M4Madness

Looks legit to me, as I don't believe there are any Chinese knock-offs of this stock yet. :-)

Will you be offering the full sets, or will that strictly be through other channels? I'm aware that they'll probably be around $150-$250, if priced the same as their AR-15/M16 triggers. It's been a while since I saw a Benelli M4 trigger assembly (just got a new M4 recently and did nothing more than put it in the safe -- my last M4 was about 5 years ago.) Are the hammers easily removed and installed, or would one be better served to buy the full firecontrol group?

I placed an order for one of these tubes on Tuesday, April 12, 2011. I know that there's usually a month-long backorder on them. Any ETA on the next batch?

My local dealer is a law enforcement dealer, as well as a Benelli dealer. My friend is the sales manager there, and he told me last month that in order for him to get the collapsible stocks, he must have police department letterhead. A mere 3 weeks ago, I bought my stock after an online search for less than $300. The deals are still out there if you are willing to burn some keyboard time looking for them. Just think, I sold one of these stocks a few years ago for $75. LOL!

In addition to a better functioning trigger (pull weight, crispness, etc.), it'll be US-made. That will give us the final parts needed to legally install a collapsible stock.

Bill Geissele told me that they are shooting for a summertime release of the M4 trigger. (I don't know if the pun was intended. LOL!)

AR15.com has a monthly newsletter that you can subscribe to. That's where I read it. Go to the following page, then subscribe to the newsletter at the lefthand side of the page: http://www.ar15.com Geissele is supplying the triggers for our AR15.com billet lower receivers, so the owner of AR15.com interviewed him. He was asked if they had plans to make triggers for other firearms and he stated that one for the Benelli M4 is in the works.

I just read an interview with Bill Geissele of Geissele Automatics that was released today, and he indicated that they are working on a new trigger for the Benelli M4. I wonder if they are the company CarrierComp is working with. I hope so, as I have a Geissele trigger in my LaRue Tactical OBR 7.62, and it is sweet! Their M16 triggers were safety certified by Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center, and all the 'Tier 1' SOF units use their triggers.

I'll go one better than that. We can have everything (machineguns, short-barreled rifles, destructive devices, AOW's) here in Indiana but short-barreled shotguns. To make matters even worse, we can own AOW shotguns (which have short barrels and pistol grips). Which is easier to conceal, a 14" barreled shotgun with a pistol grip or a 14" barreled shotgun with a buttstock? Add a stock and we can't own it. LOL!

I have a suppressed M16 for those types of situations. In a SHTF type situation, more than likely you'll be dealing with untrained individuals whom have no goal beyond killing others for their food and supplies -- the local population. And, no, I'm not some delusional survivalist who prays for that type of scenario. On the contrary, I have made very few preparations for such an event. I would like to think at 43 that I'm wise enough to choose my own battles and not attempt to take on an enemy platoon with a bolt-action .22LR. Heck, even Wikipedia sees the bigger picture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.22_Long_Rifle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suppressor Some more interesting reading: http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-412581.html

I live in the country and have no plans to head into any big cities should society collapse, so, yes, I'd be living in the woods. I'd be very happy to carry my suppressed Ruger 77/22. It's light, it's cheap to shoot, and extremely quiet. I could pick off unsuspecting bandits/invaders with close-range, silent head shots, as well as put wild game on the table.

If someone wants a 14" Benelli barrel just to hide back until such time as a SHTF scenario occurs and the government is no longer in control, they'd be much better off to wait until that time comes and take a hacksaw to their 18" barrel and leave the 14" barrels to those who wish to legally use them right now.

Yeah, just like anything else, pricing runs from decent to absurd. With these lower-priced FLIR models on the market, it can do nothing but drive the expensive stuff down in price as well once demand for them decreases. You can get the FLIR First Mate (which is the same as the Scout, only yellow) for less than $2500! http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_11151_10001_487789_-1?cid=chanintel_google&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=487789

FLIR Scout models are priced around $3K: http://www.flir.com/cvs/americas/en/personalvision/products/scout/ http://www.amazon.com/FLIR-Scout-Thermal-Imaging-Device/dp/B004Q4R4UU

