Here are our findings: This is another in a long line of solid, fine-handling over and unders. Texas. 828U Sport, always black, steel action so heavier, better recoil characteristics. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Somebody with too much money paid about $700 to take one shot with it and decide he didn't like it. The First Benelli 828u video of UK Stock and we thought. Come join the discussion about optics, hunting, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! Same thing happened again first time I attempted to assemble/disassemble the firearm. Kind of a unique looking gun. JavaScript is disabled. The breech block also contains the spring-loaded firing pins, making them easily replaceable should the need arise. While we had no problems working the system, our experience leads us to believe that over time, and after extensive use in the field and on the range, we worry that there may be issues that develop with the mechanism. I bought the field version 2 months ago and I love it-Lights out in field and sporting clays-LOVE IT!!! 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. Benelli 828u is an interesting pen because its cheap and has a lot of features. Benelli 828U Sport The action was not at all stiff. A lip at the guards front engages a groove in front of the receiver well, and a spring-loaded plunger at the housings rear locks the unit in place. I bought a Guerini instead with a kinetic balancer and love it. Over Under shotguns are considered to be out of style nowadays. I have a Beretta 686 for example. The Beretta you have will run circles around it if it fits you. I agree that Gunbroker is showing prices close to MSRP. To whatever extent we guessed where they were headed merely validated the instincts of a company that manages to stay one step ahead of the market. Overall, no major complaints were registered regarding the 828Ua testimony to the guns overall design. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a28dd07b9c52d16 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. Elsewhere, we thought the stock, forearm, and barrel finish on the Benelli seemed to closely resemble the features of a semiautomatic, rather than exhibiting the typical look and style of an over-and-under in its price range. I think it is a decent gun for the money I paid for it. Each barrel is soldered to protrusions machined over the one-piece, heat-treated monobloc. 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. I bought a Guerini instead with a kinetic balancer and love it. Firearm Discussion and Resources from AR-15, AK-47, Handguns and more! 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. But 30" in the 828u Sport (target gun). The Benelli does beat the weight issue, at some cost IMHO. 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. He has used it in S.D. In the case of the Benelli 828U, it's a matter of 'easy if you know how', and even then both removal and refitting of the breach face baffled me for some time. I like the unusual appearance, most people don't. The ammunition we selected for our testing on the target range and at the patterning board was Winchester AA Extra-Light Target 2.75-inch loads packing 1 ounce of No. Ive made several small changes to my pen, and these were done using a pen for a few minutes, and then a few minutes of practice until I got the pen ready to use it. Benelli has stated that the receiver has wear from improper assembly. The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo. ETHOS Shotgun Product Manual (11 MB) For: ETHOS Sport Shotguns, ETHOS . I shot 50 rounds and was impressively sore. The sporting model is almost $4000. You should make sure the barrel lug is seating firmly on the pivot pin before closing. The trade-off in the field is that most shooters will take a lighter gun that carries better, because just one extra pound adds up over several miles of kicking pheasants up. Maybe it's not beautiful in every way, but the ability to adjust this firearm makes it a fine choice for . It makes the gun handle, and perform better in the long term. It also exhibited generally neutral handling. The fore-end iron attaches in such a way that the fore-end itself is nothing more than a cosmetic cover. And they only weigh about 6.5 lbs. May just be magic beans but reading and listening to the reps the action design is very interesting and the first major divergence from the John Browning friction design. Hello I purchased a 828U several months ago in 12 gauge, and have had nothing but problems. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Posts: 2,178. The 828 is a design that had serious potential, but is extremely lacking in configuration and execution. More importantly, everything it makes has the performance to match. Thomas Jefferson. It swings well, points naturally, and has a classic ribbed target barrel that makes it super easy to draw a bead on fast-moving targets. One can speculate that the only 20 shotguns Benelli ever made that shoot to point of aim at 40 yards were sent to me, but the chances of that are slim to none, and Slim just left town. We value freedom of speech as much as we do the right to keep and bear arms. The only reason to buy one is because it says Benelli. Even with the light loads used in the testing, recoil was significantly more noticeable than with shots fired in the Browning. If anyone that owns a benelli says they dont like the 828U they have deeper issues than we should get into on rockslide. But its also true that the 828U upholds at least one traditionthat of being a uniquely innovative and distinctive firearm bearing the now-famous marque of a motorcycle-turned-gunmaker named Benelli. Im hoping that my new pen is just like that. The Benelli 828U is a major disappointment and an