Let me start out with saying I spend the better part of my fall and winter either sitting in a blind or a marsh off of the Puget Sound duck and goose hunting. The season here in Washington lasts for the better part of 100 days, shotguns get used and abused out here. So the other day I finally broke down and bought a Benelli Super Black Eagle II Performance Shop to keep up with that demand.
The Super Black Eagle was my first long awaited semi-automatic shotgun, after years of lugging around my trustworthy Benelli Nova pump action shotgun it was finally time to retire it. My Nova had seen more rounds than I could ever imagine through it and it was starting show. Years of mud, sand, salt water, rain and shells had taken their toll; the camo pattern had been long faded off the gun. It resembled more of a giant yellow paddle than a shotgun.
The Italian gun maker Benelli has been in business since 1967 and is widely known by the military and law enforcement communities for its semi-automatic tactical shotguns. Benelli has now come to make some of the finest waterfowling guns in the world. These are not your grandpa’s shotguns, and they have the features to prove it.
The Benelli Super Black Eagle II Performance Shop Edition has some standout features.
- Inertia Driven system
- ComforTech recoil reduction system
- Crio barrel
- Polished action
- Paddle bolt release
- Large bolt handle – suited for gloved hands
- Paracord sling
- Magazine Capacity: 3+1
- Chokes: 3 Rob Roberts Custom Triple Threat®
- HiVIZ Comp Front Sight and Metal Mid-Bead with multiple color inserts included
- Barrel: Lengthened forcing cone
Specs
- Weight- 7.3 Lbs
- Overall Length-49.6″
- Barrel Length – 28”
- Length of Pull: 14-3/8″
- Drop at Heel: 2″
- Drop at Comb: 1-3/8″
- Minimum Recommended Load: 3-dram, 1-1/8 oz. loads
- MSRP$2,399
So far, I am impressed with this shotgun right out of the case. The Super Eagle Black II seems to be flawless with the work done by Rob Roberts Custom Gun Works. A lengthened forcing cone to improve shot pattern and recoil, the working of the trigger to take the slack out for a crisper trigger pull and polished action. Benelli also says that the triple threat chokes have been tested and fired with computerized pattern analysis to ensure each gun produces consistent patterns. Heck, it even comes with Roberts Custom Gun Works business card.
The Super Eagle Black II comes with a hard shell case for storage (which it will never see again). A fairly heavy duty paracord sling is also provided, although I’m not too sure how well it is going to stand up to the mud of a thawing corn field. I imagine it is going to be a pain to keep clean after a few days out hunting. The HiViz Sights comes with eight different sizes and colors, six fluorescent lite pipes and two opaque white lite pipes. All in all it is an amazing looking shotgun with a ton of great features. I don’t think I would expect anything else from a company like Benelli.
But that’s just how it looks not how it shoots. I haven’t had the opportunity to take it to the range yet but over the next several months I will put this gun through its paces. This gun will be out in the weather for three months with a few cases of shells put through it in the process. Then we will just find out how well it will perform. Let’s hope the Benelli Super Black Eagle II makes it, although I suspect it will make it through this season and many more just fine.
Author – Eric Gouge is a former Marine Corps infantryman who served with 1st Battalion 4th Marines, he deployed to the South Pacific and Persian Gulf as part of the 13th MEU in 2005 and served as a machine gunner with Charlie Company, Weapons platoon. He then joined the Surveillance and Target Acquisition platoon and deployed again in 2007 to Al Qaim Iraq where he served as STA Team One’s Point Man leading combat patrols. Eric is also a Combat Marksmanship Coach and spent his last year in the Marines with the Marksmanship Training Unit instructing Marines. You can now find Eric out in a blind duck hunting most of the fall and winter, spending the summer’s fishing and hiking with his family in Washington.
