Benelli Super Vinci
This gun made a definite splash in the semi-auto shotgun world a few years ago, when it was first introduced. Now it’s super-sized and chambering 3 ½-inch 12-gauge shells. You get all the flawless precision anyone should expect from a Benelli shotgun—and seriously, does anyone make a smoother-cycling, faster-cycling autoloader?—along with reduced recoil over similar competition, a relatively low muzzle climb, and a design that’s nearly an art study in ergo-dynamics. Benelli calls this latter feature its PSP, or Practical Speed Performance, which is a measurement of how fast you can shoulder the gun, get the bead on your target, shoot it, and recover to repeat the process. I have to admit, the reduced top-line profile on the long 8 ½-inch receiver (which can help provide a long sight radius that benefits shooting distant targets), paired with the edgy lines of the fore-arm and even trigger guard nearly scream “point-and-shoot,” and while that’s decidedly not a good shooting technique for far away geese, it is a design that probably benefits those shooting pull-away: put the bead effortlessly on the beak of a flying snow or speck, pull smoothing, sleekly in front, and bang, you’re having goose for diner. Available in Realtree APG, Realtree Max-4 and matte black.
MSRP: This isn’t what most would call easy on the wallet, but if you’ve already dumped thousands into your boat, motor, decoy spread, and dog, it probably won’t seem like much. Benelli’s website lists the Super Vinci at $1,649 to $1,759, depending on finish.
Trulock Choke Tubes
I’ve been using George Trulock’s fine choke tubes for more than a few years now, and so I think this is a fine place to include a recommendation for them. In particular, the Super Waterfowl fitted for the Benelli 12-gauge is the choice here. Designed specifically for long-range hits with steel shot, this tube sports a long knurled extension for easy, hands-only removal, and a matte black oxide finish that won’t reflect a thing. Also available for Beretta, Browning Invector Plus, Benelli Crio, and Remington shotguns.
MSRP: The www.trulockchoke.com site lists this choke at $131.95, a small price to pay to make long shots at late-season geese count, especially when the chokes are backed by lifetime guarantee.
The Author Recommends: Late-season geese take special skills. They fly higher than they do in the early season, wary of boats and blinds and decoy spreads, and they're more apt to keep themselves at the far reaches of your setup if they do take a second look and commit. Like I said, it takes skill to shoot a shotgun effectively at distance, but there is help in today's pick, the Gun Digest Book of Shotgunning. Target master and champion shooter Marty Fischer has all sorts of useful advice for the hunter in this book, including reviews of fundamentals such as gun mount, foot and body position and the proper use of vision (a great place to start if you're going home empty handed at the end of the day), as well as reasons for missing and provides tried and proven remedies for failure in the field. And remember, buy this book or any other when you click through to the www.GunDigestStore.com through this blog, and you'll get a free digital download of any exploded gun drawing, your choice! Just remember to use code HUNTBLOG2 at check out.
