Please Note: I incorrectly call the patterns in this video 60/40 and 70/30 spreads. The first three patterns are all 80/20 or 90/10 spreads with the 3-1/2" 2-3/8 oz. turkey load being a 50/50 spread. By saying "it shoots where it should", I am saying that in relation to what Benelli says it should do. So, the SBE 3 shoots "high" compared to what most people are used to or expect. It would be nice if Benelli advertised or detailed that in a manual, but it is not outside of their specifications. Also, I say in the video the choke is a "Hevi-steel" choke tube, and what I meant was that it is a Hevi-Shot branded Choke Tube. (I had a few too many things going through my mind for this video, ha ha.) UPDATE: Benelli in early 2018 started to address all requests for service regarding high shooting guns and is bringing them into the standard (for Benelli) spec of shooting 60/40-70/30 patterns when returned for service. If you need to have your SBE 3 inspected or serviced, remember to use your 10 year warranty and contact Benelli customer service directly with and email or phone call.
American Arms Channel just in the last few years I have bought three different kinds of shotguns and all of them shoot in the exact same place as your bennelli,, This prompted me to have fiber optic front and rear sights put on all of them ,,, that way I can adjust for the individual shells.
Hey drake.... I’m so glad I found your channel. I like your presentation and style. I’m thinking of getting a SbE 3 right now and I’m glad I can get your take on it. I’m new to the sport but I feel like you’ve enhance my knowledge tenfold right off the bat
Just curious how is putting your bead directly under the bullseye and getting 90-95% of your pellets hitting above the bullseye considered a 60/40 pattern?When i hear 60/40 I think that 60% of pellets would be above the point of aim and 40% would be below point of aim. Where you say you are aiming is under the sharpie mark and 90-100% of your pattern is above where you held your bead. I have an SBE2 and mine is the same way. Its infuriating to me.
Wayne from Ontario, Canada: I have an SBE 3 as well and although it was surprising how high it shot when I patterned it, it was nothing new to adapt to it since waterfowl change direction so much during flight and so it was very convenient to actually be able to track the bird while they're zipping by. I have yet to try Hevi-Steel on it, have been using Kents last season an worked great. With a patternmaster choke, nothing escaped at all for me. Great gun :)
Good video. I have a SBE 3 and after doing some research, I put a larger bead on the front and it help a lot to bring the load down. It does not rely bring it down it just changes the point of aim so it is easier to get the pattern the way I want. FYI
Steven Wagner that’s really the only way to do it without having the barrel or rib serviced. I have come to be accustomed to the higher pattern so I have not undertaken that step. Thanks for the view and comment!
shooting 70/30 or 90/10 would not be acceptable to me. It would drive me nuts! Sorry, it's not what I would call good. Great video and thanks for making it!
Thank you for your comment and viewership! It is not uncommon for North American shooters and hunters do desire a 50/50 pattern on their field gun. Most are trained to use the bead as a sight and not a reference point. While you can and will make hits like this, the "superior" method is both eyes open and on the bird. The latter method makes a higher 60/40 to 90/10 pattern split very very effective, as the gun is never in the way of seeing the target (unless the target is incoming at high speed, like Teal and Doves like to do). I was originally trained with the "bead is a sight" method, as I was raised a rifleman and trained by a rifleman. Once I re-trained myself to shoot with a both eyes open "i see the bird, I shoot" method, I garnered a significant 15-20% increase in my hit ratios at sporting clays and in the field. I will concede however, shooting a 90/10 patterning gun in the field is different at first from a 60/40 or 70/30 gun. Keep your powder dry -Drake
I just purchased my sbe3... watched/read several reviews about it shooting high. I shimmed the gun and used a hi viz sight (preferred over the stock sight). It shot 60/40 or 50/50. Either Benelli fixed the problem or the people complaining don't know how to set the gun up. Btw I didn't float the target either.
Benelli did have a problem with a number of guns in 2017 and maybe early 2018, but everything produced after that has seemed to shoot as regulated. It wasn’t as big of a deal as people made it out to be, but it was an issue that the guns had. Enjoy your new SBe 3!
I just got a new SBE3 last week. Mine definitely shot high and to left 8 to 12 inches high and about the same to left. Called Benelli and they are taking care of it. They told me they know what the problem is and can fix it with no problem.
The SBE3 shoots high compared to the SBE2 or SBE1. Supposedly Benelli corrected this but for a $2,000 this is totally unacceptable especially with a $200 to $300 shotguns will out pattern and shoot closer to POA
Hi Drake, please help! I have Beneli 28guage that shot high and to the left(I'm right handed and Right eye dominate). Put the "D" shims and "D,"DX shims back in. The Beneli 28guage still shoots up and to the left. Very disappointed that poa does not match poi.
Unfortunately, I am unaware of any method that will correct POA/POI issues in the 20 or 28ga SBE 3’s outside of replacing the rib with a flatter example (the ethos rib for the same barrel length will work) and adjusting the drop and cast. There is no barrel stop ring or other point of adjustment on the smaller gauge examples. If you have not already, rest the shotgun off the bench and have an additional shooter confirm the POA/POI in your place to make sure it is not shooter error on your part. Do also keep in mind that different loads can have not only different patterns per choke constriction, but different POI’s as well. Trying different loads on the pattern board may assist you in learning what your shotgun is doing. Ultimately, sending the shotgun into Benelli for service may be your quickest route to remediation if a problem does exist. I hope this helps.
