Jump to content

m2 20ga bolt problem


wallstrum

Recommended Posts

hello all - i tried to search for posts on this topic, but either wasn't coming up with the correct terms to try or it hasn't come up before. last christmas, we bought my dad a new 20ga m2 field. he chases chukar maniacally all over nevada, and almost immediately started having a problem with his gun. he has a sling on his gun, and when he is hiking, hangs the gun on his shoulder as would be standard with a sling with the barrel pointed straight up in the air. as he hikes, half the time when he goes to shoulder his gun because birds are near, the bolt has slipped partially open (maybe by 1/4" or so). this makes it so the action is not completely closed (obviously), so he is not able to get off any shots. needless to say, it has been very frustrating for him. is this something that anyone else has seen? if not, do i go and talk to the dealer where we bought it to see what they can do? it is the middle of chukar season right now, and i want him to be able to use the gun without wanting to chuck it down the hill : ) thanks for all the help!

 

wally

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting issue, but really not one for Benelli CS or a Benelli dealer. It is operator error.

 

If you carry a Benelli semi-auto on a sling, the bolt might disengage at any time.

 

I can certainly appreciate the need to carry a shotgun on a sling while chasing chucks in Nevada, but a Benelli shooter needs to be sure the bolt is closed prior to firing no matter the setting.

 

If I had to think of a fix, I might think about a stronger recoil spring that might keep the bolt closed better. A modification of the bolt handle might work to make it hang up less.

 

Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While I'm a new Benelli owner and don't have a lot of experience with them, I have to disagree with MudHen. To me, the bolt should not open due to the shotgun being carried in a veritcal manner. I'd say something is wrong with the gun, either a weak spring, or something else. I have never had a problem with my bolt opening because I carried it pointing in the air on my 12 gauge M2, nor on my M4.

 

I would not hesitate to call customer service on this issue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While I'm a new Benelli owner and don't have a lot of experience with them, I have to disagree with MudHen. To me, the bolt should not open due to the shotgun being carried in a veritcal manner. I'd say something is wrong with the gun, either a weak spring, or something else. I have never had a problem with my bolt opening because I carried it pointing in the air on my 12 gauge M2, nor on my M4.

 

I would not hesitate to call customer service on this issue.

 

Being a new Benelli owner, I will give you a pass for not knowing what you are talking about :)

 

I would very much doubt that a brand new M2 would come with a weak spring. I would very much more believe that the rigor of hiking after upland game in a vertical environment such as chukar habitat in Nevada is causing the bolt to bounce slightly and not return back to full engagement.

 

I would go even further and presume the bolt handle is being hit while the gun is being carried. I say this because it happens to me all the time during turkey season. It does not bother me at all to check the bolt once I get settled in. This has been working for around 20 seasons, so I guess I can keep it up. Of course, I never need to snap shoot at a turkey, so I appreciate a chukar hunter's issue.

 

Take your Benelli semi-auto and bounce it on the butt pad. You will see the bolt travel back a distance relative to the amount of force you used to bounce the gun. Slight enough bouces can cause the bolt to not engage.

 

Design flaw? Maybe. Defective? No.

 

The Benelli click is a common complaint of new Benelli owners. Most learn to deal with it. If not, sell the gun and buy another brand :)

 

I already suggested a stronger recoil spring - Wolff makes a +25% spring. Others have modified their bolt handles to avoid snagging.

 

That's all I have to offer......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would like to wager that the bolt handle is getting caught on shirt sleeve, jacket sleeve, or back of either one. I have the M2 20 ga and it never has done this with me. The spring does seem to be a little weak in the M2 20 ga's, my bolt was hitting the back of the receiver hard, I replaced it with a Sure Cycle and problem was solved

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How do you guys have this problem? I have tried to duplicate this using a SBE, 2 SBE IIs, an M2, and a Legacy, I can bump it on the ground, soft, hard, bang it on the wall, shell in, shell out, I cannot get it to open and stay open, it will bump out a bit, like 1/8" or 1/4", but it goes right back in on its own.

 

this is actually something that my dad can do to replicate the problem - it doesn't even take too much of a bump when you hit the butt of the gun on the ground. the bolt comes open ~.5mm - 1cm and stays in that position - it doesn't go back closed all the way.

 

 

I would like to wager that the bolt handle is getting caught on shirt sleeve, jacket sleeve, or back of either one. I have the M2 20 ga and it never has done this with me. The spring does seem to be a little weak in the M2 20 ga's, my bolt was hitting the back of the receiver hard, I replaced it with a Sure Cycle and problem was solved

 

nope, definitely not catching on anything. the problem can be replicated as i stated above...

 

it sounds like, from more than one place, that these 20ga. m2' might have a weak spring problem that doesn't exhibit itself often because most of the people buying them are not using them in a manner that brings it out. i think it is time for a call to customer service. having to buy a $150 surecycle on top of a $1k gun seems overkill to solve a problem that shouldn't exist in the first place....

 

wally

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...