Nitro_Kid

I got a set of metropol GR inserts for my m1s90. They work great! Although having two tritium dots a few inches from your eyeball is a bit dazzling in the dark.

Does anyone have recommendations for a good mid-power load for a m1s90? I just put a Mesa Tactical 8 round side-saddle shell holder on my m1. When the tube and side-saddle are full, the gun is too heavy to cycle properly (which I kind of expected would happen). I've been using Remington 1 ounce Premier STS 1oz Target loads; they still work great when the side-saddle is empty, but will not cycle when it it is full. I've got a dinged up shoulder, so I like to shoot as light a target load as possible. Any suggestions on a light load that would be just powerful enough to cycle the gun with a full side-saddle?

Duggin - great old thread - but the pics and videos are gone. Any chance you could please repost for us newbies to the site?

The magazine tube on my m1 is really hard to stuff. It takes a lot of pressure to push the shell past the retention clip - and then when the rim of the shell suddenly snaps past the clip, my thumb ends up in the tube and the sharp edges of the loading tray snapped down like a mousetrap! Ouch!!! Has cost me plenty of seconds on various 3-gun stages. Any suggestions from seasoned Benelli shooters? Is there a mod that will relieve the clip pressure without compromising its ability to retain the shells in the magazine?

I use a cheap TrueGlow on my m1 for 3-gun. While its not as bright or sharp or indestructible as my Aimpoint, the price is right at $50.00. It works great even in bright desert sun. And with my usual cylinder choke, the pattern is much bigger than the dot. I set it so the dot roughly is centered in my pattern at about 15 yds. No need for high precision - ITS A SHOTGUN!

I picked it up today. Happily, the gunsmith was good to his word and put the mount on right this time. I actually looks great. He also fixed the rear sight. The four unneeded holes are plugged and buried under the rail, so you can't see them (although I will always know they are there). Had a long talk with the store manager about the situation; he was very apologetic, comp'ed the work and made sure I was OK with the repair as completed. I would definitely NOT take another Benelli there, but I feel the situation was resolved to my satisfaction. This is my 3-gun shotgun, so I've already given it my share of dings - the $$$ damage on the extra holes isn't going to help, but as long as it goes bang I'll be happy with it. Even happier if I can hit the target! Of course, my step is to take it to the range and make sure it doesn't fall off!

Any idea where I can find an M1 receiver? Any idea how much it might cost?

My local gunsmith (who will remain nameless, at least for now) totally munged the installation of my new MESA Tactical Sidesaddle/Top rail on my M1. He removed the back sight and centered the unit on the receiver, instead of putting it flush with the front according to the instructions! As a result, there are now four tapped holes in the wrong place. And he broke the rear sight screw removing it, when it didn't need to be removed at all. He's going to try to make it right it by following the instructions (this time) and putting it in the right place, and reinstalling the rear sight. If he does all of this righ this timet (I have my doubts) this will cover up the extra holes. but I'm still a unhappy that I've got these extra holes in my receiver. Does anyone have any guesses as to $$$ damage he's caused by drilling these extra holes? I'm hoping he hasn't totally trashed the resale value on my M1 (not that I'm planning to sell it anytime soon).

Roger that - thanks....

Argghhhh..... is that the gun or the magazine tube? My question is specifically about the MAGAZINE TUBE, NOT counting rounds in the chamber or the on the tray. So how many shells fit in the JUST the magazine?

This may be a silly question, but I've been looking to get an M4, and I'm still confused on exactly how many shells it can hold. In its factory configuration does the magazine tube hold 4 or 5 shells? With a full length tube does the magazine tube hold 6 or 7 shells? Lastly, what is the magazine capacity of a "real" (i.e. USMC issue) M4?

Also - no reason he should be afraid of noise and recoil... I've let my 8 year old shoot my 12 ga on the range (closely supervised, of course) and he thinks the the big bang is pretty fun.

In addition to picking the right gun, I would heartily suggest some range time before you head out to the field. Let him practice on some stationary targets and then some clays - that will get him used to feel and operation of the gun.

I've learned that I do not want to be too close to Liberty or Death, Jr. when something goes down, because he will be drawing all the fire.....

Given what the VT students faced, I think that charging out of cover, unarmed, and cutting the pie empty handed into a hallway to confront an unknown shooter (or shooters) would be ill advised. A successful empty handed disarm is dangerous enough if the person is just threatening you with a gun, let alone actually shooting at you. If you were pinned down in a classroom, how would you know where the shooter was and when he was reloading? If you stick your head out to where you can see him, he can shoot at you. Bad move unless you're armed can make a the shot before he can. And not an option for unarmed people trapped on a "gun free" campus. I think the students and faculty acted admirably and heroically given the tools they had on hand and the madman they faced. As unimaginably bad as it was, it could have been worse without the heroism of a few who took charge, blocking doors and finding escape routes. And yes, had VT allowed CCW licensees to carry on campus, and a licensee had been present on the 2nd floor of Norris Hall, I think the rampage could have been stopped sooner.

Same in Arizona. To protect us, they put bright red stickers that say "Weapons Free Campus" on all the doors at the UofA with the phone number of the police department. I wonder if the stickers are bulletproof?