The stock was NOT attached, but rather in his possession along with the pistol. To quote the article: "However, because he also had a stock, the pistol would have to be registered as a short-barreled rifle, PRIOR to purchasing or possessing the shoulder stock and/or vertical grip." http://blog.princelaw.com/2009/9/1/florida-man-arrested-for-constructive-possession-of-an-sbr Florida law or federal law, I wouldn't possess a short barrel for my M4 unless it was already registered as an SBS. That advice is coming from someone who owns and M16 and four sound suppressors and is more than casually experienced with NFA items. Then again, I've seen many M4 owners who could care less about 922® either. I sold two Benelli shotguns (M1014 and 11707) in the past merely because I couldn't physically or legally install a telescoping stock and full-length magazine tube on them. The only reason I'm back in the M4 game today is that we are on the threshhold of compliance parts being available.

http://www.guntrustlawyer.com/2009/08/florida-man-arrested-for-const.html

I, too, narrowed my 7.62 choices down to the OBR and SCAR 17. After owning and selling a SCAR 16, I chose the OBR 7.62. You hit the nail right on the head regarding the pricetag -- with the rifle, scope, and suppressor, I have $6100 in the package. As heavy as it is, it'd be a great choice for long-range defense of your home, but wouldn't be something you would carry if you had to bug out. Luckily for me, I live in a rural area, so I have no need to bug out anywhere. The first rifle I would grab in a true survival situation would be my suppressed Ruger 77/22. It would put food on the table, and would make an excellent anti-personnel weapon. Talk about "Hollywood quiet". I doubt that I could narrow it down to three choices, as each serves a distinct role. My suppressed HK .45 Tactical would be best served as something I could easily carry in places where I couldn't pack other firearms. My suppressed M16 would serve as a true battle weapon where I needed heavy fire. As mentioned already, my suppressed OBR 7.62 would be for long-range defense. And my Benelli M4 would be for close quarters situations inside my home.

Okay, if I decide to turkey hunt with this beast, obviously I would need the BlackBore HunterPro HV choke. But, the big question is which one -- extended range or extra extended range? I prefer a #4 turkey load.

Mark, Thanks for the response. Can you elaborate more on the chokes you offer for the M4?

Bill, First off, you cannot install all of that stuff until you get 4 US-made parts swapped in to make it 922® compliant with a telescoping stock. The bad news is that there are currently only 3 parts available that count towards compliancy -- forearm, magazine tube, and follower. The good news is that a company is working on the 4th and 5th compliance parts, so until that time, no non-military, non-LE M4 with a telescoping stock is legal -- unless the owner had custom parts made for it. Some believe that registering a shotgun as a short-barreled shotgun (SBS) exempts them from 922®, but I read a letter recently from the BATF that states that it does not. According to them, even those are in violation if they have a telescoping stock on them. Either way, M4Real's post on AR15.com got me excited about the M4 again (after I'd already owned and sold two in the past), and I picked up my new 11707 last night. I already have a NIB telescoping stock sitting in my safe waiting for the day when I can legally install it.

Do all of the different models of Benelli shotguns have the same choke thread size, meaning, will a choke that fits in one particular Benelli model fit in all Benelli models? For the heck of it, I'm thinking about taking my M4 turkey hunting at the end of this month. In the past, I've always hunted them with a Remington shotgun or a bow. I no longer own a shotgun other than the M4, and for the last few years, I've called in turkeys for others and let them do the shooting. If I can use this M4, I just may do it -- even if it is black and sticks out like a sore thumb in the field. LOL!

I just bought an 11707 last night from an online dealer for $1550 on GunsAmerica. I probably could have done a little better than that, but didn't want to wait for one to pop up. My dealer quoted me $1520, but his distributor is calling for a minimum wait of 60 days, and I didn't want to chance it. I bought one of the M1014's when they were first released in 2004 (serial number 7XX) brand new for less than what the M4's are selling for today. I sold it and later bought an 11707. I got fed-up with all the compliance parts crap and sold it too. Now, here I am again with a third M4. And I missed the $200 rebate by a few months. I just read a few days ago about the new compliance parts that are supposed to be released soon, and plopped down the cash on this new M4 a few days later. Talk about impulsive buying. LOL!

All the ones listed on Gunbroker (11717) are priced way higher than the black ones (11707). I figured it was due to the added cost of refinishing.

As far as I know (I've been out of the M4 game for a few years until last night), I believe that they will all accept the telestock EXCEPT the 11701 and 11703, which are both models from years ago. If you decide to send it somewhere to be refinished, I've read good things about L.T.M. Refinishing. I've never sent them any business-- I had my rifle done by R.I.P. Custom in Texas, but they are no longer in business, I believe. http://larsontactical.com/ Join one of the sites mentioned on their main page, and you can get the work done for a 10% discount.