Benelli's New Super Black Eagle III Advanced Impact

Benelli Super Black Eagle shotguns have earned a record of performance and durability in the field that is seldom rivaled and is based on a solid line of succession. The original Super Black Eagle (SBE) debuted in 1991 and was made through 2005. It featured a 3.5-inch chamber and is said to be based on an “updated” previous model called the Montefeltro. The SBE took the duck-hunting crowd by storm, to the dismay of webfoots everywhere.

In 2004, the SBE II arrived, and it had its own complement of add-on features, one of which is the high-tech synthetic ComforTech stock. It was also offered with a walnut stock. The SBE II was available in various special versions for turkeys, waterfowl, and upland game, and it introduced Benelli’s cryogenic barrel treatment.

Advancements

Innovation in the SBE line continued in 2017 with the introduction of the SBE 3, which is widely lauded as the pinnacle of rugged shotgun design and performance. New for 2025 is the SBE 3 A.I. “A.I.” stands for Advanced Impact. This is an interesting feature that involves the barrel and choke system, and it continues the Benelli tradition of technological improvements in comfort and performance.

The A.I. system is composed of what Benelli describes as an innovative barrel bore contour and the new Advanced Impact Crio choke tubes. Together, these features are said to provide greater downrange velocity and, consequently, greater energy of the pellets upon impact than standard shotgun barrels. This, Benelli says, provides up to 50 percent greater penetration on the target. Patterns are said to be enhanced because the pellets are more uniformly distributed, with fewer “holes” through which a bird or clay pigeon can escape. Benelli provides more details of the A.I. system on their website: benelliusa.com/advanced-impact.

Four new SBE 3 models are available for 2025 in 12- and 20-gauge versions. All have 28-inch vent-rib barrels. The 12 gauges have 3.5-inch chambers, and the 20s have 3-inch chambers. Both versions shoot all manner of the appropriate gauge without any adjustment by the user. The guns feature a durable gray Benelli Surface Treatment (BE.S.T.) or Cerakote in Flat Dark Earth or Patriot Brown, paired with Realtree Max-7 or Mossy Oak Bottomland camo, depending on the model. A larger bolt handle and bolt release make operation easier when wearing gloves.

The stock has Benelli’s ComfortTech system. The stock is “split” diagonally, and it has shock-absorbing chevrons that make the entire buttstock a “recoil pad.” It sounds weird, but it works. The cheek pads, called Combtech, reduce facial impact. Supplied shims allow adjustment for drop and/or pitch, and of course there are detailed instructions on how to make the adjustments in the owner’s manual.

The stock fit me right out of the box; I was looking right down the rib when shooting. Since the shooter’s eye is essentially the rear sight, this is an important attribute to check out on a new scattergun. I am delighted to report that the SBE 3 A.I. seemed to hit right where I was aiming. However, as I just pointed out, if the stock doesn’t fit you, the gun comes with a passel of shims that let the user adjust the stock to the proper drop.

The SBE 3’s action uses Benelli’s Inertia Driven System, which in itself is an engineering delight. It has few moving parts. Upon firing, the gun moves rearward, and this compresses a small spring on the bolthead, and the bolthead rotates slightly. This unlocks the lugs, and the bolt goes rearward, the fired shell is ejected, and a fresh round is released from the magazine. The recoil spring moves the bolt forward, picks up the fresh shell, and delivers it into the chamber. The Inertia Drive Action has an easy-locking bolt that functions with most all loads, from light target loads (with limitations) to the strongest magnums.

Benelli’s Inertia Driven System never needs adjusting and will cycle with virtually any load of the appropriate gauge. Benelli says that some inertia-drive shotguns have fired more that 500,000 rounds and are still functioning. That ought to take care of the most ardent hunters and clay-bird shooters. Since powder gases exit through the barrel, rather than through a gas system, it is no secret that the inertia action of the SBE 3 stays cleaner longer, plus there are no gas ports or O-rings to clean.

A nice touch is that the top of the receiver is drilled and tapped so the user can add a red-dot optic or other sight for specialized purposes.

