my 12 gauge and BPS for my 10 Gauge, so you can see I am allready a big fan of both gun makers. All I can say is shoot them both, shoulder them side by side, decide how important it is to be able to shoot 3.5" shells are, then make your decision, You allready have a good gun, so do you want to spend the extra money? Good luck with your decision.

Oh and this week I am leaning towards the SBE II :lol: :lol:

[Gary Crafton]

I went from Benellis to a Browning Gold, it stayed jammed up all the time , Then went to the x2 about 4 or 5 years ago , and love it, Winchester is coming out this year with an x3, But I like the new sbeII also , It's just my opinion but i would go with a sx3 or the sbeII.

[simp-ink]

Go with the benelli sbe II if you can, it's a great gun and you can't go wrong. I clean my gun too after every use but it's nice being that it's so easy to clean as in take it apart and assembly. Holds up in the field and wont let you down in cold weather. re-sale value is great if you need to give it up for some reason and has the option of shooting all shell sizes. One thing to take into consideration before buying this gun is make sure it fits, when i shoulderd a bunch of guns i didn't want to put the sbe II down, well all in all if you want a great clean shooting waterfowling gun go with the sbe II. The only thing i had a problem with was the transition from a pump to a auto loader, but that's something a few dozen clays will cure. Winchesters are great guns as well!!

[hoosierhunter]

Gooser, I'm telling you, don't go with a Gold Hunter, it is nothing but trouble, it is terrible when it gets cold out, or in muddy areas. I've heard good things about the Winchester, I'd buy one of them before I'd ever get another Gold Hunter. There's nothing wrong with being loyal to a gun maker, but when a certain model isn't up to snuff, you wouldn't buy it anyways. As you can tell, I don't have anything good to say about the Gold Hunter :? Duck Hunter Paul has a Gold Hunter in walnut and blued finish and he hasn't had any problems with it, but the camoed versions with the parkerized finish, just seem to goo up to easily, don't ask me why, but they do. So in my opinion, a SBE 2 if you can afford it, or for a cheaper priced gun I'd look at the Winchester. Good luck to you though, maybe just stick with the pump, can't go wrong! :shock:

[SGTSLTR]

I'm vurrently shooting a Gold 3 1/2, and I haven't had one problem. I am shooting just as good if not better than I was with my O/U. It all comes down to preference, fit and cost. They are all reliable guns. For me, the SBE and SBEII don't fit me very well. Yes the Golds are "tanks", but if your in the boat or in the blind, ur not carrying it around. The SX2 and the Golds are the basically the same gun. To me the fit is the most important. You'll figure out what gun you want. Good luck wiht your desicion!

[Nick McArthur]

I had won a Gold 3 1/2 at calling contest and was told not to keep and trade it in for the SBE II. But because it was my first contest win, I wanted to keep it for that reason. I took it to Sask. for a week and hunted with it at home in Northern Mn for a few weeks, and when it got down to around 30 degrees, it would not cycle a shell, and if it did, the chamber would not close back up. I took it back and pitched a fit, and was able to return it for an SBE II........and now, no problems what so ever.....smoother, lighter, easy to clean...for the money it is a great shotgun. I would never buy another auto loader other than a Benelli.

[migrator00]

cough beretta cough...come over to the dark side and shoot a real gun you rich ba$tards :)

[hoosierhunter]

I'm telling you Nick, same exact story here! I wouldn't waste my time or money on a Gold Hunter, it's not a matter of if it will jam up and let you down, it's a matter of when. I absolutely hated that gun! :x My SBE 2 has been thru hell, just ask the guys I hunt with, I'm don't worry about cleaning it all the time, I hunt, period! It has never, ever jammed up or let me down! :lol: I'm just speaking from my own personal trials, and it's like a broken record when I talk to guys. If you have a Gold Hunter and haven't had a problem, consider yourself a lucky one! Again I think the walnut and blue finish actually cycles better than the camo versions, but I'm not ever going to mess with them again.

[Nick McArthur]

Sorry Muntzy, if it ain't an Over and Under, Beretta's are junk too.....gimme a Benelli ANY DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[iawaterfowler88]

the only time I've ever had troubles with my gold was once while laying in the sand of the Mississippi river and I hadnt cleaned my gun forever. So that one was my fault, the only other problem I've ever had is tying to shoot light target loads skeet shooting when it was pretty cold out and Killer Millers Benelli was also having troubles that day with those loads. Also I've had troubles with crappy target hulls that are too thin but once again the other styles of guns did too. Other than that I've never had a problem with my Gold while shooting steel or lead for roosters...my dads two gold have never failed him...at all...my gold is a stalker and my dads are classics...one stalker and one walnut & blue.

[migrator00]

i'm appauled...you eskimos up there in frozen land need a gun that you will end up using as a boat paddle :) I'll tell you what..i know there's a lot of people that love 'em...but the only one I saw new out of the box shot 12 inches high and about 4 inches to the left....not stellar..but..i'm just partial...7 years w/ my 390 and not a single problem! You'll learn the hard way nick :)

[stilldog]

I agree Jason. I love my Beretta. I have the first Extrema and it has been flawless. Most of my clients that have gun problems are shooting SBE's or Remingtons. I think alot of people foreget that Beretta owns Benelli as well. Still if you do not take care of your gun no matter what you shoot you will have problems in time.

[migrator00]

who am i speakin' to from the stillwater crew?? whichever one it is..don't matter because u've got good taste...thousands of dead geese can't be wrong :)

[rushcreekganderlander]

I shoot a Browning Gold and so does one of my hunting buddies. We both have the camo versions and we've hunted in the cold of North Dakota and Ohio. Neither one of us have ever had our Golds jam or freeze up. Two of our hunting buddies have Benellis and I've seen both guns jam in all kinds of weather and freeze up consistenly in single digit and below zero temperatures. Benellis are a lot lighter but the Golds knock them down.

[Irish77]

I had a Browning Gold hunter and when I would take my annual December pheasant hunting trip to South Dakota in the cold weather the gun would constantly jam and malfunction. Got rid of it and would never get another one, used sbe's in same conditions not a problem.

Irish77

[Beretta_hunter_forlife]

Thanks guys, i am now going to get a SBE II or just the regular SBE within the week. Shot one and they fit me perfectly. Thanks for the Help!!! :)

[benelliboy05]

I DID THE SAME THING TWO MONTHS AGO I HAD A MOSSBERG 935 AND TRADED IT IN FOR A SBE 2 AND I LOVE THE SBE 2 IS WORTH IT.


-AUSTIN ENSOR GREENWING PROSTAFF