outright embarrassment. It was the worst over under I've ever shot. With the lighter aluminum receiver and other features, including the 26-inch barrels, the Model 828U weighed 6.5 pounds and had an overall length of 43.5 inches. A transverse passage in each chamber contains a floating pin that is bumped a few thousandths of an inch to actuate sears on the ejector body on either side of the monobloc, causing the extractors to forcefully throw empty hulls free of the gun. As to the stock, Vignaroli said, The grip shape and wrist have been developed through studies of different hands and gloves to ensure a better fit and better approach to the trigger. A replaceable polymer cheekpiece allows for changes in comb height, and the Progressive Comfort recoil-mitigation system inside the buttstocka series of interlocking polymer tines that flex to soften the guns movement into the shooters shoulderis capped with a soft rubber recoil pad radiused at the heel to encourage snag-free mounting of the gun. Lightweight with the strength of steel, the Benelli over under features a patented steel locking system that eliminates wear, an ergonomic opening lever which resets the trigger when unlocked, and responsive polymer buffers that compress to absorb recoil energy, adjusting to the load you shoot. I shoot quite a bit, so I know that this should tell me something! After that round I omitted the Benelli 828 from my list of "want to try". Most noticeable is the shotguns patented locking mechanism that incorporates a free-floating locking plate in the front of the aluminum receiver. 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. For younger shooters or shooters with shorter arms, the new Benelli 828U Compact comes with a 26-inch barrel and 14-inch length of pull, shortened from the 828U's original 14 3/8 inches. And that it does so confidently and beautifully is difficult to deny. Because of reasons like their better handling ability, two-choke option, and the fact that most clay target shooting is limited to taking only two shots at a time, stackbarrels reign over clays. But have heard nothing but problems about the. I am not asking for opinions on this gun, though of course I respect any opinions that are posted here. You are using an out of date browser. I am also hoping that the colors they are using are a more accurate match to my pen. I do not recall the barrel length of this 828, it is at her place. The plate features four contact points with the barrel and moves forward and backward on springs as the shotgun is opened and closed. Most dont have pattern tests. It tipped the scales at 7.75 pounds and measured 44.75 inches in length, with our team finding no fault in its heft or handling ability. These old-fashioned scatterguns are often viewed as traditional and many believe they simply can't compare to modern semi-auto or pump-action models. The construction of the barrel assembly is fairly unconventional. Unfortunately, I think it would be great for other people as well. A plain top lever lies just ahead of the safety along the left side. 712 shot shells at a range of 30 yards, we found the Modified choke in the top barrel produced a 57-43 percent pattern (57 percent above the center and 43 percent below) and the Improved Cylinder choke in the bottom barrel produced a 62-38 percent pattern. I tried the 828U a couple months ago. It's your money - your decision, asking strangers won't really help you decide- good luck. Fit and comfort in the hands and to the body of the user are of critical importance to ensuring success on small, fast-moving targets. My daughter can't move the safety lever and it takes me some good pushing. BTW my buddy ended up keeping it but hardly ever shoots it. Gun Value Conditions explained: New in box - 100% condition in unopened box. A U-shaped spring steel wire clip attached to the cocking plate automatically activates the safety when the gun is broken open, but can be removed by the user to deactivate that feature. 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. Drawdc- perhaps I'm just not used to the language/etiquette of Internet forums. Through a thick Italian accent, the Benelli technical director and 20-year company veteran enthusiastically explained the ins and outs of the 828Us development, but it wasnt long into that conversation that I realized the 828U would require little translation to resonate with certain American shooters. Im a browning junkie for sure but Ive handled but never shot the 828u but I think they are quality one guy said space gun kind of true just like when browning introduced the cynergy citori lovers just couldnt except that look well Im an avid citori owner having around six of them and I own two cynergy models feather 12 and field 20 I really like the cynergy low receivers handles very well but making that change is the milestone. You know, the funny thing is that I've probably spent hundreds of hours reading these forums over the last few years. 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. The swing was beautiful but the recoil destroyed me. A forum community dedicated to Shotgun owners and enthusiasts including the Remington, Beretta, and Mossberg shotguns brands. I believe his 828 has 30's and that might have been by choice as he is a smaller guy. We found the Browning hit targets hard when the shooter puts the pattern in the right place at the right time. 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. Nice guns. Wasn't that. