If you wish to be an actual duck hunter, you have to be a tricky son of a gun. Along together with your bushy, duck commander beard and lifted truck, you will need to possess a hefty 12-gauge shotgun. It should have a 3.5-inch chamber and ought to be loaded with the heaviest BB payloads obtainable. Afterall, the geese you’ll be searching are powerful, and so they require most firepower to deliver down. This is at the least what plenty of advertising round duck searching would have you ever imagine—till lately. Happily, the introduction of the 28-gauge Benelli Super Black Eagle 3 is a transparent indicator that duck hunters are getting smarter about their gun, gauge, and shotshell choice—if not essentially facial hair grooming.
The 28-gauge model of the SBE 3—which is without doubt one of the finest duck searching shotguns of recent occasions—is a light-weight (5.5 kilos) and beautiful gun. When I ran the primary few masses by way of one on a clays vary in South Dakota, the phrase that sprung to thoughts was not “tough” however somewhat “joyful.” The gun swung nimbly from goal to focus on, cycled shells enthusiastically, and soaked up the recoil of the 3-inch, ¾-ounce masses so successfully that I’d burned by way of a field of ammo very quickly, and promptly requested for an additional. As I might discover out later within the week, with the fitting searching masses the shotgun additionally flat-out crushes geese. It’s no marvel that increasingly hardcore duck hunters are placing up their 12-gauges and switching to svelte 28-gauges like the brand new SBE 3.
- Gauge: 28
- Action: Semi-auto, Inertia Driven
- Capacity: 2+1
- Chamber: 3-inch
- Barrel kind: Steel (cryogenically handled), carbon fiber vent rib
- Barrel size: 26-inch, 28-inch (examined)
- Chokes: IM, M (Ciro)
- Front sight: Red bar
- Length: 47.5 inches
- LOP: 14.38 inches
- Trigger pull: 4 kilos, 3 ounces (measured common)
- Weight: 5.5 kilos
- MSRP: $1,799 to $1,899
About the SBE 3 in 28 Gauge
Think of this shotgun because the little brother to the 12-gauge SBE 3, which was launched in 2017 with a 3.5-inch chamber It makes use of the identical easy inertia-driven design, which employs the recoil from the shell at the side of the mass of the bolt to compress a strong spring that then cycles the motion, tossing the spent hull and loading a brand new shell. This has confirmed to be an extremely dependable and clean-running system that duck hunters love. In the 28-gauge model, Benelli says the SBE 3 will cycle every little thing from mild 3/4-oz., 2¾-inch goal masses to magnum 3-inch duck masses. Like all SBE 3s this gun can be very straightforward to discipline strip and clear.
Also like its large brother, the 28-gauge Super Black Eagle makes use of the Comfort Tech 3 system within the inventory to reduce recoil. Since recoil mitigation programs are boring typically, I’ll preserve the summation quick: there’s a sequence of chevrons within the inventory that flex to soak up felt recoil, plus there’s a pleasant comfortable pad on the comb to maintain your cheek from being bruised.
Overall, the recoil from this little gun is lower than delicate, like an excellent pal providing you with a pat on the shoulder. This, in fact makes the gun enjoyable to shoot however I feel it additionally helps add to the mystique of why the 28-gauge is so “deadly.” More on this later.
The shotgun has a metal barrel with Benelli’s proprietary cryogenic remedy, which the corporate says improves patterning. The set off guard and set off meeting include plenty of molded plastic, which old-timers will grumble at however hasn’t damage the SBE’s sturdiness. The rib is fabricated from carbon fiber, for lightness and funky issue, however mine wobbled ever so barely towards the barrel. A small miss, however nonetheless a miss for a gun that prices $1,800.
The set off had a mean pull weight of 4 kilos, 3 ounces on my Wheeler digital gauge. Like most shotgun triggers, there was loads of creep, however it was unnoticeable within the discipline or on the vary.
Fit and end on the gun are typical of Benelli, which is to say nearly as good because it will get within the duck gun class.
Pattering the 28 Gauge Benelli SBE 3
Benelli Super Black Eagles are identified to hit excessive. My go-to duck gun is an SBE 3 12 gauge and with some masses and the usual Z shim, it patterns virtually one hundred pc excessive. So earlier than doing any sample work with the 28 gauge model, I swapped in a distinct drop shim to decrease the inventory and decrease the purpose of impression. Benelli ships every SBE with a shim equipment, which most hunters most likely ignore, however they shouldn’t. Dropping in a brand new shim is extremely straightforward. Simply pull the pad off the buttstock, unscrew one nut, slide off the inventory and drop in a brand new shim.
