The internal recoil system did nothing for me, although I have had 4 shoulder surgeries. Along the way, it earned the respect of a new generation of hardcore duck and goose hunters beset by the same kind of weather and environmental conditions that had caused their fathers to rely on pump guns. 828U. with pheasant hunting every year has one and likes it. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. This is a simple function of physics; a lighter gun will deliver more recoil momentum to the shooters shoulder than a heavier gun. I have been in the market for a midtier over under and am a huge Benelli fan as well. The 828U does not disappoint in that regard, balancing well directly at the hinge point. 8 shot and an average muzzle velocity of 1,200 fps. I shot 50 rounds and was impressively sore. The stocks exhibit figure and also have fish scale checkering in panels on the fore-end and pistol grip. Looks goofy as can be, like a camo space gun, but I use it for upland, waterfowl, and turkeys and without an issue. Combine those conditions with several inches of snow on the ground and a temperature that failed to rise above the single digits, and the hunt proved to be the ideal opportunity to test the mettle of a gun that, at that point, still posed far more questions than it answered. They include (l.): a shim kit that offers 40 different combinations of cast and drop adjustment; the Progressive Comfort recoil-mitigation module that resides within the buttstock; and interchangeable cheekpieces that can be swapped out to provide proper stock-to-face fit. The Beretta you have will run circles around it if it fits you. I shot it and it didn't fit me , pretty sure that I swallowed a couple of fillings that day. I took "that" gun back to Scheels and showed them the issue and they like me knowing the issues I have had with the two different guns couldn't believe it either. Unfortunately, this is a gross misconception that needs to be rectified. 828 U Product Manual (14.83 MB) For: 828 U Shotguns, 828 U Upland Performance Shop Shotguns, 828 U Sport Shotguns. He said company engineers were reserved, not letting on that the gun they were working on was an over-under. Copyright 2023 National Rifle Association. Think I'll just order from soortsmans and they say i can always decline it when it shows up if it's not my cup of tea. However, a guy at our club has a new 30" 828U Sport and it felt really nice (I didn't get to shoot it). The Benelli 828U is a major disappointment and an outright embarrassment. Poor gun fit increases felt recoil, and insufficient drop is the main culprit, but the 828's three-tiered shim system lets you go from 42.5mm to 65mm of drop in 2.5mm increments until you get the perfect fit. The shotguns length of pull was 14.25 inches, with a drop at the comb of 1 58 inches and a drop at the heel of 2.5 inches. Everyone that I know that has bought one of these got over them fairly quickly. I'll get my hands on it sooner or later and give my opinion on it. If youve got a computer and a pen, you can probably work with it. They introduced a 20 gauge version this year. With birds in the air, we should note we were particularly impressed with the trigger-pull touch-offs of 4.5 pounds for the bottom barrel and 4.25 for the top barrel. Title. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Removing two more screws frees it for access to a nut on a stock bolt that fixes one of two metal drop plates. True to Vignarolis characterizations, the 828U proved to be a very dependable gun and ejection of spent hulls was in fact very energetic. Everyone who shot the gun had positive things to say about its neutral balance, ease of pointing and light weight. In the field, my first shot on a live bird brought a similar, satisfying experience. Women On Target Instructional Shooting Clinics, Volunteer At The Great American Outdoor Show, Marion P. Hammer Women Of Distinction Award, Women's Wildlife Management / Conservation Scholarship, National Youth Shooting Sports Cooperative Program, Weatherby Brings Back the Orion Over/Under Shotgun, Winchesters New King Buck Classic Youth Sporting Clays Event Will Have $10,000 In Prizes | An NRA Shooting Sports Journal, Rifleman Q&A: St. Louis Arms Co. I have watched Benelli videos, and have owned several over under shotguns, and have never had any issue like this before. To consistently break targets, particularly those with any distance on them, we had to hold high and right, not the accepted and typical practice of shooting where you look. Utilizing an inertia trigger system that requires the firing of the first barrel to engage the second, the Model 828U triggers touched off at 4.5 pounds for the bottom barrel and 4 pounds for the top. I did get an exceptional deal on it. The length of pull was 14.75 inches. It makes the gun handle, and perform better in the long term. I think the Sporting version does have an all steel receiver. Results with the Improved Cylinder choke were substantially worse. Citing the guns operation as part of the global comfort theme, Vignaroli said the 828Us unique breeching system eliminates the need for a close-tolerance fit at the locking catch, making the gun easy to open. 4 nickel-plated lead shot at 1485 f.p.s.not a particularly mild load for a 12 gauge weighing only 6 lbs., 9 ozs. Over on Shotgun World in I love my Benelli, there have been some