trackbird

I meant to mention in my other post. I have a Nordic Components +3 extension on my M2 tactical (7+1) and the barrel clamp and it has still been reliable. I haven't added a light, etc. Though it does cycle anything I've tried, even with 7 rounds in the tube. So, I have some added weight, but not a bunch.

Since this came up several times... I bought an M2 tactical and I've fed it $26 boxes of Federal #8 trap loads, remington trap loads, Federal "Top gun" #8 loads, Win-lite reduced recoil 2 3/4" slugs, 2 3/4 buck, 2 3/4 slugs, 3" buck, 3" slugs and I can't think what else. That weapon has never failed to cycle, fire, load, etc. It has gone boom every single time I've pulled the trigger and it hasn't cared what I loaded in the tube. It's (so far) proven 100% reliable with anything and everything...even the win-lite (reduced recoil) slugs. Your results may vary, and mine might change if I were to hang more than just a nylon sling on it, but so far, it's been spectacularly reliable and even after a few hundred rounds in a single session, it's still never missed a beat. And, when you're done, it's virtually clean inside. Tear it down, wipe down the internals and relube it and then clean the barrel (just like a pump gun). I really love that shotgun. I also really liked my Nova Tactical. And, I've been considering picking up an M4...just because I kinda want one of those as well. Not due to any shortcoming of my M2 tactical ("collect the whole set";)). Maybe I'll buy another Nova tactical one of these days as well... As always, your results may vary. This is just my experience.

Thanks, that's the kind of information I was looking for. I don't know if it applies to his situation, but it makes sense.

Viton is commonly used for valve stem seals inside of automotive internal combustion engines. It's typically pretty durable stuff in the right application.

Nope, wasn't taking it as you knocking Benelli. Seems like an odd problem. On the other hand, I'm not at 1,000 to 1,500 rounds. So maybe my time is coming. I'll keep an eye out for that issue. Hopefully I won't see it.

So far, mine hasn't missed a beat. It's never failed to cycle or go boom. I've only put around 500 rounds through it, but many of those have been in 100-ish round shooting sessions, so it's even been hot and dirty (not 100 rounds straight, but over the course of an afternoon). I can't speak for other owners, but I've not seen any indications of a firing pin issue with my M2 (at least not so far). It might be worth a phone call to Benelli, or maybe someone here knows what's up.

Be safe! And enjoy your new Benelli!!!

I have that same weapon, so I'll try to help. I'm paraphrasing this from the chart on page 41 of your M2 owners manual. 1 notch is a "full" choke. This is the tightest choke and will make for the smallest/tightest patterns. DO NOT use steel shot (or slugs) with this (or the 2 notch choke). 2 notches is a "Improved Modified" choke. It's not quite as tight as the Full choke. No steel shot or slugs here either. 3 notches is a "Modified" choke. It's opened up a bit more than the Improved Modified and will make larger patterns. You can use steel shot with this (and 4 and 5 notch chokes). I still would not recommend slugs with this choke. 4 notches is an "Improved Cylinder" choke. It's opened even more than the Modified. Again, steel shot is ok and I do use slugs with this choke. 5 notches is a "Skeet" choke. It's very open and will give you the largest shot spread. Steel shot and slugs are ok with this choke as well. Your M2 didn't come with all of these, and you likely won't need them all. I leave the Improved cylinder in my barrel so I can use slugs at will. Yes, the firing pin moves by inertia. You have it assembled correctly and you are correct about the design. The M2 cycles from inertia. Upon firing, the recoil shoves the weapon to the rear and the weight of the bolt resists that motion. There is a spring behind the bolt head in the bolt, that spring is compressed during recoil and that is when the retaining pin will travel farther down that slot. You'll never see it, but it will use some, or even most of that slot during the recoil event (depending on the load in the weapon). It's perfectly normal, but I could see where it could look like a problem. No problem at all. The only dumb question is the one you don't ask that might get you injured. When in doubt, ask. It's never the wrong thing to do when safety is concerned. And, we come here to share knowledge with like minded enthusiasts, so it's no problem at all. Enjoy your new M2, I love mine!!!

Nordic Components makes a very nice one. I just added their +3 to my M2 and I found the quality to be outstanding. They make them all the way out to a +8 (or maybe even a +9) capacity. Cactus Tactical has them or you can buy them straight from Nordic. Hope that helps.

I might have a box or a partial box of the Speer 38 loads you are requesting. I've owned two different airweight J frames as carry guns. Let me dig through the ammo box and I'll send you a message or post here with what I find.

Depends on what you mean by target practice. If you're using it for defense (which is my guess), I'd test various loads of buck shot and slugs for functioning, pattern and accuracy (accuracy on the slugs, pattern on the buck). Probably something in a decent quality 2 3/4" load will work well. In my Nova, I had issues with some Winchester shells not chambering. They were not quite round where they were crimped and one of them would NOT chamber. I ran it through my Remington 870 with no issues. I've not had any issues with Winchester ammo with my M2 (yet). For general break in, I usually use #8 trap loads and I run 25-100 (depending on my mood) of them through to break in the action and check for proper feeding and functioning. They are a lighter recoiling load and they are inexpensive compared to buck or slugs. As far as range, for self defense, I stay to under 50 feet for buck shot (often 35-40) and I will shoot slugs out to between 25 and 50 yards in most cases. Your results may vary.

The sling plate is connected to the factory +1 extension with a snap ring. If you put it under the plate, you'll not have the "ball detent" making contact to help keep the extension from coming loose. However, Nordic makes a barrel/magazine clamp that will either take a picatinny rail for a rail style sling loop, or a 10-32 screw and you can bolt a standard sling swivel to the clamp. that's what I'm going to do with my M2.

Ok, I solved it. With the spring cut to only 10" longer than the mag and extension, I can get 7 rounds of Winchester 2 3/4" buck in there, but the Brenneke KO slugs are slightly longer than the Winchester rounds and I come up about 1/4 of a shell short by the time I get to #7. So, apparently they do work as advertised (fit as advertised), but you have to watch that you don't have oversized ammo. It's all I can do to get the 7th round in there. There is not more than 1/32" of play. So it's a snug fit. Now I have to get time to go see if it functions.

That's exactly how my Nova 12 gauge worked. Unscrew the cap, remove the snap ring (hold it tight, it will try to take off), slide the spring out and remove the orange plastic "post" that's in the spring, reinstall spring and snap ring, and replace the cap that holds the barrel in place.

I just put a Nordic +3 extension on my 18" M2 tactical and it stops about 1/2" before the muzzle. So, the +4 is going to run over by a bit. I'm not yet able to get all 7 rounds in my M2 with the Nordic +3 on it, so I'm working on the details. However, I found your question while searching for answers of my own and thought I'd share what I know so far. Hope that helps.

I've searched through pages of threads here and I'm sure this information has to exist, but I either missed it or my search skills have failed me this week. I purchased an M2 tactical and I just added a Nordic +3 mag extension. It's very well made and I'm quite impressed with the fit and finish of their machine work. However, they suggest cutting the spring down to be between 10 and 16 inches longer than the mag and extension combined. I started at 18" and worked down to 10" and I am still only able to get 6 and "3/4" rounds of 2 3/4" 12 ga ammo in the tube. I tried both the factory M2 follower and the Nordic teflon coated follower with no change. Will it function with the spring cut down a bit more or am I destined to only get 6+1 in this shotgun? I'm setting up for a 3 gun match and I really needed the additional capacity. Thanks for any input.