Question for SBE II users!

[szokr1]

Allright guys, picked up my new SBE II a couple weeks ago, had the chance to shoot it last weekend and have some questions for you. I know that it comes with some shims should the gun not be shooting accuratly, how many of you had to use these? Or did your gun shoot great out of the box? i seemed to be missing a lot more than I generally do, and felt the gun was shooting high and to the left.

I realize i am not in mid season form, but as soon as I put down the new gun and grabbed my old one, I was dead on.

What gives here??

Szokr1

[explodingvarmints]

I would put the gun on a pattern board and snap a few shots before i screwed with the shims. aim and shoot 3 different boards and then 'snap shoot' 3 different boards and see how they compare. then try the shims.

[szokr1]

Do most gun ranges have a pattern board?? I typically head out to Pontiac lake, but I think they only allow slugs on the range.

Are there other places locally i can pattern this gun?

Thanks in advance!

Szokr1

[The Nailer]

Do most gun ranges have a pattern board?? I typically head out to Pontiac lake, but I think they only allow slugs on the range.
Szokr1

Pontiac Lake used to have a pattern board, it was on the end of the 100 yard bench. I used it several years ago to pattern my SBE for turkey hunting.

[explodingvarmints]

Make your own. You could make a 3 x 3 frame and staple newspaper to it, or just get a couple sheets of drywall or that cheap luan board. Also the shimming will only help with the up and down adjustment.

[jmoser]

The shims only change the 'drop at comb' stock fit dimension. I changed mine and my SBE 1 shot much better. Drop, cant, and length of pull are the main dimensions of any shotgun stock and determine how the gun fits you and is aimed when you raise it to your shoulder and cheek. Check the LOP on your 'good' shotgun and compare to the SBE. You can estimate drop at comb by laying a yardstick along the rib and measuring the gap at the point where your cheek meets the comb.

A knowlegeable gunsmith / shooter should be able to judge how this fits simply by looking at it while you hold it in the shooting position [indoors / unloaded please!]

In short - when you first raise the gun into your natural position the comb should be firmly against your cheek and your eye should be sighting straight down the top edge of the rib [the plane of the rib should be virtually invisible, all you should see is the beads lined up perfectly. Imagine looking at a sheet of paper edgewise and you get the idea.] If you have to 'wiggle' the gun to get the proper rib / bead picture then you have a fit issue.

The comb height is majority of the high/low point of aim adjustment, length of pull also contributes somewhat as it determines where your cheek meets the comb.

Cant is changed by bending the buttstock sideways - I do not believe you can make any adjustment for cant on a synthetic stock [?] but you can get spacers to change the length of pull if needed. Check the LOP on your 'good' shotgun and compare to the SBE. You can estimate drop at comb by laying a yardstick along the rib and measuring the gap at the point where your cheek meets the comb.

SBEs seem to be a love 'em or hate 'em gun, folks either swear by them or swear at them.

[2ESRGR8]

The shims for my M2 do allow you to change cast.
The code system Benelli uses is a little quirky so make sure you install their shims correctly or you could be moving the comb the wrong way if shims are installed wrong.
I like to float targets above the bead so I did need to install a shim to get height and cast correct for my sight picture.
Regarding LOP, If you have the comfortech stock a shorter length pull recoil pad is available from Benelli.

[roger23]

I also need to make some changes on my new SBE II bought it used only 3 shells fired thru it guy said the gun was to heavy any way I did not get any shims looks like I need to buy some
http://www.benelliusa.com/firearms/partsAccessoriesMisc.tpl

[SuperBlackEagle2]

I've got an SBEII, an M2, and an old SBE. All 3 shot perfectly out of the box, and still do.