Notes: This was Benelli’s first semiautomatic shotgun offering. Though almost all European autoloaders use some derivative of the Browning long-recoil system, the Benelli Autoloader uses a recoil-operated system that, while far more mechanically complex, makes for a more reliable system than the typical recoil-operated weapon. It also means that even if different types of ammunition are used in the weapon, the amount of recoil transmitted to the user remains constant.

Notes: This is a semiautomatic shotgun introduced in 1996. It was meant for hunting, trap and skeet shooting. The Centro features a carbon-fiber ventilated rib --- three actually, which may be changed as needed for hunting, trap, or skeet shooting. The chokes are interchangeable (the Varichoke system), and the barrel may be 26 or 28 inches. It is important that the charge in the shells is of proper levels, since the mechanism is driven by recoil.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This weapon does not exist.

Notes: Introduced in 2005, the Cordoba is named after Cordoba, Argentina, and inspired by the high volume of dove hunting available in that area. It is a semiautomatic magnum shotgun primarily designed for fowling and bird hunting, but also quite useable on clay pigeon ranges. It uses Benelli’s new CrioTech barrel – a barrel which is cryogenically treated and after forging, which removes imperfections caused by heat and hammer forging in ways which are still not completely understood. They also use CrioChoke interchangeable chokes (a set of five), which are longer then standard screw-in internal choke tubes, which are similarly cryogenically-treated, and longer than normal interchangeable chokes, which allows for a smoother surface and less pellet deformation. (This is another feature which I don’t know how to simulate…) The stock of the Cordoba is synthetic; the standard color is light gray, but other colors are available. The stock contains Benelli’s patented ComforTech system, which is basically a specially-shaped stock that reduces felt recoil; this stock includes shock-absorbing "chevrons" and gel pads for the cheek and butt. In addition, the barrel is ported to further reduce recoil, making the Cordoba one of the softest-kicking shotguns of its type in the world. The barrel has a ventilated sighting rib with a red bar front sight and a metal bead rear sight (which is actually near the middle of the rib).

Twilight 2000 Notes: This shotgun does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Notes: This is an autoloading shotgun that, while a perfectly usable weapon, is designed more for looks than serious hunting or sporting use. This is because the Executive is made from materials of the highest quality – fine walnut root stocks, intricate and beautiful engraving inlaid with gold, stainless steel receiver instead of normal steel, etc. When one is buying an Executive, you are not thinking just how it shoots, but how it looks also. The Executive comes with fixed choke to the wishes of the customer, an interchangeable choke, or a Varichoke. The Executive tends to be a bit heavy, but it is not really meant for carrying around on difficult terrain.

Notes: The Super 90 series was developed from the SL-80 series of shotguns which dates from the late 1970s and was designed for military, police, and civilian use. Several improvements were made to the SL-80 design, including use of a one-piece receiver instead of the two halves used on the SL-80, and a rotary bolt instead of a non-rotating bolt. It is regarded as an extremely-reliable shotgun, and cycles in the same quick manner as the SL-80. It is noteworthy that, beginning in the mid-1980s, the Super 90 series was actually imported to North America by Heckler & Koch, and sold under their name; they received a royalty in return for being the middlemen, but the guns were still made by Benelli. Later, in the early 2000s, Benelli came under the umbrella of Beretta and Benelli sold its weapons under its own name again.

