Hi All,
Thanks for the comments. It is a factory model that uses the Practical model muzzle brake, permanantely attached...at least that's what the dealer told me. They said that Benelli had a large surplus of the 14" barrel guns in the US and wanted to be able to sell them off easier (since they are 18" and legal everywhere) than the NFA guns. I guess Benelli wanted to sell them all off since they are now pushing the M2 Tactical. I like the M2, but I'm just more confortable with the M1 since that is what I use on tactical entries at work. Since my work M1 has never ever missed a beat, I also feel fairly confident in it's dependability.
The factory box is marked showing it described as it sits, so I do not believe that it is any kind of local gunsmith special. If anyone is interested, I'll post a pic of the box with the model #, etc. showing...
Take care,
JJ