Friend asks me yesterday to help him get a spring gobbler on a place which neither of us had ever hunted before. Large farm near suburbs. Looked at Google Earth to identify likely set up spots and meet him at 3 pm. l have a tag open so it looks like a good spot. . Friend not physically able to run and gun so blind and decoys is only option. Picked likely spot on a woods lane through a fifty yard wide strip of woods separating two 50 -70 acres agriculture fields. Set up blind, and he hides truck. settle in and l make a hen series on the Cody. Five minutes later a big gobble maybe fifty yards away in the field behind our woods edge blind set up, which is fronted in one of the field edges by an avian x jake and two hens. Five more minutes and l see a big gobbler at twenty yards strutting straight to our decoys down the woods lane on left of blind. Tell friend to get the gun up, but please don't shoot the decoy. Bird wallops decoy for five minutes, and steps away , giving friend the shot opportunity. I say "shoot him now" and friends Benelli 12 gauge autoloader goes CLICK. The gun does not fire. Guy tries to quietly recycle shell as bird starts walking away, and pulls trigger to a second CLICK. Then he turns to me and says "kilt that bird I can't" I say "take my gun", he says " you kill him please"…..so I do, 870 gets shouldered and Boom, big gobbler down.

I quickly pick up bird and get it in the blind and we discuss the gun problem I have seen this identical problem happen while taking people shooting with a Benelli auto on five prior occasions while taking friends to kill a spring bird.: one guy three times in two days in Texas, and other times in Alabama and Georgia. Apparently the action on a benelii has to be slammed shut ( or closed forcefully ) to properly set the trigger . I don't know if that is the problem but that is what I am told.

Anyway fifteen minutes after picking up the bird, and thinking my buddy has his gun ready to go, I see two gobblers at two hundred yards out in open field in front of blind. A Cody series raise their heads, and they start marching our way side by side.. The larger one intermittently struts and walks and the younger gobbler just walks straight to us. . They gobble some but basically walk right in to the decoy and circle it. Friend now thinks his gun will fire and shoulders it on the larger bird. He Pulls trigger and CLICK again. At this point l hand him my gun and say "use this, put crosshairs on his neck and shoot the one on the right. " BOOM , this gun works!! down he goes. Really nice birds , "mine" was 21 plus, 10.5 paintbrush of a beard, and 1 3/8 spurs. His --1.25 spur and 10 inch beard, 19 pounds. Wild day.

Im sure some of the benelli shooters can say this issue is an aberration but I 've seen it enough to know l will stick with my 870 Wingmaster. This particular guy has duck hunted foe several years with the particular gun so I have no idea what the fix is. Might be Pilot Error only. Beyond me.

The Beneli click is fairly well documented on the sporting clays circuit. If the action is not shut forcefully (and sometimes when it is) it happens.

Remington Rules!!

great job again!!! Turkeys have no chance when GN is around!!

Doug

Well done! I've been shooting the same 870 fo ducks and turkeys since 1992. Maybe I'll upgrade one day....to a wingmaster.

Congrats guys. I am glad it all worked out in the end. I had a similar thing happen to me last year with my rifle on a nice buck and it turned out to be the shells not the rifle but my story didn't end up with a trophy so great job.

It happened to me once. It happened when I tried to quietly close the action when I was loading the gun pre-dawn. You can't on a Benelli autoloader ride the bolt closed. You have to let it slam shut. Seen the same think happen while duck hunting with an SBE. This is not a problem with the Benelli Nova, only the autoloaders. That said, they are well made guns and just about bulletproof compared to most autoloaders out there.

Good thing you still had a tag left and took your gun along.. Congrats man.. you always get it done..

Nice brush on the one. Pair of great birds. Congratulations. Couple of gentlemen hunters right there. Take my gun. Here you shot, no you shot him, please.


Earl

Great hunt and big turkeys, enjoyed the story. And thanks for the report on all the Benelli click problems. I have been thinking about a SBE but not anymore. I will say I have found that with my Remington 1187 Supermag, you can't ride the bolt down either or it will usually jam. Since I found this out about it no problems, just have to chamber a shell at the truck as it is too noisy to do it anywhere near turkeys.

Nice job gents! The ole 870 rises to the top to claim the prize once again

I have seen the trials and tribulations of the Benelli SBE. I watched a friend shoot decoys one morning out of sheer frustration. I would not trade mine as it shoots every time, even with the bolt frozen over. You can ride the bolt closed but you need to make sure the bolt rotates closed. I don't gamble with easing it closed Nice birds GN!

2gbl

Congrats! Can't beat an ole wingmaster!

Great story GN by the way shared that Beneli story with a friend. Oh and nothing barks like a Remington

Good day even with the click. I like Remington too but don't think the newer guns are up to the same level as the older ones. Have heard tell of a few Versa Max's barrels splitting.