[Just got my M4, it’s not black!]

7 minutes ago, Unobtanium said:

No, it kindof sucks for that. Doors are best done with a pistol grip type gauge like this:

 

Breach the door, roll out of the stack, sling the gauge (no live round in the chamber is one very dominant school of thought here, because shotguns are not drop safe, and when sling, those safeties  often will get toggled on gear, and so forth, so no live round. Pop the lock, do not cycle, roll out of the way, sling the gun, roll back in with the rest of the stack.)

 

The Benelli M4 for obvious reasons is a horrible choice for a dedicated breacher. It's heavy, takes up space, is semi-auto, etc.

 

What the M4 was intended to be, is a "combat shotgun". A close quarters tool for dominance. The issue was that it was a product of the 1990's. During the 90's, Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo were all on the radar. These were not really full blown, but they were "hot spots". They were places US troops deployed as a show of force and to help keep things level. Basically "guard duty". Shotguns look tough. They have a big bore. People know big things come from big barrels. Even a 5 year old can intuit this. Shotguns are excellent at dealing with cars, or taking down very dedicated attackers. This is why the Benelli M4 is most prolifically used by MP's currently. This is also why the US Navy is all about them for ship use. This is why they are used to guard nuclear munitions. Close quarters dominance. So the marines wanted something to replace their pump guns that was more "combat effective". They wanted a beast of a semi-auto. And they got it. And just as soon as they got it, they got sent to a place where you may be shooting someone in the hall one minute, and in the next minute you may be shooting someone at 300m who is popping shots at you from behind a rock or down an alley. The shotgun is not much awesome for this.

 

So the Benelli M4 largely became a support weapon, or a guard/MP weapon. 

 

Of course, the M4 was the USMC combat shotgun so of COURSE it became stoopid popular among civilians. It was featured in games. People bought them. They were super cool. I remember seeing one at the gun store when I was in highschool. Such a beast! Then I got older and could afford one. I bought my first one in 2008, I believe it was. I remember a few things specifically. One, driving out to my Dad's place with college friend and blasting stuff with it. Two, trying to put a red dot and a light on it for killing coyotes. Blasting plates with slugs at range was by far the more effective use.

 

By this time people had done some time in Iraq, and were returning home. People like Kyle Lamb and others were starting to train civilians like myself. It quickly became apparent t hat you needed a light on the gun. An optic was also a HUGE help. The solutions for the Benelli M4 were...lacking, to put it nicely. Basically it became a pure toy, while my 5.56 carbines were my go-to tools for dealing with anything. I sold my Benelli. I then bought another because it was so COOL! Sold it. Then a few things like the AVA mount and Surefire rail and all that became "a thing". Kip made a rail for the gun that wouldn't shred mounts, etc. I tried it again. Jeez it was heavy, but it did kindof work. SO much wasted material setting it up, though. Clunkly. LED lights were kindof "meh" and no real good mount solutions for the violence of a shotgun presented. The Surefire M600C was pretty legit, as were Malkoff drop-ins. Anyway, it just wasn't...cohesive. Ergonomics for all this stuff were horrible. I sold again.

 

FINALLY in the late 20-teens we began getting some kit that REALLY turned the Benelli M4 into something day/night ergonomically and functionally useful. I bought back in in 2017 with an SBS and haven't looked back. The platform has finally matured, and it slowly replaces my 5.56 carbines for most things. Militarily? The carbine is where it's at. We have 20+ years of war with it, and it works under a broad range of circumstances very well. It's been pretty much perfected. That said, my uses are more narrow, as I am not taking it to "war".

 

 

You got a few things wrong there my friend, never heard people complain about the m4 down range , another thing with breaching is that sometimes it took more than 1 round to break in, so a semi auto was just perfect to get in ASAP. The technique is to go bottom up and shoot 3, now, sure, different units did this however they saw fit but I never heard complaints.

[Just got my M4, it’s not black!]

35 minutes ago, cas said:

Mostly for shooting doors, no?

I was in Iraq in 05, it was used for more than just doors.

[Just got my M4, it’s not black!]

So back to the main topic, I guess The blue has forcefully grown on me, already attached the Aridus Industries QD-C so, there is no turning back now. Blue balls for life.

[Just got my M4, it’s not black!]

