Benelli Ethos Line
The Ethos line of shotguns has been around for about a decade. The Ethos uses most of the features made famous by the popular Super Black Eagle, including the Benelli Inertia Driven operating system and Comfortech Plus recoil reduction system. The Ethos also incorporates the company’s BE.S.T. surface treatment for advanced corrosion resistance.
The Ethos Cordoba is a fully synthetic shotgun with an obvious pitch towards the hunting public. Regardless of your feathered quarry, the Ethos would be an excellent tool for taking into the wooded forest after turkeys, or, as in my case, the muddy wetlands chasing waterfowl.
The Ethos is available in 12, 20, and 28 gauges, all of which come with the same basic features. Chambers are all 2.75 and 3-inch Magnum. An anodized black receiver is matched by the BE.S.T. finished steel parts, which is a proprietary coating that sounds similar to DLC coatings used by other manufacturers.
Specs
The 28-inch barrel features a dual port pattern up front, as well as a carbon-fiber channeled sight rib with dual beads. Sling attachment points are handy for those looking to carry the gun for long periods of time between stands.
The popular Benelli Crio choke system is also incorporated, which will allow you to customize your shooting experience. Benelli’s shell view system is another handy feature that lets you easily see how many shells are in the magazine tube.
Magazine capacity for the Ethos is 4+1 for all but the 28-gauge model (2+1). The light weight of the Ethos is very apparent, with models weighing between 5.4 and 6.9 pounds. Length of pull for the Ethos is 14.375 inches, with an overall length of 49 inches.
12-gauge specs:
- Capacity: 12+1
- Overall Length: 49 inches
- Barrel Length: 28 inches
- Length of Pull: 14.375 inches
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Weight: 6.9 pounds
Shooting clays
Before taking the Ethos Cordoba out hunting, I wanted to get acquainted with the gun and figured shooting clays would be a good way to do that. On a particularly cold and snowy day, my kids and I burned through a case of clays with great success. I was shooting a few lighter 2.75-inch loads from Federal, and I am not sure if it was the ammo or the gun, but we did have more than one failure to eject. Perhaps the gun just needed to be broken in a little. That was the only malfunction I noted.
Despite the cold, I quite enjoyed shooting the Ethos Cordoba. The dual beads in the channeled carbon rib line up nicely. The fiber-optic bead contrasts with the mid-rib bead, and the channel creates a nice line that naturally leads your focus to the beads.
The ported barrel is designed to reduce muzzle rise, and I’d like to think it helped keep me on target for follow-up shots. The gun felt great, and I suppose the Comfortech features of the Ethos were helpful at mitigating some of the recoil. The soft gel-filled recoil pad was a big part of that.
Hunting
After plowing through a few different ammunition types and a case of clays, I figured I was ready to hit the duck marsh. As the sunlight slowly peeked over the mountains that morning, my dog Benson and I sat in the smelly mud between cattails awaiting shooting light.
Ducks of all kinds would occasionally zip past us as the wind whistled through their feathers. In a typical turn of events, all the ducks found a great place to hide just before shooting light. But I wasn’t about to let Benson down, so we stuck it out for a while waiting for the occasional errant duck to give us a shot.
Just because I wasn’t going to get skunked, I had the Ethos loaded with 3-inch shells and #2 shot. I figured once we had a bird in hand, I could go back to the more economic shells. As the humidity in my waders continued to stew, I caught the movement of a low-flying duck in front of us. Perhaps in an act of pity, he turned slowly banking towards Benson and I squatting in the weeds.
I pushed the safety off and slowly raised the shotgun to match the flight pattern of what was obviously a drake pintail. When the moment was right, I let the Benelli off the chain, and in a puff of plumage, the drake tumbled from the overcast sky into the water below.
Perhaps confused by my success, Benson was unsure what to do with the bird. We continued our trudge through the marsh enjoying the time and challenge of duck hunting. It was nice not to have to worry about the Ethos getting rained on, and despite having to clean it thoroughly afterward, it functioned flawlessly in the marsh. The bright fiber-optic bead was easy to pick up even in the low light, and despite the miles we walked, the Benelli never felt heavy.
Pros & Cons
Starting with the positive side of the Benelli Ethos Cordoba, the ergonomics of the gun are fantastic, with secure grips for cold, wet hands. The familiar Benelli controls are easily operated, and they ran great but for the malfunction I mentioned earlier. This is a pleasant gun to shoot. Several of my kids enjoyed shooting the gun, as the modest felt recoil wasn’t enough to spook even my daughter.
The gun’s quality finish kept it pristine even in the muddy swamps, and disassembly to clean it is simple. The Crio choke system can be tightened by hand if you don’t have tools with you, and I really like the carbon-fiber rib. The cut channel makes a natural line of sighting, and the beads set within the channel add to this perfect sight picture.
