wdritchey

I have one of the updated M4 LE and I don't mean to sound like a total wimp, but dang this thing gets pretty heavy after awhile. I'm not sure if it's the multi rail or the fact I also have a light on it. There's of course the dual gas pistons and all that weight is biased up front since I have the telescoping stock. Recently I saw one of these with a 14" barrel and it got me thinking... the tax stamp drops to $0, why not buy a second barrel and a 5rd mag tube to convert it? The range of buckshot is already a bit limited - how much range am I giving up with slugs? Changes to felt recoil or how loud it is? I see those Genesis shotguns now with I believe 5" barrels, so in comparison, 14" doesn't seem bad. And if I ever wanted, I can swap it back. I realize how over priced Benelli barrels are and it almost makes sense just to buy a second shotgun in 14". Another thought is changing the factory 7rd mag tube with a titanium one to save some weight - I think half a pound is the difference. Almost contradicting that, I could add some sort of a vertical grip to change my leverage on the gun - I had a SCAR17 for a while and it felt a lot more maneuverable with a vertical grip. It doesn't help that my last tactical shotgun was a 1301 which weighs all of 6-7lbs... and I also have a M1 Super 90 which is also super light. I love the M4 though and don't plan on moving away from the system. Worst case I would just deal with it.

Yes! I learned it's totally normal and doesn't effect function at all. It seemed odd, but rest assured the shotgun is very well built. No regrets parting with my 1301 for this.

My friend put one on his MAC clone and likes it. I was avoiding it solely because I don’t like how much work it takes to take it off for cleaning and put back on. The factory rail just slides off, because it’s wedged on and tightened when you tighten the magazine tube nut.

I love this! Great write up too. To my understanding the multirail and this older rail are easily hot swapped too. I really love the near stock looking Surefire rails too, but holy cow they’re expensive.

Yeah, the Agency rail looks even more complex than the MI rail after watching some videos on them. I think I’m going to stick to the Benelli multirail until I see anything better come out.

It’s a pet peeve I feel a tactical shotgun should absolutely have a light. I was lucky to find a M4 Gen 2 with the new proprietary rail among other features. However, Benelli makes no accessories so you must add picatinny sections provided to mount to it. It’s well made, but heavy and just inconvenient. I personally like the feel of the plastic hand guards more. In any case, I have heard complaints about literally every rail out there except the Surefire which is a little lighter than this rail, but discontinued. I do care about tool-less field stripping of the shotgun and the rail should fit correctly. These guns have been around over 20 years, surely there are some quality options out there? Photo of my shotgun as it sits… RMR and scallerworks mount on the way.

I just realized the video attached as a download link. I know how sketchy that looks. I've uploaded it to my google drive so you can view without actually downloading it. https://drive.google.com/file/d/13tQ4-8M0N3zwzLcFyscnxFDf7AezMd_2/view?usp=sharing

Hey all, new to this forum. I recently made the decision to sell my Beretta 1301 Tactical and purchase a Benelli M4! I saw a shot show video from 2023 talking about the M4 Gen 2 multi rail. Oddly enough, I don't even see this model on Benelli's own website. It was difficult to source one, but once I did, I jumped on it and it just came in yesterday! As you all know, these come field stripped, so I was looking at the manual to see where to put oil and such. The charging handle was already in the bolt, so it obviously has to be taken out to install the bolt. On the 1301, it just pulls out. In the Benelli manual, it says to turn while pulling. Well, mine won't come out. I've heard it's normal for the oversized charging handles on these new ones to spin. I feel like mine spins rather freely. I'm not sure if that's an issue. But for whatever reason, I cannot pull it out. I feel like an idiot. I bet it's something incredibly simple. What are the odds that something on a gun like this went out the door with an issue? Probably none. Yet, I cannot figure it out. I've attached a video with my trying to demonstrate what I'm talking about with one hand holding my phone, but you get the idea. I hope it's something simple. Maybe I took a risk by buying this version when there's so little information about them out there, but it has all the features I wanted from the factory. IMG_2773.MOV