So, first off, I'm going to admit that this M3k is the first semi-auto shotgun I've ever owned.  I've actually been running a Benelli Nova in 3 gun for the last year...lol  But this year my plan was to get fairly serious about competing, so I put a pretty fair amount of work into getting ready.  Well, the last part of getting ready was to pick up a semi-auto shotgun dedicated to the sport.  In my budget, the only two that fit where the JM Pro and the M3k.  I really liked the fact that alot of Benelli parts and such fit the M3k, and the inertia driven system, so that was what I picked up.  Bought a +4 MOA tube for it, and got it all set up.

Yesterday was my first day I got a chance to put some shells down range with it, and ran into a problem.  For what I picture to be a "race gun", reloading is complicated...I would run it dry, and then noticed that when the bolt locks open, I have to close the bolt in order to put shells in...??  The lifter locks up when the bolt is locked back...so the process would be, run it dry, bolt locks back, close the bolt, then load, then hit the "cartridge drop lever", then rack the bolt...seems like alot more steps than i expected...??  Or am I missing something?  I did see a few people that had what appeared to be tape over their "cartridge drop levers", or is there some other fix for this?  I have been trying to find something about it, but have really been struggling with it...

Hmmmm,,,, I try to NOT run the gun dry,, if I do,, I drop on in the chamber and hit the close button,, then flip the gun and start stuffing them in,,,

I have M-2's and One MK3,, they work about the same,,,,

Not sure If I helped or not

^^^^^

TRY!! DONT!!  run the gun dry!

If you do, drop a shell into the chamber B4 you close the bolt then load the tube.

I used a Mossberg 500 then a Remington 870 police magnum pump guns B4 getting a semi auto shotgun. Give it some time and you will get comfortable with your M3K.

Good luck, have fun.

As stated, try to avoid running dry.  It's not always easy but you need to try and keep track of how many targets you have, how many rounds you have fired, and how many misses you have.  Doing this will really help in the long run as it will keep you from running dry and at the same time it will prevent you from doing unnecessary reloads.  Ideally you finish the stage with the gun close to empty (or empty).  You should definitely add a match saver or similar product to your fore end.  That way if you do run dry you can drop that round in the chamber and close the bolt and be ready to either shoot or put more rounds in the tube.  You don't want to be messing with the shell release during a stage.

"keep track of how many targets you have, how many rounds you have fired"

I wish that worked for me.
I found just to plan where in the stage I would reload and quantity 4/8 was easier.
For me the shotgun reloads are the most time consuming, and require the most attention in stage planning.
I try keeping all the guns from running dry.

Yes, absolutely figure out where you are going to reload in the stage, and how many rounds.  But obviously stage plans don't always go as intended.  Usually when I see people run dry it's because they had some misses and then they lost count of how many rounds they had fired trying to make up the missed shots.

The only real difference in loading should be on that pump your racking a dry chamber and hearing a click vs. bolt lock on the semi. I'd get a match saver like suggested above, really makes locked bolt situations much easier to manage. Another good rule of thumb with the shotgun is if your moving you should be loading. Most new shooters will shoot from a shooting point, haul ass to the next point, run dry then reload. When you move point to point walk if you have to and load shells, takes people awhile to realize how much faster this is. If your fumbling quad loads I personally found it was faster to just load 2, keep practicing quads but if you can't do it on the clock just load 2 and run your plan.

Lastly, your stage plan is critical. When I'm planning for shotgun it goes something like this.. 5 steps to 1st shooting position, so load 4 off the bat and I now have 13, as I shoot I count down from 13 in this case with each target and then as I move/load I work that number up. I like to leave myself 1-2 misses in a plan before needing that match saver. Here's an example from a match last month. Using the method above, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4,  (5 targets left but if I shoot I'll run dry) +2, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, +2, +2, +2, +2, 10 ,9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, done. Yeah I caught a no shoot, should of choked up from my IC. Hope this helps!

This has been a huge help everyone!  I think one of the big things I'm going to need to work on is my round count.  I've been sticking to Tac-Limited, so 8 round tube, which I think may make it a bit more simple, but at the same time more important.

I'm going to be adding a match saver probably very shortly, so that will help, but its going to be more and more rounds downrange!  I did have my first match with it already, and even just going from my Nova to the M3k, it was a huge improvement!  I'm really excited for the season to progress :-D

Are you quad loading?

If you are, close the bolt, stuff 2 sets of quads in, hit the silver button and rack it. Fairly straight forward if loading left handed, and essential if ever hit with an option 3 start.

I, too, like this method.  I’m new to this and can always seem to come up empty even though I try not to.

Practice it.  While the gun is still upside down after loading eight, use your left hand thumb to hit the silver button and your forefinger to rack the bolt.  It’s almost simultaneous, but the silver button has to be hit first.  Spin the gun back into the shooting position and you’re ready to go.
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Of course that method may be redundant now as all of the auto loading lifters hit the market.

Google match saver