The Pros and Cons of Cerakote for Shotguns

When it comes to maintaining your shotgun, many options are available to ensure its longevity and improve its appearance. One such option that has gained popularity in recent years is Cerakoting. However, before deciding whether or not to Cerakote your shotgun, it’s crucial to understand the process, weigh the benefits, and consider any potential drawbacks. This article is aimed at providing an analysis of each of these factors to help you make an informed decision.

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Legacy Sports International Shows Us How Cerakote is Done

We tend to associate embellished shotguns with extravagant engravings of pastoral bliss rendered in masterpieces of steel. But head down-market to the other 99 percent and you can order a field or clays shotgun personalized with your own visual flash for about $600.

Your budget alternative comes courtesy of the same coatings that protect your shotgun against the elements and handling, and applied on the Turkish-made Pointer semi-automatics sold and customized by Legacy Sports International in Reno, Nevada.

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Benelli Expands Super Black Eagle 3 28-Gauge Model Series

January 2025, Accokeek, MD – The sub-gauge renaissance has taken a firm hold across the sporting landscape, injecting a new level of fun and participation for many waterfowl and upland hunters while presenting new challenges and tactics for turkey hunters. Benelli is proud to have led the charge in nurturing the growing 28-gauge category with entries represented in the Super Black Eagle 3 and Ethos lines.

For 2025, Benelli adds three more models in this exciting chambering to the Super Black Eagle 3 series.

In a nod to the outstanding performance of 28-gauge TSS loads for turkey hunting and the typical run-and-gun nature of the sport, Benelli has added a 24-inch barrel model to its already extensive roster of 28-gauge SBE3 shotguns. Boasting Mossy Oak® Bottomland Original™ camo paired with a Patriot Brown Cerakote treatment on the barrel and receiver, this shotgun hits all the marks for a hard-use, fast-handling hunting shotgun — whether that hunt takes you after spring gobblers, woodland grouse, timber ducks, or doves.

In addition, Benelli expands the SBE3 28-gauge line with two new color configurations available for 28-inch-barrel shotguns. The new patterns are waterfowl-focused with GORE™ OPTIFADE Marsh furniture combined with Patriot Brown Cerakote and GORE™ OPTIFADE Timber working with a Tungsten Cerakote.

Much of the 28-gauge appeal comes from the soft-shooting nature of these shotshells. Since the SBE3 offers a firm foundation in comfort thanks to its recoil-absorbing ComforTech stock, shim kit for drop and cast adjustment, and ergonomic controls, an SBE3 in this chambering is the easiest-shooting yet most rugged semi-auto shotgun on the market today. 

For more information on Benelli USA’s full line of premium shotguns and centerfire hunting rifles, visit BenelliUSA.com.

Benelli Adds Advanced Impact Technology to Famed SBE3 Shotgun Line

January 2025, Accokeek, MD – Benelli’s Super Black Eagle 3 is heralded around the world as the most advanced, most rugged, and most dependable hunting shotgun ever developed. Now, Benelli takes the proven SBE3 platform to even greater heights with the integration of the new Advanced Impact (A.I.) barrel and choke system.

Advanced Impact is the latest in a long list of technological innovations by Benelli engineers to enhance shotgun performance and shooting comfort. The A.I. system is comprised of an innovative barrel bore contour coupled with Benelli’s new Advanced Impact CRIO® chokes. Combined, the A.I. barrel and choke deliver a payload downrange with greater velocity and energy than standard shotgun barrels up to 50% greater on-target penetration. What’s more, the unique design of the barrel and choke enhances pellet density and promotes more uniform spread. This means the shot not only hits harder and penetrates deeper, but also puts more pellets on the target.

Four new SBE3 models featuring the Benelli A.I. system are offered for 2025.

The Super Black Eagle 3 A.I. comes in 12-gauge (3 1/2-inch) or 20-gauge (3-inch) chambers with 28-inch barrels and GORE™ OPTIFADE Timber camo. The gray anodized receiver compliments the gray Benelli Surface Treatment (BE.S.T.) barrel finish, providing industry-leading protection from rust and corrosion.

Rough-weather hunters will also appreciate the new Super Black Eagle 3 A.I. Cerakote models. Offered in 12-gauge (3 1/2-inch) or 20-gauge (3-inch) chambers with 28-inch barrels, these semi-auto shotguns feature a durable Cerakote receiver and barrel finish in either FDE or Patriot Brown, both of which pair with Realtree® Max-7™ or Mossy Oak® Bottomland™ camo furniture, respectively.

