StrangerDanger

To this:

I hear ya on the form and function. I had the mod 1 SideArmor rail with the removable sides. The mod 1 weighed about half a pound less than the mod 2 if I recall due to the modular design. The 3gunnergear velcro shell carrier is the way to go. It adds no weight and isn't attached to those small receiver screws. If it takes a hit, no big deal. It won't sheer or shoot loose. Plus, you can buy several velcro shell carriers and peal the entire carrier on and off to quick reload. The design was set up so you could attach already filled carriers to a vest/pack/chest rig and peel and go as needed. With the shells removed, the carrier will squish flat. You won't have a shotgun that is essentially 4" thick at the receiver. I didn't like the fact that the SideArmor rail was higher than the factory rail. This interfered with cheek weld when using optics. My barrel clamp knob would shoot loose unless I tightened it with pliers after 50 - 100 rounds of high brass. They should have added a detent ratcheting system like the magazine cap has. I ended up going to the carriercomp top rail and skipped mounting shells on the weapon all together. I bought two BlackHawk bandoliers that hold 55 shells each. They're looped over the shotgun in the safe for a grab and go situation. Went from this:

People pay a butt load of cash for a 11721 which is simply a rebranded 11707 and the collapsible stock and a limited tube. The 11707 sticker is literally still on the cardboard box, just a 11721 is thrown on it as well. Basically, if you are paying retail for all the parts -- Plus shipping -- Your profit margin is going to be very weak. Your financial risk will be high too. Even when HK was selling the collapsible stocks for 265 shipped, no one knew if that price would hold, fall or return to the stratosphere. So it would be a gamble on buying say ten units. Then, wait your two or three months for your Titanium magazine tubes to arrive. Hammers have been sourced rather quickly. Overall, you have a lot of capital out there. Now, if a place like carriercomp got into this game. They could source their own parts much cheaper than retail obviously. I'm sure Kip could find some additional refinements to work the stock M4 over with. The idea would be offering a top tier production weapon for the discerning individual who refuses to do any leg work whatsoever to build it themselves. Drop their bolt handle and top rail in on all units. Carriercomp could easily become an FFL and probably a Benelli dealer to get dealer pricing.

I believe all of them have been Gen II. They came equipped with a steel shank that prevents the bolt carrier from wearing out the softer titanium detent retention groove. If I didn't have a Design Concept's Titanium bolt handle, I'd have one of carriercomps. I believe the carriercomps handle to be superior to the Design Concepts, it just isn't worth a $60 upgrade price to me.

Care to say what didn't work for you in the training classes?

It does for me. I wouldn't shoot heavy loads in the middle position with the iron sights for this reason. When shooting irons, it feels like I have to roll my head over the comb to get lined up behind the sights. With the Aimpoint, it sits higher than the iron sights, so it is much more comfortable. This is the issue for people deciding which stock to buy. If they need the shorter LOP and plan on sticking with iron sights, they'd be better off with the Urbino. With optic, I'd much rather the collapsible stock. More people will go the Urbino route in the near future with the collapsible stock market drying up as of late. Depending on the top rail you get, the height will be different. The Mesa top rail and the SideArmor top rail sit about a quarter inch higher than the stock and carriercomp rails.

Well I know why your barrel is clogged up with lead now. Those slugs will leave deposits in the barrel. Unobtanium is right about the Tornado Brush. They work very well. Middle position is for the Aimpoint T1. It'll put your head in the proper position. With the iron sights, I never found the middle position to be comfortable. I would use the fully extended position for irons. If you're going the Aimpoint route, you're going to want the carriercomp top rail. If you don't do it, you'll ruin the mount within 25 shots.

The rails will shake loose if they're not properly tightened and blue loc-tite used on the receiver threads. I never had one strip the threads though. The full length SideArmor transfers quite a bit of barrel 'shock' through the rail and into the receiver attachment points. If you watched the M4 in slow motion, there is considerable flex in the barrel and receiver during heavy recoil. I had pitched many load bearing ideas to SideArmor, but they never implemented them. Basically, the attachments to the receiver should not be load bearing. The holes for the rear sight should have been used as well since they're on a thicker portion of the receiver. The attachment knob at the front of the barrel/rail coupler would work its way loose during shooting from time to time. They should of added a detent to the knob like the magazine cap has.

I ended up taking off two coils approximately.

Do you have the full rail system or just the shell carrier top rail? I never had issues with shells slipping. I determined that I'd rather run a 3 gunners velcro shell carrier that didn't penalize me in the weight department. I usually use a California Competitions belt carrier for 6 spare rounds in the field and a BlackHawk 55 round bandolier. I keep one of the bandoliers next to the M4 and filled with an assortment of buckshot and slug party favors. If a company modified existing handguards to have a placement for a rail, this would be a huge seller. I would recommend doing the modifications to the FFT reproduction handguards though. That way people could get the 922 compliance part as well as a superior handguard. The biggest fail FTT did when they copied the factory handguard was not adding the ability to add small rail segments. I personally prefer the stock handguard over the M80 rail system. It has better ergonomics and is lighter.

You'll need to add a rail system that replaces the handguards in order to add an AFG. Obviously the Surefire M80 is the most popular. There are a couple other brands as well, but they're all generally the same. I had the SideArmor rail system before. I ended up selling it and transitioning to the Surefire M80 for weight savings.

