Birdog19

Am now realizing just how important a sling is on any long gun. I did some searching on prior posts and thanks to members like Evolution, Seve Rose, Mickey d, GlenM and others I am off the races. The purpose of this post is to solicit any further suggestions for slinging my M4 with conventional and pistol grip stocks (no collapsible stocks here in Cali). I'm ordering a padded Blue Force Gear sling with sewn-in QD hardware on the front and back ends of the sling. That will take care of the front attach point using the IWC light mount. I plan to attach the sling to the right side of the stock per recommendations as a right handed shooter. I'd like to use the Noveski QD plate adapter as it appears to be the cleanest solution, but searches on their site for the part number and "Benelli" in-general come up blank. I called them, but they are not taking calls or allowing access to VM. I sent them an inquiring email and referenced posts on this site from last Spring. We'll see. As an alternative solution, I'm going to order the hollow stock QD base from Grovtech. I plan to mount it in the recessed portion of the stock just forward of where the existing OEM sling plate resides. Any thoughts on this? Seems like it maybe too far forward on the stock when comparing it to the QD location on the collapsible stock. Thanks in advance, Birdog

Sorry for the spam to those that have seen this doc before. Morris - Your results may vary but the spreadsheet reflect weights and thus decision points for me adding/changing and taking away of accessories. M4 Accessory Weights (4).xlsx

I give Unlimited Arms a thumbs-up as well. Ordered a few items 1.5 months ago when no one else had items in-stock. Best price I could find on in-stock items and good shipping. Also ordered the charging handle from BOTACH and they defied their poor reputation with good price and fast shipping (I was surprised)!

Below items are my soft rankings based on my experience of the benefits and cost (low to high): 1. GG&G Bolt release (currently out of stock). 2. TTI Shell Lift/Carrier. 3. Scalarworks SYNCH Mount -- Replaces your pic rail (saves a little weight) and co-witness your RMR and ghost ring sight. 4. Oversized Safety. 5. LimbSaver Butt Pad -- Honestly I didn't feel the same reduction in recoil that others have, but I've been told I have no feelings!. 6. Open Up the Loading Port -- Briley does this and so does Stranger Danger. 7. NP3 Coating on all the internal parts. 8. Spare Parts Kit -- FFT has these in-stock. They aren't cheap ($176) and can include things that you may already have seconds of (trigger springs) and items you may not need but it's worth considering. There is also a discussion on here that talked about commonly needed (carried) spares -- worth taking a look. A better idea might be to build your Oops Bag-O-Spares by ordering individual parts from Numrich. Again, not cheap! Once GG&G gets their modified bolt releases back in stock I'm going to get another as as spare. Just some thoughts!

Great range report! Has anyone taken a shotgun course at Front Site? I've completed their 4-day defensive handgun class and it was good training. I've posted the attached before and hopefully it is helpful for those seeking weight reduction as this thread mentions. The "Reduction/Addition" columns reflect what I have changed out since I first added all the accessories to the gun. Such as, getting rid of the Mesa side saddle for a Vang Comp and replacing the Nordic 7 round mag tube with a CC tube. Weights of other components like handguards really helped me decide to stay with the OEM foregrips; besides I like the way they grip. M4 Accessory Weights (4).xlsx

Nice pictorial - tutorial!

Thought I'd throw more fuel on an ongoing topic....Came across this Streamlight TLR2 RM light on a Botach ad/email. It resembles an Inforce light but is brighter and also comes with the option to include a tape switch as well (velcro or pic mount). The rear mounted switch seems more ergonomic like an Inforce and would be gentler on Stranger's delicate thumb! The tape switch has a 90 deg plug which appears to make it a cleaner assembly. Having both switches also allows for activation when firing either left or right handed. Pretty good prices from Botach. https://botach.com/streamlight-tlr-rm2-rail-mounted-gun-light/ https://www.streamlight.com/en/products/detail/index/tlr-rm2 Thoughts?!

Agree with Tycoon on the low end of the affordable spares package! Along with those 2 items I carry spare pins and the trigger guard pin spring (018J) as Benelli calls it; otherwise referred to as the trigger pin bushing retaining spring clamp. Not a bad idea to package up all your small OEM parts and carry them as spares as well.

I watched the video as well. It would appear that once the handguard is assembled to the mounting blocks, that it would remain a single piece and could be easily removed when disassembling the gun. BUT, the video does not show or state that. Also, all 8 MLOK slots at the 3 and 9 o'clock position are unusable due to the gas pistons -- that limits options for lights and switches.

Hmmmm. Any pictures of Bridgette?!

Depending on the choke wrench used, it can rub or grind the muzzle with flush chokes like what is in the first picture. Other than that, I'd go along with Truckcop.

Oh crap Stranger...I was busy typing while you were already posting!! ? Guys, listen to what SD says!!

https://forums.benelliusa.com/topic/22840-surefire-m300-vs-m600df-light-for-m4/ https://forums.benelliusa.com/topic/22905-laser-sight-for-benelli-m4/ Gents - Some recent links here for some background. The Scouts will mount directly to the IWC light mount without using the pic rail if that's the way you want to go. Or, you can order the pic rail from IWC and go that way for a more easier removal -- not exactly a QD release lever, but faster. The pic rail option also allows you to mount the light a little higher or lower (1/4"?) depending on how you mount the pic rail to the IWC light mount. The mounting holes for the pic rail are not drilled dead center so you can mount it upside down to change the position slightly. If looking for a laser/light combo, I wouldn't rule out Streamlight (TLR-2 HL R or G (laser)) as they are pretty capable and appear to be cheaper than Surefire. You'll have to use the pic rail on the IWC mount to make these work Laser/Light combos work. Think about light/laser activation options as the toggle switch on the L/L combos can be hard to keep your thumb on while firing. At least that's my experience with the TLR-2 on my Springfield 4 mm pistol. https://arisakadefense.com/ Here is a site for checking out mounting and switch options...just one of many. The links above contain other site links that will keep you searching and shopping. BAd news is much is out of stock right now.