Bassman99 most likely not. It will prevent you from seeing the top flat of the rib though and give you a proper mount when wingshooting. If you are still greater than 80/20 or 90/10 with you pattern on the board, the gun needs to be serviced by Benelli. If you already see just the beads when you mount the gun, adjusting the shims for more drop will artificially cause the pattern to drop as you will see less of the bead and be actually pointing the barrel below the target. (Let me know if that doesn’t make sense) If you are having trouble with hitting birds and clays with the gun patterning 80/20-90/10, look at only the bird and keep the gun below the bird. That should start to increase your hits.
American Arms Channel so true , I have 6 different shot guns and I just got a sbe 3 and I started aiming below clays/birds and knocked them dead . Just gotta adjust to the way it shoots . I’m guessing it’s good for those decoying birds so the barrel won’t cover your target up
I sent my sbe3 threw patterns like yours did, sent it in and they adjusted the barrel stop Bc it was out of spec .050 in. Shots a true 60/40 now like any other Benelli. I would send your gun in and have it adjusted
gone winchester thanks for the input. I solved the problem by installing a larger bead, which complements the gun perfectly (in my opinion). There is less than 20 days until 2018-19 Waterfowl season starts here in VA, so I won’t be sending it in anytime soon, but just may after next spring. Thanks for the input and viewership! Keep your powder dry. -Drake
Really great review over this gun and clearing up a lot of the noise. Question: Have you seen consistency in getting 50/50 patterns on turkey loads while getting higher patterns on traditional waterfowl loads?
Cory Anderson unfortunately I have not fired enough turkey loads to collect significant data and report an accurate conclusion. I have seen consistent patterns across load types though, and all loads 1-3/4oz and lighter have generally patterned higher than than those 1-7/8oz and heavier. But, I have not patterned more than 3 types of turkey loads and all shot to a different POI. However, all loads I have patterned (in excess of 40 plus at the end of Summer 2018) are in the normal 70/30 to 90/10 range of the SBE3 with the factory bead. As I cover in other videos, lowering the pattern can be achieved easily through installing a 40% to 50% larger bead.
Rob Gregory a Hevi-Shot, Hevi-Choke Extended Range (ER). It’s a Full. Sorry that in the video I was not clear about that. Details are in the video description.
Shims adjust Drop and Cast of the stock to accommodate the shooter’s body and shooting style; but pad length adjusts the length of pull. The ideal shim adjustment is to provide a flat sight plane down the rib so that none of the top flat is seen when the shooter mounts the shotgun. If you over-adjust the drop, you push the barrel down compared to the angle of the stock, hence pushing the point of impact down when you mount and fire. However, this does not really push the point of impact down, it simply changes where the barrel is pointing when you mount the gun. A better method to push the POI down with a high shooting gun without taking it to a smith or sending it in to the manufacturer is adding a higher bead sight. Focusing on the bird and Floating it at the top of that higher bead sight (which should be in your peripheral) will force your barrel lower and “lower” your POI.
They’re no longer “Vincis” or “super vincis” they’re from hence forth called “Vinchs”😂😂 made me laugh out loud. Awesome video man! I’ve got a sbe3 12 ga and I’m gonna turn down the barrel ring to get it to shoot a 50/50 or 60/40 pattern. My question is, the sbe3 20 gauge doesn’t have a barrel stop ring so how does one adjust the poi if it shoots high?
Love it. Honestly it is the best steel shot I have ever used (and I've used quite a few different brands and load types). #1 shot is my preffered shot size in their Hevi-Steel offering. I'm not totally sold on Hevi-Metal, but I've had some good results with the 3-1/2" 1-1/2oz. BB load on Geese. Hevi-X also works great, and I was able to shoot a late season mallard at 45 yards with it, catching him on the fringe of the pattern. It didn't drop him, but it hurt him so he fell pretty close in the river and was all but dead when i walked up to him. I also crushed a Canada at 30 yards with Hevi-X 3-1/2" 1-3/8oz. #2's. I am not entirely convinced that it is worth $35 to $45 a box, but it sure seems to work nice. Wound channels are really good, and it seems to cause damage much more like lead loads do on upland game. All in all, I am very pleased with the performance of Hevi-Shot's products
Please see the other videos I have on this channel of corrections through installing a higher bead and mechanically adjusting POI utilizing the position of the barrel stop ring. Both methods can be used to bring the POI down.
First thing is that gun is supposed to stack beads...if your aligning both beads should not be shooting that high... alignment of both beads would make it shoot lower. Also that choke is.not what's used for turkey loads at all.
J Fike First, there are different theories and practices about how midbeads are to be used. I subscribe to the align both beads to ensure your eye remains centered over the bore. Benelli’s are also regulated for this. Modern Brownings and most older double guns made before the 1960’s will be regulated to stack or figure 8 the beads. To each company and shooter their own method. Additionally, while this shotgun does pattern 90/10 or 80/20 with most loads, it suits my shooting style of hovering the bird over the bead, but it will not work for all shooters. Second, no, that is not a turkey choke. But with that particular full choke and that nice of a pattern, it would be more than adequate out to 30 yards, and actually would help with a slightly less tight pattern with close shots. If you listen to the video I say “slap the turkey choke in and you’re good to go”. Thanks for watching my video!
