Can't remember if I've asked this before. Here's something I've never understood about modern Benelli shotguns: the cartridge release lever + the carrier release button make for a complicated, non-intuitive design that I never quite learned to use well despite owning a Benelli for 10+ years. Being a Remington 1100 person at heart, I guess I've never understood the purpose of the little triangular cartridge release lever with the red dot on it . . . unless it functions something like the magazine cutoff switch on an old-model Browning A5.

I'm sure some of you have an understanding of this arrangement that's on the SBE, Montefeltro, and others.

It is in effect a magazine cut off, but unlike a Browning you don't have to flip the switch back for it to go on cycling. It does kinda make it aggravating to unload, but I love the gun so I don't care.

^^this…for clearing the chamber, when needed in the field, but not unloading the tube.

Kinda like it. Makes it real easy to clear the chamber. Unlike other designs there is nothing to forget to flip back before using.

It’s for folks who don’t know how to do the same thing, without having a button for it.

don't they have a button to unload the tube without cycling the bolt?

It’s called a shell retention latch…..and all repeaters have them.

Not sure it would be possible to "float the fourth" that the Benelli is famous for without it being set up that way. Load the tube and chamber as normal, draw the bolt back, push the one that was in the chamber down onto the follower and put another shell in the chamber. Doing all that while the gun is releasing a shell from the tube would probably make that not doable.