Benelli Super Black Eagle III or Beretta A400 for duck hunting?

I've narrowed it down to these two. The SBE is lighter. Anyone have one of these and can you share your thoughts? Thanks in advance, I'll hang up and listen.

Can't go wrong with either one. I have an A400 and prefer it to the SBE. 85% of the people I duck hunt with have one or the other.

ttha_aggie_09 said:

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Can't go wrong with either one. I have an A400 and prefer it to the SBE. 85% of the people I duck hunt with have one or the other.

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I'm a quail/dove hunter so I have 20 ga over under. Brother scored a sweet property with a huge pond on it that is covered up in ducks. I need to update my gear so have been researching and these two shotguns have been popping up the most. I went and held them each, SBE is lighter but I loved the feel of both so I wanted to hear from those who owned them. Thanks!

I dont duck hunt so cant help you there.

I will say my A400 has been a fantastic gun. By far my favorite shotgun.

I picked up a maxus 2 ultimate this year too. can't wait to try it out. it is super nice feeling.

A400 with Kick-Off and it's not even close. I have a Browning Maxus 2 as well as a Benelli Super Sport and would take the Browning above the Benelli also. I've shot thousands of 1oz through my A400s and never had an issue with cycling. Don't punish your shoulder over a perceived benefit that doesn't exist in real-world application

I have an A400. It's my probably my favorite gun.

I'd go Benelli....less routine maintenance and a workhorse. Most Argentina lodges prefer them.

I had a similar post and bought both of them.. they are both great, I've shot them both and they are both super nice and will do the job.. so just get the one that your gut likes.. they are both top notch shot guns

I love my a400 xplor

I've never taken it duck hunting but it's a work horse for dove

wingshoot93 said:

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I'd go Benelli....less routine maintenance and a workhorse. Most Argentina lodges prefer them.

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Yes the Bennelli/Franchi inertia driven system will require less maintenance over thousands of rounds but only in places like Argentina will you have an outing that's intense enough to melt a barrel. The gas-operated system of the Beretta is much smoother and makes follow-up shots easier.

Disclaimer: I grew up with and own both Beretta, Benelli, and even Franchi now as well. They're all great guns.

I mainly shoot sporting clay and dove hunt but I do end up duck hunting 4-5 times a year. I use a OU for sporting clay and dove and have used a Benelli super black eagle 2 for the past couple of years. I just wine a new shotgun an d usd its credit for a new duck gun. I seriously looked at the A400/maxus 2/ SBE3, when it came down to fit and feel I just preferred the SBE3 over the others. Yes you can add shims to make the others fit but the SBE3 just fit me well!

I have the a400 xtreme and a benelli sbe3. I like the a400 better, with it being gas driven and the kickoff it's a soft shooter. Never had a ftf or fte. People will talk about the inertia driven system of the sbe3 being more reliable, but for most people I don't really think it's going to make a difference. I clean my shotgun after I shoot a case of shells through one or at the end of the season(also if I would drop it in the water, but hasn't happened yet). Never had an issue and I don't think this is really that frequent of cleaning.

Benelli fan here have a legacy 20 and a sbe3 3". Had a vinci also that I sold which I wish I had back.

I am sure either one of these will be a fine choice it all comes down to personal preference. Notice you aren't seeing a lot of suggestions for things you didn't mention. Your down to the right two.

Another Benelli fan here (M2 and Ethos).

The Berettas are really nice too.

Go shoulder them at a shop and make a call. Either one will be great.

Bought my A400 Xtreme in 2012 when they first came out. Only "negative" I can say is the recoil pad and other rubber portions on the gun corroded away over the years, but those are cheap fixes. Original camo finish faded away after a couple seasons of abuse, but a Rob Roberts cerakote job + tune up had it looking/shooting brand new again.

That said, I also own an SBE2 and SBE3 and love those in their own right as they all have a different feel to me.

Pair any of these guns with a Rob Roberts or Briley choke and you won't regret the decision.

A400 here. Had it for 5 years no issues. I really liked the feel of the super black eagle how it swung. I talked to a friend of mine who guides and asked his opinion. He said the a400 had less issues in the field with his clients. Happy with mine.

There will never be consensus to questions like these because both are high quality shotguns, both with dedicated fans. It truly comes down to what features you personally prefer and which one feels best and points more intuitively for you. Both will provide you with many years of service. FWIW, the SBE3 solved the dreaded "Benelli click" some people obsess over. The SBE3 is lighter, the anction stays cleaner, and it's mechanically simpler. However the A400 is softer shooting.

I considered both shotguns and selected the SBE3 because I like the simplicity of the inertia system, I preferred the way it felt/ its ergos, and I dislike the Beretta's safety location in front of the trigger guard. All other semiauto shotguns I own have the safety in the rear of the trigger guard, so that position is more intuitive to me.

