Benelli SBE 2 Trouble

[jgleas1]

I just got back from Hunter's Run and had some trouble with my SBE 2. It would not cycle 2 3/4 shells. It has 4-5 duck seasons. So it has been hunted pretty hard. Put some WD-40 and it cycled the next couple shots. Then it went back to not cycling the second shell. Is it time to replace the recoil spring or something that I am missing?

 

[bwalke1]

Probably the light skeet loads you were shooting but I would get rid of the WD 40 and use a real gun lubricant as it tends to dry and leave a sticky like varnish residue

 

[djdig]

Well, first off never use wd-40 on your gun. All that will do is attract dirt and moisture to your gun. I would tear it down clean the mag tube, spring, etc... I gun smith for living while I am working on my 2nd degree and I only use 91% alcohol with acid brushes (you can use whatever brush you like) to clean the gun. Once you wipe everything down with Alcohol, use microfiber towels (10 packs at walmart are like $5) and give the gun a good thorough cleaning, make sure to get all the gunk and grime out.

Remember it is a shotgun the mag tube doesn't require oil or lube, next inspect the spring if you see large gaps forming at either end between a ring it would be a good idea to replace.

 

[djdig]

Probably the light skeet loads you were shooting but I would get rid of the WD 40 and use a real gun lubricant as it tends to dry and leave a sticky like varnish residue

Rule #1 - WD-40 goes NO where near a gun. That **** is made for around the house projects.

 

[jgleas1]

Yeah, one of the maintenance guys grabbed my gun and told me he knew what he was doing. I will check the tube tonight . Thanks for the response. Keep them coming.

 

[ultra_mag]

My SBE2 always has issues with 1 oz loads, 1 1/8 no problem. Just not enough energy created.

 

[Hitman]

My SBE2 always has issues with 1 oz loads, 1 1/8 no problem. Just not enough energy created.

Pretty much.


Remember, minus the Super 90(iirc), all Benelli's are Inertia Driven guns. Not Gas.

For sure the SBE Series is I know.

Therefore they aren't meant to shoot low power trap/skeet loads and thus usually struggle to do so.
LUBE will likely not solve the issue for long. The shells don't eject b/c the bolt does not travel far enough BACK to disengage the shell catcher which releases the shell so that it can be slung outward.(More or less) Sometimes it may eject the shell, but not go far enough back to engage the load spring for the next shell.

Either way, you'll get a FTE or FTF one way or another. Not every SBE suffers this fate, but a whole lot do.
This gun was a designed(Waterfowl Type Gun) to shoot High Power Loads. Not upland game.

If you want a Waterfowl Gun that shoots upland, you'll have to start shopping for a Gas Gun

The last Clay Shoot I went to, again, I saw a chap with the same problem. His SBE II would not eject the Rem. Nitro Sporting Clay Shells. Dude was livid. Especially since he’s an ego monster who just feels the need to always validate that what he does and has is always the best. He ended the shoot sharing with his son who was shooting his old A5.

Keep High Power shells in that SBE and it’ll not disappoint you and you’ll likely never see it fail.
They're the Glock of the shotgun world. Simply made and extremely durable.(W/ HP Loads)
They're may be better options, but they are far and few between.

 

[jgleas1]

Pretty much.


Remember, minus the Super 90(iirc), all Benelli's are Inertia Driven guns. Not Gas.

For sure the SBE Series is I know.

Therefore they aren't meant to shoot low power trap/skeet loads and thus usually struggle to do so.
LUBE will likely not solve the issue for long. The shells don't eject b/c the bolt does not travel far enough BACK to disengage the shell catcher which releases the shell so that it can be slung outward.(More or less) Sometimes it may eject the shell, but not go far enough back to engage the load spring for the next shell.

Either way, you'll get a FTE or FTF one way or another. Not every SBE suffers this fate, but a whole lot do.
This gun was a designed(Waterfowl Type Gun) to shoot High Power Loads. Not upland game.

