So, you have two M4's and a Meprolight 21 (is it 21i ???) reflex sight (or two, I guess...).

So, how is the gun doing now? How many rounds through it so far? Got my 2003 Benelli catalog not too long ago. M4's in all configs will be out soon.

What chokes can you use w/ the American M4 model? What do you use? Is the barrel really chrome-lined?

How's the recoil? Is it really on the AR15 (regular .223 loads) level with the 2 3/4" shells? You must surely be kidiing me. Wouldn't this be the lowest recoil shotgun ever then?

How are the Meprolight sights? Are they better than, say an Aimpoint or an EoTech would be? Lighter? How's the brightness in full sun light? Is the mount sturdy enough? How would it compare to, say, a DokterSight(which can also be used on Shotguns)?

Are the red dot sights really that much better than the ghost rings on the M4? BTW: are the ghostrings tritium or just plain black or the ones with white dots?

Doggonit (wants a sexy M4!!!)

Also: How can you change the capacity from 4+1 to 5+1+1? One on the carrier? Really? But what about that other one? Is there some plug in the tube that can be removed to make it 5 in the tube?

My biggest concern with the M4 and using red dot optics is the cheekweld? Is the fake tele stock esp. bad in this department or is just like the regular pistol grip stock and the standard stock (so the cheekweld will be bad no matter which stock I use)? Maybe the Aimpoint is best then... or the DocterSight....

Doggonit

P.S.: I have read on this board that the M4 actually recoils more than a 1100, which to my knowledge recoils more than any AR15 I have met.
What's the truth?

Whatever happened to the weird "hump" on the bottom of the receiver of the old M4's? Do the current military models still have that?



The American civilian legal M4 lacks that (sorry about the weird purple M4, CSA got one only from Benelli with a flawed purple finish, it's sold I think so don't bother):



Was that for the speed loaders?

Anyone have pics of the speed loaders? What are they/were they supposed to be like? Does the miltary issue them?

Also: I think I forgot to ask about the chokes that can be used on the American M4, are they just IC, M, and F chokes?

How's the European M4 diff. from the American? Is that the same as what the military gets?

Doggonit (Source of infinite questions and few answers)

WHAT??? NOBODY KNOWS THE ANSWERS TO ANY OF THESE QUESTIONS? I dont believe it....

Are you directing these questions at someone in particular? Because that's what I'm reading and then you're bitching because EVERYONE isn't jumping in to answer. A little clarity would help.

I don't know where old paladin is, but I'll take a stab at some of the questions. (I only have one M4S90.)

My gun is doing excellent, but I don't get to shoot it as much as I like. old paladin can give you a better stress test.

The American model comes with the fixed choke. IIRC it's a IC choke, but I can't remember (I'm away from home, so I can't check.). It patterns well. The chamber is chrome lined.

The recoil IMO was sharper than the 1100. The recoil impulse is faster and not spread out like the 1100, but it is definitely lighter than other Benellis and any pump gun. Target reaquisition is fast. I shot so fast I thought I was going to get kicked off of the range. The M4S90 works well with every light load that I have tested except the Hornady reduced recoil 8 pellet buckshot. The Remington reduced recoil 8 pellet worked fine. So did the estate 9 pellet reduced recoil.

I don't have the Meprolight sights. I did mount a Bushnell Holosight. I was impressed. The gun kept all 9 pellets of 00buck in the aiming circle at 25 yards. The ghost ring sights have white dots. I believe old paladin had Meprolight night sights installed.

You can use the shell on the carrier. So that puts you up to the legal capacity with a pistol grip stock of one in the chamber and five ready to be loaded(4+1+1). You can also remove the magazine plug and that will give you (5+1+1), but I don't think that's legal.

The weak point is the cheekweld with a red dot. The European stock has the ability to collapse raising the stock for a better cheekweld. Thanks to th AWB we don't have that option. I'm waiting to retrofit the gun with a standard stock and a plus 2 magazine extension (which is already out) to give a better cheekweld and a 7+1+1 capacity. The cheekweld with iron sights is excellent.

Don't know about the hump.

No experience with the speedloaders. Seems like any Benelli speedloader would work.

My understanding, without going to Europe, is the Euro version has interchangeable chokes and a full-length magazine.

To Jim Dandy:

Well, old paladin has the written the most, so I am asking him, but anyone else at the same time too who might have some info...

I am not bitching... I just used caps so ppl would see my message, you are little angry today, huh? A few too many sips from the moonshine bottle last night? Hahaha (Dont take me so seriously... I am just kidding)

Doggonit

To dport:

Benelli speedloaders? They make those? I never heard of speedloaders for shotguns, are they that rare, useless, or just not available?

Well you brought up the subject of speedloaders... I've heard of them. I've never actually handled or even seen one. I've also heard they are good for competition, but that's about it.

sorry about the weird purple M4, CSA got one only from Benelli with a flawed purple finish, it's sold I think so don't bother):

That 'flawed purple' has been on the last four M-4's I've seen. I just handled one of them on Friday in St. Cloud, MN at The Sportsmans Warehouse($1,370).

I came across an ad last week that read, "One of a kind, flawed finish", but this purplish(bluish) finish has been on every one I've seen. Besides the receiver, that color is also used on part of the magazine tube.

From the information I've gathered from my 3 area dealers, this finish is factory on the new civilian M-4's.

