Benelli Comfort shotgun review
The Benelli Comfort shotgun is built to take as much kick as possible out of recoil.
In this case, say Benelli, their latest semi-automatic does it by a staggering 47%.
What’s more, the good news doesn’t end there; the balance and design of the barrel reduces ‘jump’ (the makers refer to it as ‘climb’) by as much as 32% meaning the mechanism can re-cycle the next shot up to 34% faster.
There’s lots of statistics here, so does it all add up?
Sadly I’ve got no way of measuring these statistics for myself but those friends and customers of mine who’ve bought or tried it do say it’s an extremely comfortable gun to shoot with.
The gun uses the same inertia mechanical system as other Benelli shotguns and on the face of it the gun is very similar to the M2, the main difference being the Comfort’s action frame which carries a gloss – rather than matt – finish.
Much of the Comfort’s reduced recoil is achieved through the synthetic stock which carries a diagonal line of holes filled with polymer allowing it to flex when a cartridge is fired, cushioning the blow. A gel pad sitting on the comb of the stock also adds to the comfort by protecting the shooter’s face from any kick.
There is also an effective gel recoil pad at the butt of the stock to dissipate recoil at the shoulder pocket.
The pad comes in three different lengths to allow the owner to fine tune the fit of the gun and these can be obtained in either right or left hand configurations. The longest of these pads is usually fitted to the gun as standard, giving an overall stock length of just 14in.
My only criticism of this Benelli is that it should come with a longer stock carrying the same provision to fit these pads. Lengthening the stock would lead to more sales.
One bit of good news is that the stock can be altered for either left hand or right hand cast and you can choose one of four comb height positions simply by changing stock shims. You can change the drop at heel on a scale ranging from 1.3/4in through to 2.1/2in.
The chequering design on the stock and fore-end ensure that the gun is less likely to move about in the hands as the gun is fired. Benelli call this the ‘air touch’ system, another feature designed to improve the firing comfort of the gun.
The action frame is made from Ergal a lightweight alloy that’s similar to aluminium but far stronger allowing the maker to bring the weight down to approx 6.3/4lb – ideal for a rough shooter, wildfowler or pigeon shooter with any amount of walking to do.
Another nice touch is the longer and shallower fore-end which allows the hand to get closer to the barrel, thereby improving pointability and control of the gun.
From a safety point of view the safety catch button has been made bigger to make it easier to see at a glance whether the safety is on or off.
The three-shot Comfort comes with a fixed length magazine which means it cannot be fitted with tube extensions to carry more cartridges.
What it does offer though is a massive choice of barrel length covering 24in, 26in, 28in and 30in – all with neat and narrow ventilated ribs and 3in chambers proofed to take magnum cartridges.
It’s supplied in a very useful ABS gun case and five long choke tubes to keep the most demanding shooter satisfied.
JASON’S VERDICT:
This is an excellent little gun for the all-round shot and one that those who feel the effects of recoil should check out – they might be pleasantly surprised.
My only criticism of the Comfort is its stock length, it needs to be longer.
Price:
£950
Build Quality: 8
Handling: 8
Styling: 9
Value for money: 8