First 3 were not 60/40. Almost the entire pattern was above your hold point. Last pattern was most ideal as the split was more acceptable. I can live with a high shooting shotgun but one that shoots left or right is problematic. Especially when coupled with a high or low problem. Benelli's are not great patterning guns generally but with some work you can get them there.
rAvensBBr thanks for the viewership. Haha, unfortunately not. I’m just a guy that hunts ducks. Actually, the only RNT call I ever had was their snow goose call and it fell apart after 1 tuning and 3 hunts. Didn’t leave a good taste in my mouth for RNT. BUT, I’m sure their higher end calls are good.
American Arms Channel I swear by their G3 call in Cocobolo for Canadas here on the East Coast. Actually don't run many of their duck calls though. Great vid, love my SBE2, and will bear this in mind when I upgrade for an SBE3. Hope your season was good out in NE.
rAvensBBr thanks. It was ok. The migration pretty much skipped us this year, but that’s ok. I still put meat in the pot and had amazing hunts. I actually got to have my dream hunt this year: I took a Drake mallard in full color, in the snow on the Platte river. Better yet, it was Christmas weekend. It’s the little things that count! Haha. I grew up in NY so the east coast flyway is my bread and butter. Hope you had a good one as well!
Garrett Harper that is completely understandable. But, no matter how the gun is designed to pattern, or how the example you buy actually patterns, know that pattern splits and centering is less important than learning to be a competent to excellent wing shooter. Whether your gun shoots 45/55 or 90/10, a good wing shooter will adjust subconsciously and make excellent hits with that gun. I will say though, once you learn to use a high patterning shotgun well, you’ll never want to cover the bird with the bead again.
Don't know why the manufacture doesn't do examples like this on all their guns.You only get the real truth from the hunter who use the firearm in the field.If they are that good???
Awesome video. But to get accurate testing, you have to back up to 40 yards. Also I wouldn’t call any of those 50/50. Those are all out of spec if your aim was on the dot in the middle.
Please see the pinned comment or the video description. Also, pattern testing can be done at almost any range past 15 yards and give you a good idea of what the shotgun is doing with a specific load. I typically pattern at 25, 35, and 45 to see what the load I have chosen does because these are the distances I most commonly shoot birds at Thanks for watching.
American Arms Channel didn’t read description. You can pattern test at 2 yards if you want. But to get an accurate understanding of what your gun will do, you should be at 40. Your science here only shows that the Benelli is further “off” at 40. At your 25 yard shots, you are almost 90% out of your area. At 40 that gets massively worse.
Addison Estes the pattern is continuing to open and drop at that distance as well, so it is not as bad as it seems, although not ideal. The science is not “off” if you are considering and testing with the variables in which you will utilizing the firearm and load of choice. I have tested this from 15 yards to 75 yards on numerous guns and loads. Past 40 yards, gravity and aerodynamics work on the pellets hard enough to keep pattern pretty much where it was, and past 55 it will start to drop off, just like a slug would as a single projectile. Pattern testing has been established to mean 30 and 40 yards for industry purposes, but it does not correlate to individual hunting scenarios. If I am shooting passing shots on geese at 60 yards, do I test at 40 and call it good? If I’m decoying birds in the timber and shooting them at 12 yards, do I call it good to test at 30? No. Hunt specific variables need to be accounted for by the individual for their load and gun. I selected 25 yards due to it being what I observed myself and many others to commonly shoot at.
American Arms Channel maybe there is a disconnect in the word pattern then. If you are looking for a coverage result at a set yardage, you are not patterning a gun. You are patterning the choke. To accurately pattern the gun, you must set 10 targets at 40 yards, fire a single shot into each, then measure a 30” circle containing the most shot inside, then measure the distance from POI to POA. This will give you a true GUN patterning. If you point a laser at a dot on a wall and you are 2” off at 25 yards, then you would be 6” off at 40 yards and so on and so forth. The fact that the SBE3 is almost completely off your mark at 25 yards is far outside of factory spec. Which is patterned at 40 yards. I understand defending the gun itself, however for $1600 I will not settle for “good enough”. This is an issue that Benelli is aware of and admits to. No need to try to protect their flaws.
Addison Estes I am not arguing that the gun is not within “spec”, my example does shoot higher than 60/40 with most loads (before taller bead), and I’m not arguing to defend a $1,800 shotgun just because I bought it, hence why I updated the description and the pinned comment to the video to detail such, since TH-cam has not allowed for notations within the video for some time. Yeah, it’s not perfect, Benelli flubbed a bunch of them. I like mine, I really don’t care if you or anyone else buys one or not. No ego investment for me there. I love hunting with mine and have been very successful with it, so there is emotional attachment in that aspect. Otherwise, I report on the objective performance. The term patterning encompasses everything that the firearm is doing, both shot dispersion and POA/POI, and accuracy/consistency thereof. Yes, there are set test protocols. No, I did not, and typically do not follow them. Why? Because I am obstinate or disagree? No. Because, as I explained, it does not personally provide me with the data I need to determine performance capabilities in the real world. I hold the same test parameters for every shotgun I own or review. If we want to get very technical, we should also say that the gun should be locked down in a mount to remove human error. It really comes down to how nit picky you want to be. If we absolutely wanted to test what happened with the design, and how prolific the high POI issue was, then we would need a significantly larger random sample size of the design and test for variances in barrel length. That is not really something any individual can do, and would only be a test the manufacturer could reasonably carry out. Point being, there is little use arguing over the minutia of “pattern test is X procedure” in a situation of such a limited sample size. I demonstrated my example and reported on my findings, albeit definitely off on correctly identifying the pattern splits at the time of filming/posting. Note that when I added a taller bead and tested the Pattern POA/POI again, I kept with the same test parameters I established for myself, keeping the testing valid.