Given what they faced, I think the students and faculty did pretty well when taken suddenly "under fire". The whole incident in Norris Hall took place in a very short time. One classroom managed to barricade their door and prevent access - that was good thinking and good improvisation. Students in another classroom chose to flee out a window when they realized the shooter was going to get in. Their professor sacrificed himself to buy them time, true heroism. Its easy to sit at home with our Benellis within reach, watch the news and think, "Well, "I would have...." I have to disagree with comment above "an experienced shooter would know to rush him while reloading". Most defensive training emphasizes cover, concealment and increasing your distance from an armed attacker. Even without formal training, most of the students figured this, and their reactions reflect this. I wonder if any of the students and faculty were former police officers or military or had civilian training in self defense. Given that there were hundreds of people in the building, I would expect there were a few.

Does anyone on the forum have experience using the 8 shot carrier and rail from Mesa Tactical? Has anyone put it on an M1? If so, I'd like to get your opinion. Do they interfer at all with cycling? Also - there are two versions: one for the M2 and one for the M4. The catalog and web site says: "These SureShell shotshell carriers can be installed on Benelli M1 shotguns by tapping the top of the shotgun receiver with M4 metric threads. Consult a gunsmith" So which is the right carrier for the M1? The choices are: 91230 Aluminum 8-Shot SureShell Carrier and Rail for Benelli M2 Tactical 90890 Aluminum 8-Shot SureShell Carrier and Rail for Benelli M4/M1014 Any help greatly appreciated!

Can anyone suggest a source for getting 14" m1 barrel? I'm thinking of registering my m1 as an SBS, but I'd like to make sure I can get a barrel first. I want to get a second short barrel rather than cutting my 20" down. Ideal barrel would be a 14" with ghost ring front site. Used would be OK. Thanks -

Full payment up front and shipment to an FFL is normal. If its an auction - like GunBroker - check the sellers feedback. See if he's sold similar items and if his customers left positive feedback. If its the first item he's selling, I'd be a little more cautious; you might email him and see if he'll give you a phone number so you can talk to him; that may give you a better feel for the seller, a chance to ask questions, and make sure he knows what he's doing at his end. You can also use an escrow service, a third party which holds the funds for the transaction until the buyer is satisfied. However, some services charge, and most sellers are hesitant to use one. A $650 gun doesn't usually rate that level of protection; but folks who sell guns in the $10k+ range will routinely use one. I've bought and sold dozen's of items - including some high dollar HKs - on GunBroker and only had a problem once, and that was with a difficult buyer. Make sure to have the gun insured when it is shipped.

I agree with above in respect to the now expired AWB. However, the BATFE regs prohibit firearms imports which did not meet "sporting purposes"... and their definition states that: "A shotgun having a magazine capacity of more than five shells in prohibited from importation under 18 USC 925(d)(3) since it fails to meet sporting firearms criteria." And you can't build one yourself because: "...it is a violation of 18 USC 922® to assemble such a shotgun from more than 10 of the imported parts...." You can have fun discussing what "sporting firearms" should mean, but the ruling was already been made in 1968 and did not include what they called "police style" competition (e.g. three gun). It was reinforced by Bush in 1989 with the import ban and again under Clinton in 1998. The out is there, though - it looks like you can build one as long as the finished gun does not have more than 10 qualifying imported parts... M4 owners figured how to do this a while ago using US made parts, and there seem to be options for a 922® compliant M1 as well. I'd expect the Nova can be similarly parted out. I'm not an attorney, nor I would I recommend taking legal advice from an on-line forum in anycase. If you want to be sure, write a letter to the BATFE firearms technolgy branch; they are very helpful.

You might want to check with the ATF to know for sure. The applicable reg is 922®, which limits imports to 5 round magazine capacity. Its silent on the type of action - pump or semi-auto does not really matter. I've got a letter from ATF which spells out the situation for the M1 and there's another on the forum for the M4. You can search the forum with the term "legal" and you'll see several threads. Here's mine from last year. http://www.benelliusa.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7763&highlight=legal

Based on the earlier M4 thread, I think (but keep in mind I am not an expert) the key item is the "no more than 10 imported parts". The ATF letter says the M1 has 13 imported parts, So my guess is that you could replace any three factory parts with any three US made parts. A US made mag body would seem to count as only one part. I think you would need to replace at least two more. I've found several US made replacement parts including: 1) The Surefire tactical light (replaces the forearm) 2) Speedfeed stock (replaces buttstock & pistol grip) 3) KAC or Surefire RAS forearms 4) Brownells magazine followers If anyone else on the forum knows other sources of US made replacement parts for the m1, please add a post.

Rather than asking 10 ATF agents, I asked the one who could give a definitive answer. Here's what I learned..... Very similar to the M4 letter, except we have 13 imported parts.... Sorry for the bad news... [ 12-12-2006, 09:35 PM: Message edited by: Nitro_Kid ]

Does anyone have any suggestions for reloading methods or hardware mods that would make my m1 any easier to reload on the clock? Right now, I'm rotating it upside down, holding it in my left and stuffing rounds with my right. Not only is this contrary to how I was taught to reload a pump, but all too often, my thumb get stuck in that razor sharp carrier. Not to mention that getting the rounds past the magazine retention clip takes nearly all my feeble hand strength. Any good fixes? I want to use my m1 for 3-gun, but as it is out of the box, I just can't reload it fast enough.