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. The Benelli didn't fill me with the same inspiration. About 5 months in, it started doubling. The list of unusual features covers all aspects of the shotgun's operation, as discussed here. The Sport model in Benelli's 828U lineup contains features that benefit clay-target shooters by way of adjustabilitythe gun's balance, choke constriction, sighting rib, stock and trigger can. With this in mind, this is an easy to use pen that you can write with on the inside of your computer. The 828U is a lightweight gunimportant for a long session of upland hunting in which it is likely to be carried much more of the time than it is shotbut it is the distribution of the weight that is key. An added benefit of the levers graceful design is that the shooting-hand thumb can rest naturally alongside it atop the receiver. It seems like the 828U Sport is a better gun than the original/field model 828U, certainly so for clay shooting. The recent release of the Browning Citori Model 725 Field seemed to be perfect timing for the head-to-head competition. Pressing it fully through its arc first withdraws two barrel locking pins from their recesses in the monobloc then rotates a lever fitted with a roller within the receiver that presses back a cocking plate in the trigger module to load the striker springs. Has anyone on this site purchased a Benelli 828 U? You must log in or register to reply here. Maybe it's just me but I'm not a fan of field O/U's with aluminum receivers. The 828U is a lightweight gunimportant for a long session of upland hunting in which it is likely to be carried much more of the time than it is shotbut it is the distribution of the weight. It may not display this or other websites correctly. The Price for a Benelli 828U has decreased in cost by $483.54 in 2023 compared to 2022. I feel like when I looked at them the longest I could find was a 28, 26" and 28" I believe in the 828uthe field gun. The 828U is not cocked by any system of rods or levers, but rather by the top lever itself. 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. The matte-blued barrels and receiver helped reduce glare and seemed to be of high quality. The 828U opened and closed smoothly and felt solid at lockup. Benellis Over/Under Shotgun Cant Beat Browning, Low profile silver nitride, with roll engraving, Grade II/III checkered walnut, gloss oil finish. This Model 725 Field was no exception. I would have it. 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. It doesn't compare to 694, F16, or CG in that price range. Its weak, problematic ejection, vulgar aesthetics, high recoil and annoyingly violent gun movement is topped-off with a nosebleed price. Recently, in a move unexpected by nearly everyone. " Benelli's 828U shotguns deliver mandatory . This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. This Benelli test target is "within parameters" according to Benelli. Back at the office, during the course of several weeks shooting in different settings and throughout several hundred shells worth of varied ammunitionwhether plastic- or paper-hulled, having high or low brass heads and in various payload weights and velocitiesan informal test group encountered no failures with our nickel-finish, 28"-barreled test sample. The new 828U is ultra-lightweight at just 6 1/2 pounds. In addition, such guns were usually made with steel receivers that bore the stresses of firing, meaning that their bolting and hinge mechanisms had to be made to account for wear that occurs after repeated use. Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives. The company made its humble start in 1963in Gussago, Italywhen Giuseppe Pietta made a commitment to produce guns as authentic and true-to-original as possible. Rather, pressures are contained by way of a 1 1/4" wide by 2316" high by 15/16" steel breech block. Doubles are supposed to find their appeal in durability and simplicity. I personally have doubts about it holding up to heavy shells and shooting at volume. The breech block interfaces with recesses and lugs within the receiver and monoblock on closing of the action. Note the texture in the solid carbon-fiber rib and the recesses for the barrel locking pins that keep the action closed. I can keep both pens in one pocket and write with the one that is bigger and easier to reach. Connecting with birds under such conditions can be a challenge, and it requires a gun that points naturally, swings fast and predictably and is capable of shooting tight patterns. Was a surprise to see him with it as he typically shoots a Perazzi. The block also contains spring-retracted firing pins that are impacted by strikers during firing. A ragged pattern that might only cause a chip to fly off a clay target is acceptable on the range, but a crippling shot on a bird in the field because of ineffective pellet trauma is not. A tweak here and a tweak there have been billed as making the new Model 725 Field a top pick for clays and birds. I forced it open and sent it in to Benelli who "fixed" it and sent it back to me. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Silver Pigeon. Be ready for some hate. This solid, uniform patterning performance with no holes that might allow a clay or bird to escape undamaged was verified on the clay-target range. When innovation and inspiration collided the 828U was born - the first over/under worthy of the Benelli badge. It is a great pen, and I really like it. That's the extent of my dealings with one. 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. Thought enough about itnot to ever think about it again. I have a pen that takes up a lot of space, and I really like the fact that I can carry both pens at the same time. 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. Instead of a hinge-and-pin system, the 828U has a free-floating steel locking plate. They point and swing super well. My first impressions of the gun, shooting at quick, going-away presentations, was one of seamlessness as it came from the high-ready position to my face. 