trouble with super black eagle......

[treedave]

Here is my story..... At a family meeting about 10 years after the passing of my grandfather my grandmother wanted to do something to remember him. She decided to give each of the grand children $1,000. and let us decide what we would like to buy as a memorial to him. As he and my grandmother were both on the board of directors of the NRA and I grew up shooting with my grandfather I decided I would buy a super black eagle and have his name engraved on the reciever........ After buying it I found It was shooting low.....so i sent it back to Benelli and they told me to stack the beads (aim higher!) and it was fine. So later that year I was at a friends sporting goods store and saw the new super back eagles had a substancially higher rib in the back........ Which in turn is what i told the Benelli gunsmith I spoke with was the problem with that gun. I have tried several times to persuade customer service to exchange barrels and they tell me I have to buy another barrel through a local dealer!! That is not the kind of service I ever expected from Benelli! They told me the change was because people wanted a higher rib............UHHH!! Maybe they wanted to hit what they were aiming at. My grandmother is now 97 soon to be 98 in a few days and I am soo frustrated with Benelli I can't see spending another $425 on another barrel so I will be accepting offers from anyone who like to stack beads.

[tucker301]

On the newer models, they also used a stainless steel recoil spring and housing, a larger trigger guard, improved the grips on the stock and forearm, and addded the ComforTech recoil reduction system.

Be sure and ask Benelli to replace all of those for free as well.

The point, if it isn't already obvious to you, is that as a prior year model purchaser you are not automatically entitled to the ammendments and improvements offered in subsequent years' models.

It's not software. It's durable goods.

[treedave]

Oh!!! I guess it is too much to ask for a gun that shoots where you point it........... I spend $1,200 to get a trial run that they will not stand behind???? The same year I send it back..... they change the rib design and they don't so much as offer me a discount to get a new barrel??? I am not talking about software.........this is a hardware problem. Not just a problem but a major design flaw. That they in turn rectified and give previous buyers no acknowledgement of their mistake. If I bought a car from Ford that would not stay on the road I would bet you my last dollar they would do whatever it takes to keep me on the road. I am not asking for other improvements......that is just product development. I understand things get better and evolve.......the problem I have is a design error. I have been shooting for as long as I can walk at this is the only shotgun I am unable to use......I blew the leggs off a turkey at 40 yards and the front leggs off a deer at 50 yards. Don't get me wrong.........the gun functions perfectly and has a tighter pattern than any other shotgun I have but if I can not throw it up to my shoulder and pull the trigger with confidance I will have to leave it at home!! I got this gun 7 years ago and it has been in the cabinet for the past 6 years. If anyone has a newer barrel in realtree x-tra brown let me know!!

[tucker301]

Stacked beads is the traditional sight picture on sporting shotguns with two beads.

[treedave]

How high do you stack the beads? 1/4" between beads is a little more than stacking..... it amounts to aiming higher. This is the only shotgun I have ever heard of that has had this problem. I have heard of other people that have also experienced this same problem and have sold them. I would not feel right selling this for anything close to what i paid for it...... that would be like doing what Benelli did to me. I love the feel, balance and reliability of it. I just wish I could hit something with it. If it was designed properly......how could they raise the rib in the rear by about 3/16" and not have a gun that would shoot high? Maybe I should have taken the money and bought 3 mossbergs [img]smile.gif[/img] Every year, come hunting season I wish I could use it and instead I have to use my browning..... or my SP10.

[treedave]

