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M1 121 Info share.


Kygos

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I finally found some info on my M1 121.

How to break it down and how to operate it.

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The book is Firearms Assembly/Disassembly

Part 5: Shotguns Second Edition by J.B. Woods.

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First section, the M1 121 !!

 

And for the operating, I had copied this text, but don't remember where I found it. Thanks Soooooooooo much to whoever wrote it.

 

Quote: One of the features I love about the gun, but you need to practice it, is that with a full or even a partial mag, nothing will load into the chamber. You have to manually load the first round and then she cycles all the rest upon firing (with a pull of the trigger for each shot). I like this as a safety feature for the unknowing. They might grab your gun, but unless they know to drop a round in the chamber, they can cycle the bolt handle all they want and no shell will release from the magazine tube. I used to just put a shell craddled between the barrel and the magazine tube with a heavy rubber band. Or, you could add a buttstock shell holder and grab it from there.

...............

The chamber CAN be loaded first, then the mag tube, or vice versa. What is odd about the gun is that the cycling of the bolt, whether the magazine tube is full, half full or empty, it does not load a round from the mag tube simply by cycling the bolt handle. I am not sure why Benelli designed them this way, unless it is as I mentioned, a "safety" item against unauthorized use. But you have to literally manually load a round in the chamber, and then upon firing, the thing feeds from the mag tube. You can top off the magazine anytime you would like.

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Hope this helps, Kygos

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Well that cartridge drop lever, button? doesn't help me load it. It just holds shells in the mag, period. And evidently many other people have the same situation. 2 gunsmiths couldn't get it to work, so for a year it sat until yesterday when I tried this method and, I had my baby back. If you have any info, please share. Granted, it does seem odd.

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Let's say your shotgun magazine is fully loaded plus one in the chamber. When you pull the trigger (and the shotgun fires), one of the many things that happens is that the cartridge drop lever is released, thus allowing a fresh shotgun shell to be released from the magazine, up onto the shell lifter and into your chamber for the next shot.

 

Scene number one. Now let's say, your magazine has one or more shotgun shells in the magazine but the chamber is empty and the bolt has slid closed. Perhaps you've removed the shell from your chamber when crossing a deep ditch. So here's the picture. The chamber is empty but the bolt is fully forward. The magazine has shells in it. All of a sudden a Pheasent flushes. All you'll have to do to load your shotgun is push the cartridge drop lever and rack back the operating handle (all the time keeping an eye on that Phesant). You are now fully loaded and ready to shoot. Of course you can take your eye off that Pheasant, fumble with your game vest getting a shell out and then feed it into the chamber, then locate and push the bolt close button. By then the Pheasent is long gone and you have no idea where it went.

 

Scene number two. You're sitting in a duck blind loaded for Mallards when the biggest goose you ever saw sets it's wings and comes swooping into your set. You rack back the bolt, ejecting your duck shotgun shell and while holding the bolt back, you drop in your 3 inch magnum goose round. The cartridge drop lever prevents any additional shells from coming out of the magazine while you do this "quick shell" swap out. You let the bolt slam home and swing on that bad boy goose.

 

As you can see they are many scenarios where the cartridge drop lever can be very useful and a good safety feature.

 

A lot more amazing (in the field of semi-automatic shotguns) is the Browning Auto-5 (and a few others). On the left side of the receiver is a magazine "cut-off" lever. Pull that lever completely forward and it permantly closes off the magazine. In a Browning A-5, the bolt stays open after the last shot. So, if you're crossing that ditch, activate the cut-off lever, and rack open the chamber (which will stay open). Now as that same Pheasent rises out of the tall grass, you have a number of options you can perform. The simplest is to keep your eye on the bird as you flip the "magazine cut-off" switch forward. A round will be whisked out of the magazine and into the chamber instantly! Just aim and pull the trigger. That design was invented over 100 years ago by John Browning, and is still amazing to see in action !!

 

Hopes this helps to understand just a few of the tricks the Benelli cartridge drop lever can help you with. The only thing easier is a double barrel shotgun and only show-offs and rich people use those :-(

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One last thing. Go to the range. Pull back the bolt and let it slam home. Put a couple of shells in the magazine. Now, push the cartridge drop lever in. A shell should be sent onto the lift. Rack back the bolt and let it slam home again. You should be loaded. If not, something may be broken. You have already stated when firing your shotgun the cartridge drop lever works just fine. Make sure you are are pushing the cartridge drop lever and not the close bolt button. In 1986, I new of nobody that understood Benelli's and just because you have a "Gun Smith" shingle doesn't mean you're a shotgun man. Seek out the help of an experienced Benelli shooter or Gunsmith.

