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Holy heck! It's off but WTF? I started with a butane torch, I know MAPP is better but it's what I had on hand. I started with a pencil torch some smoke a 1/8" of a turn and full stop. Then I upped the heat to a full size butane torch, smoke bonanza. A couple 1/8" here and there, more heat and a full stop. Then I broke out the heat gun. Nothing happened except now the entire receiver was toasty, even the rear sight. I hit it with some Kroil and let it sit for an hour. Came back with more torch. Then I couldn't even get an 1/8" turn out of it. Heat gun again, why? Desperation I think. Nothing, it laughed at me. Finally, back with the full size butane torch and I cooked the hell out of the 5 round tube. A little more smoke, cranked on it nothing. At this time I started getting worried about damaging the hand guard retaining plate. More torch again. Cranked on it and the tube cracked and stopped. Torched the snot out of it. Then I put on my Kong costume and finally with a ton of effort started to slowly unscrew it. I've cooked off plenty of loctite before but this was insane. Maybe I was being too cautious and didn't give it enough heat from the get go but it felt like the receiver was getting really toasty. After one episode with the heat gun I could feel heat in the recoil tube. I think Benelli must have dipped the threads in a pail of red loctite and "Bruno" cranked it on with 75ftlbs of torque. So unnecessary.......

I used a heat gun and a infrared thermometer. Heated the receiver evenly and gradually while checking the temp. At 250 degrees F I unscrewed and it came out. No smoke. Took about 10-15 minutes to get it to that temp.

I bet the recoil tube is even worse. ? i used a MAPP and got it nearly glowing red before it started moving. Glad the tubes are steel!

M3 action is much more open. It can quickly run sluggish if sand gets on the recoil spring. M4 is better sealed in this aspect - of course dirt can get in the ejection port or loading port on both. The 1301 came from the Tx4, which came from the A400 series. So basically a sporting gun turned tactical. The M1014 was solely made to go to war. M3 was more for police units.

I used to meticulously clean my firearms after every shooting session because I enjoyed it. Not so much anymore.....now it's more like a PITA, or Iv'e become lazy. Probably a combination of the two. With the Benelli M4 what I really hate doing is cleaning the melted plastic residue from the shot shells out of the bore. An electric drill and a rod segment with a bronze or SS brush attached has made the chore easier but, I still hate doing it. So I put it off until I really feel like doing it.....