All four shotguns boast standard features that have made the SBE3 series to top choice for hunters who demand maximum performance and dependability with no sacrifice in handling or shooting comfort. Each of the SBE3 A.I. models run on Benelli’s Inertia Driven® system for reliable cycling in the worst conditions and include Benelli’s ComforTech™ 3 stock for all-day shooting ease, plus an upsized bolt handle and bolt release for effortless operation when wearing gloves.

If you thought the Benelli SBE3 series shotguns couldn’t get any better, you’re in for a surprise the moment you pull the trigger on any of the new-for-2025 SBE3 Advanced Impact models. MSRP: $2999 – $3199 depending on model.

For more information on Benelli USA’s full line of premium shotguns and centerfire hunting rifles, visit BenelliUSA.com.

Rich Cole’s Touch of Italian Magic Revealed in the New Rizzini BR240 Cole Special

Unfortunately, all of us can’t afford a custom-fitted shotgun that may triple the price of the original off-the-shelf donor. Of course, every sporting-gun guru will swear that a shotgun fitted to your exact measurements can effectively improve your performance through an optimal sight picture, impeccable gun mount and intuitive trigger control. 

But let’s face it, checking out at the supermarket these days or a visit to the gas-station pump might upend your priorities with the harsh financial disappointment that your dreamy beauty of a bespoke over/under may find its way into your gun safe…after the kids graduate college (and dear God don’t move back home)?

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Cole Fine Guns and Gunsmithing Partners with Rizzini to Introduce the Rizzini BR240 Cole Special

NAPLES, Fla. – 01 August 2024 – Cole Fine Guns and Gunsmithing, a leading premium firearms retailer, is excited to announce, in partnership with B. Rizzini, the Rizzini BR240 Cole Special. This new shotgun is a masterpiece that combines exceptional craftsmanship with cutting-edge modern technology.

Working in conjunction with Rich Cole, Rizzini has developed the BR240 Cole Special exclusive to Cole Fine Guns & Gunsmithing.  The BR240 Cole Special is more than window dressing.  Rich Cole created the stock specifications based upon 40+ years of gunsmithing and stocking experience and are available with or without an adjustable comb. The performance package includes an adjustable length trigger, 5 Cole Precision Chokes, and Speed Wrench. The following configurations will be available in the BR240 Cole Special exclusively offered by Cole Gunsmithing.

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Introducing the Derrick Mein Signature Series: A Special Edition Falcon Pro Kit by Ranger Shooting Eyewear

RANDOLPH, MA – Ranger Shooting Eyewear is excited to announce the launch of the Derrick Mein Signature Series, a Special Edition Falcon Pro Kit built in collaboration with our newest signed ambassador, champion shooter Derrick Mein. This exclusive kit embodies what makes Derrick a standout in clay target shooting and an Olympian.

The Derrick Mein Signature Series features a tough Navy Cerakote Falcon Pro frame with black nose pads and bayonet temples to cut down on glare. It includes two new Claysight lenses, Dark Amber and Light Amber, specifically chosen by Derrick to match the lighting conditions he encounters while shooting. These lenses come with Hydro-Coat and Anti-Reflective coating, offering the highest optical clarity and the most enhanced target definition in the industry.

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The Pointer Side by Side in the Fields of Georgia Quail Country

Shooting a bird gun at clay targets only hints at qualities that will spring to life in the field. On a five-stand, the squad’s rhythm, the advantage of lookers, and those soaring teals and long crossers, don’t truly demonstrate snappy field-gun performance – unless of course you’re thrown lots of rabbit targets. But in the field, when a zig-zagging bird dog bumps a covey, and an explosion of birds unexpectedly stuns your eyeballs, handling and precision, driven by adrenalin and instinct, instantly reveal the shotgun’s true DNA.

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Six Semi-Automatic Sporters for $600 or Less

Turkish-made semi-automatic shotguns have gained in popularity through their rock-bottom prices and wide-spread availability. Just about any gun store in America will have a model or two (or more) that appeals to budget-minded wing and clays enthusiasts, while the online selection seems almost boundless. In addition to routinely getting the job done for diehard shooters, these semi-automatics are often a cost-effective go-to choice for first-time shooters dipping their toe in the water, or as a knock-about when the weather turns foul in the field.

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