Benelli’s Crio treatment freezes the barrel and choke tubes to -300 degrees Fahrenheit. The question arises, why freeze barrels? There are several good reasons. This treatment relieves internal stresses in the barrel caused by its hammer-forging. It also creates a super-slick, even-grained surface, and that smoothness produces less resistance to the wads and shot, resulting in more uniform patterns. A big plus, at least in my opinion, is that it also means that the bore is easier to clean.

The A.I. choke tubes are a story in themselves. Remember, they are frozen, too. Five tubes are provided with the SBE 3, in the usual persuasions: Improved Cylinder, Modified, Improved Modified, Full, and Straight Cylinder. As a certified skeet addict, I’m most intrigued by that fifth tube. This has precedent, as Winchester’s choke called “WS1” is reported to be Straight Cylinder.

Benelli’s tubes are 4.7 inches long, and the knurled 0.75-inch portion extends from the muzzle. The muzzle diameters of the choke tubes are 0.729 inch for Full, 0.743 inch for Improved Modified, 0.765 inch for Modified, 0.774 inch for Improved Cylinder, and 0.777 inch for Cylinder.

I was unable to mike the bore diameter of the SBE 3 A.I. I received for this report, but if we assume that it is the same as the Cylinder tube, this is quite a step up from the standard 12-gauge bore of 0.729 inch. In fact, it is similar to the 10-gauge bore diameter of 0.775 inch. This is reminiscent of the new pump-action shotguns of about 1988 chambered for the then-new 3.5-inch ammo, which launched up to 2.25 ounces of shot through grossly oversized bores. It was essentially shooting 10-gauge ammo in a 12-gauge gun, but it worked.

Performance

After I received a new SBE 3 A.I. (Model No. 12351) for this review, I quickly found out that it certainly lived up to its billing. My test gun has the Flat Dark Earth Cerakote on the receiver and the 28-inch barrel and the Realtree Max-7 camo on the stock. (Mossy Oak Bottomland camo is also available on the stock.)

I checked the velocities of typical 12-gauge loads in the new gun. Benelli says that the velocities from the SBE 3 A.I. are higher than with “standard shotgun barrels.” I used 3-inch shells (factory loads and handloads), and the gun functioned 100 percent as long as I used a load powerful enough to cycle the shotgun’s action.

I used my Oehler Model 35P chronograph and the most open choke tube to gather the velocity results. A baffle was used to protect the chronograph sky screens from wad pieces and stray shot pellets. The results are shown in the accompanying chart.

In my considerable experience, there is usually a lot of apparent variation in shotshell velocities, so I was impressed with the uniformity of the results in the SBE 3 A.I. The standard deviations (SD) were quite low as shotgun shells go. Plus, the coefficient of variations (COV, which is the SD expressed as a percent of the average velocity) were also quite low. The COVs for all loads tested were under 2 percent. That, my friends, is a rare occurrence in the scattergun world.

My handloads with 7/8 and 1 ounce of shot were developed for break-action guns, and as expected, they were too light to cycle the SBE 3’s action. Fiocchi factory loads with 1, 11/16, and 11/8 ounces of shot ran through the SBE 3’s action as slick as can be. I tried to chronograph some 3-inch steel shot duck loads, but I was unable to get any credible velocities for them. This, I surmise, is due to the result of muzzle blast error—a common malady in chronographing shotshells. I also fired a few target and field rounds at my 4-foot square steel “pattern plate,” and the pock marks looked evenly spaced.

Overall, the SBE 3 with the A.I. system shot well, and the recoil was very tolerable. I like it a lot. The price (MSRP: $2,849) is a bit steep, but as the saying goes, it always costs a little more to go first class. 

SUPER BLACK EAGLE 3 A.I. SPECS

• MANUFACTURER: Benelli, benelliusa.com
• TYPE: Inertia-operated autoloader
• GAUGE: 12 (3.5-in. chamber)
• MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 3 rounds
• BARREL: 28 in.
• OVERALL LENGTH: 50 in.
• WEIGHT, EMPTY: 7.31 lbs.
• STOCK: Synthetic ComforTech
• LENGTH OF PULL: 14.13 in.
• FINISH: Flat Dark Earth Cerakote receiver and barrel, Realtree Max-7 stock
• SIGHTS: Red bar front
• TRIGGER: 5.37-lb. pull (as tested)
• SAFETY: Crossbolt
• MSRP: $2,849