26 minutes ago, cas said:

Have you fired 10k rounds from yours without cleaning it? lol

I took it apart because I took it apart.

Haha, no I haven’t. 

[Just got my M4, it’s not black!]

43 minutes ago, cas said:

So far I think that's what I like the least? The M4 is a fat dirty pig. lol I couldn't believe how dirty mine was inside in only 75 rounds? (mostly buck and slug)

I finally gave in and bought one this spring to get my own opinion on how much was steak, how much was sizzle. Separate the truth from the fanboy fappery if you will. lmao

I'm sure I'll be chased from the forum with torches and pitchforks, but thus far I'm just not seeing it.  It's a great gun, I guess, but not matching the price or the hype thus far.

But even if it was dirty, doesn’t mean it wouldn’t function for another 10k rounds. Did you open it because it was failing or out of curiosity?

[Just got my M4, it’s not black!]

Just now, StreetSweeper56 said:

Bluing takes decades to patina, I have no idea what it will turn to but I wouldn't call it "fading". Of course this is just my opinion but I would treasure it if I were you, they don't all come out like that. Who knows why but it's something special.

This one is anodized, the receiver is aluminum. 

[Just got my M4, it’s not black!]

1 minute ago, StreetSweeper56 said:

Watch the "blue" Benelli's become collectors items in a few years.

Wouldn’t it fade to gray though?

[Just got my M4, it’s not black!]

3 hours ago, cas said:

  Cerakote polymer-ceramic coating (like really expensive paint lol). CLP is a lubricant.

So I'm confused.  Did you mean DLC? PVD?

Oops, yeah I meant DLC, thank you

[Comparing my 11707 to my M1014]

On 4/19/2019 at 9:32 PM, FLAWLS1 said:

Does anyone here know why the trigger guard on my M1014 is plastic and metal on my 11707?

My receiver is so blue, how are yours so black, did you Cerakote them?

[Just got my M4, it’s not black!]

3 minutes ago, cas said:

There's an ass for every seat. I'd love to have one of my Benelli's that color. lol

Haha, I’m trying to get myself to like it, it’s working.

Benelli replied and gave me the famous whole process and reasoning behind the color drift that happens with Type III, I’m not gonna bother and go through the hassle.
 I’m wondering how the Beretta 1301(same company) manages to get it right yet they mess this one up.

So besides Cerakote, what another options do I have? I’ve heard some people put kiwi or paste wax on the receiver to darken it a bit, even though it’s not permanent, I’d be ok with that.

Also heard of CLP, is that better than Cerakote?

[Just got my M4, it’s not black!]

Thank you for that. Seems like you had real problems with yours. I haven’t even fired mine, scared of what else they skimped on. Good to hear that about customer service, we’ll see how it goes. 

[Just got my M4, it’s not black!]

Just now, ThisShouldDoTheJob said:

Baby blue.

It will fade to a baby blue color.

Not my kind of thing, but hey, at least you'll stand out at the range. 😁

F#%> This already too baby blue for me. Do you mean like lighter than this? I feel like mine might fade into gray. Do you have an example?

[Just got my M4, it’s not black!]

I guess it also highly depends on lighting condition, hard to determine true color but looking at it in daylight isn’t too bad, but I wonder what color it will fade into.

[Just got my M4, it’s not black!]

We’ll see what Benelli says, not really a big deal but I like my gins how I like them. 

[Just got my M4, it’s not black!]

3 minutes ago, Fullassault said:

Type III will require removing the finish you have now and redoing it. Anytime you strip a finish will run the risk of muddying the proof marks and lettering depending on how aggressive the ones doing the work gets doing  the removal if that is a concern. Also check back order logs. You could be without you new m1014 for months. 

That is definitely a concern, I don’t understand why Benelli is allowing this. I mean, look at this guy’s guns

 

[Just got my M4, it’s not black!]

Just got my m1014 (11701CA) and the color is not what I ordered.

Not a huge deal but I expected my gun to look like the one in the image, mine has some kind of bluish gray finish, what are my options? Can I re-anodize at a gunsmith and end up with the result seen in the example image? Would Benelli replace it? If it was dark blue like some of the other ones I’ve seen on the forum, I would love that as much as the black but man, this color sucks. 
It’s hard to see in the image but it looks similar to that one from the YouTuber who went to thunder ranch. Does the color change over time? Mine is brand new.