eqracing Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 Looking for feedback on what my expectations should be - I have a few shotguns and ARs but not huge gun nut when it comes to SOP for warranty items. This is the first gun I've had to send back for repair. Just got my M4 back from warranty repair. It had a brown spot by the front site from improper cleaning and the flux. They noted in the paperwork that no barrels are available and they chose to blast it and spray it with Alumahyde. Clearly the barrel isn't the original "color" and is now black (which I haven't decided is good or bad) Here are some before and after photos for reference - Before After I'm in the manufacturing business and understand the current market conditions with parts and trying to save components for complete builds. I was a little caught off guard that no one from Benelli contacted me with any options before they chose to go this route. Like I said above, I'm not sure I am against the black, just more surprised that they didn't offer any options to replace with a new barrel when the come back in stock. Would this be considered an acceptable repair? Any concerns with the Alumahyde ? Thanks for the feedback - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rangerluc Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 alumahyde is good stuff, but personally i wouldn't be happy they blasted off the parkerized finish and just spray painted it 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StreetSweeper56 Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 It looks a whole lot better than it did when you sent it in. I wouldn't be thrilled with the glossy finish but it's acceptable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unobtanium Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 This is an M1014 barrel and has a FIXED MOD choke. https://www.gunpartscorp.com/products/1439820 This is a commercial barrel with interchangeable chokes. https://www.gunpartscorp.com/products/982970 If you are truly unhappy, you could simply come out of pocket and buy one of these, or you could ask Benelli to do it for you, or some voucher/reimbursement or some such maybe. That said, FUNCTIONALLY, your barrel is just fine, but aesthetically and so forth, I'd be frustrated like you seem to be. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doge Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 I would rather have a new barrel. M4s are already kinda mismatched color (see blue m4s?). Actually your M4 looks really really blue. I don't get why they can't get things a uniform color. FNH and HK are super guilty of this 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USAF416SPS Posted April 1, 2022 Share Posted April 1, 2022 If it was mine, I would not be pleased 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubicon20032003 Posted April 1, 2022 Share Posted April 1, 2022 Send it back.That’s shows Benellis quality these days.Mydealer buddie has been get in some gems from them lately.I won’t accept that thing from Benelli 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTs M4 Posted April 1, 2022 Share Posted April 1, 2022 Thats not acceptable in my opinion.. I would not be pleased at all. I would want a new barrel.. after all its under warranty.. I agree with the above response's !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unobtanium Posted April 1, 2022 Share Posted April 1, 2022 48 minutes ago, JTs M4 said: Thats not acceptable in my opinion.. I would not be pleased at all. I would want a new barrel.. after all its under warranty.. I agree with the above response's !! Ultimately, one must look at fact: OP Purchased a Benelli M4. A Benelli M4 is described on Benelli's website as having a "Phosphate finished barrel" or a "Cerakote finished barrel", depending on the model purchased. OP's Benelli does not, indeed, have this, at present, even though OP was not consulted or informed of this fact, even though OP purchased a model which OP understood to have a phosphate finished barrel. OP did not receive what OP paid for. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bambihunter Posted April 1, 2022 Share Posted April 1, 2022 (edited) I haven't had to use Benelli warranty system since the mid-90's. Back then it was incredible. For me then, a $1k gun took a fair amount of overtime and saving to get. Inflation adjusted, I don't know if that is more than ~$2,200+ of the current crop, but thinking back to what it took me to get my first Benelli (SBE), I probably wouldn't be happy either. Given the state of the world at the moment, I do think they could have given you the choice. Where they say we can do what they did, or, you can wait for an unknown amount of time until we start producing more. At least then it would be your choice. Still not ideal, but neither are the times. I will say that I have abandoned companies after incidences with less consequences than yours. Remington was 1 sentence away from me leaving them and selling all of their stuff I owned (probably ~35 guns at the time), because they wouldn't warranty/fix the weak firing pin spring on my 700MLS muzzleloader; probably a $4 part. I had sent the gun to Remington over a half dozen times. It kept coming back as "no trouble found". Every time I would send it with caps, and every time it came back just as clean/dirty as it left and with the exact number of caps. I tried all locally available #11 caps and later musket caps. There is zero chance they ever fired it to test. It may take 3-5 times cycling the bolt to re-cock it, and then firing over the same cap again again and again before it would go off. One guy finally had an aftermarket 209 bolt mod kit sent (from Canada with French instructions). I really think he either paid for it out of pocket, or some slush fund. I have never had another misfire with that gun after that. The spring was 3x as long and stronger than the factory one. Edited April 1, 2022 by bambihunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BamBam Posted April 2, 2022 Share Posted April 2, 2022 To eqracing, that is really a pathetic “remedy”..that Benelli provided