OhioM4

I think I have the same ones you do. The major difference was plastic vs. aluminum. I opted for the more expensive aluminum ones as I thought the extractor would eventually rip up the rim on the plastic ones. I've been happy with them so far. The other difference is how they absorb the shock of the firing pin. I saw some with spring mechanisms. I thought those were needlessly complicated and opted for the aluminum Zoom Caps with the Urethane looking primer bumper. As long as the firing pin has something to strike that absorbs the shock I think it will fulfill its purpose. A-Zoom's are also made in USA

He did the same thing last year when I ordered mine. The credit card authorization expires after 30 days. Kip cancels the original order and has you resubmit payment data prior to shipment. The cancellations do not effect your place in line. The tube does arrive "eventually" and in my mind it was worth the wait. I will order his other products when he announces them...and patiently wait for those as well. Good things come to those who wait.

If your arms are too short to reach the trigger with a full length stock...I'd think you'd appreciate the reduced recoil.

HEY KID! GET OUT OF SKEETER'S NEW FLASHLIGHT! (He might turn it on).

Pssst! Buddy...apart from the guys with fried retinas that you pointed this thing at, I'm thinking pretty much everybody can trace your location...up to and including astronauts on the International Space Station! Better invest in a good IR filter... or just use it during daylight hours.

Don't forget the muzzle brake!!

Actual quote from Ebay auction: *** Remark : Please using 1x 18650 3.7V battery only, Don't using 2x 3V CR123A battery, Otherwise the light will be burn out !

Here is a retina burning 4100 lumen flashlight that you can use to set the bad guys on fire with! http://www.wickedlasers.com/lasers/The_Torch-74-41.html Why illuminate when you can incinerate!

I can see your point. However, I think our need for intermittent use and storage also demands high quality equipment. I would be concerned about grabbing some budget item out of the closet in an emergency, after several weeks of storage, and expecting everything to work. The Chinoise batteries may be more prone to leakage, etc. The Achilles heel of your Chink flashlight is probably extended run time. If you need to leave it on for an extended period, any design deficiencies in heat dissipation may cook it. Remember Clint Smith's advice; "One Flashlight is None and Two is One!" Keep a spare handy of a different design and possibly a different manufacturer.

OOOH! A naked bolt! Is the last photo supposed to show the engraved beauties taking "all three inches!" I still say you need to attach the barrel to the rest of the gun before loading it. Although it did in fact "touch" a shell this time around. M1014, I'm still wondering about a few things: 1) How many limited editions do you have? 2) How do you manage to score the #1's, do you camp out at Benelli HQ in Italy?

If they are M1014's Limited Edition Benellis it certainly won't be "Bowm chicka BOOM BOOM!":p

I was all excited when I found a Surefire E1B Led on clearance for 50% off. I bought it about a week ago and already have to send it in for warranty repair. It won't stay on high beam. That said, i'm not sure if I'm sold on Chinoise tech for tactical equipment. Even the little E1B LED has warnings about it getting very hot. I would be afraid of something pumping out a claimed 900 lumens not being able to dissipate the heat. I don't know if I beleive the claim of 900 Lumens. Has anyone checked the CandlePower forums to see what they say? Skeeter, you mentioned you had bought Surefire in the past, can you post a side by side comparison of the two lights? It's not scientific but your Chinky light should put the Surefire to shame if you blast them both against a blank wall.

I can picture M1014 making videos of his engraved, limited edition Benelli's. Stripper music, slow dissolves, soft lighting, taking them to the brink of actually being shot, and then teasingly putting them back in their individual, soft, velvet lined cases. Gun Porn

Let's try to get the thread back on track for Panabax. Given the recent debate over what constitutes "Made in USA" and how easy it is to knock off a fake. I think that anyone truly interested in a real USA part would want some easily identifiable differences between your piston and a stock Benelli one. You may want to leave at least one of the minor diameters a fraction larger than stock, or make some minor changes to the radii. I would lean towards leaving more material on the piston if possible as that would preclude any challenges of simply modifying a stock one (you could have easily removed metal from a stock piston but it would be much harder to add metal). A beefier design would also help any concerns of the stresses the piston would suffer from in action. The big concern will be weight. I would imagine small changes in weight on the moving parts could (speculating here) have a dramatic effect on performance. I look forward to your testing and should you figure out how to produce them at a reasonable price you can put me down for two.

The irony was not lost. I apologized once I realized I let the Genie out of the lamp: I still think its false security. Until we can get a credible legal opinion, I don't believe any of it. The ATF obviously does not want certain configurations of guns imported or assembled. They clearly defined what "Non-Sporting" means. What part of the concept don't you understand? Wishful thinking about imagined loopholes counts for nothing. If you are worried about compliance, don't modify your imported Benelli.

I'm creating a new political party. I plan on calling it "The Donner Party". We will serve cold cuts and snow cones at all our rallies!

