Discover why the Benelli Super Black Eagle 3 A.I. Cerakote stands out as a reliable, high-performance shotgun for serious waterfowl hunters.
by Jace Bauserman
I cut my hunting teeth roaming the river and creek bottoms near my Colorado home with a pump-action shotgun in hand. I didn’t know what I was doing. Nobody showed me the ropes. My dad wasn’t a hunter. It didn’t matter. I stalked between cottonwood trees to flush doves, walked ditch rows for pheasants, and jumped creek corners for ducks.
I didn’t just fall in love with the hunting process; I fell in love with my shotgun. The feel of the stock against my shoulder; the smooth break of the trigger; and the metal-on-metal clack when I worked the compostie forend captivated me.
My persistent ventures led me to meet other hunters, and lucky for me, several took me under their wing. These men were hardcore waterfowl hunters, and from the age of 16 to 23, my world revolved around hunting waterfowl. Every penny I made went to my waterfowl pursuits. I sold my pump-action, as bad as it hurt, and bought a semi-auto. I dropped every penny I had on that shotgun. I’d watched my hunting buddies battle with jamming issues, and they were constantly having to clean their shotguns. Plus, it seemed that the worse the weather and the better the hunting, the poorer their semi-auto shotguns performed. I didn’t want that.
Some shotguns aren’t built for waterfowl hunting. Others are. Benelli’s Super Black Eagle 3 A.I. Cerakote was built to be a waterfowl warrior.
Here we go.
First Impressions: Benelli Super Black Eagle 3 A.I. Cerakote
I’ve tested many Benelli shotguns over the years, including models featuring Benelli’s A.I. (Advanced Impact) technology. Benelli makes excellent shotguns, but spoiler alert: this 28-inch barrel, 3-1/2-inch chamber, Mossy Oak Bottomland stock with Patriot Brown Cerakote receiver and barrel is my all-time favorite Benelli.
When hunting waterfowl over decoys, I prefer a longer 28-inch barrel. I’ve found a longer barrel helps me swing through my targets, boosts velocity, and adds to Benelli’s Advanced Impact technology.
The action is slim and clean, and I love the flat rib coming off the receiver that rises and then tapers toward the red-front bar sight. The trigger box is wide, and while I won’t dub the controls as oversized, I had no trouble finding them and putting them to work. Personally, I prefer slim, sleek controls to oversized ones. The stock is what you’d expect from Benelli: the Comfort Tech 3 design is legendary. Benelli didn’t stray from a stock that uses chevrons to reduce recoil, a gel-like recoil pad, and a comfortable padded cheek pad that improves cheek weld. Thank God! I love the Comfort Tech 3 stock.
The forend’s bottom is gridded and well-rounded, flares slightly as it works up toward the barrel, and then falls back in toward the barrel. The bottom of the forearm feels great in my palm, and my fingers fall along the ridge in the forearm’s rise and rest perfectly between the top of the forend and the ridge.
The stock’s throat is thin, gridded, and is necked down as it goes into the receiver. The A.I. Extended Crio choke threads into the muzzle, and the shotgun comes with C, IC, M, IM, and F choke options. The Patriot Brown Cerakote reciever and barrel look great, jive with Mossy Oak’s Bottomland, and reduce shine. The shotgun will handle 2-34-, 3-, and 3-1/2-inch shotshells.
What Is Benelli’s Advanced Impact Technology
When my buddy told me he broke a clay at 120 yards with the same model of shotgun Benelli sent me, I scoffed. He said he was using the Extended Crio Full choke and 2-3/4-inch high-brass #6 upland loads. I told him he was full of it. I’ve tested Benelli’s Advanced Impact on the range and in the field. Do I believe in it? Aboslutley. Last winter, I shot a limit of 16-pound-plus honkers between 35 and 55 yards with 3-inch steel #2s. Pre-A.I., my go-to for geese, especially big geese, was 3-1/2-inch BBB. A.I. let me downsize, put more pellets in the air, and drop down in shot size.
