For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Maybe one of those that you either love it or hate it. This article, "Breaking With Tradition," appeared originally in the November 2015 issue of American Rifleman. Has anyone tried the Performance Shop version? 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. I pulled the auto safety as well. I have only seen one of the sporting versions in use in the area I shoot. The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time. And due to the stupid barrel overlap at the receiver, you can't use sub gauge tubes. It was one of the early models, so hopefully Benelli has that . 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. If you're only going to drag it out for upland a dozen hunts a year or less I think one could justify it. These dimensions are right on the average mark for an out-of-the-box shotgun, and our various team members had no problems adjusting to the fit. In the past I've found that Gunbroker is not a reliable indicator of street price, though I certainly could be wrong on this one. 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. They point and swing super well. I bought one about 3 years ago. You are using an out of date browser. I.e Beretta, Browning, Ceasar. Copyright 2023 National Rifle Association. Advertisement Barrel & Receiver The 828U comes with 26, 28, or 30-inch barrels that have three-inch chambers. Also, we fired 2.75-inch Nobel Low Recoil Target loads with 78 ounce of No. Somebody with too much money paid about $700 to take one shot with it and decide he didn't like it. Overall, the gun is well-balanced thanks to the weighted magazine cap. And the birds we encountered were not only tough and of good size, but wary, running and flushing sometimes hundreds of yards ahead of the dogs. 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. 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. The Benelli 828U is a major disappointment and an outright embarrassment. Current offerings are in 12 gauge with 3" chambers and 26" or 28" barrels. Benellis Over/Under Shotgun Cant Beat Browning, Low profile silver nitride, with roll engraving, Grade II/III checkered walnut, gloss oil finish. 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. 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. This pen is currently only available for $39.95 at benelli.com, and it is available in 16 different colors. Thought enough about itnot to ever think about it again. Poor patterns, weak target hits, and uninspiring features all contributed to our low grade for this shooting tool. Benelli 828u Sport - First Look Review - NEW 2019 1,027,956 views Jan 25, 2019 The Benelli 828u Sport has just been delivered to us. My buddy bought one for a retirement present for himself. Im hoping that my new pen is just like that. A forum community dedicated to Shotgun owners and enthusiasts including the Remington, Beretta, and Mossberg shotguns brands. Benelli says that they subjectively estimate the felt-recoil reduction at around 30 percent. I actually witnessed the trigger group falling out of the gun during a round of sporting. Shot one once at a game fair a couple years ago. 828U. But their final question was telling: What is the proper balance between tradition and innovation? The groups consensus advice, he said, was that Benelli must stay true to character. Problem w/ most Field O/U is the aluminum actions don't hold up to heavy shells and shooting a lot and its hard to build a field gun w/ a steel receiver under 7.5lbs. Hello I purchased a 828U several months ago in 12 gauge, and have had nothing but problems. Nsca # 540300. I did get an exceptional deal on it. 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. Where it stands now. I don't particularly care for the looks but I'm old school. Matine1 - I have the same issue on an 828U. Rather, pressures are contained by way of a 1 1/4" wide by 2316" high by 15/16" steel breech block. I have good things to say about all of them. 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. The 828U makes some guys turn into hostile teenage girls. Recently, in a move unexpected by nearly everyone. " So, How Does It Handle?Perhaps more than any other type of firearm platform, a shotgun is designed to function as an extension of the shooters body. I had really good luck with it. 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. We had plenty of semi-automatics, so we wanted to go in a complementary sector by adding a product that would match the needs of other Benelli customers, said Vignaroli. We liked the feel and looks of the checkering on both the pistol grip and the newly designed forearm. I thought it felt very much like my super vinci in regards to the balance and mounting. Doubles are supposed to find their appeal in durability and simplicity. They usually have a couple under glass for sale. But Is It Really That Good?Prior to going afield with the 828U in South Dakota, our party of writers had the opportunity to try it on machine-thrown clays launched off a bluff at the ranch, which overlooks the scenic Missouri River Valley. You know, the funny thing is that I've probably spent hundreds of hours reading these forums over the last few years. 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. The pen is a nice color, and the metal nib has a nice texture to it. Each barrel is soldered to protrusions machined over the one-piece, heat-treated monobloc. Good amount of barrel lift and recoil in spite of the design. 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. The other issue already mentioned is long term durability due to the alloy receiver. 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. The 828U differs in a couple of important respects. Technical innovation must drive it, and function and durability must trump styling, but, ultimately, the styling must be distinctive. However, 76 percent of the total hits in the 30-inch circle were in the lower left quadrant and there were four, 3-inch holes in the pattern, mainly in the outer 10-inch ring. 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. 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. A forum community dedicated to Shotgun owners and enthusiasts including the Remington, Beretta, and Mossberg shotguns brands. What should the discerning collector look for in a potential buy? A tweak here and a tweak there have been billed as making the new Model 725 Field a top pick for clays and birds. This offers added durability and eliminates the need . Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. The 828U is what you would expect from Benelli - a hardworking, lightweight and low-recoil shotgun. The 828U Compact, which weighs 6.5 pounds, features an engraved nickel plated receiver and has an MSRP of $2,999. The floating breech block us intriguing, as are the re-designed ejectors. The block also contains spring-retracted firing pins that are impacted by strikers during firing. JavaScript is disabled. 