Don Randall

SBR: Springfield Armory SAINT, 300AAC, 9" Barrel, Overall Length 27.75in, Add Surefire SOCOM SOCOM762-MINI2 Overall Length = 31.75". I have been studying the addition of Brownell's' AR-15 CTR STOCK COLLAPSIBLE MIL-SPEC W/ FOLDING STOCK ADAPTER which would shorten everything by 6.2"; but when comes time to fire will have to swing the stock out. Adding suppressors always is a trade-off for how short the system will be configured. As expected, the ATF lied about SBR approval times; they claim 30-days, the average time is now 100 days. For suppressor approval averages 235 days with ATF claiming 90 days. However, they will cash your $200 tax fee within 5 business days!

In home defense scenarios, I prefer a 300AAC Blackout SBR with a short suppressor. 300AAC is an excellent round at 25yards or less. SBR is easy to manipulate around corners, doors and hallways. The suppressor protects your hearing not only for medical reasons but being able to keep your hearing situational awareness if the fight continues after the first engagement. If I would be required to exit my home and handle a hostile situation outside, I would grab my Benelli M4.

I would also be interested in knowing if there are issues with the main hex-head screw used to connect the stock to the buffer tube/pistol grip assembly. Past after-market stocks have had thread tolerance differences and a tendency to come loose after 100 rounds or so of firings.

I have the Strike Industries Benelli M4 Hayl Rail MLOK Handguard (Weight 6.6 oz) installed, but only have fired about 300 rounds with this handguard; I have not seen any issues. Visual inspections showed no plate misalignment or piston impact. But I will be inspecting more thoroughly and frequently in the future. I avoid cheap ammo and only purchase well-known reliable ammo (training, defense, hunting, etc.). I had a few ammo issues before break-in which I decided was 100 rounds of 00 buck shot. After break-in my Benelli M4 seems to eat about anything I feed it. I do all my own gunsmithing taking care and caution when installing stuff including watching a bunch of YouTube videos before commencing work to obtain lessons learned from other folks. In regard to the 922r discussion - Totally agree that 922r Federal Laws do nothing to improve the M4; it all about lobbying. In fact, the gunsmithing done to make it 922r compliant increases malfunction probability, warranty compliance with Benelli, and even potential safety issues.

Me too ! I was three days from dropping the link.

I assume you are referring to Strike Industries Benelli M4 Hayl Rail MLOK Handguard. See video: Strike Industries HAYL Rail Installation Guide - Bing video

Sometimes a video can lead to success, where words or a picture fail. YouTube instructional videos are a 21st century marvel! 😀

Is this what you are experiencing:

1. Check magazine fore-end cap is tight; magazine cap detent engaged. Inspect cartridge drop lever looking for dings or bent. 2. Fully load magazine with "dummy" rounds and manually cycle, as fast as you can, the action until magazine is empty. Did the bolt lock-back inappropriately? 3. When the untimely bolt lock-back occurs, instead of hitting pushing bolt release of cycling charging handle, strike/bounce the butt of the M4 on the ground. SAFETY - Keep muzzle oriented in safe direction. Does the bolt close for the next shot? Agree with 'Evolution's' initial assessment of a weak magazine spring.

I don't see anything from your pictures that look abnormal. The component wear interfaces indicate a relative low firing rate. In regard to the FFT trigger assembly replacement for 922r compliance, I must complement you on the endeavor. The most complex part of any Benelli shotgun is the trigger assembly. I watched a FFT 922r trigger upgrade below. If you still are having the same issue after your next range event, I would reinstall the Benelli M4 OEM trigger components and retry. If still having issue, it is time to see the gunsmith.

How many rounds have you fired with this M4? Regarding the rounds that "fired", does the primer look like a normal firing pin strike? If the strike looks normal, then your problem most likely is with the bolt assembly. Remove bolt assembly, dismantle, clean and lubricate per the M4 operator's manual. Pay close attention to how the firing pin, firing pin spring, firing pin retainer pin, and bolt cam pin are assembled. Keep in mind that the firing pin assembly is an inertia system that also functions as a passive safety mechanism (i.e., drop safety). Look for any obvious firing pin assembly issues (e.g., bent spring) and does it all reassemble without forcing any component in place (i.e., an alignment issue). Look closely at the cam pin grove for an excessive wear or impediments to movement (i.e., smooth operation). This is important because the axial movement of the bolt and the cam pin controls bolt head rotation of approximately 20 degrees to lock/unlock the bolt with the barrel. There is a designed gap between the bolt carrier and the bolt head serving as a passive safety mechanism; if that bolt head is not fully locked with the barrel the firing pin head may fall short of hitting the shell primer. The cam pin just floats back and forth during the cycling; that is, the action recoil spring powers the bolt closure and the ARGO pistons power the bolt to open. You stated "the second shot always fails"; so that would point to a possible action recoil issue. Inspect the bolt carrier link bar and link pin for any abnormalities (binding, wear, etc.). After reassembly and inspections are all good, then perform function checks per M4 manual, manually cycle and dry fire several times and listen for consistent movement of components, and then load "dummy rounds" and repeat. Then go to the range and try again. During your inspections, if you found something that looks odd, take a picture and post. Of course, if it looks odd, your best bet is to take it to a gunsmith.

Agree with George Washington. Educating the people on the meaning, how and why the U.S. Constitution was designed (i.e., science of government) is paramount to assuring the US Constitution's first principles are not "rethought" by future generations. My concern is about today's education of our children on the meaning, how and why the U.S. Constitution exists. George Washington was also a man of faith and took his guiding principles from the Bible. The Declaration of Independence was the first principle for the construction of the U.S. Constitution and the framework for the Bill of Rights. Our founders humbly understood God’s Covenant with His People in preparing this nation for success – consenting the use of Biblical Guiding Principles to the self-governed. This sentence codifies our Founders’ stated Absolute Truth (i.e., The Country’s First Principle “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. -[God]- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,” -[Country]- America awakened in 1776 and created a new governmental foundation built on and for God and Country.

What you are experiencing is the situation referred to as Hoplophobia. Hoplophobia is the irrational fear of firearms. Someone or groups of people [collective group think] experiencing this mental disorder may endure very intense bouts of anxiety as a result of their fear. Their fear of guns may influence their opinions on society, as well. For instance, people or groups with this condition may blame guns as being the reason for why people commit murders and other atrocities, as opposed to blaming the psychological health of the individual. Unfortunately, Hoplophobia is being administered to our kids primarily in public schools. By the time a child leaves public school they have been indoctrinated toward a psychosocial mental state of "guns are evil and people that own guns are evil". The United States Army has reported that 50% of new recruits have never held a gun in their lives. Around 10% of recruits at Boot Camp go through hoplophobia-like counseling sessions to overcome any fears. Karl Marx was a fan of public education.

Does the SRO co-witness with the Iron Sights?

Part of the "what if" exercise is a weapon's weight and length when looking at SHTF scenarios: "What if" my truck was the primary transportation for exodus if the SHTF, which weapon to carry and what weight/length? "What if" I had to backpack out of the area, which weapon to carry and what weight/length? "What if" I decided to 'bunker-in" in my house, which weapon to carry all the time and what weight/length? "What if" my neighborhood decided to form a Mutual Assurance Group, which weapon to carry and what weight/length AND which weapon to give to a neighbor? "What if" via the SHTF I had to hunt for food, which weapon to carry and what weight/length? "What if" given the many SHTF scenarios, which weapon caliber is best for the situation and how many rounds do I carry? Yes, a great deal to think about, I and applaud you for considering the "what if" scenarios. si vis pacem, para bellum !