Nemesis

Two suggestions to get a lower checkweld: 1) Desert Warrior check rest (requires drilling into your stock to mount it). 2) Run an Aimpoint T-1. The former is pretty inexpensive and probably the best bet if you want to save money. I run my M1A this way and it is awesome. Mines an LRB--you will not find a better M1A!

But back to the original question--what mods have they made to make them feed so efficiently? I stock gun is way too stiff to do that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU5dsnBsxXs&feature=related The second technique is much better than the first.

So I shot my M4 in 3 gun competition. The results are not out, but I am pretty sure I won the match and beat a few Saigas in the process. My M4 worked great although there was one problem I thought I would share with you gentlemen. I found the M4 fairly hard to load at speed. Feeding ammo into the magazine is just really stiff and hard. Note--the shotgun has over 1000 shells through it, so lack of break in is not the issue. One guy had a tricked out Benelli and said there were ways to make the gun easier to load. He had to shoot before we could finish the conversation, so I am not sure what modifications he made to his gun. So how can one make it easier to feed the Benelli? Are the gunsmith mods to help with this? Do they compromise reliability? Note--my technique is correct, so that is not the issue.

I know that some have said that the ATF letter "does not apply to us," but I think it is a gray area. Being one who firmly believe in following the law and wanting to play it safe.....I have a question about followers. Can anyone tell me who makes the BEST US Made follower for the M4? FYI, I emailed Surecycle and they said that their follower will not work well with a full length mag tube. I was shocked to hear this and wonder if they misspoke.

Guys, For those of you who have experience with vertical foregrips AND the traditional forearm.....which do you like better? I am interested in hearing from people who are fairly serious shooters. I am wondering how a vertical foregrip differs from a traditional foregrip in terms of: 1) recoil control. 2) Ergonomics in reloading 3) Switch to slug drills 4) Malfunction clearance. 5) Accuracy with aimed fire. Many thanks! Nem

I own both and like the M4 better. If you get mag extensions, the M2 and M4 are equivlent in capacity. But I would ask if you plan to hang lights or optics on it. If you do, these will hang your M2 up. If not, the M2 may be best for you. The lighter weight is also not always a good thing with full power loads!

no--just box or drum magazine fed shotguns. Or shotguns with certain "evil" features. m4 is ok w/ fixed stock. Saiga 12 not ok.

I wonder about that Duggan. It is based on the AK system--totally reliable, but horrific ergonomics.

Let me start (as I often do) by saying that I am in love with my Benelli M4. Terrific shotgun! But I am also intrigued by the Saiga 12. Sadly, living in California means I cannot own this (the state feels that merely by owning this shotgun, I would surely go crazy and mow down dozens of innocent people!). So my question is......what do Saiga 12 shooters think of the Saiga? Is its as reliable as the M4?

I do run a fixed stock (Cali). You do have to alter your check weld as the sights are not co-witnessed. The mount just blocks the irons. Even without the LaRue mount, you cannot get a co-witness. Nonetheless, you can get an actual checkweld a bit higher on the stock. I used to run an Aimpoint M3 and like the T-1 better. The T-1 is the perfect shotgun optic.

I also run the Aimpoint T1 / La Rue low mount combo. Absolutely superb!

I have used an Aimpoint M3, EOTech 552 and a T1 on my M4. My favorite is the T1 (although I am not using the La Rue mount). Obviously, the biggest reason is that it is much lighter and the dot is lower to the bore. You can also get a better checkweld because it is lower. I actually think the ergonmics are superior to the other products (it has a nice, big and clearly marked illumination dial). The battery life is also superb. I had worred about a reduction in dot acquisition time, but this has not been the case. My minor quibble is that it is a 4 MOA dot instead of a 2 MOA dot. Then again, this is for a shotgun and not a rifle. Some people also have a hard time viewing the T1 dot (it looks elongated to them) for some reason, but this is not an issue with me. Just also know that you cannot get a cowitness with you irons as a lot of people seem to think.

Mudhen, You are right as I am ex-military. Used to getting my way......my wife would laugh at that one! My post was not meant to be a conduit to Benelli CS--I actually called CS. My post was a note to share the with M4 community on Benelli CS which initially said "no" on this repair. I believe in reporting the truth--good bad or ugly. As I said, I love my Benelli (have posted to this effect) and this is the one and only issue that I have had. And guess what? I actually had heard back from Benelli. They will take the shotgun back and they said that they have seen this before! Well how about that? I am sure that Tucker is a nice guy and I don't like fighting online (totally pointless and borderline cowardly). But I can only stand being called incompetent so much before I have to respond!