Still, the thought of a shotgun busting a clay at 150 yards seemed impossible until my phone dinged. The proof was in the video, and my buddy sent two. One showed what appeared to be a small orange object flying, followed by a boom, and then the object was gone. The second showed my buddy call for the clay, a quick zoom, and a flying disc turning to dust.
The bottom line is that Benelli’s Advanced Impact technology is a proprietary barrel and choke system designed to enhance the ballistic performance of Benelli shotguns branded with A.I. on the barrel. At its core, the technology involves a re-engineered internal bore contour that optimizes the transition of the shot column as it travels through the barrel.
Here is a breakdown of what the technology entails and why it is significant: The primary innovation is the barrel’s specific internal geometry. By altering the taper and dimensions of the bore and forcing cone, Benelli reduced deformation of the shot pellets during acceleration. Reduced deformation and a longer barrel mean more velocity and increased downrange energy.
Field Test: Super Black Eagle 3 A.I. Cerakote
I will never pen something I can’t stand behind. Have I tested Benelli’s A.I. Technology? Yes. Is the juice worth the squeeze? Absolutely. Have I tested this exact 28-inch-barrel beauty in hellish weather conditions while hunting ? No. Do I believe that this shotgun will handle the worst waterfowling conditions imaginable and still reliably cycle shotshells? 100 percent!
The 50-inch long 7-pound shotgun feels great in hand. It comes to the shoulder cleanly and feels remarkably balanced. Shotshells load into the magazine cleanly; the action is smooth, and I love the trigger feel.
Loaded with 2-3/4-inch dove loads, I pulled the trigger three times as fast as I could. Many shotguns with a 3-1/2-inch chamber won’t cleanly cycle 2-3/4-inch shotshells. The reason is that the 1-1/8-oune payload doesn’t fully push the bolt back, which causes a feed jam. Benelli’s Inertia Driven System prevents jamming and keeps the shotgun cycling shotshells as fast as you can pull the trigger.
When hunting, I never pull the trigger as fast as I can. When field testing, I think it’s important. There’s no better way to test the reliability of a shotgun’s action than by firing 2-3/4-, 3-, and 3-1/2-inch shotshells. Over the course of three days, I shot 100 rounds through the shotgun. I shot 2-3/4-inch, 3-inch, and heavy 3-1/2-inch BBB loads. The Benelli Super Black Eagle 3 A.I. Cerakote spat hulls out like candy. The hulls, even the 2-3/4-inch low-brass hulls, kicked far from where I was shooting. I spent time testing chokes, busting clays, and simply tinkering. The 5 included chokes are A.I. specific. You need to shoot these chokes and see what this technology is all about. It is remarkably impressive.
Like all Benelli shotguns, the SBE3 A.I. is a breeze to clean. Remove the end cap, pull the barrel, and bathe the shotgun. I love a shotgun that’s easy to disassemble on the cleaning bench and in the field.
Final Thoughts
I’ve hunted with a lot of shotguns, and I’ve learned that reliability matters more than promises. A shotgun can look great in a gun safe, but waterfowl hunting isn’t a gun safe. It’s freezing fingers, blowing snow, muddy blinds, wet shells, and birds working fast when you’re already tired. The Benelli Super Black Eagle 3 A.I. Cerakote feels built for that kind of punishment.
After three days and 100 rounds, the shotgun never missed a beat. It cycled light dove loads and heavy 3-1/2-inch BBBs without hesitation, shouldered naturally, patterned impressively, and handled recoil better than most waterfowl guns I’ve tested. The Patriot Brown Cerakote and Bottomland camo look outstanding, but this shotgun isn’t just a pretty face.
It’s a serious waterfowl tool. If you want a reliable, hard-hitting, easy-to-clean shotgun that handles like a dream, the Super Black Eagle 3 A.I. Cerakote deserves a place in your blind.