The solely tough factor about Benelli’s shim equipment is their labeling system (it’s a bit complicated). But should you watch the video above and spend 5 minutes with the proprietor’s handbook, you’ll determine it out. I swapped in a D shim after which bought to patterning. I shot Hevi-Shot’s Hevi XII, 3-inch, No. 4, 1 oz. masses. I used the usual modified choke that was screwed into the gun. I shot 5 patterns at 40 yards below basic duck searching circumstances: 20 levels with a 15 mph crosswind.
I’ll admit, I had deliberate on additionally taking pictures 30-yard patterns as a result of I didn’t suppose the little 28 would produce efficient patterns at this vary. I used to be flawed. The gun put loads of pellets heading in the right direction, averaging 107 hits inside a 30-inch circle (83 % patterns).
As you may see from the sample beneath (which was one of the best I shot) the gun hit a bit excessive and barely to the left. Benelli promotes a 60/40 sample, which suggests 60 % of the pellets hit above the goal, so we’re fairly shut there. I may additionally simply regulate the solid of the shotgun (similar course of as swapping in drop shims) to shift the sample to the fitting if I actually needed to get nitpicky.
What’s most fascinating to me is the variety of pellets the 28-gauge placed on goal. For reference, my 12-gauge SBE 3 put 121 metal No. 2 pellets heading in the right direction from 35 yards in our check of the finest duck weapons.
The takeaway? With these Hevi XII 3-inch No. 4s the 28-gauge Benelli is an efficient 40-yard duck gun.
Hunting with the 28 Gauge Benelli SBE 3
I hunted with two completely different 28-gauge SBE 3s on discipline hunts for geese and geese in South Dakota earlier this fall (with Federal’s Black Cloud No. 3s) and likewise in my yard duck marsh with the Hevi-Shot load. In all circumstances, the gun functioned flawlessly.
During the South Dakota discipline hunts we have been mobbed by large flocks of mallards at shut vary. The mild little gun helped me pop from of my structure blind sooner than my companions (at the least most of them) and the minimal recoil of the 28 allowed me to shortly transition from one crumpled greenhead to the following. The Federal Black Cloud No. 3s carried out impressively. Along with our geese, we additionally killed a number of snows and specks principally at shut ranges. However, in a single case, I watched one other hunter taking pictures the identical 28-gauge gun and cargo drop a lesser Canada with a 40-plus-yard crossing shot.
Our information on this hunt was very restrained along with his shot calling. He let the birds work in shut (20 yards or in) earlier than calling the shot for our crew. With that self-discipline and our 28-gauges, loaded with No. 3 metal, the geese we hit fell lifeless. There have been only a few cripples for my lab Otis to chase down.
On my dwelling waters, I shot the Hevi XII No. 4s on late-season greenheads with wonderful outcomes. This was extra close-range taking pictures, with headshots on greenheads backpedaling during the last open water within the pond—and extra quick retrieves for Otis. I particularly preferred the 28-gauge on this state of affairs as a result of it’s noticeably quieter than my booming 12-gauge, which means it’s rather less disruptive to my neighbors.
The solely quibble I may discover was that the bolt slid ahead a bit sluggishly once I hit the bolt launch to drive a shell into the chamber (this was even after cleansing). It by no means resulted in a malfunction (I’ve burned by way of about 5 bins of ammo with no single jam). But I’d prefer to see the bolt snap dwelling with authority the best way it does with my 12-gauge SBE 3.
Everyone appeared to shoot the 28-gauge Benelli SBE 3 effectively. Though the gun was mild, it didn’t really feel whippy or jumpy. Fast transitions to secondary targets felt pure.
Pulling the set off on a duck, watching it fall, swinging to a different chicken, after which watching that duck fold as effectively impressed confidence. Confidence breeds even higher taking pictures. And I feel this is without doubt one of the causes that some hunters speak in regards to the 28-gauge being someway deadlier than it ought to be. It’s not, they simply shoot it effectively. For me, all of it comes again to the minimal recoil.