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. That makes two 828u's in almost the same number of weeks with the same issues. A tool (below, r.) is included to detach the module from the gun. Our conclusion was that the Model 828U system doesnt like light loads not a good thing in a light firearm. I even tried to tell her I wanted to buy her a new shotgun didnt fly when she saw the price tag. Come join the discussion about optics, hunting, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! Hardly ever. 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. 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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. In combination with five drop shims and four cast shims, each of which fits between the receiver and buttstock, a few minutes of tinkering can result in 40 different combinations of stock adjustment. If a shooter favors the looks and feel of a semiautomatic, the Model 828U may be just the ticket. Following the sale of Remington Outdoor Company's assets in September 2020, Vista Outdoor purchased Remington Ammunition. I have no idea what I could be doing to cause this issue. The pen is very comfortable to write with, and is the perfect size for comfortable writing. 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. It was about as loon as my A400 xcel reciever, balance from what I remember felt so so, it didn't fit me at all, and it felt like it swung light, as a field gun should or would. Benelli 828U Sport The action was not at all stiff. I'll get my hands on it sooner or later and give my opinion on it. I don't think he wants to scratch it! The 828U and it's sporting counterpart are simply ill designed for heavy sporting use. Posts: 2,178. 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. I bought the field version 2 months ago and I love it-Lights out in field and sporting clays-LOVE IT!!! It was in the shop more than on the range. - Benelli. He offered me his new 828 field ? Thanks Sera- I appreciate the opinion. In the field, my first shot on a live bird brought a similar, satisfying experience. 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. That's the extent of my dealings with one. ozs. When you are in a hurry, it is easy to forget to hold the pencil, or not to look at your phone. 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. The surprising part, though, was how nonintrusively it had done so. This, despite its low build cost, means that the 828U is a product condemned to please no one. Drawdc- perhaps I'm just not used to the language/etiquette of Internet forums. It then recocks the strikers and resets the automatic safety unless a spring steel clip (below, l.) is removed. So we had to pay particular attention to the right angle and the right ergonomics of this lever through its geometry, Vignaroli said. I agree that Gunbroker is showing prices close to MSRP. The design provides steel-on-steel lockup that fully contains the forces of firing. 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. This field shotgun provided a solid, well-balanced platform for handling clays and birds, as expected. I shoot quite a bit, so I know that this should tell me something! It seems like the 828U Sport is a better gun than the original/field model 828U, certainly so for clay shooting. Firearm has never even been fired, and I have only assembled/disassembled it twice, once when purchased and the second time when I received it back. I tried the 828U a couple months ago. I am not aware of any of my hunting buddies (who never shoot clays) buying or using an 828. 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. Want more gun reviews? Thomas Jefferson. Come join the discussion about optics, hunting, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! I did handle it, I couldn't get over how long the reciever was. Both inserting and withdrawing shells and spent hulls, even with a gloved hand, is noticeably less difficult than with many other over-unders and a real boon in the field when reloading. I'm trying to be the person my Little Brown Dog acts like I am. I've seen/read a LOT more dissatisfied comments and very few positive ones. with pheasant hunting every year has one and likes it. Have you seen one or held one? In addition, the Model 828U has a unique lever that re-cocks the hammers when pushed to the right, rather than relying on opening the action to reset the hammers as in standard over-and-unders. 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. When innovation and inspiration collided the 828U was born - the first over/under worthy of the Benelli badge. At the same time, and with a lot less fanfare, over/under manufacturer Browning Arms introduced a field version of its popular Citori Model 725, which is the latest in the Citori Model 25 line that dates back to the 1970s. 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. It is also very comfortable to write with. 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. The Benelli 828u is a pen that I received as a gift. Required fields are marked *. Looks goofy as can be, like a camo space gun, but I use it for upland, waterfowl, and turkeys and without an issue. Rather, the guns strikers are cocked by operating the top-mounted opening lever. I shot 50 rounds and was impressively sore. 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. My friend that I go to S.D. I personally have doubts about it holding up to heavy shells and shooting at volume. In a classic example of premature innovation, we found the new Benelli 828U simply did not function, feel, or perform as well as a veteran Browning Citori 725 when fired head to head. I spend a lot of time at gun clubs and I have seen only one and it had 28 inch bbls. I shot it and it didn't fit me , pretty sure that I swallowed a couple of fillings that day. AgainI shot a very limited number of times. 828U Sport, always black, steel action so heavier, better recoil characteristics. Just to clarify, I am interested in the sport model (black steel receiver with SPORT written on the side). 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. Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives. You don't want opinions on the gun, but that's the truth. In fact, it has been my favorite pen for so long. One was NRA Publications Editorial Director John Zent, an experienced upland hunter and clays shot. I believe his 828 has 30's and that might have been by choice as he is a smaller guy. 67.205.62.133 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. Two small springs (arrow) hold the block away from the receivers face when the action is open so that it is positioned to interlock with the monobloc as the action hinges shut. The latter has laser-cut panels of fish scale checkering at its lower rear corners along with floral scroll engraving designs in panels on the top, sides and bottom.