I, myself, would rather have one with the darker 'mil-spec' receiver. I've decided this will be the only way I purchase one. That is, if I can find one.

Bull!!! According to Benelli the purple is an flawed finish. You are free to send it back to them to replace it (altough I guess the dealer will charge you extra for this limited limited edition, so you would loose money in the deal) or you can keep it. It is no less durable, it is just a diff. color. I prefer the black myself. To reiterate: the PURPLE finish is not intentional or factory standard, call Benelli if you don't believe me...

Bull!!!

If a cowboy is out on the range and every horse he sees has 4 legs, he then starts believing that evey horse has 4 legs. No doubt your right, Doggonit, but I'm still waiting to see the other horses.

I guess I was mostly addressing the ad I came across that read "One of a kind, etc", when I had already seen a few like this.

Take care!

Come on... most of them are black, right? I mean like %95+ of them are black. If you want a purple, buy it, if not, buy it and send it back to Benelli (I doubt they will give you a new lim. ed., they might send you a new unlimited edition which has three choke tubes... IC,M,F).

Anyway... no one has any of the answers to my questions? recoil, stock weld w/ optics (anyone try Aimpoint?), etc. etc. (see my first few posts at top)

Where's the old paladin? Off rescuing some maid in some tower guarded by some dragon or something?

Doggonit

Is the top M4 available for civilian sales, with the full magazine capacity?

No Cinncinnatus, Benelli chose to not provide this way for us to have a full ength unbroken mag tube. You can get an unlimited model Benelli (soon, not quite out yet) with the standard stock but it also only comes with the fake extension, but you can get the real +2 extnesion for it.

So Benelli likes screwing us over, on the other hand, if they would make a full mag tubed standard stocked model, some rednecks in Alabama would replace the standard stock with the pistol grip stock and have an illegal product and then blame Benelli for not making a fake extension, etc. etc. when Sheriff Buford gets his eye on that Eye-tal-jan thang.

Never mind my rambling. So you can get the standard stocked model, just not with the full length, one piece tube. Also those weird "lobes" on the receiver, near the carrier are gone, where those for the speedloader?

WHERE IS THE PALADIN? I want my answers, dammit...

Doggonit

Well that's pretty gay.

Quoted: Anyway... no one has any of the answers to my questions? recoil, stock weld w/ optics (anyone try Aimpoint?), etc. etc. (see my first few posts at top) Doggonit

I did answer your question about stock weld with and without optics and I did answer your question about recoil. Geez, why do I bother to post?

I know dport but I secretly want someone to say that the M4 really has less recoil than anything else. I was really hoping that Benelli would make this the best shotgun ever. No and, ifs, or buts.....

Too bad... it is still pretty neat I guess, but not perfect... but then again what is perfect?

Dog, If you want an answer directly from old paladin try IMing him next time. MIKE.

Quoted: I know dport but I secretly want someone to say that the M4 really has less recoil than anything else. I was really hoping that Benelli would make this the best shotgun ever. No and, ifs, or buts..... Too bad... it is still pretty neat I guess, but not perfect... but then again what is perfect?

Not perfect, but close to it. It would be perfect if it came with a full magazine and a collapsing stock...

Recoil is heavier than my 1100, I shot them side by side. However, I no longer own one of the two shotguns and the M4 is under my bed. The difference in recoil wasn't that much, and the action of the M4 cycled sooo much faster and allowed my to get back on target sooo much quicker it made the choice obvious.

oldpaladin might be fishing in alaska.

btt

Doggonit, I can't speak for "Old Paladin" either, but I'll answer what I can (which won't be much. )

I have one of the Benelli M1014 shotguns, serial number 7XX, but haven't gotten around to firing it yet. Believe it or not, some of my firearms have sat new in my safe for over a year before I finally get around to firing them.

The shotgun has a fixed-choke. The factory ghost rings have white dots, non-tritium. The barrel is chrome-lined. I have no experience with the Mepro 21, but I can tell you that it will be my first choice when buying optics for it. The mag capacity is 4 from the factory, but can be legally converted to 5 with the simple removal of an internal 1-shot red plug. And if you switch to the synthetic field stock, you can legally add the 2-shot mag extension, giving you 7+1+1. The "hump" on the bottom of the receiver is not on the military or civilian versions. I believe it was just on the early models. I cannot even recall what its purpose was. As for the finish colors, mine is black, the color it is designed to have. The purple ones are definitely a flaw (as stated by Benelli), and I have only heard of one. The four that my dealer HAD were all black ones.

The accessories available for the M4 are as follows:

81040 Pistol Grip Stock
81041 Standard Synthetic Field Stock
81042 Fixed Telescoping Stock W/ Pistol Grip
81043P Two-Round Magazine Extension
60795P Ghost Ring Tritium Inserts

Call Benelli USA at 1-800-264-4962 and request a free two-sided color M1014 brochure. I did and had mine laminated.

Seems like it should be possible to purchase a full-length feed tube & replace the stock unit. My dealer told me he could make it happen.

Quoted: Seems like it should be possible to purchase a full-length feed tube & replace the stock unit. My dealer told me he could make it happen.

He could also get you jail time unless you remove the pistol grip stock.

Quoted: Quoted: Seems like it should be possible to purchase a full-length feed tube & replace the stock unit. My dealer told me he could make it happen. He could also get you jail time unless you remove the pistol grip stock.

Do tell?

BTW, is water wet?