I went to my friend's sporting goods store today and we were all talking about the SBE......and the popular opinion is that no one likes them. I am going to donate mine and start a "wall of shame". Of course I will bend the barrel in an upward direction to point out another way of correcting the misalignment of the vent rib!!!! How can you double the height of the rib in the rear and have the balls to say it was just because some customer prefered a higher rib. What about the customers that got the low rib????????????? If you change the design of a gun you should either have a recall or if you are that cheap offer a new barrel at cost!!!!! Instead of "we can put you in contact with a local distributor" And now you can have $1,625 invested in a gun that already costs more than any other comparable gun on the market. I have no problem spending the money as long as I get what I paid for and the company that made it is willing to stand behind it. Thank you Benelli for all your great customer service.......... LOL!! I am glad I never had my grandfathers name engraved on it........he would roll over in his grave. The customer service rep that I spoke to told me to have someone from the NRA call them and then they would do something......... pretty pathetic they will only help you if you have some "pull". I could ask my grandmother to make some calls... but I have no desire to own any Benelli products ever again. They do not own up to what they produce........ if you make a design error......own up to it and do the right thing. I was not looking for a new gun........just a barrel with the rib at the proper elevation. One of the guys at the sporting goods store said "why don't you put a red dot scope on it?" I did not spend $1.200 on a gun and have to mount a scope on it in order to make it hit where you are aiming. Kinda defeats the purpose of point and shoot. I am buying a Browning silver 3 1/2" [img]smile.gif[/img] And will have it engraved in memory of my grandfather. I will also send a letter to Browing, Remington, Berreta and who ever else I find and tell them how helpful all the people at Benelli have been.... I have to sleep at night........

[dagrizz]

Is this an SBE or SBE II?

In either case you could use the supplied shims to adjust the point of impact once you get your mount correct. You never mentioned that in your rants. Heck my M2 was way out in left field until I adjusted the cast and drop. Now it shoots pretty flat. But it took a fair amount of work on my part of patterning and to get a good move and mount.

But since you are so dead set against this gun, maybe a simpler design is what you need.

Just as a point of reference have you should check out the horror stories about Brownings service in the Browning Lovers section. The grass is not always greener.

mike [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Husker13]

Originally posted by treedave:
Of course I will bend the barrel in an upward direction to point out another way of correcting the misalignment of the vent rib!!!!

And now you can have $1,625 invested in a gun that already costs more than any other comparable gun on the market. I

Before you bend the barrel, I'm sure there are a number of us on here that would take your reject that you seem to not understand how to operate.

And by the way, there is no "any other comparable gun on the market".

[treedave]

Hi Mike,
I did try the shims provided.......and it never really made much of a difference. I guess I have really been ranting but I can not tell you how disgusted I am with this gun and how Benelli blames it's customers inability to shoot for a defect in their design...........which has since been corrected I have lots of shotguns and I am sure I could LEARN to use the SBE but then when ever I used another shotgun I would have to retrain myself............. If they would have done SOMETHING to rectify this situation...........you all would not have to listen to my rants and raves!! I have a friend that has the newer rib design and I tried it and it was great. For me to have to spend another $425 for the new barrel is adding insult to injury.
Thank you for the FYI on Browning.......I will be sure i do alot more research before I purchase another gun. I have a Browning b-80 that I have never had a problem with . So thank god I have no dealings with their customer service. It is a great upland bird gun but it does not throw buckshot nearly as well as the Benelli Sometimes you do not "get what you paid for!!"

Not sure what would be a simpler design........every shotgun I ever picked up was "point and shoot!!"

Where would i find the Browning lovers section?
Thanks!

[treedave]

Hey Husker,

I wish I lived in Kansas......... you guys have some monster bucks!!
I never claimed to be an expert...... but I did grow up at Cherry ridge rifle range. Probably the largest range in NJ. I played with guns while my grandfather excavated the range on an old bulldozer. He was also an Olympic referee, held numerous highpower rifle titles, served on the board of directors of the NRA fo 36 years and also was actively involved with hunter safety courses in NJ. And that is why this gun has soo much sentiment to me. I have been shooting my whole life...........and if there was not a problem with the SBE.......there would be no SBEII......whatever other improvements they made are of no concern to me......but the problem with the vent rib is a major problem I have 1/2 dozen shotguns that are set up for different game and can pick any one of them up and go hunting without having to remember to stack the beads really high. I wanted this to be my buckshot gun. With a pattern master choke tube it had the tightest pattern i had ever seen
As far as the "reject"..... I stated in my first post that I was looking for offers and got none!
I honestly do not mean to sound like an a------ but the fact that Benelli knows of the problem..........changed the rib........and will do nothing for it's customers speaks for itself!!

Dave