Test Hawk 13

After reading this entire thread, it make me happy knowing I bought my new Benelli c-stock a few years ago for $190, right before the price went through the roof.

I certainly don't intend this to sharpshoot you in any way Duggan, but it looks to me like the damage to your lever mount may have been caused by the deflection of the rail stubs as the mount was closed, along with a misalignment of the mount tab that you dremeled off. Both conditions could be a result of the rail and moount designs. Was there any damage to your rail? I'd look closely for cracks under the rail stubs. The 1913 rail would not be as susceptible to this problem because of the full width bar. I discovered this myself while mounting accessories to my M4 and my SIG 556. The SIG has both types of rails on it, stubs on the upper receiver rail and full width bars on the plastic foregrips. My EOTech sight and M3 Surefire light both have thumbscrew mounts which cannot be misaligned because the screw must rest between the bar/stubs. I have considered the throw lever mounts, but after seeing your pic, I see the potential for trouble down the road, especially with possible damage to the plastic rails on my SIG. Again, not sharpshooting you here, especially since all I have to go on is your pics. I just wanted to give my thoughts.

You know, I knew an experienced test pilot once who was trying to help out the mechanics. He torqued a control rod to 300 ft/lb instead of 300 in/lb. Now I'm not saying anybody is to blame, just that confusion and mis-communication exists and mistakes happen. Ideally, one would have access to maintenance/assembly instructions which would provide this kind of technical information to us do-it-yourselfers. This seems like it would prevent the situation that fueled this thread in the first place. Perhaps those of you who are "in the know" could direct the rest of us to a source of this info. I would love to have access to the specs the factory uses. Personally, I take anything I hear from CS, or anyone else who hasn't proven themselves to me, with a grain of salt, but that's me. I've stripped my share of nuts/bolts and even broke a lug wrench taking off a wheel after Goodyear put it on. Like I said stuff happens.

Mark, I agree with a lot of the advice given here. I recently purchased an M4 to anchor my home defense plan. It compliments my Glocks and CX4 carbine. But there were many considerations to my many choices of weapons. I took into consideration my small wife when selecting long guns. The M4 has more recoil than she's comfortable with, so we also went with a Beretta CX4 Storm in 9mm. It holds 15 rounds, a mounted light and she can shoulder fire it without any problems. It is a bit of a compromise as weapons go, but in a good way I think. It has the benefit of an accurate shoulder fired weapon with the lower recoil of a handgun round. The weight also helps absorb recoil, and the sling allows hands free carry if necessary. For hand guns, she carries a S&W J-frame .38 with CTC laser grips and an internal hammer. It's light, simple and effective. Load, point and shoot. It doesn't get any less confusing than that. So much so, my mother and mother-in-law carry the same pistol. We did make sure that we each have at least one weapon with a mounted light. I couldn't imagine trying to control my dog while handling a light and a weapon. Also we don't have kids and neighbors so ammo choices aren't as critical. I load what I need to get the job done without worrying about over penetration. It should be a prime consideration though, depending on your situation. I must say that marksmanship is a lot like golf in one respect. You can practice all day, but if you're using the wrong technique, you'll never become proficient. A competent instructor can help develop your skills in a way you're comfortable with and that work for you. My mom is left eye dominant but right handed. After trying every technique I could think of to help her learn to use her right eye, we came to the conclusion she should shoot left handed. A good instructor will not force you to adapt to their method but help you find something that works for you. Shop around. They're out there. TH13

Has anyone had any experience with the Brownell 3-rail Picatinny shotgun mount? I'm searching for something feasible while waiting on Mesa Tactical's forearm grip. http://www.brownells.com/aspx/ns/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=20919&title=3-RAIL+PICATINNY+SHOTGUN+MOUNT TH13

I had to check the temp conversion math myself before posting. True, 0 deg C = 32 deg F. Also true, 100 deg C = 212 deg F. (I cheated and Googled this to get the formula. Chemistry class was a long time ago.) TH13

StarLynx, According to my info, 150 degrees C is equal to about 302 degrees F. Might not make a diff, but then again, water won't boil at 190 deg F. Chemically speaking, if the manufacturer says 150 C will break down their adhesive, anything cooler, no matter how slight, might not do the trick. TH13

The Specter link shows a sling with a 1.25 inch webbing. Have you installed this on an M4? The stock mount on my gun is only 1 inch wide. I found it odd that the forward mount will accept 1.25 inch webbing but not the rear. I'm also looking to replace the original stock with a collapsible one. Do you know what size webbing it will accept? Thanks for the input. TH13

I'm looking for a comfortable and useful tactical sling for my M4. I am currently using an old M60 machine gun sling, but not happy with it. The webbing is 1.25 inches and won't fit through the 1 inch attaching point on the stock. I want something that will allow me to carry the gun slung across my chest in a low ready position. I've seen several slings on the market, but they all appear geared toward M16/M4 and MP5s. I put one on my CZ4 Storm and it works well, but not so well on the longer M4. Any thoughts?

It seems there is a recurring theme regarding choke tubes. When I bought my M4 it came only with the modified choke. After reading these posts and researching Benelli's site, I found that the M4 comes standard with the M, IC and C tubes. I have contacted them about this and am awaiting a reply. Does anying else know more about this? TH13