Save up for Benelli M4 or buy VEPR 12?

[Glocker23]

so damn true. my m4 started off around $1800...ive put about another $1200 into it. i now have one of the nicest shotguns you can buy but it was expensive.

op, save up and buy the best. settling for a vepr would be a waste of money in comparison.

What did you do with your M4 if I may ask?

[NYT]

What did you do with your M4 if I may ask?

pretty much everything you can, taran tactical doesnt really work on m4s so i found i could produce comparative mods done by separate entities for less. after eotech, ti tube, ch handle, geissele, 922r parts, mesa tactical toys, surefire and cerakote, i am probably over $1200.

i bought the camo version and quickly found out that the dunking that benelli does for that coating absolutely sucks. i did the entire thing in magpul fde.

crap, i forgot to mention the surefire light and mount that i just bought to go along with the fore-end. the light mount alone was around $170.

[DevilDawgJJ]

Technically you are correct. But let me tell you HOW IT REALLY IS!

You've just brought your beautiful new M4 home from the LGS. Maybe you're even out on the range with it for it's initial break in. And suddenly it occurs to you that what you have in your hands is NOT the M4 the way Benelli or the Marines...or God...envisioned it but a very nice albeit NEUTURED version of what they had planned.

Because your gun is I TAL YUN...ie NOT American...your gun is equipped with only a 5 round magazine. Oh sure, the excitement of your brand new M4 will be enough to overlook the wimpy little magazine for a time...but eventually this will torment you to the point of keeping you up at night.

"Yea, 5+1 is just fine for the range but man, I would really like to use this gun for home defense or the Zombie Apocalypse as it was intended...and a couple extra rounds would really come in handy when I'm whacking Zombies. Hmmm...what to do...what to do"

You will try to live with this. You will try to rationalize it and convince yourself that the gun is just fine the way it is. You'll tell yourself that 5+1 rounds of 00 Buck should be more than enough for any Zombie encounter and you're getting faster at reloading anyway.

Ultimately, however, you will come to the same conclusion that every American M4 owner before you has come to. That 5+1 sucks when 7+1 is, more or less, readily available.

Before you know it, you'll be drooling over Carrier Comp's titanium 7 round mag tube and you'll be neck deep in trying to understand 922R legislation to keep your new toy legal.

So a bunch of reading and a few forum posts later and you will be plunking down your hard earned $$ on titanium tubes, and new followers and a Geiselle replacement hammer or a new forend or one of the various other US replacement parts.

And suddenly a couple $50 magazines are staring to look pretty cheap in comparison.

Or you can be like me and let it sit in the safe for the past 17 months and never shoot it.

so damn true. my m4 started off around $1800...ive put about another $1200 into it. i now have one of the nicest shotguns you can buy but it was expensive.

op, save up and buy the best. settling for a vepr would be a waste of money in comparison.

What did you put on it?

[JDPhx501]

I just wish we could slap that skeletal stock and 14.5" barrel without NFA!

Its a heavy gun as it. I have Mesa Urbino stock (removed the riser to save some weight) Mesa Tactical side saddle+rail, Mesa Tactical forend clamp, a Streamlight TLR-1, and fully ghost loaded 9 plus 8 in the saddle and an AimpointPRO the thing weighed a ridiculous 19 pounds.

I don't understand why you guys need to put a RDS on it if you already have a light mounted forward and the ghost rings are great as is!

I keep both eyes open when using the ghost ring sights anyway, plus the front sight post glows and stays that way for a few minutes if it gets some of that intense light from your streamlight or surefire.

[Glocker23]

Not a whole lot of shotgun experience so may be a dumb question.

RD/Holographic sights don't do a whole lot for buckshot / home defense loads on a shotgun I would think?

[JDPhx501]

Not a whole lot of shotgun experience so may be a dumb question.

RD/Holographic sights don't do a whole lot for buckshot / home defense loads on a shotgun I would think?

I'm guessing faster target acquisition.

I just don't think you need it when the GRS are good enough both eyes open.

