Nemesis

My opinion--an M2 Tactical if you hang nothing off of it. M4 if you deck out your HD shotgun. M2s are a bit lighter, point a bit easier and I have heard you can get 1 more shell into them than the M4.

Guys, I finally shot my M4 on the range after many issues getting choke tubes from Benelli. I fired 100 rounds of reduced recoil slugs (Remington Slugger) and 5 rounds of Federal Low Recoil 00 buck. The M4 functioned almost flawlessly. I did have one misfire as the bolt did not go forward all the way and the firing pin did not dent the firing cap on one round enough to fire it. The M4 cut a very nice groups at 10, 25 and 50 meters (1 inch, 2 inches, and 3 inches respectively) with slugs. Recoil was also very mild. All in all, a good first outing. Does anyone have any good recommendations on low recoil ammo? The Remington and Federal I mentioned worked well, but I am looking for other perspectives.

I love hearing stuff like this. While a pump action is MECHANICALLY more reliable than a semi auto it ASSUMES no opertator error. In stressful situations, you get lots of short stroking and FAR more jams than with a good semi auto. There are lots of police officers who use 870s on the range for years without short stroking and then, in a shoot out, they short stroke. This is one reason why the military and many police agencys are going to semi autos. The M4 will be an improvement over the other Benelli semi autos which are inertia driven and more prone to problems from not providing a good "recoil base."

I had one and sold it..... You may like the SOCOM 16. There were a few things that I didn't like. 1) In CA, I have to have a muzzle brake and not a flash suppressor. When I went to the range, I was absolutely killing people with the sound. The muzzle brake makes shooting incredibly loud. One guy complained to me and it was embarassing. Some ranges ban weapons with muzzle brakes because of their sound, so make sure your M1A will not be banned where you shoot. You might do well to shoot this away from other people and ALWAYS wear hearing protection. 2) You will be going with a forward mounted Aimpoint which will work fine (except for the tremendous heat that your Aimpoint will be put under--more on this later). I tried to mount optics above the receiver and had lots of problems getting a stable, aligned mount. The issue is that most aftermarket scope mounts are for the M14 which has a receiver that is made to Mil-Specs. The M1A is NOT made to Mil-Specs and I could not get anything to fit correctly (believe me, I had gunsmiths trying to help with this). Springfield has its own mount, but it is garbage. It was annoying to spend this much money and then not be able to use many of the aftermarket accessories available for M14s. Springfield should be making M1As to Mil-Specs considering the high price of these weapons. 3) The idea of a 7.62mm entry gun sounded cool to me. After thinking about it, it just doesn't make sense. The gun is too heavy for CQB (especially the one with the extended rail--ridiculously heavy). It has a HUGE muzzleflash so anyone using it in CQB would lose his night vision (the short barrel & muzzle brake combo is a curse in this regard). Overpenetration would be a BIG problem. It has too much recoil for CQB situations. It is too loud--you fire this thing in an enclosed space without hearing protection and you WILL damage your hearing. 4) Remember that the SOCOM has Ghostring battle sights. These are great for CQB, but terrible on the rifle range as the rear apeture and front sight post are way too big to shoot good groups (I pride myself on my marksmanship and had to hide my targets at the range). 5) If you use this in a 3 gun match.....with the big cartridge and shorter barrel, this weapon heats up REALLY FAST and you may find yourself touching hot, bare metal. Having used ARs a lot....I am surprised that the M14/M1A does not have a better heatshield/handguards. 6) It is overpriced. You think you would get a chrome lined barrel and a receiver made to mil specs for what you are spending.... 7) This weapon is a solid performer, but uses M1 Garand technology that is now 70+ years old. I prefer to look forward, not back. I guess the flipside is that the technology is proven but..... What I did like: 1) The weapon was reliable after I broke it in. Maybe 1 jam/misfeed every 200 rounds. Very good (but not excellent) reliability. 2) Springfield customer service is outstanding. Much better than Benelli (I am sorry to say). 3) The M1A Fully Loaded Promotion is great. If this promotion is still going.....buy all your accessories from Springfield as they come to you at HALF PRICE. Do NOT buy accessories anywhere else if you get this promo. 4) The muzzle brake significantly reduces recoil. This is nice, but I would prefer a flash suppressor for less flash and sound. 5) The weapon is a little hard to break down, but it is a very clean weapon. Much cleaner than ARs. 6) Tritum sights are very nice, but again they are too big! You have to ask yourself what you want this for. It is not a rifle to shoot good groups at the range. It is an entry gun. If you want an entry gun, ask yourself if you want a 7.62mm entry gun. Many downsides to this. If I had a chance to buy again....I would not buy this rifle. If you forced me to buy an M1A.....I would buy a stock M1A because it has a longer barrel, flash supressor and standard sights. If you really want a forward mounted Aimpoint.....put your own mount on your stock M1A or buy the Scout. My 14 cents. [ 09-24-2006, 12:52 PM: Message edited by: Nemesis ]

