Benelli M4 Questions

[Fisherman12]

I'm considering a Benelli M4 for Home defense.

How reliable is it? I don't know if I trust semi auto shotguns yet.

Also, does it have an aluminum or steel receiver? I'm concerned about it's longevity. How long would a gun like this last with regular shooting? (Although I'd keep it cleaned and lubed)

Can you swap the barrel on it? Like, have one barrel for home defense and another for hunting?

 

[rcmodel]

What a shotgun receiver is made of anymore has nothing to do with longevity.

In all modern designs, the steel bolt locks into the steel barrel extension and contains all the pressure & recoil.

The receiver is just a container to hold everything together in one place so they don't fall out and get lost.

It could be made out of almost anything and still last forever.


Reliability?
Benelli's work, period.


Barrel swapping is problematic though.

An extra Benelli barrel costs as much as some real good shotguns, and more then a lot of them.

http://store.benelliusa.com/m4-barrel-wchoke-tube

And second, the M4 is only made in rifle sighted 14" & 18.5" riot gun configurations.
So hunting length vent-rib barrels are not even made for them as far as I know.

You might set your sights a little lower, about $800 lower, and look at the way less expensive M2 Field / Tactical.

Extra barrels in several configurations are available for them.

rc

 

[rodinal220]

Nice shotgun,I have one,but pretty expensive just for home defense.

The M4S90 is extremely reliable,just like most Benellis.They take a beating and keep on going.The receiver is AL but the bolt locks into the steel barrel.Take a look at Remington's VersaMax tactical and if you can get one R12.They pretty much copied the Benelli M4 gas system and other things,very soft shooting and reliable.
Remington 1100/87 can be temperamental and sometimes needs a little TLC to keep running smoothly,but can be good choices once set up correctly.
No experience yet with the Mossberg 930 but it seems to have a following.

Clint Smith from Thunder Ranch summed it up best,"you don't need a $1k shotgun,learn to run the gun you got."

M4S90 is top of the line,if you can afford it and really want it,its your cash,go for it.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhgwHQCJwWw

 

[rcmodel]

Clint Smith from Thunder Ranch summed it up best,"you don't need a $1k shotgun, learn to run the gun you got."

+ 1,000.

But in the case of the Benelli M4, it's almost a $2K shotgun!!

A $300 Mossberg 500 or Remington 870 will do as well or better for home defense, if you spend even a 1/4 the left-over money on practice ammo.

rc

 

[DammitBoy]

I paid $900 for a used Benelli M1 super 90 with an 18" barrel and a mag extension that holds eight rounds.

Best shotgun I've ever owned or shot bar none.

 

[fehhkk]

After breaking it in with some slugs, my M4 is a ton of fun.

It even cycles #9 birdshot no problems.

Initially I wanted a Saiga, then I shot one with slugs, and frankly, felt like prodding myself with a tree branch.

It's damn expensive, but I think it's worth it.

 

[forindooruseonly]

I had one for a while, but didn't care for it much. Never got used to its goofy action, and I found it unpleasant to shoot. It wouldn't feed light loads reliably until it had a few hundred high brass through it, but afterwards it was super reliable.

I bought it back when I wanted the baddest shotgun on the block, but frankly I wasn't impressed for the money. That said, it is the standard for a tactical auto loading shotgun.