American Arms Channel my wife and mother got it for me as a gift. My mother passed away this past March. If it wouldn’t even hit the primer I would still keep it.
American Arms Channel thank you. Oh no my sbe3 is absolutely perfect in every way other than poa and poi being about 12” different. I shoot browning silver at dove. Browning Maxus at duck. The sbe3 was going to be my duck gun but I can’t hit. Benelli has sent me a shipping label and confirmed the issue is with the “barrel ring” and would correct my issue. I have it broke down and ups will pick it up tomorrow. Benelli is paying shipping both ways and been very helpful.
10bigrob10 very good. They should have it back to you in short order with the issue corrected. It seems to me that they simply slipped up on all the early production guns and created a swath of 90/10 patterning guns. When you get it back it should be in the 60/40 - 70/30 pattern range as is standard with Benelli’s. I can understand not being too keen on shooting a higher pattern split if you are used to the 50/50 patterning Browning lineup.
Lol dude those patterns are all 100% high minimum. You have no pellets below POA. And that’s a solid 6 inches poi above poa so at 40 yards you’re gonna be a foot high. Don’t care about the turkey load as you couldn’t pay me to shoot it.
Please see the rest of the series on the SBE 3. I eventually corrected the issue mechanically. Prior to the correction my example was shooting 80/20 to 90/10 with most loads.
Why would ANYBODY want anything other than a true 50/50 pattern on any shotgun?.......i want ALL of my shot to go where i put that bead. Floatimg a bird makes this gun useless as a slug launcher for deer....
Personal Preference for pattern splits is entirely dependent on how one shoots. I personally prefer a 60/40 to 70/30 split and floating the bird as it keeps me in a target focused shooting mindset, whereas I otherwise attempt to aim more often behind the bead with a 50/50 patterning shotgun. Higher patterns are also desirable for flushing and incoming bird shots such as those most commonly seen in European pigeon shoots, pheasant hunting, and trap. For a field gun, most would find a 80/20 to 90/10 pattern split to be excessive, and as such most Benelli's and other Italian shotguns are regulated for 50/50 to 70/30 patterns. Many who say they would never shoot a gun that patterns greater than 50/50 I would recommend trying and shooting two similar guns, one regulated 50/50 and one 60/40 with the beads removed from both. Forget about which shoots what pattern split and shoot two identical sets of 50 on a sporting clays course. I can bet that you will see roughly the same shooting percentages only dependent on your capabilities. With the exception of excessively high or low shooting guns, most shooters cannot tell the difference between a high and low shooting gun in the field. Another thing I find 50/50 "purists" often claim (not asserting you do, as I don't know you or your shooting methods/proficiencies) is that they claim you have to know where the shot is going and it has to be behind the bead to do so. This tells me two things. 1) If you know how a gun patterns, you know where it shoots, so the position of the bead is almost irrelevant. 2) The shooter is attempting to aim with the bead instead of shooting Target focused, which can be used to kill sustained lead birds, but if you've ever snap shot a game animal/bird you have shot target focused and it is always a more efficient wingshooting method. Regarding slug or ball shooting, true, a 50/50 patterning shotgun is more advantageous, but with today's ability to install temporary rifle sights, red dots, scopes, or swap to a dedicated slug model in a hefty majority of the models available on the market, it becomes a bit of a mute point. This is especially true of shotguns designed and marketed as dedicated bird guns, but even then, shotguns like the SBE 3 have rifled slug models and barrels available for purchase should deer, hogs, bear or other large game be your pursuit with a scattergun. That said, it is perfectly fine to have a preference for one pattern split or the other; what matters is being the best shot and most efficient dispatcher of game you possibly can be. Thanks for watching and the comment. - Drake
@@hunterstrange6768 oh ok, I get it haha. Sarcasm is not really readable through text, and I get plenty of trolls, dummies, and just plane crazies commenting on videos. So I usually have to assume someone is being a jack wagon. Thanks for watching.
Please Note: I incorrectly call the patterns in this video 60/40 and 70/30 spreads. The first three patterns are all 80/20 or 90/10 spreads with the 3-1/2" 2-3/8 oz. turkey load being a 50/50 spread. By saying "it shoots where it should", I am saying that in relation to what Benelli says it should do. So, the SBE 3 shoots "high" compared to what most people are used to or expect. It would be nice if Benelli advertised or detailed that in a manual, but it is not outside of their specifications.
Also, I say in the video the choke is a "Hevi-steel" choke tube, and what I meant was that it is a Hevi-Shot branded Choke Tube. (I had a few too many things going through my mind for this video, ha ha.)
UPDATE: Benelli in early 2018 started to address all requests for service regarding high shooting guns and is bringing them into the standard (for Benelli) spec of shooting 60/40-70/30 patterns when returned for service. If you need to have your SBE 3 inspected or serviced, remember to use your 10 year warranty and contact Benelli customer service directly with and email or phone call.
I bought Benelli Supernova
And it seems to me that it shoots high so I confirm your thoughts
American Arms Channel just in the last few years I have bought three different kinds of shotguns and all of them shoot in the exact same place as your bennelli,, This prompted me to have fiber optic front and rear sights put on all of them ,,, that way I can adjust for the individual shells.