Funny Tucker. You seem to pick a fight on every thread you get on. On the threads you keep quoting, you managed to pick a fight with 2 other guys while I was trying to solve a problem. Perhaps you should find something more constructive to do? You also seem to take an affront to anyone who questions the perfection that is Benelli. Yet you seemed to bash the R1 rifle from what I recall. I guess you are the only one who can dish it out. Not checking a mount that is red loctited down hardly qualified as "abuse and neglect." You start turning those screws and you break down the locktight. And the screws did not seem to come loose as in they did not twist out. As I said, the screws + locktight formed a plug that tore out of the shotgun stripping the receiver. And no I did not mention that Benelli told me that 25 lbs was appropriate in my first thread. I did not mention a lot of things as this was a post in a forum and not a legal deposition. When Benelli told me 25lbs was the appropriate torque, I believed them. Interestingly, my Leupold scope mount is torqued to 25 lbs (and rings to 18lbs) as per Leupold. I trust the manufacturer, but I know that customer service often louses it up. I once called Springfield and asked if my M1A would shoot 7.62X51mm rounds. They gravely warned me that 7.62 was for AKs and that I needed to shoot .308 Winchester. I got a good laugh out of that and that is why I asked whether I had too much torque on the mount. CS does not know everything, but apparently you do (and you have reached the exaulted post of computer tech because of it!). I have a few guys like you who work for me and they lack social skills too. I also like your quaint quotes (which you don't quite get right) and ridiculous analogies between crashing Corvettes and not checking a rail. They are, in fact, directly comparable. Just like a kid who steps on ants is the same as an axe murderer.

Abuse and neglect? Screws were torqued to 25 pounds and red loctited--as per BENELLI. But then....CSRs often don't know what they are talking about. Sadly, the manual says nothing about proper torque or maintenance. Tis why I called Benelli in the first place. This is more common than you think. Per Mesa Tactical--it is an aluminum receiver, a heavy recoiling weapon, and screws that are not all that deep. And as I said, my rangemaster sees this all the time. And as I recall you came onto my thread and got into a fight with 2 other guys.... Tucker--what is not common is a company not standing behind its $1500 shotgun. You even said that Benelli was likely to stand behind their gun. When they didn't, you leap to their defense. You have a pattern of leaping to their defense. Do you work for them or something? Thanks for your help.

Guys, I am the guy whose Picatinny rail flew off his Benelli during firing (I posted on this a week or so ago). Just an FYI on my customer service experience...... After waiting 30 minutes on hold (no toll free number at Benelli) the CSR told me that rails are not covered under the warranty since they are not a "moving part." She said the best she could do was send me a new rail although she said that she could not send any screws. She told me to get screws at a hardware store.... I asked her about the "moving part" policy and what she would do if a receiver cracked. She thought it over and said that she thought that my case probably should be covered under warranty, so she gave me the email addy of a supervisor (she could not resolve my issue on the spot because apparently all supervisors are at the SHOT show in Vegas). I emailed him on Thursday. Let's see what happens. I own a lot of high end firearms from Sig, Glock, Springfield, HS Precision, etc.. and I have never been told I cannot send a gun back when it is literally falling apart in my hands. Worse....I have never been told to just go to the hardware store for replacement parts. Up to this point, my M4 has given sterling service. Reliable, easy to clean, a tack driver. I love this damn thing. I also have an M2 which I like, but not as much. But if Benelli won't stand by me on this.......I am off Benelli. Stay tuned....

Guys, I have called Benelli customer service a few times now. The hold times are really excessive. I have called 3 times, waited 20, 30 and 45 minutes, and hung up. Does anyone have the customer service email addy? I just want to email my issue to them rather than wait on the doggone phone for hours on end.

.....legal in CA?

Guys, Just so you all know......when I got my shotgun I red loctited the rail down and torqued it to 25 pounds. I did not check the mount again for 1000 shells which was probably not good. The red loctite formed a sort of plug that just tore the screw threads out. I also wonder if maybe I torqued the screws too much..... I will probably call Benelli and see if they will fix. Any idea what the will say? Also as an FYI......I mostly shoot low recoil slugs. I am still really surprised that this happened. Thanks for all the good advice--just be nice to one another!

Guys, I have a Benelli M4 that has been a dream to shoot. Utterly reliable.....amazingly accurate. Love it. Today, however, I had a major malfunction. My Picatinny rail flew off the gun during shooting (I had an Aimpoint on the rail)! Worse, several of the receiver screw holes are stripped. The rangemaster (who is also a gun smith) said this is not at all surprising considering the recoil of the shotgun. He sees it fairly often. I am considering going to a gunsmith (or sending this back to Benelli) to have it retapped but I do worry about this happening again. Does anyone know....it is possible to weld the rail onto the receiver or otherwise secure it securely? How secure is my Aimpoint/Rail combo going to be with retapping?

I have 1000 shells through mine. Only 3 malfunctions--1 was my fault and the other 2 were in the first 50 shells. Handles all kinds of ammo including low recoil. Buckshot patterns really well and slugs are very accurate (head sized groups at 100 yards). I read all kinds of horror stories too. Thankfully, that has not been my experience. I would trust my life to this shotgun.

I just fire from a cylinder choke. It works fine. Accurate out to about 100 yards.

I have shot the Federal tactical ammo you mention. Probably 200 rounds worth. 1) It IS low recoil (it will say this on the shells, but not the box). No doubt about it. 2) MY Benelli m4 cycles it just fine (it cycles all low recoil ammo well). However, you never know if YOUR M4 might not cycle it...

Does anyone know how Benelli M4s are doing in Iraq? I have heard many different things, but most of it is hearsay (i.e., someone posts on a forum and says "they are doing great" or "they are doing terrible"). Links are greatly appreciated. Or comments from Marines who have seen the M4s used overseas.