Wow! Looks like someone else visited "Things Remembered" at the Mall this week.

Congratulations! We have a winner! Boy...you can always tell American quality when you see it. Now the only thing you have to worry about is exporting them from the country;)

Next trip to the gun show I'm planning to pick up some stuff via "private sale". I'm liking the paperwork less and less. A few cheap guns that I'm not the buyer of record for is far more valuable than a gas piston stamped USA! This is the "Burden of Proof" defense. They say Made in USA! Where did those pesky things come from? Regarding the metallurgy testing, I doubt that any trial lawyer would tolerate destructive testing of evidence. If they so much as take filings from it, move for a mistrial. For a more convincing argument than the "Burden of Proof" you are adding the "Substantive Transformation" argument. Anything that makes the pistons look different from a stock piston will be helpful (reasonable doubt). I was thinking of coating or plating the minor diameters with some material, Teflon maybe. Make sure you leave all wearing surfaces stock. Made in USA can be applied to some items provided the last substantive transformation of the object occurred in the USA. What constitutes a substantive transformation could be argued until doomsday. My profuse apologies to Panabax! I did not mean to diminish your achievement in any way and was actually contemplating doing the same thing. The prototypes look really good and I wish you the best of luck on your endeavor. With a list price of $100+ for a single piston at Brownells' you should be able to produce a suitable "Made in USA" option at a profit.I'm sure there is still a market for you. I was just trying to point out some of our folly and preoccupation with 922r compliance.

The whole thing is like a Kafka novel. You can't win, heck you can't even learn the rules. Even the folks with letters from the ATF... ARE NOT SAFE! There is no precedent that the letter will save your butt (or even your gun). The "man" has been inconsistent in answering our inquiries and some of the letters posted were not even signed by a person. They reserve the right to change their mind anytime they feel like it and there is no guarantee you will even get your day in court. If they want you, the part count will suddenly change to 15. As to the "Made in USA" security blanket, there are not any real rules except for textiles, furs, and automobile parts. Our wonderful gubment cannot agree on what "Made in USA" actually means, much less write any coherent laws, regulations, or rules on the subject. I just proved that a part stamped "Made in USA" can be counterfeited for $3! I have to imagine the burden of proof is on you! Can you prove where the steel was originally smelted? What about all the additives and alloys? It's a false security, you're chasing after some vague 922r compliance and stepping into a whole new world of vague FTC "Country of Origin" compliance issues. Why is everyone doing this? My M4 with PG stock will blow just as big a hole in someone as the "Tacticool" version. You are risking a lot for vanity. If you really "need" the "evil" features...and are worried about 922r compliance...buy another gun!

Great work. It doesn't matter how much it costs or how many get sold. Just having the details posted on the Internet is very helpful (to me:cool:) Confidentially, i'm working on my own version. 1) Buy 2 suitable "piston blanks", e.g. Brownell's SKU #:301-000-512 (or use the two that came in your M4) 2) Make substantive changes to the piston blanks: a) Stone off any sharp edges b) Heat treat by alternating between a refrigerator and kitchen counter to to "relax" the metal. c) Demagnetize the blank. d) Polish portions of the shaft. e) File a flat on the blank. f) Go to the Mall g) Stop by "Things Remembered" h) Have them engraved "Made in USA" Note: Steps a-e are optional. Its simpler to say you purchased the items from "some guy" on the Benelli forum. If you use the "piston blank" turnings that came in your M4, your total cost will be $9/piston for the engraving. If you tell them these are gifts for your Grandma, who happens to be named "Ursula Stanford Abrahms", and just get her initials engraved, it's only $3/piston! YOU GUYS WORRY WAY TOO MUCH!

That Horse isn't dead...it's pining for the fjords (and socialized medicine)

I have to say at this time I'm not happy with either party. They are all acting like spoiled brats and not playing nice with each other. Both parties seem to have gravitated to the extremes and I do not feel represented by either one. I sincerely hope the Republicans get their act together and offer some substantial options in both candidates and legislation. I'm really hoping for a fracture and the formation of some new parties. Right now it looks like the extremists may be the first to break away (good riddance). Hopefully, the two main parties can move a little back from the extremes and give me something to get excited about. Notice I said excited...not knee jerk fanatical. The best news comes from The Daily Show and Colbert Report!

Looks like XRail has an actual product now. Their website has on on-line store with products and pricing. Ohio has some cities with hi-cap magazine bans so they will not ship to Ohio. No hi-cap 23 round magazine joy for me. http://www.xrailbyrci.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=&Category_Code=xrail_benelli

I think the perceived threat is multiple assailants or looting as the result of riots. Apparently if you shoot enough people nearby, you can stack their corpses into a wall to hide behind. I'm leaning towards an integrally suppressed 22 at this point because I don't want someone in the mob yelling "Hey that guy over there is shooting people!"