problems reported about the 828 U trigger assembly dropping out, ejector problems and problems with the breech lock popping open. Head to the range this week with American Rifleman staff as they discuss a trim little repeater from Savage Arms that comes chambered for the .22 WMR cartridge. You are using an out of date browser. This tendency to shoot low and left went a long way toward explaining why our teams target busting experience with the Benelli was much less than satisfactory. Each barrel is soldered to protrusions machined over the one-piece, heat-treated monobloc. The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time. Overall, our test team members were satisfied with that configuration. Benelli has stated that the receiver has wear from improper assembly. The 828U represents a true breakthrough in over-under shotgun design, and Benelli hopes it will also help the company break through with a whole new group of upland and recreational sport shooters. If anyone that owns a benelli says they dont like the 828U they have deeper issues than we should get into on rockslide. With that being said, every gun I have bought I have shot beforehand, so it would be uncharacteristic for me to buy one without trying it, though it is clear there aren't many of these around. Rather, the guns strikers are cocked by operating the top-mounted opening lever. I do not recall the barrel length of this 828, it is at her place. This, despite its low build cost, means that the 828U is a product condemned to please no one. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Most noticeable is the shotguns patented locking mechanism that incorporates a free-floating locking plate in the front of the aluminum receiver. A guy at a field trial I was at a year ago had one and I really liked it. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a28dd07b9c52d16 Benelli 828U Sport The action was not at all stiff. But around 2012, Benelli engineers, spurred by the belief that they could contribute something new to traditional shotgunning, quietly began work on an over-under that would be engineered like none before it. The benelli 828u pen is a small, high quality, battery operated pen. Both versions have sold very poorly and have had issues. In the field, my first shot on a live bird brought a similar, satisfying experience. Benelli Armi SpA of Urbino, Italy, is a relative newcomer to the gun business, having emerged in 1967 from its parent motorcycle manufacturing concern with an idea for a new type of shotgun action. Gun Value Conditions explained: New in box - 100% condition in unopened box. For a gun with some familiar features, such as a walnut buttstock and fore-end, the 828U also has quite a few unexpected innovations. I have only seen one in the wild as well, a guy had one last year at a local shoot, 30 inch tubes, and black reciever, totally different looking gun in person then in videos and internet pictures etc. Again, unlike shotguns of old, which required fitting by an expert and labor-intensive, permanent changes to the stock, the Benelli system is relatively simple to customize by the end user simply by referring to a fitting table in the owners manual. Written and photographed by Ralph Winingham, using evaluations from Gun Tests team testers. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. The Benelli 828U is a major disappointment and an outright embarrassment. The solid carbon-fiber rib is another potentially customizable component, requiring only the loosening of a single screw for removal. Benelli is not giving me any additional information, but have stated it is damaged and they will not repair or replace the wear I have apparently done. the past 2 yrs. Poor patterns, weak target hits, and uninspiring features all contributed to our low grade for this shooting tool. I have heard that there are several people out there selling them for $100.00 each. We were particularly impressed with the pattern spread, finding a very solid and uniform distribution of hits. IMO, I think in O/U shotguns, especially those used for targets, a receiver made of steel not alloy is a must. The swing was beautiful but the recoil destroyed me. I did handle it, I couldn't get over how long the reciever was. One of our test-team members scrounged up a heavier load (a 1-ounce, 1,230 feet per second shell) that did eject from the bottom barrel. However, we noticed there was a little creep or spongy feel to the pull with both triggers, unlike the crisp, sharp pull of the Browning. Most of the problems were associated with the extractor/ejector arrangement. Defiantly not my favorite sporting gun but it wasn't designed for that. My friend that I go to S.D. The cryogenically treated barrels, which are highly polished and blued, do not have side ribs, leaving a gap of approximately 5/16" between them starting 378" in front of their join at the monobloc to a point 2" from the muzzle. If a shooter favors the looks and feel of a semiautomatic, the Model 828U may be just the ticket. I thought it felt very much like my super vinci in regards to the balance and mounting. The 828U makes some guys turn into hostile teenage girls. Hosts Mark and Robin Braatens comfortable lodge provided an ideal setting in which I was able to discuss the guns design with the Urbino-based engineer who spearheaded it: Marco Vignaroli. I am not asking for opinions on this