Benelli M4 - Reliability

[fawndog]

It's not made to kill birds, half the desirability of a M4/1014 is in the ergonomics. I would love to test drive a Versa Max to compare though.

[JDPhx501]

It's not made to kill birds, half the desirability of a M4/1014 is in the ergonomics. I would love to test drive a Versa Max to compare though.

Me too, but the Versamax is 700 dollars cheaper and already comes with what you want to add to a stock M4: Nordic clamp, full magazine tube. It doesn't have the LPA GRS but its longer barrel makes it clay range friendly.

I handled one the other day at Riflegear. It's functioning and manual of arms is exactly like the Benellis and it also rides on a free carrier. Curious, I goggled Versamax Field strip and just looking by the pictures, you would think they field striped an M4.

I do like the enlarged bolt release button on the Versamax, but practice combat loading from under and if you drop the shell onto the latch and press down firmly and hear the click, you won't need to hit the bolt release anyway.

[WWHD116]

My M4 has been flawless. Over 500 rounds and zero malfunctions. Incredible weapon.

If you shoot slugs I recommend the Hastings Extended Length Rifled Choke Tube. It adds 8" of 1 in 12 rifling to the barrel. A must for Sabot slugs, and also excellent for foster slugs as well.

It is the next best thing to a slug gun, until someone makes a dedicated rifled barrel for the M4.

HASTING RIFLED CHOKE TUBE

[Mitch]

How reliable is a pump?
A little later I sent an employee to a similar class. He wanted to use the M4, but I said he would need to bring an 870 with him as well, just in case. During the class one of the M4's pistons broke in two, and so he, too, ended the class with the 870.

I have had no problems with our M4s since then. The Benelli M4 is certainly my favorite semi-auto shotgun.

Just had two more failures this weekend, after many years of flawless shooting.

First, after the first shot, a shell somehow got jammed under the carrier coming out of the magazine. I had to remove the trigger group to fix that. I took the opportunity to completely strip and clean the shotgun.

Then within a few minutes a piston broke again. This is an old M4, with the four gas ports instead of two. The barrel actually says "low recoil only," which is doubtless why we've broken pistons twice (though when the piston broke this weekend we were shooting LE slugs, which are not full powered. But we were shooting a lot).

In addition to the classes, which is probably the best place for a individual to stress test a platform, some of our guns get a real workout, because we will have a fun shoot with maybe ten or fifteen people all shooting more or less constantly, so two or three of the favorite guns are getting fired off all day. Surprisingly, the platform that seems to do the best, since it is by far the most popular and also has the fewest problems, is an old Frankenstein AR-15 that doesn't get cleaned nearly as much as it should. Even our 870s give us problems.

In the future I'm going to shoot the newer M4 two gas port barrel we have and retire the four-port barrel.

I handled one the other day at Riflegear. It's functioning and manual of arms is exactly like the Benellis and it also rides on a free carrier. Curious, I goggled Versamax Field strip and just looking by the pictures, you would think they field striped an M4.

The Versa Max is basically Remington's attempt to build a US-made M4. The gas system has been tweaked a bit so that it should reliably cycle a wider variety of ammunition.

[HighLander51]

Never owned an M4, but I run several M1 Super 90's for 3 gun (which is also the most popular for 3 gun). The oldest one has over 30,000 rounds thru it, including thousands of slugs. No issues.

[L84CABO]

What you have to aware of concerning some semi-auto shotguns, is that there reliability is somewhat tied to proper stance and grip. If held improperly, the action will not cycle properly.

Probably more so with an inertia semi auto than a gas semi.

My M4 has been outstanding. I have yet to find anything that it won't feed, including WallyWorld bulk birdshot. Some M4's, however, have challenges with the lighter loads.

But as others have said, they are by no means cheap. And you're likely going to have to add a few hundred to the base price to swap out the mag tube to get to 7+1 and make it 922R compliant.

[HK35]

...and make it 922R compliant.

We're talking changing a part on a personal use (fully assembled from the fcatory) firearm not manufacturing of entire firearm from a parts kit; right? Then why does it have to be 922R compliant?

[mavericksun]

We're talking changing a part on a personal use (fully assembled from the fcatory) firearm not manufacturing of entire firearm from a parts kit; right? Then why does it have to be 922R compliant?

Because the idiots in DC figured they could use the idea of protecting US commerce to further restrict the rights of legal gun owners.

[HK35]

Because the idiots in DC figured they could use the idea of protecting US commerce to further restrict the rights of legal gun owners.

But that doesn't answer the question about changing or adding a part to a personal firearm.

[HK35]

Because the idiots in DC figured they could use the idea of protecting US commerce to further restrict the rights of legal gun owners.

But that doesn't answer the question about changing or adding a part to a personal firearm which is not covered under 922R.

[mavericksun]

But that doesn't answer the question about changing or adding a part to a personal firearm which is not covered under 922R.

Where in 922R or any other US law does it say that personal firearms are not covered? It boils down to you can only import shotguns that have 5 rounds or less capacity. The ATF defines that in order not to be imported, it must not have more than 10 parts made from imported parts. ATF defines what those parts are. So if you want to make your imported M4 have more than 5 round capacity, then you need to bring your parts down to 10. The M4 has 13 parts that are not made in the USA in the 5 round imported configuration. If you do not modify the M4 to more than 5 rounds, you are not required to change anything. The import issue is why the Versa Max has more than 5 rounds without any parts change issues since it's already USA made.

[solarmax]

I've shot over several hundred rounds so far on my M4. I've shot both high brass 00, slugs and low brass bird shot. I have not had one jam yet....knock on wood. They say not to use low brass bird shot...but I have not had any issues so far with that type of ammo.
I did make sure I lubed up all the parts well with some good lubricant, and always cleaned and re-lubed once finished

[Knife Edge]

Used mine quite a bit in 3-gun and practice. Never a problem with any ammo. That being said I'd probably go FN SLP next time, especially with the fiber optic sights.

[L84CABO]

Where in 922R or any other US law does it say that personal firearms are not covered? It boils down to you can only import shotguns that have 5 rounds or less capacity. The ATF defines that in order not to be imported, it must not have more than 10 parts made from imported parts. ATF defines what those parts are. So if you want to make your imported M4 have more than 5 round capacity, then you need to bring your parts down to 10. The M4 has 13 parts that are not made in the USA in the 5 round imported configuration. If you do not modify the M4 to more than 5 rounds, you are not required to change anything. The import issue is why the Versa Max has more than 5 rounds without any parts change issues since it's already USA made.

On a positive note, the mag tube is probably the most expensive part to swap. Add a new follower *cheap* and a Geissle hammer *$50ish* and you're good.