Benelli SBE Failure to Feed

[JustSayWhen]

I know most of you including me run Benelli's and they are great guns. I have an SBE with a +7 tube on it. When I first got it it ran any shell just fine. Now the Estate and Federal shells both are 1200+ fps are getting Failure to feed once per stage. This past three gun I had one FTF per stage and one double feed in one stage. I understand I should run better shells like Winchester AA's but I have not been able to get any yet and my SBE used to run anything I put through it and I want it to be able to do that again. So the question is what can I do to make it more reliable? (this gun is completely stock right now) Do I need new springs, are there springs anyone swears by? This is a SBEI so it is older maybe needs new internals. Any help appreciated.

 

[mike cyrwus]

strip it clean it lube it, maybe get a new benelli recoil spring

 

[Spiff]

I put a Wolff -10% recoil spring or something like that in mine to get it to run reduced recoil slugs. If your lifter has been welded, make sure the end of it is properly tuned. That's all mine needed to be 100%.

 

[JustSayWhen]

I have stripped it and cleaned it and oiled it but it still has FTF's. This is also an older SBE so the lifter did not have to be welded. I think I would like to try a new recoil spring and see if that changes anything. Suggestions on the best one or what to go with I have never looked into this kind of stuff before. Thanks again guys!

 

[striped1]

Are all the failures the same? Where is the loaded shell stopping? tube? carrier or breech / chamber?

 

[Spiff]

Are those 1 oz or 1 1/8 oz loads at 1200 fps?

 

[JustSayWhen]

Are all the failures the same? Where is the loaded shell stopping? tube? carrier or breech / chamber?

Yes all the failures are the same. Most of the time the spent shell gets thrown but the loaded shell never makes it out of tube and into the chamber. Almost like the bolt comes just far back enough to extract a 2 3/4" shell but not far back enough to pull a shell from the tube onto the lifter, if that makes any sense.

And they are 1 1/8 oz at 1200+ fps

 

[Spiff]

How much mag tube spring do you have sticking out the end of the tube?

 

[JustSayWhen]

How much mag tube spring do you have sticking out the end of the tube?

Not really sure what your asking sorry. I have a Nordic +7 which gives me 10 shells in the tube and I used the mag tube spring they provided.

 

[Spiff]

Take the end cap off the tube and drop the follower and spring down it. Measure how much spring sticks out the end when the spring is uncompressed. Should be 10-12" minimum.

Even if there's approximately the right amount of mag spring sticking out, I'd go ahead and get a new one and cut it to length. Mag tube springs need to be replaced semi-regularly, especially since we're running ginormous tubes now. The other spring I've found it's helpful to replace is the little coil spring that drives the lifter up, but it doesn't sound like you're having problems related to that.

 

[JustSayWhen]

Thanks I will check that out. I think I will be doing some upgrading internally anyways soon.