Funny--It seems that many folks have gotten only one choke tube and I was half expecting that I would only get one as well. That would not be so bad--at least I could use my shotgun and I could call Benelli for the other two. Imagine my surprise when I got NONE. It makes me worry a bit....what else might they have "forgotten?" Tucker--good point and that is exactly what I tried to do. He had nothing else in stock....

Just got my new M4. Looking very much forward to shooting it. Only one problem-----Benelli neglected to send any choke tubes. A rather amazing oversight..... I called Benelli and they said it would take 10 days for them to get a complete set of 3 tubes to me. Sigh......California law left me waiting 10 days for my shotgun....now (thanks to Benelli) I have another 10 days to wait.

Being new to the forum, I tend to agree with Shane. The point of the forum is to talk shop about Benellis. This means the good, the bad, and the ugly. Some who have criticized Benelli have been criticized themselves. This is just wrong. IMO, Benelli is one of the best gun makers out there. That is why I bought an M2 and an M4. My research told me Benellis were the best. Benellis owners tend to love their guns too. But having said that, their firearms have their idiosynchrasies. Benelli also produces the occasional lemon. But it is OK to talk about what you don't like about Benellis. Benelli should welcome the feedback.

Really not what I wanted to hear as I wait for my M4 to arrive. From reading the forums....M4s seem to be of 2 minds--either totally reliable or totally unreliable. Heres to hoping I get a reliable one!

Looks like this wasnt a dumb question after all. I called Benelli and they said 4 (improved cylinder) was recommended. Now my question is....if I use the skeet (5 notches) will this adversely affect the accuracy of the slugs?

A dumb question..... Does the 5 notch choke have no constriction or is there a slight constriction? Can you fire slugs out of this choke or (on the M4) do you fire slugs with no choke?

LOL--I am sure they are working on it

Guys, A question (as I wait 10 days for my M4...): Is the M4 Gas Operated or a hybrid Gas Operated/Inertia Driven System. Some of Benelli's marketing materials make it seem like the ARGO system supports the Inertia System. Does anyone know for sure?

From the pics it makes it look like the aluminum is the better match. Aluminum is lighter too.

I bought an aluminum NodakSpud tube. I will let you guys know how it goes.

DMW make tubes for the M4/M014?

We had a message from 'Rob' but the phone number left was not complete. Thanks. Harlan That was not me. My name is Jay and I left another message.

Guys, I am leaning towards the Nodakspud tube but......do you still use the factory spring with this tube? I would have thought that with a longer tube, you would need a longer spring. Harlan--called your store a couple times and left a message.

In a fit of craziness, I today bought an M4 (after recently buying an M2). I am looking for a aftermarket magazine extension tube. I have heard people talk about DMW, SRM, and Nokaspud magazine extension tubes. Which is best?

Guys, I just bought a Benelli M2 Tactical. Two questions: 1) Can anyone tell me who makes the best aftermarket magazine extension? I want to extend my magazine to a 7 or 8 round capacity, but not if it compromises the reliability of the shotgun. 2) Obviously, Benelli would probably make the best extension, but my understanding is that ATF laws do not allow them to be imported. Is this correct? Many thanks!