Getting rocked by 12-gauge magnum duck masses day after day degrades taking pictures. I’ve seen it in my very own taking pictures and with different hunters. Maybe you cease getting your head all the best way down on the gun, otherwise you stop following by way of together with your swing. Even the geese you do hit, are hit marginally with the perimeters of your sample. But recoil will not be a problem with the delicate 28. With much less recoil, it’s simpler to remain down on the gun and actually give attention to the goal with comply with up pictures. Shooters find yourself sustaining their fundamentals and crushing birds with the core of their sample, which makes the 28 really feel additional efficient, however actually, it’s simply good taking pictures at work.
So, overlook about all speak over the ¾-ounce payload in a 28-gauge being “square,” and patterning higher, like someway there’s a magic formulation packed into these little shells that makes the 28 punch above its weight class. Real shotshell consultants will let you know this isn’t the case.
28 Gauge Effectiveness on Ducks and Geese
Shooting a 28-gauge for waterfowl will not be some fashionable stunt. With denser shot materials, like bismuth or TSS, the 28-gauge is an extremely efficient gauge for geese and even close-range geese.
Let’s take a look at these Hevi-Shot No. 4 pellets I sample examined. They have an marketed density of 12 g/cc. Steel has a density of seven.86 g/cc. Because of their greater density, these No. 4 pellets have the identical lethality (capacity to penetrate) as metal No. 1s, in line with the corporate (and to shotshell professional Tom Roster).
The key’s understanding “penetration energy” says Adam Moser, a shotshell product engineer from Federal (whose guardian firm owns Hevi-Shot).
“Pellet energy density is a measure of pellet energy per cross sectional area. In other words, it is the kinetic energy of the pellet divided by the 2D area of the pellet,” Moser says. “This gives us a better idea of how well a pellet will penetrate a medium, better than just pellet energy and is particularly helpful when comparing shot made of different density materials.”
If you bought misplaced within the math of that assertion, the takeaway is that this: Smaller, denser pellets penetrate higher than bigger, much less dense pellets. Part of the reason being as a result of they’ve much less floor space to push by way of a medium (like a duck).
Now, should you’re used to taking pictures metal, take a look at that sample board picture and picture every hit was made by a No. 1 metal pellet. You’ll have an concept of true effectiveness of those 28-gauge masses.
Plus, there are increasingly ammo choices turning into obtainable for duck hunters seeking to shoot the 28-gauge. Some of the highest decisions embrace:
Am I advocating for lengthy vary pictures on large honkers or divers with the 28-gauge? Absolutely not. Waterfowl searching at its finest is about tricking birds in shut after which killing them cleanly over the decoys. Deciding to shoot a 28-gauge ought to be a dedication to that type of searching.
READ NEXT: The 28-Gauge Shotgun Can Kill Ducks as Effectively as a 12-Gauge (At Modest Ranges)
What the Benelli SBE 3 28 Gauge Does Best
This shotgun ramps up the enjoyable consider waterfowl taking pictures. I feel it’s a super possibility for brand new hunters who don’t wish to get rocked with recoil and develop poor taking pictures habits. It’s additionally excellent for veteran hunters who want to rekindle that romance of taking pictures greenheads up shut. For SBE 3 followers, of which there are lots of, that is merely a scaled down model of the gun they already personal—it’s simply extra pleasant to shoot.
Where the Benelli SBE 3 28 Gauge Falls Short
I couldn’t discover something to not like about this gun apart from the worth. At virtually $2,000, it’s spendy for a gun that most likely received’t be your solely duck gun (some days you’re simply going to want that 12 gauge). Plus, dwelling the 28-gauge life-style means shopping for pricier shells season after season. Those Hevi XII masses I preserve pumping up? They value $80 for a field of 25. The Black Cloud metal masses, which can begin delivery this yr, shall be extra inexpensive however nonetheless not low cost.
Final Thoughts on the 28 Gauge Benelli SBE 3
This shotgun (plus the shells I shot by way of it) made me a believer within the 28-gauge as a duck gun. Is it the only option for all waterfowl searching functions throughout the 4 flyways? Probably not. But it’s a severe shotgun for severe waterfowl hunters who don’t thoughts shopping for premium ammo and wish to combine up their taking pictures slightly. If you spend a while taking pictures the 28-gauge Benelli SBE 3, you’ll turn out to be a believer too.