As I mentioned on my post above, I just used the velcro loop portion with adhesive on the receiver and called it good to go -- like you suggested here. I have not removed the portion from the receiver but from older posts on this topic, I doubt there would be a problem. Good news is, the velcro on the receiver hasn't shown any signs of peeling off.

Has anyone tried these sights? https://dsgarms.com/iron-sights-bnl60795

https://www.brownells.com/shooting-accessories/speedloaders-accessories/shotgun-shell-holders/detachable-side-ammo-carrier-prod31882.aspx Clacker - Brownells shows the VCS shell carrier In-Stock at $21.99.

You bet!! Always fun geeking on the gun if you can't be shooting it!

Gents - I had a Mesa Tactical rail/side saddle combo installed for a while but found the shells would fall out upon discharge if I had them installed upside down which is my preferred way of carrying extra rounds. It's also pretty heavy. I got rid of it and went with the very simplistic method in the below link. Vang Comp uses a plate with velcro attached that is mounted to the receiver. The shell carrier is then installed on the plate with velcro. The plate is only available for Rem and Moss shotguns, so like others, I just bought the shell carrier (from Brownells) and used adhesive backed velcro to install the loop portion on the receiver. You'll need to cut a small hole in the velcro to accommodate the trigger housing pin. I don't have as much experience running and gunning with this system as others on this forum but they seem to like as the shell retention is really good. https://www.vangcomp.com/product/vcs-detachable-side-ammunition-carrier/

Clacker - Nice work! Overcoming the fear of trimming the spring is the first obstacle! I forgot to recommend using the unaltered/finished end of the spring to push he follower. It does help to keep the follower straight with equal pressure as opposed to skewing as you mentioned. It also prevents the altered end of the spring from scratching the inside of the tube when removing the spring.

Clacker - Don't change your ammo, trim your spring! Here is what Nordic Components says when installing their extended mag tubes. This step is after the new tube is installed, the follower and spring are installed with the excess spring hanging out of the end of the uncapped mag tube: At this time the spring will need to be trimmed. On semi-automatic shotguns especially, the magazine spring length can be critical for proper function (duh...). We recommend that approximately 16" extends past the end of the magazine tube extension as a starting point. We do not recommend trimming shorter than 12". Trim the spring off at this point (16" starting point), and turn the open end in and down so as not to bind with the magazine cap. When I had the Nordic Comp 10 round and 12 round tubes installed this is the process I followed and it worked just fine. I used a pair of needle nose pliers to bend the bitter end of the spring inward and downward. Tell you the truth, I'm not sure which spring I'm using now, I believe it's the OEM 7-round spring. As you can see it only extends 9" from the end of the tube...maybe it's been compressed over the years -- not that I want to start a physics discussion on the properties of spring compressibility... . Bottom line, I've never had a failure of the last round to drop onto the lifter and load, and I've done a lot of shooting with only 1 or 2 shells in the tube.

http://tooltechgunsight.com/product-category/gunsights/benelli/ Shows front blade sight only. Probably have to call to ensure the ghost ring is included. Maybe SD knows for sure.

Snidely - DFWSFO makes 2 great points. The first being the diff between the RMR and SRO. The second might not be as obvious. If you have a collapsible stock, the eyeball to sights look angle changes as you shorten the stock and thus the length of pull; all due to the fact that the recoil tube is angled down unlike an AR platform recoil tube that is parallel to the barrell. I only repeat this on behalf of DFWSFO because he makes a great point that shouldn't be lost on you. Others on this site use the RMR and Sync combo with collapsible stocks so you make get more opinions here. I sue that combo on my M4 but a I run with a fixed stock.

I'm a little adverse to selling my OEM parts because I consider them spares for the chance I may need 'em. It is a good way to recoup some funds as you upgrade your M4, but OEM 7 round tubes seem pretty plentiful on GB and ebay. I guess it can't hurt to post it and see if you get any bites.

Mikey D - I have the speed bar from Dave's Metal Works. I actually bought it from Redneck Tactical which still cracks me up today. It's a "precision" bent piece of metal that is redneck genius. Kind'a like your wife using your trolling motor to dice-up a bucket full of crawdads to make gumbo! It works.... . The biggest draaawback is it is held in place by the right forearm piece and will fall free when you begin to disassemble the gun. In other words, it's easy to lose. I tried to lose it many times but the metal clang when it fell on the floor alerted me to go looking for it. Having said that, it worked and served me very well for years before recently swapping it out for a GG&G assembly with oversized bolt release pad/button. I did that after my OEM shellstop/bolt release broke. It works.

Attached excel spreadsheet reflect the weights I've compiled for accessories that I have installed, had installed and have been contemplating. The reduction column shows items I've added or swapped out on my M4. The biggest weight gain is the addition of a Scout light and the biggest savings was replacing the Mesa side saddle shell holder w/ a velcro Vang Comp system and swapping out the Nordic 7 round tube with a CC tube. Your actual weight savings may vary! Hope this helps! M4 Accessory Weights.xlsx