M2 or M4 ? Recoil

[1911man]

One is gas the other is recoil operated, which one in your opinion would have less felt recoil. Thanks guys.

[smittty]

M4 has less recoil but it's heavy. Most people I know that have tried both prefer the M2.

[1911man]

Benelli

Thanks.

[Saym14]

I prefer the m4. It's more reliable

[PEBKAC]

I own both. M4 does have lighter recoil given the same ammo though this makes sense given it is heavier. Neither is unpleasant to shoot by any means (unless you got one of the M2 walnut stocks with over-aggressive grip texturing, in which case your hands might hurt during and after).

That said I prefer my M2 for most purposes, and as long as you don't brace it against a wall to fire it you won't have any reliability issues unless you start firing really light loads, which the M4 is going to have trouble with too unless you found one of the old 4-port low-recoil-loads-only barrels.

[Saym14]

I own both. M4 does have lighter recoil given the same ammo though this makes sense given it is heavier. Neither is unpleasant to shoot by any means (unless you got one of the M2 walnut stocks with over-aggressive grip texturing, in which case your hands might hurt during and after).

That said I prefer my M2 for most purposes, and as long as you don't brace it against a wall to fire it you won't have any reliability issues unless you start firing really light loads, which the M4 is going to have trouble with too unless you found one of the old 4-port low-recoil-loads-only barrels.

Isn't it the opposite? If you do not shoulder it firmly it may not cycle. Also if you add she'll carriers etc it may not cycle.

[TempleKnight]

Isn't it the opposite? If you do not shoulder it firmly it may not cycle. Also if you add she'll carriers etc it may not cycle.

The most common Benelli shotgun in 3gun competition is the M2. It's reliable enough for people shooting for money.

I've never had a problem with mine cycling. I have an 8 rd side saddle plus a 2 pack mounted on the gun. Zero issues.

Get an M4 if you are breaching a lot of doors.

With regard to recoil; one of the best 3gunners on the Benelli team is a 17 year old girl, Katy Harris. She's one of shooters featured in this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SlIMojl10c

[Saym14]

the M2 is a great gun and yes its way more popular. but I personally know people who have had failures to function due to 1) not soilidly shouldering the weapon, 2) adding wieght by adding accessories.

like I said the M2 is an excellent gun, and as you said a winner in 3gun. but I would rather trust my life to an M4.

[Bobby Hated]

M2 all day.

katy harris smoked me at mg nationals. shes no joke man!

[G-Solutions]

I fired both, but the M4 was quite awhile ago and It did not feel that much different. I own an M2 and due to its light weight, it;s a highly maneuverable weapon.

Standard loads are no problem - light recoil loads can lead to FTE's. Normally, I'd prefer a carbine, but in the shotgun niche, I give the M2 two thumbs up.

[PEBKAC]

Isn't it the opposite? If you do not shoulder it firmly it may not cycle. Also if you add she'll carriers etc it may not cycle.

I was under the impression that part of the reason the M2 cycled is because one moves just slightly when the gun recoils into your shoulder, and that when you brace it against a wall and fire system doesn't move enough, and thus won't cycle.

I could be wrong.

[teflondog]

I found the M4 to have noticeably less recoil than the M2 when firing OO buckshot. Birdshot felt the same to me.

[Sumo99]

I was under the impression that part of the reason the M2 cycled is because one moves just slightly when the gun recoils into your shoulder, and that when you brace it against a wall and fire system doesn't move enough, and thus won't cycle.

I could be wrong.

That's my understanding as well.

[kentactic]

I was under the impression that part of the reason the M2 cycled is because one moves just slightly when the gun recoils into your shoulder, and that when you brace it against a wall and fire system doesn't move enough, and thus won't cycle.

I could be wrong.

I dont know much about the gun but it would seem no rearward moevment such as against a wall would allow the action to cycle most effectively. If the guns moving back WITH the action it would seem to me that would cause more issues. Similar to limp wristing a pistol.

[PEBKAC]

I dont know much about the gun but it would seem no rearward moevment such as against a wall would allow the action to cycle most effectively. If the guns moving back WITH the action it would seem to me that would cause more issues. Similar to limp wristing a pistol.

Your logic makes sense for most cases, but not this one. I went and found an explanation of how it works (see below).

http://www.stoegerindustries.com/information/inertia-driven-system.php

Same system the Benellis use, this is probably the best explanation as it provides a cutaway unlike the one on Benelli's site though it doesn't have an animation.