Browning A5 sweet 16 or Benelli ultralight 12

PTH

Member
Well the title says it all. Looking at these two guns and like them both. Be primarily for pheasant, but you know how huns and sharpies tend to find there way in the mix. Just curious what your opinions of both outfits were. Thanks
 
Browning A5 sweet 16 or Benelli ultralight 12 Reply to Thread

PTH, I don't know a lot about either gun. What I can tell you is a friend of mine won an A5 Sweet 16 at the local PF banquet. I asked him to let me take a look at it the other day so we put it together and I just brought it up to my shoulder and it felt to me like the stock was too short for me. I would never buy a gun that didn't feel good going into my shoulder. I am 6'2" tall, I think the gun would fit someone 6' or under better. I don't know if it was just this particular shotgun or if they all have the same stock length. It is a beautiful gun though, I really liked the look. Good luck, I know that buying a gun can be a challenge.
 
I have carried the Benelli Ultralight for the last 6 or 7 years after carrying a heavy Browning for a long time before that. Pick the Benelli. That lightweight is nice in the field
 
Well the title says it all. Looking at these two guns and like them both. Be primarily for pheasant, but you know how huns and sharpies tend to find there way in the mix. Just curious what your opinions of both outfits were. Thanks

Pat,

Are you keeping the Maxus? You seem deadly with that gun.

The 20 ga "uncle" gun, Browning, might be a good choice to keep...
 
As far as recoil, that Benelli will rock you. I can't hit a barn with a Benelli but can't miss with Browning...I would go A5.
 
Bul

Spent a few days with a BUL. Friend let me borrow it when I was making the same decision you are. I don't recall a gun that was quicker to the shoulder, geez that thing came up quick. I ended up going a different route because I don't follow through very well and thought a little more weight would be safer for me in that respect, and I kinda got hooked on gas guns for a while. Cool gun tho. I can see why people like them. I wish you could spend some time with one before you pull the trigger. A5 nice too. That will be my next gun after they have been out a while. Good luck.
 
What about a 20 ga semi? A few that come to mind: Benelli Montefeltro and M2, Beretta A400, Franchi Affinity. All run in the 6-6 1/2 lbs range. Ammo is readily available, especially non-tox. And it works great on all upland game.
Personally I feel it's about the best all around gauge, very comfortable to carry and shoot especially in the inertia guns.
 
Pat,

Are you keeping the Maxus? You seem deadly with that gun.

The 20 ga "uncle" gun, Browning, might be a good choice to keep...


Jon. I think your looking at another poster who has really cool first two initials. As for the Maxxus, yes keeping that one for life. I think that is Brownings most underrated gun. Very easy to clean with few parts also. Not as slim as the Italian guns but what a soft shooter.
 
As far as recoil, that Benelli will rock you. I can't hit a barn with a Benelli but can't miss with Browning...I would go A5.

I have found the recoil not to be that bad unless I am stupid enough to shoot some of those Prairie Storms through it. ( 3/4's of a box of those and I had enough). I will trade a little added recoil for carrying 2 1/2lbs or so less all day. As to the weight, It was a little weird at first but again I got used to it. It does come up quick.
 
Jon. I think your looking at another poster who has really cool first two initials. As for the Maxxus, yes keeping that one for life. I think that is Brownings most underrated gun. Very easy to clean with few parts also. Not as slim as the Italian guns but what a soft shooter.

Not sure I follow regards the initials...
 
I wouldn't touch a Benelli with a 10 foot pole. I know some people swear by them, but I know several people with Benellis and not one of them cycles right. My father has a Montefeltro that works sometimes, but he has an SBE and SBE II for waterfowl and they are junk, the least reliable shotguns I've ever seen. He's never buying another Benelli again. Damn near $2,000 is too much money for a gun that goes "click".

I don't have any experience with the Ultralight, but I have a Browning Maxus, and I can concur with others about the quality of the firearm. To me, it is superior to other autoloaders in almost every aspect. Lightweight, very low recoil, extremely pointable, and goes BANG every time. I've put I don't know how many thousands of rounds through mine. I often go far too long without cleaning it and it just keeps bangin' away. I trust that gun so much that I keep it loaded with 4-buck next to my bed. I wouldn't be afraid to take that gun to war.
 
I'd highly recommend trying to handle the gun beforehand. Also you should check out Randy Wakeman's review of the gun.
 
I wouldn't touch a Benelli with a 10 foot pole. I know some people swear by them, but I know several people with Benellis and not one of them cycles right. My father has a Montefeltro that works sometimes, but he has an SBE and SBE II for waterfowl and they are junk, the least reliable shotguns I've ever seen.

Seriously?? Not that every make/model doesn't squirt out a lemon now & then, but I think the VAST majority would give a different review of Benelli. How does it happen that so many people you know have bad Benelli experiences? Doesn't fit, especially for your dad, who owns 3 lemons. (I won't ask why somebody would buy 3 Benellis when the 1st one was apparently a dud.) However, I did once talk to a guy that claimed his Benelli wouldn't cycle reliably at all unless he mounted it to his shoulder a little firmer than usual. After he figured that out, he never had another problem. Maybe something like that's going on with your dad. Just a thought. I, personally, have never had a single problem with my Montefeltro, which I've owned since 1993 or 1994 & have put thousands & thousands of rounds through, of all sorts, in all conditions.
 
Last edited:
I only have my own experiences, but I would say that there's more than a few "lemons" that Benelli is cranking out. It's not hard to find people with similar experiences. It's so common that people refer to it as the "Benelli Click". My dad is a southpaw, and unfortunately Benelli is one of the few companies that makes shotguns for lefties. His Montefeltro is definitely his best one, but it still jams sometimes. His first SBE jammed right out of the box, and he was always having trouble. He thought the problem been addressed on the SBEII, but it proved to be worst than the first. He thought he had it fixed when he bought a stronger spring, but it has started to give him problems again as of late. When they go bang, he likes them a lot.

I understand that you and others have had good luck, and I'm glad you have. It leaves me puzzled though, because of all of my other friends who have Benellis have similar issues. I'm glad some people like their Benellis, but I've never met someone who owns one that didn't cuss it. I do really like the Nova/SuperNova line of pump actions though.
 
I understand that you and others have had good luck, and I'm glad you have. It leaves me puzzled though, because of all of my other friends who have Benellis have similar issues. I'm glad some people like their Benellis, but I've never met someone who owns one that didn't cuss it. I do really like the Nova/SuperNova line of pump actions though.

I am the exact opposite. I love my Benelli's and couldnt imagine a better semi auto. Now the Nova I bought is a POS.
 
Thanks for all the responses. So I bought a sweet 16 for me, and my dad got an BUL. I actually handled both of them quite a bit, and they both felt great and shouldered very naturally. Guess we will see how they work out over time. Kinda weird to hear such a negative benelli review, everyone I ask about them seem to think they are about as good of an auto loader as there is. Hopefully the old mans is as good as most claim, most likely be his last shotgun for awhile. He has a beretta that he has had forever and really likes, but has brought up the idea of a new shotgun every now and then. Be his birthday present, hope he is happy with it.
 
I have had a couple Benelli shotguns, and they have been the most reliable cold weather shotguns I have owned. Browning Gold Fusion now that's a p.o.s., that goes click.
 
Back
Top