It’s always a little frustrating for short-statured shooters when a wonderful new shotgun hits the market, but it won’t work for us without some serious gunsmithing. For 30 years, the Benelli Super Black Eagle has dominated the scattergun scene among in-the-know wingshooters … but it worked best out of the box for those whose wings spread to 5’9″ or so. As NRA Family readers already know, fit is absolutely critical for shotguns. That’s why we’re excited for Benelli’s SBE 3 Compact, a new-for-2024, sized-down Super Black Eagle for those of us with shorter wingspans.

To be certain, this is not a complete re-imagining of the SBE 3. Its internals follow the same design that made the SBE 3 the perennial leader in hunting shotguns. What it is, is a shotgun that is shorter and lighter for improved handling, better fit and a more comfortable shooting experience. for shooting and hunting enthusiasts with a shorter length of pull.

To begin, the SBE 3 Compact — boasting a 26″ barrel — has an overall length of 46¼”. That is 3¼” and 1¼” shorter than the standard SBE 3 28- and 26-inch barrel models, respectively. This shorter overall length comes courtesy of a reduced-length buttstock, which shortens the length-of-pull (LOP) to 13⅛”. Weight is also decreased with the SBE 3 Compact, thanks to the more compact stock and 26-inch maximum barrel length.

The SBE 3 Compact shotguns are available in 12- (6.7 lbs.), 20- (5.7 lbs.), and 28-gauge (5.4 lbs.), and chambered for 2¾” and 3″ shotshells. All models come with a black synthetic stock and standard features that include Benelli’s Inertia Driven system, extended (IC, M) and flush (C, IM, F) Crio chokes, Crio-treated barrels, Comfort Tech 3 recoil pads, Combtech pads, drop and cast shim kit, and a custom-fitted hard case