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. Have you seen one or held one? Benelli used everything they know about making shotguns simple, easy to carry all day, and reliable, to create their first over-under. Shooting just a little high is exactly what a field shotgun should do to handle rising targets. But againit's hard to build a field gun with a steel receiver under 7.0 lbs in 12 ga. They do support the Franchi line, which isn't exactly an endorsement. The internal recoil system did nothing for me, although I have had 4 shoulder surgeries. The 828U is what you would expect from Benelli - a hardworking, lightweight and low-recoil shotgun. But if you look at the under side of the safety lever with the trigger group out and work it back and forth you can see studs on both sides that ride under spring arms. Both receivers are sculpted to evoke the wings of a mallard in flight. A few media representatives were let in on the then-secret project during a mid-year 2013 trip to Italy, where they were asked to contribute ideas about what a new and different Benelli should be. My Franchi over/under experience wasn't very good. 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. That makes bringing it to the target nearly effortless. And due to the stupid barrel overlap at the receiver, you can't use sub gauge tubes. There were only 38 pellet hits above the center of the target and several large areas with no strikes at all. Phillips-head screws hold the pad in place, which, once removed, allows access to the Progressive Comfort module. The shotgun just does not have the feel and look of a standard over-and-under. On another thread someone mentioned that street price for a new 828U Sport was already in the $3300 range. Outdoor Hub, LLC (d/b/a Carbon Media Group), 30800 Telegraph Rd, Suite 1921, Bingham Farms, MI 48025 USA. I have shot one and it's definitely no slouch but after years of growing up on Bronwing SO's and now Beretta 68x guns I just can't get with it, it's just too "different" for me to get comfortable with. We achieved very few hard, solid breaks with either of the two test loads fired at various targets, both close and far, using the Benelli. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. To subscribe to the magazine,visit theNRA membership page here and selectAmerican Rifleman as your member magazine. Nice shot! came a shout of approval from a fellow hunter, at which point I realized that the 828U had just done exactly what it was made to do: serve as a seamless extension of a hunters body in order to bring game to bag in challenging situations. In the field, my first shot on a live bird brought a similar, satisfying experience. Removing two more screws frees it for access to a nut on a stock bolt that fixes one of two metal drop plates. This offers added durability and eliminates the need . The stock A subject close to my heart, and one I can grasp more easily than the benefits of a replaceable breech face, is gun fit. Overall, the gun is well-balanced thanks to the weighted magazine cap. The new model features a rounded forearm designed with a slight palm rest, high-relief engraving on the receiver, and ivory front and mid-bead sights. Archived 828U Sport thread. A 60/40 pattern is 3 inches high, a 70/30 pattern is 6 inches high at 40 yards. 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. The company promoted the design as Inertia Drivea form of delayed-blowback operationbut, in a twist of literary serendipity, the ID label came to be synonymous with its corporate identity. I like the unusual appearance, most people don't. People are not being rude, but they are probably of the opinion that casting rose petals on a pile of dooty will not improve the stench. Its not like its a Chevy Have you got Scheel's where you live? Benelli Model 828U No. 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. If you take a look at some of the videos that I have been sharing on YouTube, you will see that people are not always sure what they are doing. An 828U sport with 30 inch barrels. I do, but no such luck, nothing on the website as in stock anyways, I'll call to double check. And just for the record my go to gun is a SBE. Both chokes however would screw into the bottom barrel with absolutely no issue. You could do most of this research yourself. 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. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. I even tried to tell her I wanted to buy her a new shotgun didnt fly when she saw the price tag. Here are the features to watch out for. They introduced a 20 gauge version this year. BE SURE TO SHOOT IT FIRST! That is always the answer before buying a new gun. Our trip to the patterning board before field testing on the clay target range with the Browning was an eye-opener. The Benelli 828U is a major disappointment and an outright embarrassment. They each have their strengths. As the project progressed, he said, it moved even more toward a hunting gun, but he added that, the way it was conceived in terms of separate assembliesthe stock, the barrels, the triggermade it a platform that, in time, might be easily expanded to other sectors., Vignaroli said the 828U, which was in development for three years and was granted three patents and a revision on a fourth, was the result of every one of the Urbino factorys 270 workers. A replaceable, solid carbon-fiber vented sighting rib measuring 0.280" wide is topped with an 0.078" red fiber-optic pipe set about 1" back from the muzzle. Reinforcing the theme of mechanical modularity is a self-contained trigger module that can be removed from the receiver with an included tool. I have used it for hours at a time, and it is very comfortable to write with. 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.