Like the SL-80, the Super 90 series is recoil-operated. Operation is via an inertia recoil system, which is essentially a short recoil system that cycles very rapidly. This system also makes the recoil a little different from the standard shotgun, producing a long, softer thump instead of the sudden, heavy thump of most shotguns. It is fed from an extended tubular magazine (often plugged to a smaller ammunition capacity to comply with local legislation); it may also be supplied with several lengths of tubular magazines (depending upon local legislation and the length of the barrel). The feed from this magazine may be stopped in order to empty the chamber or insert special ammunition. The M-1 Super 90 is very tolerant of different qualities and types of ammunition, but an extra step is required when charging the M-1 Super 90 – a cartridge drop lever much be actuated (which takes negligible time in game terms, but can trip up an inexperienced user of the M-1 Super 90). The furniture is of a synthetic material (though wood may be requested by the buyer; the stock, fore-end, and metalwork are normally finished in black or dull gray, but a variety of finishes may be had, including some rather dazzling camouflage patterns. A ventilated rubber recoil pad is standard, and is usually black in color. The metalwork is steel. Left-handed versions are also available of the civilian guns; these are appended with the name "Mancino" (as in M-1 Super 90 Mancino).

The standard civilian M-1 Super 90, the base model of the series, is designed to be as multi-purpose as possible. Barrel lengths ranging from 21-28 inches can be found, with a ventilated sighting rib above the barrel. (Initially a version with a 30-inch barrel was also sold, for a short time, but it was pulled off the market long ago due to poor sales.) The M-1 Super 90 uses the Varichoke system, with interchangeable chokes of Full, Improved Modified, Modified, Improved Cylinder, and Cylinder being supplied with the shotgun. At request, the buyer may pass on the Varichokes and use external choke tubes of Full and Improved Modified instead. Slug versions are also built with adjustable rifle-type sights and barrel lengths of 18.5 or 19.75 inches; an M-1 Super 90 Rifled version is also available, with a 24-inch rifled barrel; using this version for firing buckshot will eventually ruin the rifling and is not recommended. Finally, an M-1 20 Super 90 version of the standard M-1 Super 90 shotguns is available, with the same barrel lengths, but in 20 gauge, and it also uses an Ergal light alloy receiver instead of one made from steel.

The M-2 Super 90 also uses a synthetic stock, but the materials used in the stock and fore-end are more advanced than those of the M-1 Super 90, and the gun is slightly lighter than the M-1 Super 90. As with the M-1 Super 90, wood stocks are also available upon request. The receiver housing is a made from Ergal light alloy, but most of the other metalwork is steel. The cartridge drop lever and mechanism have also been removed. Barrels of the standard versions of the M-2 Super 90 are also 21-28 inches, with the same chokes as those of the M-1 Super 90. The Slug version is limited to a barrel length of 19.75 inches, but users of the 26-inch standard barrel may choose a ribbed or non-ribbed barrel, with the non-ribbed barrel version having fixed standard sights. There is no version of the M-2 Super 90 with a rifled barrel.

The M-3 Super 90 is a version of the Super 90 series which may be switched from semiautomatic to pump-action, using an operating system similar to that of the Franchi SPAS-12 and SPAS-15. The standard civilian model is available only with a 26-inch barrel (with a full set of Varichokes or optional external interchangeable chokes in Full or Improved Modified). Two slug versions are also made, differing only in finish (the standard matte black finish and the Kromo with polished nickel-plated metalwork). These slug versions have a 19.75-inch or 18.5-inch non-rifled barrels. Both of these Slug versions may have adjustable rear sights or scope mounts, and have fixed Cylindrical chokes.

Another part of the Super 90 series, the Super 90 Tactical series, was re-designed specifically for military use, and to a lesser extent, police entry team use. The M-1 Super 90 Tactical is designed to be lightweight, with a receiver built of high-strength aluminum alloy (this can be done since the receiver is designed to be unstressed), with operating parts of steel, and the bolt carrier riding within a steel barrel extension. Sights are ghost ring at the rear and a protected blade at the front. Both are adjustable and have tritium inserts. The steel barrel is 18.5 inches long and can use choke inserts for Improved Cylinder, Modified, and Full Choke. The standard tubular magazine contains five rounds, but an extended magazines is available. The M-1 Super 90 Tactical may use both standard and Magnum shells, but nether light nor "hot" loads are recommended. Stocks are synthetic with a pistol grip (with a pistol grip wrist being optional) and a recoil pad at the butt. The M-1 Super 90 Tactical Entry is essentially the same weapon, but has a 14-inch barrel, no provision for choke tubes, and has a somewhat shorter stock. Benelli used to supply its Tactical versions only in non-reflective black, but other (non-reflective) colors and finishes are now available. As with the SL-80 and standard M-1 Super 90, mounting a folding stock on the M-1 Super 90 Tactical is basically impossible due to the long recoil spring.

