StrangerDanger

That’s awesome. Glad it’s working out. Keep an eye on it as you put more rounds down range and look for that weird wear pattern to show up on the Benelli extractor. If it starts getting bad and causing issues, it may be the bolt head itself is out of spec and allowing the claw to move around too much. At that point, I’d then see if a Benelli bolt head would fit in the clone. Unfortunately that won’t be a cheap part to purchase.

The gym is paying off too. Looking good!

I received a call from Carriercomp this morning. Kip Carrier told me that they're having issues with GoDaddy and are currently unable to reply to emails that are coming in. They can see the messages, but when they attempt to reply, it doesn't work. They're currently working with GoDaddy and their IT friends to get the system fixed. So if you're messaging them and aren't getting replies, this is why. They're hoping to get the situation resolved in the next week or so.

You have significantly more movement on that clone's claw than I've ever seen on an OEM Benelli claw. You can see where the claw is rotating in the channel and building that wear pattern. Hopefully the OEM parts fit tighter and prevent the movement you're seeing. It's possible this movement was causing your failures you've been experiencing.

You can polish the leading face of the shell stop with a Dremel and a polishing wheel. You end up removing the phosphate finish off of the tip in short order. This smooths out the transition from the shell to the tube quite a bit. J Kenny also sells a two piece billet shell stop that makes loading the Benelli a dream to load. The resistance is minimal to press the shell past the shell stop. You don't need the full kit with the modified shell elevator if you're just looking for improved loading characteristics. They take forever to get since they ship from England and their customer service is rather poor. My testing has been promising for the kit, but I'm still hesitant to outright recommend it yet. I'm not a huge fan of the button pad design, it's similar to the TTI pad that sticks out too far away from the receiver. https://www.j-kenny.com/product/2-piece-shell-latch-benelli-m2-by-j-kenny-co/

Design Concepts bolt handles are pretty rare. I had one about eight years ago. Below are photos of it compared to a Carriercomp knob I had. The Design Concepts unit was the lightest bolt handle out there by a few grams. It was made entirely of titanium which meant the tip deformed over time. If you look at the close up photos of the tip, you can see how the material was deforming. The knurling wasn't as well defined as the carriercomp knob either. Knurling titanium is a pain in the ass to get just right. You often times see the tool smudging the material and not developing sharp points on the checkers.

Looks excellent and great price point. I suppose it makes more sense with these 6 position extension to have some kind of markings on them. The removal notch marking would probably be the most useful.

I think it was mostly the lighting. That was my 11703 from 2004 before I plated it.

I only use red Loctite when reassembling the receiver extension. Heat removes it just the same, but easier than the factory threadlocker. You really don’t want this assembly coming loose during recoil. If it comes loose, the entire stock could rotate on you counter clockwise and may make you kiss the rear sight assembly. So I’d definitely use as much Loctite as will fit. I butter the threads entirely and even use it to glue the base or the jam nut to the receiver. After you’re set, wipe up the mess and it’ll look good as new.

Got a vice? If so, clamp onto the bolt carrier on the rails preferably with some kind of padded jaws. You'll then want to hit the barrel assembly forward with a mallet. You can pull your gas pistons and you can hit the ARGO housings. The bolt head does cam over about 30 degrees as the head presses into the bolt. This rotation locks the head into the barrel lugs. This snap cap likely caused the bolt head to rotate and jam into the barrel lugs. Using a dowel and hammering down the barrel on the snap cap won't likely work since you'll just be driving the energy into the barrel lugs. Spraying some lubricant down the barrel and in around the locking lugs will help.

I've had issues with Cerakote and receiver extensions. There was quite a bit of tolerance stacking and the locking pins tend to drag over the the length of the receiver extension and leave scuff marks on it.

Great price point!

Cool solution to adding the notch for a driver. That’s one of those things that Benelli should have developed into the part. You’re correct about the spring washer orientation. You build four compression springs when assembling them. So they look like this stacked: ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )

Might still be in your break in period. I'd lubricate it heavily in the bolt carrier. Manually cycle the action a thousand times or so to really get the surfaces self polishing. Another option to try is to try the shotgun with the original choke and the aftermarket one to see if it affects function. Any other modifications done to the trigger pack?

How many rounds total thru the shotgun so far? Could you still be in your break-in period?

I'm a fan of the new TTI stainless handles. They lock into position better than any other handle I've tried. Like how the OEM one locks into 3 different positions, this one locks into a single position and has directional texture.

Really good guy to deal with. I did the work in December or 2018. If I recall, this is one of the original 1-2500 special edition M1014s. So it’ll also have the oem aluminum trigger frame too.

Steve is one of the best in this area. I think Briley won’t do threading on 14” barrels anymore. I had a few done without issue a few years back, but I have heard this has changed. What about ditching the sights completely and running some kind of dog optic instead?

Be really careful with any spring kits you install. You have to test the firearm thoroughly any time you change spring rates. I tested some of TTI’s reduced power springs in the Benelli M4 such as the hammer spring and found it caused nothing but light primer strikes failures. What might work initially may also fail as the firearm starts getting dirty. Reduced power springs generally narrow the operational window compared to the full power spring rates. On shotguns, the range of power between loads is substantial. From shooting cheap valuepack birdshot to heavy hitting 3” slugs, we’re seeing a massive amount of difference in power that the action is handling. Add grit and buffering media from shells into the action and things start performing poorly a few hundred rounds into a session. How the shotgun is held and your stance will absolutely influence the actions performance. I fire rounds with my shoulder off the stock intentionally limp wristing it to simulate poor shouldering to see how a load or modifications perform. So if you have an action that is tuned in to just barely perform when you have a stout perfect shouldering, you might experience issues when taking a shot from a compromised position. Or two hundred rounds in. Or after several days outdoors with dust exposure. Temperature variability could make whatever lubricant you’re using perform sluggishly in the cold and move you outside of that performance window. When we set up AR platform rifles with adjustable gas systems, we find what is the minimum setting for cycling the action, then adding a degree of safety by opening the port more to contend with these variables and environmental issues.

I know you were having issues manipulating it since you were filming at the same time, but with the action of the Benelli, you want to slap it around like it owes you money. Kind of like how you should never ride the slide closed on a handgun softly. Pull all the way to the rear, and release the bolt. The breech latch can hang on the bolt if you gingerly ride the bolt forward.

There are definitely quality control issues out there. Some work fine, others have obvious problems. I broke my brand new M4 in 2004 right out of the box within 40 rounds. So issues have been around forever. Maybe there are more lately with the rush to get so many out to meet market demand.

You should be alright. Sometimes fitting is needed on the hammer to gain clearance for the disconnector, but this is pretty rare. Even if so, that modification is pretty easy to do.

I’d lube it heavily and try a different brand of ammo to see how it performs. Preferably some heavy buckshot and slugs. While at the house, I’d cycle the action a thousand times or so with lube to try to get everything broken in. I can tell from the bolt carrier that it is still brand new. Not much of the phosphate has worn down on the rails. Phosphate doesn’t slide real smooth compared to a burnished rail. I’m not sure of your skill level and size, but if you aren’t bracing properly and allowing the shotgun to push you around during recoil, you’re robbing the action of inertia. If you aren’t skilled in this, maybe have a shooter who is try it out to see if the problems persist. If you try all of these things and it is still failing, then I’d suggest sending it to Benelli. What kind of oil are you using?

Do you normally have a lot more lubricant on it? I find the Benelli’s action likes to run wet. I doubt the marks on the bolt head are causing your issues. I think you’d feel the action hanging up when cycling it by hand.

Glad it helped!