gun, though of course I respect any opinions that are posted here. When a firearm manufacturer with a reputation of producing high-quality, durable semiautomatics ventures into the under/over market, a lot of shooters will take notice. The 828U differs in a couple of important respects. They each have their strengths. The Benelli 828U Cannot for the life of me find one on the shelf to shoulder. Nice guns. It handled very well on the clay-target course, excelled on the patterning board, and helps a shooter look sharp to his compatriots while serving as a solid shooting tool. Been loving this game since 01. The 828U Steel comes chambered for 2 3/4- and 3-inch shotshells in both 12- and 20-gauge. Realize, too, that this was legitimate wild-bird hunting among wide-open crop fields and across rolling terrain that was as natural as pheasant habitat gets. In fact, Benelli became so well-known for its semi-automatic shotguns that it found itself a bit typecast. YMMV. That is always the answer before buying a new gun. Posts must be somewhat related to firearms and must comply with the Global Reddit Rules. While the aforementioned is readily apparent by examining the guns exterior, it is inside that the Benelli departs from, or, more properly, defies convention. We made allowances in our testing for the slightly better handling characteristics that are generally attributed to longer barrels and a heavier gun, ensuring these factors did not influence our evaluation. A plain top lever lies just ahead of the safety along the left side. I would have it. Citori. Print Thread: Benelli 828U Sport or Beretta 694 Sporting #8514994 01/27/22 02:45 PM: Joined: Dec 2010. Probably a good idea to get your hands on one first in my opinion. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. I might sell a kidney to get one. The floating breech block us intriguing, as are the re-designed ejectors. Culminating in the 1993 introduction of the Super Black Eagle, one of the first semi-automatics capable of firing 2", 3" and 3" shells, the Inertia Drive system proved reliable to a fault throughout two-and-a-half decades of service in a series of models. Good to see an honest and thorough review too many around that arent. I'm trying to be the person my Little Brown Dog acts like I am. Combine those conditions with several inches of snow on the ground and a temperature that failed to rise above the single digits, and the hunt proved to be the ideal opportunity to test the mettle of a gun that, at that point, still posed far more questions than it answered. Our conclusion was that the Model 828U system doesnt like light loads not a good thing in a light firearm. I have never owned a Benelli but have read about the SBE issues. The detachable trigger module has a cocking plate that is pressed rearward by a projection when the top lever is moved to open the action. As noted earlier, this is the latest version of a long line of Browning over-and-unders that have found favor with the shooting public. As if I could actually write with my pen. 10701 12 Gauge, $2,500 GUN TESTS GRADE: C Although Benelli has a reputation for producing high-quality semiautomatic shotguns, we found the company's new over/under was lacking in both appearance and performance. JavaScript is disabled. She appreciated the buttpad for not hanging up on clothing, liked the matte finish of the carbon-fiber rib and pointed out that the removable breech block would make cleaning easier. Thanks for the replies. Reinforcing the theme of mechanical modularity is a self-contained trigger module that can be removed from the receiver with an included tool. Firearm Discussion and Resources from AR-15, AK-47, Handguns and more! The 828U opened and closed smoothly and felt solid at lockup. The surprising part, though, was how nonintrusively it had done so. The silver receiver model, well it was not pleasant for me to shoot, and I've owned a few Benelli s/a's with no issues. But 30" in the 828u Sport (target gun). (12-gauge); 26, 28 in. I showed my wife, asked her which one she likes better, she said the silver receiverfunny how when I told her it was $500 more, she changed her mind to the black one. I know the guy that bought it but in the year of Covid I haven't had an opportunity to ask him about it. You should make sure the barrel lug is seating firmly on the pivot pin before closing. I'm seriously into shooting, I'm not a troll, and I have a lot of respect for the knowledge and experience of the people who post here frequently. Customer experience was, and still is, the primary focus, a key to the firms longevity and success. Benelli 828U Black Anodized & Blued 12 Gauge 3in Over Under Shotgun - 28in - A shotgun that feels and shoots like a Benelli from the moment you pick it up to the moment you break it open. Im not a shotgun expert by any means but before I bought the super vinci a few years ago I picked up as many shotguns as I could and that one felt right immediately to me. I believe his 828 has 30's and that might have been by choice as he is a smaller guy. Time will tell. It is a pen that is also very expensive. While some will pan the 828U because it doesnt fit their notion of what an over-under should be, othersparticularly fans of Benellis unique style of engineeringalong with those apt to being open-minded about unexpected new offerings, may find the 828U difficult to resist.