Hey drake.... I’m so glad I found your channel. I like your presentation and style. I’m thinking of getting a SbE 3 right now and I’m glad I can get your take on it. I’m new to the sport but I feel like you’ve enhance my knowledge tenfold right off the bat
James Lanz glad my content is of value to you. If you have any questions, be sure to comment on a video.
Just curious how is putting your bead directly under the bullseye and getting 90-95% of your pellets hitting above the bullseye considered a 60/40 pattern?When i hear 60/40 I think that 60% of pellets would be above the point of aim and 40% would be below point of aim. Where you say you are aiming is under the sharpie mark and 90-100% of your pattern is above where you held your bead. I have an SBE2 and mine is the same way. Its infuriating to me.
Benellis have shot this way since the sbe 1 so
Wayne from Ontario, Canada: I have an SBE 3 as well and although it was surprising how high it shot when I patterned it, it was nothing new to adapt to it since waterfowl change direction so much during flight and so it was very convenient to actually be able to track the bird while they're zipping by. I have yet to try Hevi-Steel on it, have been using Kents last season an worked great. With a patternmaster choke, nothing escaped at all for me. Great gun :)
Good video. I have a SBE 3 and after doing some research, I put a larger bead on the front and it help a lot to bring the load down. It does not rely bring it down it just changes the point of aim so it is easier to get the pattern the way I want. FYI
Steven Wagner that’s really the only way to do it without having the barrel or rib serviced. I have come to be accustomed to the higher pattern so I have not undertaken that step. Thanks for the view and comment!
What brand bead you are using to get pattern down a bit?
shooting 70/30 or 90/10 would not be acceptable to me. It would drive me nuts! Sorry, it's not what I would call good. Great video and thanks for making it!
Thank you for your comment and viewership!
It is not uncommon for North American shooters and hunters do desire a 50/50 pattern on their field gun. Most are trained to use the bead as a sight and not a reference point. While you can and will make hits like this, the "superior" method is both eyes open and on the bird. The latter method makes a higher 60/40 to 90/10 pattern split very very effective, as the gun is never in the way of seeing the target (unless the target is incoming at high speed, like Teal and Doves like to do). I was originally trained with the "bead is a sight" method, as I was raised a rifleman and trained by a rifleman. Once I re-trained myself to shoot with a both eyes open "i see the bird, I shoot" method, I garnered a significant 15-20% increase in my hit ratios at sporting clays and in the field. I will concede however, shooting a 90/10 patterning gun in the field is different at first from a 60/40 or 70/30 gun.
Keep your powder dry
-Drake
I just purchased my sbe3... watched/read several reviews about it shooting high. I shimmed the gun and used a hi viz sight (preferred over the stock sight). It shot 60/40 or 50/50. Either Benelli fixed the problem or the people complaining don't know how to set the gun up. Btw I didn't float the target either.
Benelli did have a problem with a number of guns in 2017 and maybe early 2018, but everything produced after that has seemed to shoot as regulated. It wasn’t as big of a deal as people made it out to be, but it was an issue that the guns had. Enjoy your new SBe 3!
Can somebody tell me please, what year is made benelli sb3,
I just got a new SBE3 last week. Mine definitely shot high and to left 8 to 12 inches high and about the same to left. Called Benelli and they are taking care of it. They told me they know what the problem is and can fix it with no problem.
Good to hear. Did you adjust the drop and cast to fit you? Sometimes that also leads to a POI/POA disparity and can exaggerate those issues as well.
The SBE3 shoots high compared to the SBE2 or SBE1. Supposedly Benelli corrected this but for a $2,000 this is totally unacceptable especially with a $200 to $300 shotguns will out pattern and shoot closer to POA
Hi Drake, please help! I have Beneli 28guage that shot high and to the left(I'm right handed and Right eye dominate). Put the "D" shims and "D,"DX shims back in. The Beneli 28guage still shoots up and to the left. Very disappointed that poa does not match poi.
Unfortunately, I am unaware of any method that will correct POA/POI issues in the 20 or 28ga SBE 3’s outside of replacing the rib with a flatter example (the ethos rib for the same barrel length will work) and adjusting the drop and cast. There is no barrel stop ring or other point of adjustment on the smaller gauge examples.
If you have not already, rest the shotgun off the bench and have an additional shooter confirm the POA/POI in your place to make sure it is not shooter error on your part.
Do also keep in mind that different loads can have not only different patterns per choke constriction, but different POI’s as well. Trying different loads on the pattern board may assist you in learning what your shotgun is doing.
Ultimately, sending the shotgun into Benelli for service may be your quickest route to remediation if a problem does exist.
I hope this helps.
If I adjusted with the shim kit would it bring it down to 50/50 ?
Bassman99 most likely not. It will prevent you from seeing the top flat of the rib though and give you a proper mount when wingshooting. If you are still greater than 80/20 or 90/10 with you pattern on the board, the gun needs to be serviced by Benelli.
If you already see just the beads when you mount the gun, adjusting the shims for more drop will artificially cause the pattern to drop as you will see less of the bead and be actually pointing the barrel below the target. (Let me know if that doesn’t make sense)
If you are having trouble with hitting birds and clays with the gun patterning 80/20-90/10, look at only the bird and keep the gun below the bird. That should start to increase your hits.
American Arms Channel thanks for the reply
Bassman99 no problem. Feel free to comment or private message with any questions. I try and be as responsive as possible.