The M-2 Super 90 Tactical and Tactical Entry shotguns are also almost virtually identical to the M-1 Super 90 Tactical, but are improved in the areas of reliability, and eliminate the cartridge drop lever.

The M-3 Super 90 Tactical is a development of the M-1/M-2 series; the standard barrel is somewhat longer than the M-1 Super 90 Tactical at 19.8 inches, but versions with 13.4-inch barrels are available (the M-3 Super 90 Tactical Entry version). Folding stock versions of both are also available (due to the different operating system); these models are called the M-3T Super 90 Tactical and the M-3T Super 90 Tactical Entry. The M-3 Super 90 Tactical is also available with rifle-type sights and a rifled barrel; this version is known as the M-3 Super 90 Tactical Combat, and is for all intents and purposes a large-caliber rifle, firing slugs only. The action of the M-3 allows for both semiautomatic and pump-action firing; this allows for the use of odd-length rounds if necessary. As with the M-1, the M-2 is available with an extended magazine. The M-3 Super 90 series is known to be a favorite of the British SAS.

The Benelli M-4 is the newest member of the Super 90 line – and perhaps the most "tricked out." Designed primarily for self-defense or police use, civilian versions use fixed stocks with a pistol grip or a standard-type stock with a pistol grip wrist -- both of polymer. Finishes may be black or desert camo, and this includes the metalwork (except for internal metalwork, which is of stainless steel with a Teflon finish). They use the ARGO self-regulating gas system which automatically compensates for fouling, dirt, or variances in load or propellant weight. The operation system is greatly simplified, making the M-4 far easier to strip and care for, as well as making the shotgun much more tolerant to the elements. The receiver is topped by a MIL-STD-1913 rail, as well as having permanently-attached adjustable ghost-ring rear and fixed blade front sights. The M-4 can use 2.75-inch and 3-inch shells, and fires them through a 18.5-inch barrel.

There is also an M-4 Super 90 Tactical – but it is better known as the H&K/Benelli M-1014, was designed specifically designed for the US military, and is found in the International Semiautomatic Shotguns section.

Notes: This shotgun, introduced in 1983, was designed to be an inexpensive autoloading shotgun. It was initially available only with a fixed Modified Choke, a 25.625-inch barrel, and accepting only 2.75" shells, but it was later built to accept a set of interchangeable chokes and barrels of 24 or 26 inches, and chamber the more popular 3" magnum shells. A version is also made with external Full or Modified Chokes; these chokes extend the barrels by 2 inches, and increase the weight somewhat. The standard version has matte black receiver housing, but a version known as the Montefeltro 20E has a stainless steel strip along the sides of the receiver with etchings on it. (It is identical to the standard guns for game purposes.)

Notes: Introduced in 1978 to replace the old Benelli Autoloader, the SL-80 (also known as the 121 SL-80) is a range of shotguns which was designed for civilian, police, and military work. The SL-80 and its later versions are available in a variety of finishes, construction materials, and degrees of fanciness, from basic bluing to versions which are built using the finest quality of walnut root and engraving with gold inlays and plating.

