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M2 chokes and firing pin questions


Palmer421

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Hello. I just bought a new tactical M2 (my first shotgun) and had a few questions.

 

1) My M2 came with I, III, IIII notched chokes. Can someone please define each for a new shotgun owner? Also if I shoot slugs, is there a particular one for that/not for that?

 

2) I took my M2 apart to learn how it works and how it should look before I shoot it and noticed the firing pin needs to be pushed up into the bolt assembly in order to expose itself through the head to strike the shell. Is that normal, or have I assembled something incorrectly? It seems that the pin strikes the shell with it's inertia from the hammer rather a direct impact transfer from the hammer to the pin to the shell.

 

3) Upon further inspection I noticed the bolt head retaining pin doesn't travel all the way to the back of the slot in the bolt as the head slides back and rotates. Is that normal?

 

Sorry for my ignorance and I appreciate any help

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Hello. I just bought a new tactical M2 (my first shotgun) and had a few questions.

 

1) My M2 came with I, III, IIII notched chokes. Can someone please define each for a new shotgun owner? Also if I shoot slugs, is there a particular one for that/not for that?

 

2) I took my M2 apart to learn how it works and how it should look before I shoot it and noticed the firing pin needs to be pushed up into the bolt assembly in order to expose itself through the head to strike the shell. Is that normal, or have I assembled something incorrectly? It seems that the pin strikes the shell with it's inertia from the hammer rather a direct impact transfer from the hammer to the pin to the shell.

 

3) Upon further inspection I noticed the bolt head retaining pin doesn't travel all the way to the back of the slot in the bolt as the head slides back and rotates. Is that normal?

 

Sorry for my ignorance and I appreciate any help

 

 

I have that same weapon, so I'll try to help.

 

1) My M2 came with I, III, IIII notched chokes. Can someone please define each for a new shotgun owner? Also if I shoot slugs, is there a particular one for that/not for that?

 

I'm paraphrasing this from the chart on page 41 of your M2 owners manual.

 

1 notch is a "full" choke. This is the tightest choke and will make for the smallest/tightest patterns. DO NOT use steel shot (or slugs) with this (or the 2 notch choke).

 

2 notches is a "Improved Modified" choke. It's not quite as tight as the Full choke. No steel shot or slugs here either.

 

3 notches is a "Modified" choke. It's opened up a bit more than the Improved Modified and will make larger patterns. You can use steel shot with this (and 4 and 5 notch chokes). I still would not recommend slugs with this choke.

 

4 notches is an "Improved Cylinder" choke. It's opened even more than the Modified. Again, steel shot is ok and I do use slugs with this choke.

 

5 notches is a "Skeet" choke. It's very open and will give you the largest shot spread. Steel shot and slugs are ok with this choke as well.

 

Your M2 didn't come with all of these, and you likely won't need them all. I leave the Improved cylinder in my barrel so I can use slugs at will.

 

2) I took my M2 apart to learn how it works and how it should look before I shoot it and noticed the firing pin needs to be pushed up into the bolt assembly in order to expose itself through the head to strike the shell. Is that normal, or have I assembled something incorrectly? It seems that the pin strikes the shell with it's inertia from the hammer rather a direct impact transfer from the hammer to the pin to the shell.

 

Yes, the firing pin moves by inertia. You have it assembled correctly and you are correct about the design.

 

3) Upon further inspection I noticed the bolt head retaining pin doesn't travel all the way to the back of the slot in the bolt as the head slides back and rotates. Is that normal?

 

The M2 cycles from inertia. Upon firing, the recoil shoves the weapon to the rear and the weight of the bolt resists that motion. There is a spring behind the bolt head in the bolt, that spring is compressed during recoil and that is when the retaining pin will travel farther down that slot. You'll never see it, but it will use some, or even most of that slot during the recoil event (depending on the load in the weapon). It's perfectly normal, but I could see where it could look like a problem.

 

Sorry for my ignorance and I appreciate any help

 

No problem at all. The only dumb question is the one you don't ask that might get you injured. When in doubt, ask. It's never the wrong thing to do when safety is concerned. And, we come here to share knowledge with like minded enthusiasts, so it's no problem at all.

 

Enjoy your new M2, I love mine!!!

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Yes, the firing pin moves by inertia. You have it assembled correctly and you are correct about the design.

 

That right there is the one part that I dont like about the M2, its a very small deal but I do notice that my primer strikes are very light. I'm thinking about modding it so it hits harder but I haven't thought of the ideal way yet.

 

I wouldn't dream of modding it except that I do have misfires every so often where it looks like the pin barely touched the primer let alone put a good dent in it, but put the same shell back in and it goes so its not the end of the world just a slight annoyance.

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That right there is the one part that I dont like about the M2, its a very small deal but I do notice that my primer strikes are very light. I'm thinking about modding it so it hits harder but I haven't thought of the ideal way yet.

 

I wouldn't dream of modding it except that I do have misfires every so often where it looks like the pin barely touched the primer let alone put a good dent in it, but put the same shell back in and it goes so its not the end of the world just a slight annoyance.

 

So far, mine hasn't missed a beat. It's never failed to cycle or go boom. I've only put around 500 rounds through it, but many of those have been in 100-ish round shooting sessions, so it's even been hot and dirty (not 100 rounds straight, but over the course of an afternoon). I can't speak for other owners, but I've not seen any indications of a firing pin issue with my M2 (at least not so far). It might be worth a phone call to Benelli, or maybe someone here knows what's up.

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It might be worth a phone call to Benelli, or maybe someone here knows what's up.

 

I might call them at some point but it happens once every 1000-1500 rounds...so I just don't know if I'm part of the problem for those. I wasnt knocking the M2 I was just saying that the strikes are a little lighter than I like, and well I'm an engineer so I can hardly resist fiddling with things :p.

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The miss-fire was probably due to the bolt NOT being closed all of the way. This is a known issue with Benelli's. You can "bump" the bolt to a slightly open position and the firing pin will not reach the primer correctly. Always check to make sure that the bolt is fully seated especially after carrying the gun for distance in the field.

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The miss-fire was probably due to the bolt NOT being closed all of the way. This is a known issue with Benelli's. You can "bump" the bolt to a slightly open position and the firing pin will not reach the primer correctly. Always check to make sure that the bolt is fully seated especially after carrying the gun for distance in the field.

 

Thanks, that's the kind of information I was looking for. I don't know if it applies to his situation, but it makes sense.

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