American Arms Channel so true , I have 6 different shot guns and I just got a sbe 3 and I started aiming below clays/birds and knocked them dead . Just gotta adjust to the way it shoots . I’m guessing it’s good for those decoying birds so the barrel won’t cover your target up
I sent my sbe3 threw patterns like yours did, sent it in and they adjusted the barrel stop Bc it was out of spec .050 in. Shots a true 60/40 now like any other Benelli. I would send your gun in and have it adjusted
gone winchester thanks for the input. I solved the problem by installing a larger bead, which complements the gun perfectly (in my opinion). There is less than 20 days until 2018-19 Waterfowl season starts here in VA, so I won’t be sending it in anytime soon, but just may after next spring. Thanks for the input and viewership!
Keep your powder dry.
-Drake
1 week turn around right now....just got mine back today, sent it last Wednesday.
Great video though brother.
every video and everything I have read it shoots high and left
I just bought one and shimmed it to my size! It shoots dead on 60/40! Right down the middle! So happy this gun is sick
Really great review over this gun and clearing up a lot of the noise.
Question: Have you seen consistency in getting 50/50 patterns on turkey loads while getting higher patterns on traditional waterfowl loads?
Cory Anderson unfortunately I have not fired enough turkey loads to collect significant data and report an accurate conclusion. I have seen consistent patterns across load types though, and all loads 1-3/4oz and lighter have generally patterned higher than than those 1-7/8oz and heavier. But, I have not patterned more than 3 types of turkey loads and all shot to a different POI.
However, all loads I have patterned (in excess of 40 plus at the end of Summer 2018) are in the normal 70/30 to 90/10 range of the SBE3 with the factory bead.
As I cover in other videos, lowering the pattern can be achieved easily through installing a 40% to 50% larger bead.
What choke exactly did you use?
Rob Gregory a Hevi-Shot, Hevi-Choke Extended Range (ER). It’s a Full. Sorry that in the video I was not clear about that. Details are in the video description.
Would the shims that come with the gun correct this or are they just for shooters arm length?
Shims adjust Drop and Cast of the stock to accommodate the shooter’s body and shooting style; but pad length adjusts the length of pull. The ideal shim adjustment is to provide a flat sight plane down the rib so that none of the top flat is seen when the shooter mounts the shotgun. If you over-adjust the drop, you push the barrel down compared to the angle of the stock, hence pushing the point of impact down when you mount and fire.
However, this does not really push the point of impact down, it simply changes where the barrel is pointing when you mount the gun. A better method to push the POI down with a high shooting gun without taking it to a smith or sending it in to the manufacturer is adding a higher bead sight. Focusing on the bird and Floating it at the top of that higher bead sight (which should be in your peripheral) will force your barrel lower and “lower” your POI.
They’re no longer “Vincis” or “super vincis” they’re from hence forth called “Vinchs”😂😂 made me laugh out loud. Awesome video man! I’ve got a sbe3 12 ga and I’m gonna turn down the barrel ring to get it to shoot a 50/50 or 60/40 pattern. My question is, the sbe3 20 gauge doesn’t have a barrel stop ring so how does one adjust the poi if it shoots high?
What do you think about that hevi shot
Love it. Honestly it is the best steel shot I have ever used (and I've used quite a few different brands and load types). #1 shot is my preffered shot size in their Hevi-Steel offering. I'm not totally sold on Hevi-Metal, but I've had some good results with the 3-1/2" 1-1/2oz. BB load on Geese.
Hevi-X also works great, and I was able to shoot a late season mallard at 45 yards with it, catching him on the fringe of the pattern. It didn't drop him, but it hurt him so he fell pretty close in the river and was all but dead when i walked up to him. I also crushed a Canada at 30 yards with Hevi-X 3-1/2" 1-3/8oz. #2's. I am not entirely convinced that it is worth $35 to $45 a box, but it sure seems to work nice. Wound channels are really good, and it seems to cause damage much more like lead loads do on upland game.
All in all, I am very pleased with the performance of Hevi-Shot's products
The website says they shoot high. If your having those issues switch beads on your gun to a higher bead and you'll be fine .
Please see the other videos I have on this channel of corrections through installing a higher bead and mechanically adjusting POI utilizing the position of the barrel stop ring. Both methods can be used to bring the POI down.
Very helpful. Thx
First thing is that gun is supposed to stack beads...if your aligning both beads should not be shooting that high... alignment of both beads would make it shoot lower. Also that choke is.not what's used for turkey loads at all.
J Fike
First, there are different theories and practices about how midbeads are to be used. I subscribe to the align both beads to ensure your eye remains centered over the bore. Benelli’s are also regulated for this. Modern Brownings and most older double guns made before the 1960’s will be regulated to stack or figure 8 the beads. To each company and shooter their own method. Additionally, while this shotgun does pattern 90/10 or 80/20 with most loads, it suits my shooting style of hovering the bird over the bead, but it will not work for all shooters.
Second, no, that is not a turkey choke. But with that particular full choke and that nice of a pattern, it would be more than adequate out to 30 yards, and actually would help with a slightly less tight pattern with close shots. If you listen to the video I say “slap the turkey choke in and you’re good to go”.
Thanks for watching my video!
for what it's worth putting a fatter bead on will help a little
Garrett Harper I did just that...
th-cam.com/video/y8vGGrSQKsc/w-d-xo.html
First 3 were not 60/40. Almost the entire pattern was above your hold point. Last pattern was most ideal as the split was more acceptable. I can live with a high shooting shotgun but one that shoots left or right is problematic. Especially when coupled with a high or low problem.
