CAUS

Not sure, but Benelli officially says no slugs for Modified choke. So far, I haven't heard problems from others. Personally, I switch to Cylinder choke when I shoot slugs, just for the peace of mind.

M1014 comes with fixed Modified choke. Per Benelli's official statement, it shouldn't be used for slugs..... even though many people do shoot slugs with it.

Did you change the OEM Modified choke to Improved Cylinder or Cylinder choke? Benelli says Modified choke shouldn't be used for slugs, even though many people think it's ok. Perhaps the specific slugs used are super sensitive to the choke.

Just fill out your email for the notification there. That's how I got Botach's email and ordered one right away.

Mesa changed the Truckee forend design recently. The one-piece receiver-end cap was changed to two pieces. Quoted from Mesa's email: "The new end caps were adjusted to provide a tighter lockup and to be much easier to install." So, you might want to get one from Mesa directly or wait a little bit for the new inventory to reach online stores.

The supervisor of my local post office found a scanned image of the second package. There is no address on it, but only the tracking bar code! Still not sure about the first and third packages. Well, Mesa's sales finally replied and will send me the forth package via UPS. Maybe Mesa's people saw my post here and took actions. If so, thanks!!

I asked. But Mesa isn't replying to me after the third USPS package got stuck. They probably think I am a trouble maker!

Not sure if it's appropriate to ask here, but I will ask anyway. I was trying to get some parts from Mesa Tactical. For some unknown reasons, the package (via USPS) was suspended, returned to the sender, and then stuck in Mesa's Reno post office. Mesa sent me another package. The second package was suspended, returned to the sender, and stuck in Reno post office again. Mesa sent it one more time. The third package was suspended and stuck in my local office. All three packages are being held in the USPS and are not delivered to me or back to Mesa. The supervisor in my local office wasn't sure what's wrong, but guessed that the credit card in Mesa's USPS account expired and nobody renewed it. Now, I got stuck since Mesa's salesperson and his manager don't reply to me any more. Does anyone here have contact info of the Mesa owner or top management? Did anyone get the same problem recently? Thanks!!

Hmm, I should buy another M4.... Thanks!!

I just got an email from Botach. The Benelli M4 7-round tube (70052) is back in stock for only $70! I am not sure how Botach can cut down the prices, but was happy with my prior purchases. (I am not affiliated with Botach.) https://botach.com/benelli-70052-m4-full-length-7rd-magazine-tubes/

How do you like the pattern on your M-Lok covers? Compared to other patterns? Thanks!!

I just emailed and heard back from Mesa . Mesa will send me the new improved end cap for free!

I didn't mean using duct tape on the outside. I meant adding a tiny stripe of duct tape as a plastic washer between the rear-end cap and the receiver. You can't see it from the outside.

Wow, Mesa did change the rear-end cap to two pieces! I made the suggestion in my review on the 11" Truckee. It was harder to install with the one-piece rear-end cap. As for the wobbling, I added a tiny stripe of duct tape (2~3 layers) on the bottom of the read-end cap. It worked great.

My two cents on the weight: (1) keep it simple, (2) do more push-ups!!

BTW, great price for Mesa Truckee on Botach (https://botach.com/mesa-truckee-benelli-m4-forends/). I saw it after I bought from Mesa directly at the full price.

It allows me to put my left hand further in the front. It helps the balance. However, I'd say it's more for the "cool factor". I am thinking to change back to the stock forend but add stippling to it.

I have the Mesa Tactical Truckee 11" too. I like it. But it is a little bit tricky to install it. I followed a reviewer on the Mesa website to boil the plastic part in hot water for 5min first. Then, it's much easier to install.

Thanks! It looks great.

I am thinking to switch my M4 back to the stock forend. But I want to add stippling. Can I do the stippling myself with electric welding? Any advice on doing so? Or it's not worth the effort? Thanks!

My two cents is to not modify anything in a new gun. Run a few hundred rounds first to make sure it runs smoothly. Then, change one thing at a time, unless it has nothing to do with the shooting part.

How does the 3rd-party trigger guard pin cause the problem? Wrong size? Thanks!

Yes, M3 design is closer to a long-stroke piston design, even though it uses inertia (or manual) to cycle. The bolt carrier group has the bolt and a big long "carrier" to accommodate the big spring in the front. It's much more weight to move in cycling. It causes more wobbles. Beretta 1301 is a long-stroke piston design. Examples are AK-47, Sig 556, PWS MK-series, etc. Benelli M4 is a short-stroke piston design. Examples are SIG MCX, SCAR, LWRC, etc. Long-stroke and short-stroke have different design philosophy and tradeoffs. But, in general, long-stroke piston designs have larger and heavier bolt carrier groups, which tend to cause more wobbles and reduce accuracy. I was so curious why Beretta 1301 long-stroke design could be "better" than M4's simple design as people claimed. Well, it's not. I went through the whole nine yards to confirm my thought. But, anyhow, I don't regret getting 1301 at all. It's still a great shotgun. Just not "military" level. Back to M3 vs M4. I read the recent article in American Rifleman saying that USMC should adopt M3 instead of M4. Well, I am not sure if the author really got the fundamental differences of the two designs. Using inertia to cycle a heavier bolt carrier group wouldn't be the most robust solution for combat. M3 is a great tradeoff if one switches between lethal and non-lethal rounds, and is a perfect shotgun for civilizes. For marines who don't care for non-lethal rounds, M4 is more appropriate. P.S. I am not against long-stroke piston designs. I got Sig 556 and PWS.

I got 1301 for the same reason. I didn't want to miss out what some people kept saying is better than M4. It is much easier to load 1301 for sure, let alone double load and quad load. I can hardly imagine people speed-loading M4 in competitions! As for loading M4, I learned to keep my thumb fully bent and rigid, and use the forearm strength to load, instead of the thumb strength. I am not sure if I can still do so when I get order and have arthritis someday.

I got a chance to shoot many rounds with my new Enhanced Beretta 1301 Tactical along with my Benelli M4. To make a fair comparison, I used Urbino pistol grip stocks (with limbsavers) for both shotguns. 10 rounds of same types of shells, switch to another shotgun, and repeat. From hot shells to low-recoil shells. It really made me wondering who said Beretta 1301 is smoother than M4. I found that M4 has softer recoil, better accuracy, better stability, and more fun to shoot! The differences were quite obvious. I still like my 1301 a lot. But, it's not "M4 contender" as some people kept saying online. And, it doesn't eat all rounds as people claimed either. Maybe my new 1301 hasn't been "broken in" yet. But It didn't eject or feed some of the low recoil rounds. (That's what we should expect on any semi-auto shotgun anyway.) Being lighter isn't totally an advantage either. It kicks more, making it less smooth for quick following shots. So, IMHO (if it's worth anything), 1301 is a great shotgun for HD with an excellent value, but it is still not at the same level with M4. M4 is definitely superior, if we ignore the price difference.