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Over the past 25 years I've had a total of 3 121 M1 shotguns. I love that model, fast handling, reliable, sweet trigger pull, and of course the 'safety feature' as mentioned.

 

Years ago there were at least two different manufacturers of a add-on accessory appropriately called a 'Benelli button'. This 'button' was nothing more than a small extension that was fastened to the (bolt release) button on the side of the receiver by tapping it for a small screw. Once installed it merely required a slight forward flick of this button to release a round from the magazine onto the elevator. Then the BCG could be cycled for loading the round into the chamber.

 

Since there is no longer any demand for these 'Benelli buttons' for the 121 M1 I doubt you're going to find one except already installed on a 121. Perhaps you can get a creative gunsmith to fabricate this very simple device for you.

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One last thing. Go to the range. Pull back the bolt and let it slam home. Put a couple of shells in the magazine. Now, push the cartridge drop lever in. A shell should be sent onto the lift. Rack back the bolt and let it slam home again. You should be loaded. If not, something may be broken. You have already stated when firing your shotgun the cartridge drop lever works just fine. Make sure you are are pushing the cartridge drop lever and not the close bolt button. In 1986, I new of nobody that understood Benelli's and just because you have a "Gun Smith" shingle doesn't mean you're a shotgun man. Seek out the help of an experienced Benelli shooter or Gunsmith.

 

The 121 M1 does not have a 'cartridge drop lever'. The first time Benelli came out with such a device was on the Super 90, after they discontinued the 121 aka SL80.

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The only thing easier is a double barrel shotgun and only show-offs and rich people use those :-(

Lol, I'll bet the rich use them for peasant hunting.

 

Anyway, thanks millions for the feedback sofar, but I have more questions.

If you don't mind. please

 

"Make sure you are are pushing the cartridge drop lever and not the close bolt button."

OK, I only have one button on the gun aside from the safety. The disassembly book references the button and inside part as the " carrier latch"

On this is where the Benelli button would attach.

And I loaded the magazine and racked the bolt and the button won't move, just held tight against the end of the shell, making it near impossible to even unload.

So I guess it's broken/bent, or weak spring.

Now the first gunsmith said parts are not to be found, and the second was an outfitter, elite, called and said Benelli said "we won't look at it or work on it, don't send it in, and don't call about it again" Whats up with that?

The third guy in a city, said he knew them well and could fix most anything, but was excited because he has "offshore buyers" for it.

(kinda scared me)

 

So if I load it , put a shell in the chamber, and the safety on, I at least have a gun and not just a stick in my hands.

 

So before I consider this city guy, do you have any more feedback?

Thanks again for replying this far.

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I never had any function issues with any of my 121 M1s except for the one time I sheared the pin for the recoil link at the rear of the bolt carrier (I had been shooting a lot of slugs and I failed to keep that recoil link pin lubed well - ALWAYS KEEP THAT RECOIL LINK PIN LUBED on the 121!).

 

Once you learn the simplicity and ease of function of that 121 of yours you will appreciate it a lot more. It was always easy enough to unload the magazine by sticking my index finger in through the loading port and depressing the shell stop to release each individual shell. This very easy technique for unloading the magazine never failed to work for me, ever.

 

Go out and shoot it with a full magazine, I'm sure it'll be fine. Just make sure you lube it well everywhere it needs to be lubed. The only reason I parted with mine is that it's impossible to find replacement parts for it anymore, otherwise I would have kept it. Someone bought it from me for $750 about a year ago. No doubt Benelli gets frequent calls looking for replacement/spare parts for the discontinued 121, therefore the response you got from Benelli - they want to discourage any more of those inquiries. Years ago CDNN bought their surplus 121 parts, but those are long gone. About the only thing which you can find anymore are the barrel/upper receiver assemblies.

 

ETA: If I were you and I expected to get a lot of service out of my semi-auto shotgun I would sell it while it still functions and get a newer semi-auto shotty which I could get spare/replacement parts for. Sooner or later something is subject to breaking and then you'll be SOL (the recoil link pin is pretty generic and any competent gunsmith should be able to fix that).

Edited by Sukhoi_fan
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