Benelli's are not great patterning guns generally but with some work you can get them there.
Nice vid. Out of sheer curiosity, are you the same Drake who tunes for RNT?
rAvensBBr thanks for the viewership. Haha, unfortunately not. I’m just a guy that hunts ducks. Actually, the only RNT call I ever had was their snow goose call and it fell apart after 1 tuning and 3 hunts. Didn’t leave a good taste in my mouth for RNT. BUT, I’m sure their higher end calls are good.
American Arms Channel I swear by their G3 call in Cocobolo for Canadas here on the East Coast. Actually don't run many of their duck calls though. Great vid, love my SBE2, and will bear this in mind when I upgrade for an SBE3. Hope your season was good out in NE.
rAvensBBr thanks. It was ok. The migration pretty much skipped us this year, but that’s ok. I still put meat in the pot and had amazing hunts. I actually got to have my dream hunt this year: I took a Drake mallard in full color, in the snow on the Platte river. Better yet, it was Christmas weekend. It’s the little things that count! Haha. I grew up in NY so the east coast flyway is my bread and butter. Hope you had a good one as well!
American Arms Channel Awesome! All about the experience and journey. And a full color bird for the wall never hurts either. :)
my least favorite part of buying a shotgun is worrying about the poi poa issue.
Garrett Harper that is completely understandable. But, no matter how the gun is designed to pattern, or how the example you buy actually patterns, know that pattern splits and centering is less important than learning to be a competent to excellent wing shooter. Whether your gun shoots 45/55 or 90/10, a good wing shooter will adjust subconsciously and make excellent hits with that gun. I will say though, once you learn to use a high patterning shotgun well, you’ll never want to cover the bird with the bead again.
All the shells shot at least six inches high except the three and a half
Don't know why the manufacture doesn't do examples like this on all their guns.You only get the real truth from the hunter who use the firearm in the field.If they are that good???
Awesome video. But to get accurate testing, you have to back up to 40 yards. Also I wouldn’t call any of those 50/50. Those are all out of spec if your aim was on the dot in the middle.
Please see the pinned comment or the video description. Also, pattern testing can be done at almost any range past 15 yards and give you a good idea of what the shotgun is doing with a specific load. I typically pattern at 25, 35, and 45 to see what the load I have chosen does because these are the distances I most commonly shoot birds at
Thanks for watching.
American Arms Channel didn’t read description. You can pattern test at 2 yards if you want. But to get an accurate understanding of what your gun will do, you should be at 40. Your science here only shows that the Benelli is further “off” at 40. At your 25 yard shots, you are almost 90% out of your area. At 40 that gets massively worse.
Addison Estes the pattern is continuing to open and drop at that distance as well, so it is not as bad as it seems, although not ideal. The science is not “off” if you are considering and testing with the variables in which you will utilizing the firearm and load of choice. I have tested this from 15 yards to 75 yards on numerous guns and loads. Past 40 yards, gravity and aerodynamics work on the pellets hard enough to keep pattern pretty much where it was, and past 55 it will start to drop off, just like a slug would as a single projectile.
Pattern testing has been established to mean 30 and 40 yards for industry purposes, but it does not correlate to individual hunting scenarios. If I am shooting passing shots on geese at 60 yards, do I test at 40 and call it good? If I’m decoying birds in the timber and shooting them at 12 yards, do I call it good to test at 30? No. Hunt specific variables need to be accounted for by the individual for their load and gun. I selected 25 yards due to it being what I observed myself and many others to commonly shoot at.
American Arms Channel maybe there is a disconnect in the word pattern then. If you are looking for a coverage result at a set yardage, you are not patterning a gun. You are patterning the choke. To accurately pattern the gun, you must set 10 targets at 40 yards, fire a single shot into each, then measure a 30” circle containing the most shot inside, then measure the distance from POI to POA. This will give you a true GUN patterning.
If you point a laser at a dot on a wall and you are 2” off at 25 yards, then you would be 6” off at 40 yards and so on and so forth. The fact that the SBE3 is almost completely off your mark at 25 yards is far outside of factory spec. Which is patterned at 40 yards.
I understand defending the gun itself, however for $1600 I will not settle for “good enough”.
This is an issue that Benelli is aware of and admits to. No need to try to protect their flaws.
Addison Estes I am not arguing that the gun is not within “spec”, my example does shoot higher than 60/40 with most loads (before taller bead), and I’m not arguing to defend a $1,800 shotgun just because I bought it, hence why I updated the description and the pinned comment to the video to detail such, since TH-cam has not allowed for notations within the video for some time. Yeah, it’s not perfect, Benelli flubbed a bunch of them. I like mine, I really don’t care if you or anyone else buys one or not. No ego investment for me there. I love hunting with mine and have been very successful with it, so there is emotional attachment in that aspect. Otherwise, I report on the objective performance.
The term patterning encompasses everything that the firearm is doing, both shot dispersion and POA/POI, and accuracy/consistency thereof.
Yes, there are set test protocols. No, I did not, and typically do not follow them. Why? Because I am obstinate or disagree? No. Because, as I explained, it does not personally provide me with the data I need to determine performance capabilities in the real world. I hold the same test parameters for every shotgun I own or review. If we want to get very technical, we should also say that the gun should be locked down in a mount to remove human error. It really comes down to how nit picky you want to be. If we absolutely wanted to test what happened with the design, and how prolific the high POI issue was, then we would need a significantly larger random sample size of the design and test for variances in barrel length. That is not really something any individual can do, and would only be a test the manufacturer could reasonably carry out.
