Broke my Benelli MP95 .32 wadcutter. Attn Benelli experts!

Well, not seriously broken, but broken none the less because parts are not available. The "mushroom head" on the recoil spring guide rod broke off. I have no idea why, except maybe using a bit on the hot side loads, searching for accuracy. I was trying 1.8gr of WST under 98gr Bear Creek swagged wadcutters, and found great accuracy. But still I'm perplexed as to the cause. The mushroom head on the recoil spring guide rod does not get touched or battered by any moving parts as far as I can tell. Maybe just a bad part as manufactured? Anyhow, none available. So here's my "back yard pistolsmith" fix. A 1/8" x 2" truss head solid steel rivet cut to length, with a 3mm flat washer under the head to make the head just a bit bigger. Dimensionally, this assembly of rivet and washer comes out to be close but not exact to what an OEM guide rod is. So, you Benelli experts out there, am I crazy for trying this? Thanks.

Not a Benelli expert here by any means but I did make a steel guide rod for a Ruger LC9.  I used a drill rod of the correct diameter cut to appropriate length and silver soldered a steel washer to the end of the rod.  It has worked well for many rounds.  You may have to look around for a washer that will work.

Good luck!

My .22 Benelli is showing signs of the same, doesn't seem to be getting worse but there's definitely a shiny circle. I suspect the shape of the inside boss within the bolt. It certainly isn't from hot loads.

I'd say go for it, with a new head and washer if needed. It's not a high-precision fit, you just want a good base for the recoil spring to perch on. If you have a borescope, go in there and check the bottom of the bolt cavity too.

I'm no Benelli guy and I've never seen this part.  But from what you describe it seems any gunsmith with a lathe at hand could make one from scratch.  But like I said, I've never seen the part........

A conjecture on why the guide rod head broke off; the recoil spring went “solid” (spring coils all touching) and the impact broke off the head. Solution: put a thin piece of plastic (corner of a credit card suitably shaped and drilled?) between the head of the replacement and spring. Maybe two thicknesses?

Wobbley wrote:A conjecture on why the guide rod head broke off; the recoil spring went “solid” (spring coils all touching) and the impact broke off the head.

This is easily tested in the Benelli by just pushing the recoil assembly fully into the bolt, when it's removed from the pistol. It should freely retract to below "flush" with the surface of the bolt. If it doesn't, well, I'd agree - problem. But unless it's the wrong spring, I doubt it's the issue.

The recoil rod is basically not a moving part. The spring holds it in place inside the bolt at all times. Only the spring, and its outer sleeve, actually slide within the bolt. Although, I guess if the spring were really weak, the rebound cycle could cause the mushroom head to jump off the surface as the bolt reversed direction. That, too, seems highly unlikely.

I strongly suspect that myself, so to be safe, it's getting replaced. I found a place to get new springs, should be in my possession in a couple of days.

Greetings,

Where is your source of new springs???

Cheers,

Dave

Where is your source of new springs???

https://www.glockparts.eu/other-brands/benelli

The above business, located in Denmark, is the only place I could find willing to work with me. Benelli USA will not stock or even special order pistol parts. Both Benelli Canada and Benelli Australia has or can get pistol parts, but will not ship to USA. Benelli Italy replies in Italian, so I gave up on them. The gentleman at Glock Parts is a great guy to work with. A little break down in communication because of my English only, but that was expected. They are a bit on the pricey side, but when desperation sets in, it is what it is. Their web site check out will not acknowledge my address in the USA, so he had to email me a url to a secure site to enter my credit card number and address. Shipping from Denmark to USA was $22. Currency exchange through my credit card was $3 extra. Had to call my credit card company to allow an over seas charge. So yea, it took some work, but they are coming. As of yesterday, USPS tracking said my package is in Chicago, due to be delivered today. About 2 weeks time total.

Got my Benelli parts from Glock Parts today, so the guy is trustworthy.


I plan to test out my "back yard pistolsmith" recoil spring guide rod this Saturday. So I will post the results, either good or bad.

For anyone interested...
Shot 30 rounds with that "backyard pistolsmith" recoil spring guide rod in the Benelli .32.
The 3mm flat washer that I'm using to make the truss head rivet a bit bigger got cupped
slightly, but otherwise worked. They are thin washers, so I discarded the cupped washer
and put three new ones on it for the next test. I have a feeling it will work. As soon as
Cardinal gets their new inventory from Larry's set up, I'll be ordering a couple guide rods.