If you want a Waterfowl Gun that shoots upland, you'll have to start shopping for a Gas Gun

The last Clay Shoot I went to, again, I saw a chap with the same problem. His SBE II would not eject the Rem. Nitro Sporting Clay Shells. Dude was livid. Especially since he’s an ego monster who just feels the need to always validate that what he does and has is always the best. He ended the shoot sharing with his son who was shooting his old A5.

Keep High Power shells in that SBE and it’ll not disappoint you and you’ll likely never see it fail.
They're the Glock of the shotgun world. Simply made and extremely durable.(W/ HP Loads)
They're may be better options, but they are far and few between.

Well there you go! I appreciated the help. Makes a lot of sense.

 

[cnodie1]

I know it also seems obvious but SBEs need to be completely on your shoulder in order to properly work. When in Canada last week a couple of our guys on the hunt were having trouble with 3" duck loads in the outfitter's SBE IIs once the guide explained it to them the problems were few and far between.

 

[Spence1875]

Take off the stock and pull out the recoil spring. I have seen several posts over the years with guys saying they rust easy on benelli a. I have 2 m1 sbes, no issues.

 

[SuperFresh642]

Make sure you are using 3 dram equivilant or higher. Wont cycle reliably on anything less.

 

[Randy S]

Remember, minus the Super 90(iirc), all Benelli's are Inertia Driven guns. Not Gas.

Super 90's were inertia as well.

If it'll cycle for a few rounds with WD-40, it sounds like it's due for a good cleaning. I would definitely take the recoil spring out and clean the tube. They have a tendency to collect a lot of grit and grime and that can affect the action. The ones I've owned (SBE-I's and II's) have cycled 2 3/4 long brass fine, but were hit and miss with dove loads.

 

[cguedr]

Got to agree with what people have posted about light loads and the inertia driven system. Although very reliable over time and when the gun is dirty, it's going to need a round that will produce enough kinetic energy to drive the bolt back enough to cycle the round. This is exactly why I'm going to go with the 3-inch model. That beefier chamber and heavier bolt on the SBE II is going to require more of a load to make it run properly.

 

[Hitman]

Remember, minus the Super 90(iirc), all Benelli's are Inertia Driven guns. Not Gas.
.

Super 90's were inertia as well.

No, I'm pretty sure it's a gas gun.

The Benelli M4 was the first to utilize the ARGO System.
Actually I'm fairly certain it's the first(maybe the only) Gas auto-loader Benelli ever produced.
.
Anyway, it was later copied by Big Green in their New Versa Max.


/

 

[dad-e-o]

I, too, have an SBE II, I bought it the first year they came out. I shot a load of skeet with it before I hit duck season that year. At first 2 3/4" with 1 1/4oz would not cycle so I went to 3" and eventually they would not cycle and finally 3 1/2" would stovepipe. All this time I was faithfully cleaning the gun, or so I thought.

What I was not doing was breaking the gun completely down, and taking off the stock and blowing out the recoil spring with Gunscrubber or an equivalent solvent. I was amazed at the gunk and junk that came out of the drain hole! I also found that Gunscrubber and some solvent that Browning puts out did not work well with my camo finish. Serious blistering. Now I only use the Gunscrubber for synthetic finishes. I put the gun back together and found that I have less problems with low pressure loads.

There was also a secondary problem I noted. After some time while shooting skeet the shells would not chamber from the magazine. The magazine follower was plastic and after shooting the skeet loads it was burned or singed, blackened and rough on the sides. I went to an aftermarket aluminum one and have had no problems with that issue since.

I use very little oil on the moving pieces. This was recommended by a tech I spoke to at Benelli who worked on the gun when I sent it in for a check before the warantee expired. I like Breakfree but any light synthetic will do. The more oil the more gunk and junk.

Finally, as someone mentioned above, it is a recoil operated gun and without a firm plant in your shoulder it may not have enough "push" to cycle. I have lost a few second shots on birds by not having the gun in my shoulder in the excitement of shooting.

Just my 2 cents worth - hope it helps.