Point being, there is little use arguing over the minutia of “pattern test is X procedure” in a situation of such a limited sample size. I demonstrated my example and reported on my findings, albeit definitely off on correctly identifying the pattern splits at the time of filming/posting. Note that when I added a taller bead and tested the Pattern POA/POI again, I kept with the same test parameters I established for myself, keeping the testing valid.
You have a funny idea of what 60/40 is .....
Todd Bunnett please see the description or the pinned comment.
Класс!Супер!
согласна!
(Hopefully that means I agree in russian! Haha!)
@@AmericanArmsChannel Exactly!)))I'm starting to learn English!:)
American Arms Channel haha you write «согласна» like a girl)) boy must write «согласен», good luck ))
Sbe3 sits in safe and browning goes bang 3 times when I hunt. Buy browning and save yourselves time and money.
10bigrob10 why are you keeping the SBE 3 then if you prefer your browning? Seems like an expensive safe queen for no reason...
American Arms Channel my wife and mother got it for me as a gift. My mother passed away this past March. If it wouldn’t even hit the primer I would still keep it.
10bigrob10 I understand. Sorry for your loss. Are you having cycling issues?
American Arms Channel thank you. Oh no my sbe3 is absolutely perfect in every way other than poa and poi being about 12” different.
I shoot browning silver at dove. Browning Maxus at duck. The sbe3 was going to be my duck gun but I can’t hit. Benelli has sent me a shipping label and confirmed the issue is with the “barrel ring” and would correct my issue. I have it broke down and ups will pick it up tomorrow. Benelli is paying shipping both ways and been very helpful.
10bigrob10 very good. They should have it back to you in short order with the issue corrected. It seems to me that they simply slipped up on all the early production guns and created a swath of 90/10 patterning guns. When you get it back it should be in the 60/40 - 70/30 pattern range as is standard with Benelli’s. I can understand not being too keen on shooting a higher pattern split if you are used to the 50/50 patterning Browning lineup.
Lol dude those patterns are all 100% high minimum. You have no pellets below POA. And that’s a solid 6 inches poi above poa so at 40 yards you’re gonna be a foot high. Don’t care about the turkey load as you couldn’t pay me to shoot it.
Please see the rest of the series on the SBE 3. I eventually corrected the issue mechanically. Prior to the correction my example was shooting 80/20 to 90/10 with most loads.
Buy a beretta and save yourself the drama
Why would ANYBODY want anything other than a true 50/50 pattern on any shotgun?.......i want ALL of my shot to go where i put that bead. Floatimg a bird makes this gun useless as a slug launcher for deer....
Personal Preference for pattern splits is entirely dependent on how one shoots. I personally prefer a 60/40 to 70/30 split and floating the bird as it keeps me in a target focused shooting mindset, whereas I otherwise attempt to aim more often behind the bead with a 50/50 patterning shotgun. Higher patterns are also desirable for flushing and incoming bird shots such as those most commonly seen in European pigeon shoots, pheasant hunting, and trap.
For a field gun, most would find a 80/20 to 90/10 pattern split to be excessive, and as such most Benelli's and other Italian shotguns are regulated for 50/50 to 70/30 patterns.
Many who say they would never shoot a gun that patterns greater than 50/50 I would recommend trying and shooting two similar guns, one regulated 50/50 and one 60/40 with the beads removed from both. Forget about which shoots what pattern split and shoot two identical sets of 50 on a sporting clays course. I can bet that you will see roughly the same shooting percentages only dependent on your capabilities. With the exception of excessively high or low shooting guns, most shooters cannot tell the difference between a high and low shooting gun in the field.
Another thing I find 50/50 "purists" often claim (not asserting you do, as I don't know you or your shooting methods/proficiencies) is that they claim you have to know where the shot is going and it has to be behind the bead to do so. This tells me two things. 1) If you know how a gun patterns, you know where it shoots, so the position of the bead is almost irrelevant. 2) The shooter is attempting to aim with the bead instead of shooting Target focused, which can be used to kill sustained lead birds, but if you've ever snap shot a game animal/bird you have shot target focused and it is always a more efficient wingshooting method.
Regarding slug or ball shooting, true, a 50/50 patterning shotgun is more advantageous, but with today's ability to install temporary rifle sights, red dots, scopes, or swap to a dedicated slug model in a hefty majority of the models available on the market, it becomes a bit of a mute point. This is especially true of shotguns designed and marketed as dedicated bird guns, but even then, shotguns like the SBE 3 have rifled slug models and barrels available for purchase should deer, hogs, bear or other large game be your pursuit with a scattergun.
That said, it is perfectly fine to have a preference for one pattern split or the other; what matters is being the best shot and most efficient dispatcher of game you possibly can be.
Thanks for watching and the comment.
- Drake
@@AmericanArmsChannel thanks for the reply man. Good food for thought!
Jesus Christ loves you all
Stopped watching once I heard Nebraska
And why does that make a difference?
@@AmericanArmsChannel it's a joke I'm from Iowa. Don't take things to heart so much.
@@hunterstrange6768 oh ok, I get it haha. Sarcasm is not really readable through text, and I get plenty of trolls, dummies, and just plane crazies commenting on videos. So I usually have to assume someone is being a jack wagon.
Thanks for watching.
That turkey load is amazing! What a cannon!