Yes it can. The button is reversible. http://www.brownells.com/userdocs/schematics/ben-M4.gif Tap out #22. This will allow the spring and detent to release (24 & 25). The button (21) will then simply pull out. I would highly recommend getting the DMW oversize safety button when doing this. It can be difficult to get the assembly back together without damaging the detent spring. You have to compress the spring and detent into the trigger group, then tap the pin #22 back into place. On my first attempt, I damaged the first coil of the spring when trying to tap the retention pin in. This came to my advantage though. I always felt that the M4's safety was too difficult to push. So I trimmed off the damaged coil. This made moving the safety much more responsive. It isn't weak by any means, I just don't have to press it with a lot of force like before. I feel Benelli did a poor job designing this part of the M4. There isn't a tool that can be bought that would assist in this task. It would have to be constructed. Imagine a very small pickle fork that would fit around the sides of the retention pin as you tap it in. I ended up using a very small punch to hold the spring down as I tapped in the pin. This job would probably be much easier with a second person and a vice.

After shooting 13,000 rounds through my M4 over the years, I've come to the conclusion that cleaning it is mostly a waist of time. All that matters is that it is lubricated. Saying this, since yours is brand new, you might have some break in issues with low dram loads. I'd feed it a 100 rounds of high brass and it should be good to go from there on out. I clean it from time to time. Usually after about 500 - 1000 rounds whenever I'm bored.

Glad I could help. I bet if you called Benelli, they'd send you the part for free. After looking at the diagram, I believe you are right. It should part #83.

I'm not familiar with that particular weapon. But here is a parts diagram showing the needed pieces. What part of the trigger group retains the pin? Is it part of the receiver or part of the trigger group itself? http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=0/sid=570/schematicsdetail/Super_Black_Eagle#82

So much fail, I think I miscarried.

I thought you had the barrel removed? I'm not sure what they were saying was stuck.

Personally, I would have went with the SideArmor short rail. http://www.sidearmor.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=28_30&products_id=76 The top rail is better designed, and you can remove the shell carrier when you don't really want it on there due to weight and size constraints. My favorite shell carrier comes from ThreeGunGear. The velcro strips add almost no weight and squish flat when not being used. carriercomp gear is top shelf. Their magazine tube, follower, hammer are the route to go. I'd opt for one of their muted Titanium charging handles while you're there. Their replacement top rail is awesome. Adding a weapon light to a M4 is very complicated. Most of the solutions are poorly adapted. The goal is to avoid adding unneeded weight. The best option I've found is using the M80 and an offset mount. I've found that mounting lights on 3, 6, or 9 o'clock positions interferes with your hand placement unless you like using a Forward Vertical Grip as well. While I prefer the ergonomics of the factory handguards, the Surefire M80 is a necessary evil. The LaRue Index clips keep the overall size as small as possible without holding onto a cheese grater. Since the weapon light and everything is attached to the M80, you can swap back to factory handguards rather quickly if you are out doing something that doesn't require the light. The Mesa stock is good if you're running just iron sights. If you're planning on running an optic, the factory collapsible stock is a better option. The middle position of the collapsible stock that is similar to the LOP of the Mesa stock doesn't work well with iron sights. Its usable, but not ideal.

Great deal!

With the supplied allen key, I flexed the tool slightly when applying torque. Thumb along the front of the tool, and applied torque with my pointer and middle finger. Certainly no removing a bottle cap torque by any means. I sweat a little each time I've had to mess with those screws. I've heard of a lot of people overtorquing them and stripping out the threads.

Try more blue locktite. I wouldn't use red on the receiver threads. I forget if SideArmor specifies a specific torque ratting for reinstallation. I was always very worried that I would strip the fine threads. If I recall, they use allen head screws right? Coat the threads fully, then torque it down pretty tightly with the small angled allen key they provide. Let the locktite set for 24 hours before taking it out for another shooting session. If that still shoots loose, your threads might be damaged. So I'd then consider using red locktite. Just count on needing heat to remove it down the road. If you try to strong arm locktite, it will damage the aluminum threads.

Benelli M4 11703 -Factory Collapsible Stock -Carriercomp Titanium Magazine Tube -Carriercomp Replacement Top Rail -Carriercomp/Geiselle Replacement Hammer -Brownell's US made follower -Surefire M80 Railed Forend -Surefire M600C Scout Light -GearSector Offset Scout Light Mount -GearSector QD Sling Mount -GG&G Oversized Bolt Release -Design Concepts Titanium Bolt Handle -BlueForceGear Padded two point sling with QD mounts -Mesa Tactical rear sling mount -DMW Oversized safety -Meprolights Night sights -Aimpoint T1 Optic on a LaRue low mount -Benelli 11707 barrel and recoil tube installed Package weight is approximately 12 ounces heavier than factory configuration.

I'd try what Daniel said. I'm pretty sure the bolt release doesn't interface with the bolt carrier group though. I'm pretty sure it actuates a part of the trigger group. I wouldn't use the carbon fiber cleaning rod. It'll just shatter and leave broken parts inside the recoil tube. Whatever is used won't contact the tail of the bolt carrier. There is a plunger inside. See the reference photo: The plunger is #47. With the tail of the bolt carrier fully retracted, the plunger should be 5 - 6 inches from the bottom of the recoil tube with the spring fully compressed.

Go with the 2 lbs rubber mallet. You'll damage the mallet before you do anything to the recoil tube. I'd install the barrel so if it does release, it will just close into battery rather than drop the bolt handle against the front of the ejection port. With the barrel installed, you could put the muzzle against a wood block to prevent damage. Do you have a steel cleaning rod that will fit up the back side of the recoil tube? It probably can't take a real hard beating, but it might be enough to break it free. Is this a brand new M4? Or just new to you? When I wore out my 11703, the pistons had battered the crap out of the front of the bolt carrier group to the point that the bolt carrier was beginning to deform where the pistons impact. This deformation caused the bolt carrier to swell along the rails that reciprocate within the upper receiver. When I would pull the bolt carrier to the very rear, this metal expansion would cause the bolt carrier to hang to the rear during cycling. Glad I can try to help. This is one of my favorite weapon platforms.