I replaced the bolt charging handle with a Nordic Components extended model so that I can hit it fast. This is easy: just pull straight out on the old handle until it comes out, then push the new handle straight in, line up the cutout in the bolt with the anti-rotation tab on the handle, and push until it clicks into place. One should note that the extra weight of an oversize charging handle can slow down the cyclic rate and even cause jams in some guns. This aluminum handle is lightweight and is more rugged than the old NC design. I have bent the old-style handle a couple of times in the heat of competition. This has actually caused some cosmetic damage to the receiver. Competition guns do, however, get beat up. I replaced the handle with a new one, and I keep the straightened original as a spare in my shooting box.

An oversize bolt release is another potential source of problems. I have seen the plastic, lever-style releases break, so I decided to go with the metal Nordic Components Speed Button. Both designs that I have tried require drilling and tapping the gun’s existing bolt-release button. It can be done while in the gun. But, if you decide to do that, tape-off the area around the release button with masking tape to keep the chips out of the action. The best way is to remove the magazine-release lever and clamp it in a vise while drilling and tapping the hole for the screw.

Mark the center of the button with a center punch, and then carefully drill a hole with a No. 36 (0.106 inch) drill deep enough for the screw. Don’t forget to add some depth for the tap’s taper. The NC button uses a 6-32 screw, which is a small, fragile tap size. True to form I hit a hard spot in the steel and—with less pressure than I would have imagined—the tap broke. Extracting a broken tap is a nightmare, and in this case it was compounded by its tiny size. Before it was over I wound up making an entirely new release button on my lathe. A replacement from Benelli would have made more sense, but I had a match in the morning. Fortunately, I had ordered a few extra taps from Brownells. My advice is to gently handle that little tap. Go slow, and use a lot of oil. Also, don’t make modifications to your guns the night before a match.

While a lot of shooters who first learned to shoot a shotgun in a tactical class prefer sights on their gun, I do not. Like most shooters with a wingshooting background, I shoot instinctively at all my birdshot targets. I am cross-dominant, and I do not like ghost rings or any other large sights in front of my eye. If anything is blocking my shooting eye, the other eye takes over, and I miss. But 3-gun shooting will have a lot of long-range slug targets that require some precision in aiming. I compromised by installing the low-profile fiber-optic TruGlo Universal Dual-Color adjustable sight system on the rib. The adjustable sighting system allows me to aim my slugs, but is not horribly intrusive when I am “wing” shooting. The mounting system for the front sight was a little suspect, so I added some superglue between the sight and the vent rib for insurance.

I also added a Mesa Tactical metal side-saddle shotshell holder on the receiver. This attaches to the gun with a screw through the receiver that fits into an acorn nut on the other side. It is important to degrease the screw and nut and to use plenty of blue No. 242 Loctite so it stays in place because it can be overtightened. While it seems less of an issue with the Benelli, I have seen guns that stopped functioning when the screw was just a one-half thread too tight and was distorting the receiver. So, snug it up and depend on the Loctite to keep it in place. I also added one of Mark Otto’s two-shell holders on the fore-end, because you can never have too many shells with you.

With a 3-gun shotgun I believe the key to reliability is to keep it simple, keep it clean and keep it running. For me, a hopeless tinkerer and gunsmith hobbyist, it’s painful to maintain this almost hands-off approach. My reward is that in two dozen or so matches and countless practice sessions during which I bring my reloaded shotshells in five-gallon buckets, I have had no ammunition-related stoppage or jam. Nothing makes for a winning 3-gun shotgun like total reliability.