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Shotgun Review: The Benelli Super Black Eagle 3


With Benelli's unveiling he Super Black Eagle 3 last year, come a full redesign of the legendary Super Black Eagle platform. With over 10 years in the making, Benelli has carefully considered every feature with insights from pro-staff and veteran hunters, to produce absolute superiority in the most unforgiving conditions.

In it's ten years of development, Benelli's design engineers have focused on three main areas of critical importance to the serious waterflower; improved ergonomics, flawless functionality, and an updated design, style and feel to set new expectations in modern waterfowling reliability

THE SYSTEM

A hallmark of Benelli's strength and reliability is it's ultra-reliable Inertia Driven System. It never requires adjusting whether it be a low-power 2-inch shell or a 3.5 inch magnum load it never requires adjusting and cycling consistently in any condition.

The Interia Driven system eliminates the need for adjusting all while maintaining a very simple design consisting of three main parts: bolt body, inertia spring, and a rotating bolt head. The steel locking lugs on the rotating bolt head adds to it's overall strength.

When it comes to cleanliness and speed, gas-operated systems simply cannot compare to the Interia Driven system which is known to be able to fire 500,000+ rounds and still function without flaw. The system's simple, small design allows it to be quicker than other gas-operated systems. And unlike it's gas-operated counter parts it blows shell grime out of the barrel, saving you the headache of constantly cleaning to maintain an clean system.

THE STOCK

One of the SBE3's main advantage over other Interia Driven systems, is the incorporation of Benelli's proprietary Comfort Tech 3 system. It reduces recoil "up to 48 percent" more than competition according to Benelli and while some may beg to differ there is no denying that the SBE3 equipped with Comfort Tech 3 makes it the lowest recoiling interia-driven shotgun there is.

The Comfort Tech 3 system reduces recoil in three critical ways. First, it utilizes a gel-type, springier recoil pad that takes the recoil force that hits your shoulder, dissipates it and spreads it over a larger area cushioning the blunt force strength of it. Similarly, Benelli's soft comb insert, "Combtech" cushions the blow of recoil to the shooter's cheek bone. While off the bat, some may think it is just a simple pillow effect, Benelli's engineering have put great effort to make this comb insert as effective as possible.

The pad itself must be soft enough to cushion the blow while not so soft that it it bottoms out on the hard stock buttstock body below and tears over time. Benelli's solution was to insert a plastic leaf spring that fits under the gel insert, so the comb material can still be soft, yet it meets spring resistance before it contacts the hard-plastic frame below it.

Next, the Comfort Tech 3 system employs a series 24 chevron-shaped holes that are spanned with rubber dampers. By splitting the stock diagonally and utilizing those shock-absorbing chevrons, the entire stock was essentially turned into a recoil pad.

Don't miss the chance to experience the Super Black Eagle 3 on July 21st at our 2018 Benelli Event!

SPECIFICATIONS

Chokes: Crio® C, Crio® IM, Crio® F, Extended Crio® IC, Extended Crio® M

Caliber: 12 GA

Type of Sights: Red-Bar Front

Length of Pull: 14-3/8″

Drop at Heel: 2-1/8″

Drop at Comb: 1-3/8″

Finish: GORE OPTIFADE Timber

RATINGS

Ergonomics: * * * * The SBE3 is a joy to shoot without having to worry about breaking your shoulder. The technology and features incorporated into this shotguns are simply amazing. An loading shells, shooting shells, its all easy and simple.

Reliability: * * * * * With Benelli's Interia Driven system its hard to top that kind of reliability and simplicity. The shotgun as a whole functions like a Swiss watch.

Overall: * * * * * Ten years in the making, Benelli did not disappoint. With both their Interia Driven and their Comfort Tech 3 systems, Benelli really brought a true upgrade to their already renowned Super Black Eagle platform


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