Half-Arsed B-day Benelli Range Report

Took the Benelli M2 Tactical out to the desert this morning with a sampling of ammo, a paper target, and the Remington 1100 for function and comparison testing. As it exists today, the Benny is the same as the Beretta 1201FP now in the hands of a certain Carolina game store owner; that is, a very reliable, light 12-gauge six-shooter. My cheek-bone and shoulder remarked that I'd better stay stocked up on Federal low-recoil slugs...I'll save the Power-Shock Maximums for shooting through car bodies. The Benny will surpass the Bretta once my TacStar mag extension gets here later this week. I wonder whether the M2 is going to cheat me out of one round of capacity. Their Benelli "8-round extension" is annotated with an asterisk, stating that capacity may vary by model. Crossing my fingers.

The Remmy 1100 somehow works just fine now. It failed to cycle its first few shots fresh back from the gunsmith. The recoil is much softer than the Benny's...if it didn't have so many possible "points of potential failure," I'd still be willing to compete with it.

More Benny stuff: slugs went where I aimed them. The M2 cycled high-brass steel, low-brass Federal field loads, and the Winchester stuff neither of my Remingtons like. It'll get a good workout this Sunday at the Cactus Multi-Gun Match!

Update: It came early. 7+1 = 8

Anybody know whether the M2 is eligible for the modification whereby an extra shell can be loaded atop the carrier, like the M1?