I recently discovered a trap shooting club near my house. I had never been trap shooting, however I did have some shotgun experience through bird hunting. Being the fan I am of the shooting sports, I decided to check it out. I tried a couple rounds (25 clays per round) and I was hooked. I took my 28 year old Smith and Wesson model 1000 that my dad gave me as my first shotgun. I took this since it is an auto, and the recoil wasn’t going to kill my shoulder after firing 100 rounds or so.
After I told my mother about joining the club, she was keenly interested in trap shooting. “I’ve always wanted to try that!” said mom. My dad and I took her to the club, and sure enough she was hooked. She decided that she wanted to go buy a shotgun right away. We wanted to make sure she would get a semi-auto so there would be less recoil, being that she is 5’7″ and nearly 60 years old. We got her a Browning semi-auto, and took it back to the club to try it out. It vastly complicated, with various springs, a gas piston and other plastic sleeve parts that are underneath the fore end. It was difficult to assemble. Once assembled, she fired it once and it never fired again. It was defective, and would not fire another shot. We took it back to Sportsmen’s Warehouse and they graciously took it back. We got her a Benelli Ultralight semi-auto for her, as she didn’t want the same Browning.
After she bought the gun, I read some online reviews and became worried. Large, burley men were complaining that since the gun is so light (only 6lbs, the lightest auto loader ever made) that the recoil was pretty bad. I thought if these big hunters from South Dakota say it kicks hard, then mom is in for some shoulder pain. We decided to try it out, nonetheless.
After a round of 25 clays, I asked mom how she liked it. She said the loved the gun, and that the recoil was manageable with her target loads. I gave the gun a try for a few rounds. The recoil was slightly more than my Smith and Wesson, though it didn’t cross the threshold of pain that I had seen some complain about. It had no where near the recoil of my 12 gauge pump. Sure, had I been shooting #4 3″ magnums, and shot 200 rounds, my shoulder would have hurt at the end of the day, but that would be the case with any gun. When you’re hunting here in Oregon, you’re lucky if you fire a box of shells a day. The Benelli fired beautifully.
Not only was the recoil benign, the gun shot very well. On just my second time out with the gun, and this being my 4th time trap shooting in my life; I shot 23 out of 25 dead on. The gun was easy to point, and it being light, the swing was very easy. It was such a pleasure to shoot.
I am sold. I thought I was going to have to buy a $4,000 trap gun so I could compete well at the sport. Using this ultralight, I out shot the people at the club that had the $4,000 guns. So, why would I need a fancy trap gun when I can do really well with this Benelli?
Another nice feature of this gun is that is very simple to break down and re-assemble. There are no extra parts that slide on. It takes a few seconds to break down and put into the beautifully designed hard plastic case. The walnut used for the stock is very beautiful, and Benelli uses a special process to make the wood weatherproof. I will be purchasing this gun next month on payday. Not only can I use it to compete well at the club, I’ll be able to take advantage of its most unique feature while hunting – the feather light weight. A day hunting with this gun will be pleasurable, as the gun is so light and easy to carry. Besides, that high ventilated rib made of carbon fiber really looks cool. It is everything I could ever want in a shotgun.