At their heart, however, all members of the SL-80 series are semiautomatic recoil-operated shotguns, stressed to fire both 2.75-inch and 3-inch shells with a variety of different special shells and loadings (though for best results, Benelli recommends that only standard loadings be used in the series). The SL-80 series is well known for the ability of its semiautomatic action to cycle very quickly while producing lower levels of recoil than comparable shotguns – though they still kick a bit hard compared to modern gas-operated semiautomatic shotguns. A shotgun expert named John Satterwhite once took an SL-80 with an 8-round extended magazine, loaded an additional round in the chamber, and then fired at a target so fast he emptied the gun before the first expended shell hit the ground – and still attained a decent amount of hits on the target! In fact, the use of recoil operation instead of gas allows the use of extended tubular magazines of almost any length (even ridiculous lengths extending beyond the muzzle of the gun, which has been done as an experiment), without any significant engineering problems.

The basic civilian SL-80 is dark walnut-stocked with a semi-pistol-grip wrist and no recoil pad for the butt. It’s a basic sort of shotgun with a blued finish, steel metalwork, and barrels of barrels of 23.625, 25.625, or 27.5 inches, and fixed chokes which are normally Modified, Cylinder, or Improved Cylinder (though others were available upon request). Normal sights consisted of a ventilated rib above the barrel with a bead at the front of the rib, but rifle-type sights were available upon request. Standard magazines held five rounds, but this could be made smaller (depending upon the regulations of the country of the buyer) by use of plugs, and extended magazines could easily be mounted as noted earlier.

There are several civilian variants of the SL-80, such as the Caccia hunting model, which primarily differs in the variety of finishes available, the addition of a recoil pad and sling swivels, and the different types of sights and ribs which could be mounted. The Special 80 was also basically identical to the standard SL-80, but was lighter due to the use of the light alloy Ergal for the receiver housing instead of steel. A Trap version was also built, which was heavier, used only a 27.5-inch barrel, a wider sighting rib with day-glo plastic front bead, and came only with a fixed choke of Improved Cylinder. A Skeet version was also built; the SL-80 Skeet came in a variety of finishes and fanciness, a 25.625-inch barrel, a wide sighting rib, and threading for variable choke tubes. A Super 80 Skeet was also produced, with the Ergal receiver. A single 20-gauge variant, the 201 SL-80, was produced; this was offered only with a 25.625-inch barrel, fixed Improved Cylinder choke, and simple notch and bead sights instead of a sighting rib. Finally, a specialized slug model was built; this version has a 21.625-inch non-rifled barrel, fully-adjustable rifle-type sights, fixed Cylindrical choke, a stock with a true pistol grip, and a rubber recoil pad on the stock.

Several military and police versions of the SL-80 series were also produced, called the 121 M-1 series. The basic 121 M-1 uses a weatherproofed walnut stock with a semi-pistol grip and a standard extended magazine; the steel metalwork is blued and the stock finished so that both are almost black in appearance. The stock also includes a ventilated rubber recoil pad which is thicker than those used by civilian SL-80s equipped with recoil pads. The magazine includes a barrel brace to further strengthen the gun. The 19.75-inch barrel has a fixed Cylindrical choke. Sights are rifle-type, with the rear sight being fully adjustable and the front sight having a florescent white insert. The early 121 M-1s were unable to cycle shells without firing them; most, however, have a shutoff switch which allows manual loading and unloading of the chamber. The 121 M-1 is able to fire virtually any sort of 2.75-inch or 3-inch shell, including round types which semiautomatic shotguns normally find difficult to use, such as riot-control munitions, light-propellant loads, "hot" loads, and other wildcat combinations of propellant and/or pellets (and of course, a variety of slug types). Unfortunately, the very long recoil spring of the SL-80 series prevents the use of the folding stocks the military and police like so much, but Benelli would supply the 121 M-1 with a Choate Zytel synthetic stock and fore-end, which includes a true pistol grip instead of the semi-pistol grip wrist of the standard 121 M-1 as well as a thick ventilated rubber recoil pad. (This stock can also be put on civilian SL-80s, but it was not done by Benelli.)

Production of the SL-80 series ended in 1986; the civilian versions were replaced by a variety of more specialized shotguns (both in grade and use), and the military and police versions were largely replaced by the M-1 and M-3 Super 90 versions (and later by other models).