StrangerDanger

The picture is really hard to see, but it appears to be correct. Can you take a picture with the stock in its locked closed position?

I tried it. The rail kept slipping on me and would rock back and forth. The placement of the light was good, but the sling mount sucked. I finally got my shipping notice today for the mounts. So hopefully I can start working on this later this week.

Yeah, it is sounding like the extension is not timed correctly. What model Benelli do you have? Did you buy it brand new? Do the machined notches match up with how they appear in this photo?

Truth be told, I had expected the Freedom Fighter Tactical handguards to have a poor fit from past user experience. I recall several threads regarding sloppy fit, squeaking plastic and deformed plastic. What I received was pleasantly surprising. The handguards actually fit better than my OEM ones. This is obvious when looking at the front of the handguards where they engage in the barrel retaining band. The surface finish of the FFT handguards are slightly different than the OEM. They have more of a matte finish. The texture of the FFT units are more uniform, but this could be a result of a lot of handling/wear and tear on my OEM set. Upon first looking at the FFT handguards, I expected them to have a poor fit. By looking at the handguards, they had a slight curvature to the handguard that was not present on the OEM ones. Basically, if you tried to hold the flat edge of the handguard against something flat, one end would bow up off the surface. When I got around to actually installing them on my M4, I found that it didn't have any effect on the fit. I tried my kung fu grip on the handguards to get them to squeak. I twisted and pulled the handguards various ways to make them cry uncle. Nothing worked. I'm not sure if FFT made changes to their molds to address some of the past issues. Or perhaps it is just luck of the draw. Overall, I'm very pleased with them. They will make a good host for my weapon light mods. It's always nice to pick up another 922® part, my setup boasts six USA made parts currently.

That ammo is some of the weakest stuff you can shoot. Your m4 needs to be broken in wih a few hundred rounds of high brass loads. The #4 high brass bird shot is cheap and will do well. I would try a few boxes of buckshot and slugs too. Your M4 needs to be lubricated. It likes to run wet. Make sure you're shouldering the shotgun firmly. A weak stance robs inertia from the action. In a few hundred rounds, the recoil spring should take a set and all the huh spots should be smoothed out. Then it will fire the weak stuff reliably if you do your part.

Here's a better shot from my bolt release disassembly guide.

Trouble is, the anodizing gets scraped off by the shells. So even if you refinish it, it'll keep wearing down. Even a fancier teflon based coating would wear down eventually. I'd just get a bottle of Alumablack, and hit it whenever it bothers you.

Best I have right now. I'm not at home. The top edge is worn, and the rear bottom has a groove from the rim of the shells.

Completely normal. I'd say hit it with Alumablack once in a while if it bugs you. After 13k rounds, mine is almost beveled.

I received my FFT forearm yesterday. Still waiting on the mount though. I did some testing and came up with a better game plan. I'm going to fill in the handguard with epoxy ahead of the left piston. Once it dries, I'm going to carve the inside face of the forearm out to allow the mount to seat flush. Only the mount's arms will be visible as they protrude out if the top of the forearm. I'll cut the mount some if needed to relieve the area up against the barrel. The hardest part will be making the fasteners work. I'll need longer screws and maybe a washer on the outside of the forearm to spread the load bearing surface. I might cut a countersink into the forearm for the washers depending on how much material I have. I'll probably epoxy everything into place afterwards for an added level of stability. I figure the forearm will be chopped up, no real need to have it serviceable. I have some experience carving plastic and milling aluminum. I think if I take my time, this will end up being the perfect weapon light mount, balancing weight and comfort issues. I'll take pictures along the way so others can copy the install if they so choose.

Being that far forward also has activation issues. If it doesn't have momentary control, it doesn't belong on a fighting weapon.

I pulled my carrier out to take a look. There is no way it's hitting the top of the receiver. There is like 3/4 of an inch between the link and the top. Here are some pictures to show the typical wear on the nose of the link.

Did you notice if those top marks were there when you first received the weapon? There is nothing inside of the receiver extension for the link to rub on. It's a smooth tube on the inside. If it is hitting anywhere, it will be at the outer edge. I'm betting someone would overly rough with it at either Benelli or at the gunshop while they were fingering it. The scrapes appear to be laterally against the length of the link. The ones around the nose are certainly from firing. The link is a pretty inexpensive part actually. It's like 34 dollars from Brownells. The only trouble is restaking the link pin. The wear is only cosmetic though. However, it it continues to get worse, then I'd consider contacting Benelli for service.

I'm having a hard time following exactly what the stock is doing. When installing onto the weapon, you should push the release button and hold it in. This button has an interference fit inside of it, so it will slide into the different positions easier with it pressed. To install, you should have the tail piece of the stock rotated 45 degrees to the left. It will slide on about 2 inches then stop. You then rotate the tail piece of the stock 90 degrees to the right. In this position, the tail piece of the stock is in the adjustment channel. You can then push the stock forward, or pull it to the rear to extend the length. There are witness grooves on the receiver extension to give you a visual aid for engaging the notches on the receiver extension. Align these grooves with the front of the stock. When you're in place, rotate the stock 45 degrees to the left. The tail piece should then be straight up and down and locked in place. It should only move if you firmly press the release button, and rotate it 45 degrees to the right. If the tail piece of the stock is not locking into place. Then there is either a problem with the receiver extension or the stock. My guess is it is the stock.

I'd hit the shiny spots with a black sharpie, then cycle the weapon a bunch. Maybe even live fire the weapon. Then inspect the recoil link again to see if it is rubbing the sharpie marker off. I'd be interested to see if the wear occurred during operation or if it happened during assembly. The peening around the nose of the recoil link is pretty common. I think mine looks like that as well. The top scrape is not a common mark that I've encountered. Inspect the inside of the receiver for wear marks. Such as obvious wear around the recoil spring plunger at the back of the receiver.

All of the 2500 weapons were sold with the collapsible stock. Many found it financially beneficial to sell the collapsible stock on the open market for a significant profit, then add a pistol grip stock that are cheap to be had. Some such as myself have replaced the receiver extension on the M1014 and 11703 models so the stock that you have is functional.

ForzArmata: I take it you're right handed? How do you engage the activation switch on the X300 in that position?

I like it too. Hoppes #9 gives me a headache -- blasphemy, I know.

2700 dollars? You must have walked in the door.

The cross bolt design of the EOTech's seem to work fine with the factory rail. It never tore up mine with the 552. I would still recommend getting the better rail from carriercomp/FFT/SideArmor/Mesa Tactical. In that order.