to your M4 barrel. After all, it is the BARREL..only the receiver/bolt could be more critical to the gun. Obviously due to onset of the pandemic and ongoing frenzy with back orders & catch up with production demands, Benelli has/is still displaying their strategy of dismissive, cheaper-alternatives & quick solutions with defects and quality control. In your case, instead of immediately installing a new barrel under warranty(likely because lack of availability)which they would have done pre-pandemic, they blasted it & applied Alumahyde..with paperwork saying “at least it won’t rust now”..validating that even the tech who did the work knows a new barrel swap was in order AND barrel swap would have taken much less time, materials & labor. Everyone experiencing these similar defects & problems with newer purchases over the last 2 years shows it’s poor production & quality control from Benelli and NOT Hundreds of end-users & customers who are being stupid-pain-in the-asses that have unrealistic expectations. Just sad state of affairs compounded by Benelli unwilling to admit & own it like they did for decades. Some years back I visited & had a tour of the Benelli plant in Urbino, Italy, it’ an incredible modernized & super state of the art facility with computer-controlled-robotics..it was as clean as a hospital too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT111 Posted April 2, 2022 Share Posted April 2, 2022 On 4/1/2022 at 9:17 AM, Unobtanium said: Ultimately, one must look at fact: OP Purchased a Benelli M4. A Benelli M4 is described on Benelli's website as having a "Phosphate finished barrel" or a "Cerakote finished barrel", depending on the model purchased. OP's Benelli does not, indeed, have this, at present, even though OP was not consulted or informed of this fact, even though OP purchased a model which OP understood to have a phosphate finished barrel. OP did not receive what OP paid for. I too would want exactly what I paid $2000.00 for. I’m not a rich man. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unobtanium Posted April 2, 2022 Share Posted April 2, 2022 44 minutes ago, JT111 said: I too would want exactly what I paid $2000.00 for. I’m not a rich man. Rich has nothing to do with it. How would Warren Buffet react to not getting what he paid for? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M2_shootr Posted April 3, 2022 Share Posted April 3, 2022 I would demand a new barrel, or they replace the entire M4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOCOMguy Posted April 3, 2022 Share Posted April 3, 2022 The initial defect would indicate a poor sweat solder joint between the sight base and barrel. There is a good chance that the sight is not securely attached to the barrel, a hard bump from the side might knock the sight base right off. Also , a good possibility that the brown rust straining will reappear through the new finish. All in all , not a good situation. Joe B 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eqracing Posted April 4, 2022 Author Share Posted April 4, 2022 Thanks everyone for the feedback. After looking at the "repair" some more over the weekend I have decided to reach back out to Benelli to see what else we can do. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RxArms Posted April 7, 2022 Share Posted April 7, 2022 Honestly, I wouldn’t be happy paying the coin I paid, for a black glossy barrel that is not classic look. Just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaCreekIndian Posted April 7, 2022 Share Posted April 7, 2022 I wouldn’t be happy either. Especially being that you weren’t given any options. Seems like they took the cheap route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StreetSweeper56 Posted April 7, 2022 Share Posted April 7, 2022 Oh, I would not be pleased at all either but what's the alternative? Send it back (again) wait another X number of weeks and pray that it comes back right? I'm more of a "at least it isn't pink" sort of person. I'd have a hard time trusting them a 3rd time after this. I feel for you man... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eqracing Posted April 7, 2022 Author Share Posted April 7, 2022 Update - Benelli said they would replace the barrel. The only downside is a 6-8month back order time frame. Not a process I wanted to go through but I can live with it. Being from the manufacturing space I know the current labor and supply chain issues. Hopefully I can circle back towards the end of the year to provide one final update. Thanks again for the feedback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnidelyWhiplash Posted April 7, 2022 Share Posted April 7, 2022 You have to send your shotgun back and wait 6-8 months for its return or you can keep the shotgun / black barrel and they will send you the new barrel in 6-8 months? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CobraBG Posted April 7, 2022 Share Posted April 7, 2022 Glad to hear that Benelli will take care of this. You made the right choice. I wouldn't want to wait, but I would want a new barrel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eqracing Posted April 7, 2022 Author Share Posted April 7, 2022 Keep the gun, use it. They will said they would send me the new barrel. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnidelyWhiplash Posted April 7, 2022 Share Posted April 7, 2022 (edited) 1 hour ago, eqracing said: Keep the gun, use it. They will said they would send me the new barrel. OK. I feel for you having to go through all of this but, as you said, given the way things are in the world today that’s a pretty fair resolution. Edited April 7, 2022 by SnidelyWhiplash 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BamBam Posted April 8, 2022 Share Posted April 8, 2022 Great news & glad for you that Benelli stepped up!! Not sure what’s going on in Italy these days vs. supply chain, blah blah..but 6-8 months is a bit ridiculous to send you the new barrel..although it took 2 years for me to get a new M4 trigger group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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