I have no doubt that if I owned the A400, I would adjust to the safety location and would get along with it just fine. It's completely a personal preference thing.

Probably an unpopular opinion but the "benelli click" is user error. The shotgun is out of battery and no shotgun is going to fire out of battery. You did something like catch it on something or hit the butt hard to cause it to come out of battery. Never had a problem with it and have had or still have as many as eight different benelli shotguns all the way back to the SBE1.

I had a 391 beretta which is forerunner to the A400 which was a great shotgun also, which had the carrier lift problems although I never had the issue with mine.

It all comes down to feel for me the berettas are great shotguns but I couldn't get over the bulky stocks compared to the benelli. I just like the more streamlined look and feel and lower weight of the benelli's.

Again personal preference.

I've got a 1st gen SBE, an Ethos in 28g, and just bought an A400.

I shoot all three really well, but the SBE is tougher with duck loads as I get older -- the shoulder does not tolerate recoil as well as it used to.

Not as big a deal as I've switched to Boss bismuth 2 3/4.

One concern with the newer Benellis (as well as the licensed brands) is they almost universally shoot high -- like 90% of the pattern above point of aim.

Benelli sbe3 is what I prefer. When I shoulder a beretta, it just doesn't naturally line up. And I will never like or get used to a shotgun with the safety on the front of the trigger guard instead of the rear like the Remington 870 and 1100 I grew up using. Several good friends hunt with us and prefer the berettas but they just don't fit me.

Id go Benelli. The SBE line is great.

I have a Benelli Vinci and it's been from S Tex coast and plains, duck and quail, to Saskatchewan, duck goose grouse and every state in between. I didn't clean it for a few years. Now I clean it at the end of the year. Works every time. Even ran it over 1 time after leaning it against the tire after a dove hunt and forgot about it.

this is literally a choice of you cannot go wrong. so, pick them both up and go with the one that feels better to you.

I have both but the A400 in 12 ga. and the SBE3 in 20 ga. I prefer the SBE for shooting because it's lighter and less recoil, but 12 ga. vs 20 ga. isn't a fair comparison. The A400 assembles easier and feels more solid to me. The SBE is more cumbersome to put together and mine has a little slop where the barrel meets the receiver. It's not much, but disappointing for an $1,800 gun.

Benelli Super Black Eagle III

Have both, but for ducks I like the Benelli. A400 is 20ga, for my daughter. Both Great.

Trinity Ag said:

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One concern with the newer Benellis (as well as the licensed brands) is they almost universally shoot high -- like 90% of the pattern above point of aim.

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That's just not true, at least not the 90% above POA part. When the first run of SBE3s were released, they did indeed shoot very high patterns over POA. Customers complained and a certain gunwriter made a huge stink about it on Internet forums. Since then, Benelli adjusted the POI and from what I've seen, it doesn't pattern nearly as high anymore. My SBE3 patterned 60/40 above POA out of the box.

But I don't believe this applied to all new gen Benelli shotguns either. I''ve only heard this being an issue common to the SBE3 only. And by "shooting high," I really wouldn't consider a 60/40 pattern to be especially high. Not to say other models might not also pattern high on an individual case by case basis, but it isn't a common thing for all new Benelli shotguns. I have fairly new Ultra Lights in 20 and 28 ga, and both of them pattern directly on POA. Keep in mind that you don't really aim a shotgun anyway; you point it… unless you're turkey hunting or shooting buckshot or slugs.

Neither, you don't need 3.5" ammo, look at the Benelli Ethos BEST or try to find an older M2 and save some money.

Drundel said:

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Neither, you don't need 3.5" ammo, look at the Benelli Ethos BEST or try to find an older M2 and save some money.

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SBE3 now comes in a 3" version as well as a 3.5" version. I have the shorter 3" version and with the advances in ammo it all I ever need but I don't go goose hunting or anything like that. 3" with decent ammo has been plenty for me with ducks and turkey.

Thanks Outdoor board for your input on this, I ended up with the SBE3. I picked it up yesterday and can't wait to break it in! The discussion on this board was really helpful and I just liked the way the SBE3 felt in my hands compared to the A400. I also stumbled across this video after the fact and I wanted to share.

i want to like my berretta more than my benelli, but if i'm honest, i'm more comfortable with my benelli and I cant put my finger on why....it just seems to fit and function smoother for me. But i still recommend getting both...and one in each color and gauge.

Have a400 and sbe iii. Sbe iii points better for me and is less bulky.

Man have times changed. I remember we bought our shotguns at Gibson's or KMart back in the day and they all worked just fine. You could even buy one at Kroger back then. Of course we were slinging lead at ducks then too.