Well I am also moving in the direction of having as little crap on my guns as possible and save weight whenever possible.

OP, you can't go wrong with either. I just think for a practical defensive serious shotgun the M4 works better since you do not have to deal with a magazine lock. Furthermore I don't think shotgun is an ideal weapon to utilize magazines and sustain a very high rate of fire, just due to the bulk and range of its ammunition. Your opinion can vary, but mine is primarily based in practical home defense.

[NYT]

Not a whole lot of shotgun experience so may be a dumb question.

RD/Holographic sights don't do a whole lot for buckshot / home defense loads on a shotgun I would think?

i did a shotgun class this year with the eotech installed and smoked just about everyone with my accuracy and repetition shooting slugs out to 100 yds. its insanely fast to pick up targets such as clays as well. the ghost sites from the factory were very good but i added mesas elevated cheek weld and eotech and now it shoots better than i can.

as far as weight goes, its a shotgun and definitely not built for the small framed. the weight doesnt bother me mainly because i bought this sling:

http://www.tacticallink.com/Interceptor_Bungee_2_Point_Sling.html

if you havent used one yet, i highly suggest picking one up. the bungee holds the weight to my shoulder perfectly and allows me to not feel like i am carrying a behemoth.

i dont use the flashlight at the range for obvious reasons but have my eotech set up where the bottom part of the ring is dead on balls for buck shot and the 2moa dead on for slugs out to 100 yds.

[hcbr]

I say get BOTH! lol ... the Benelli is solid but I'm actually a FN/Winchester Whore!

In any case, go get the Vepr now, there's only 3 left!!!! I just picked one up, yeah wish it was the 799 price but eh, put it on the credit card and just called it a day. Think about it this way, you can get a Benelli anytime , but it'll be a while till you get a Vepr and besides, if you want, sell it and get enough money to buy the Benelli and have extra cash to do whatever you want with it!

Can't go wrong either way (buying both or buying one now and one later ...)

[claylakers]

Agreed

I have both... the Vepr is fun, but significantly heavier in the front and more tiring to shoot. I certainly appreciate the Benelli more for all around, but I don't think I could give up one or the other. That being said if you think you won't be able to afford both down the road, consider getting the Vepr now to enjoy for awhile since they are going away. You could probably sell it in a year or two at a profit and upgrade to the Benelli.

Agreed! M4 if one, but if down the road both, Vepr now

[sdkevin]

.. a bit off topic..

This state will screw you anyway they can.

Want to play games.. let's post it on the internet, my CA firearms purchase..

Really?

Tell us about your latest AK build, tell us about your AR build, tell us about your latest shotgun build.

There is a point where helping other gunners becomes a political scandal/problem - not to mention a security risk.

These are the times.

Why even post this thread? Seriously!

[CAGLS]

Instructor Zero and the M4

[bigbearbear]

Not a whole lot of shotgun experience so may be a dumb question.

RD/Holographic sights don't do a whole lot for buckshot / home defense loads on a shotgun I would think?

It depends on what you're using the shotgun for. In home defense or turkey hunting, a red-dot holographic sight is pretty nice. Or, if you're shooting slugs and essentially using the shotgun like a rifle.

However, if you want to become a good shotgun shooter and maybe also participate in clay shooting sports, learning how to correctly mount the shotgun so that it shoots where you look is important. It is also why shotguns are so brutal and effective in close quarter firefights. A good shooter simply looks at the target, his barrel automatically tracks his eye like a Apache attack helicopter's canon, squeeze the trigger and BANG, dead target. This also lets the shotgun shooter maintain a lot of situation awareness since his is not focusing on the sights, plus it lets him track and hit fast moving target easily.

In my opinion, there's nothing wrong with using a red-dot but I recommend learning the correct shotgun mounting/shooting technique.

[rambutan316]

Thanks everyone! I have decided to keep saving up for the Benelli. While the VEPR may be a fun range toy, I think I would have more practical use with the M4.

[L84CABO]

Thanks everyone! I have decided to keep saving up for the Benelli. While the VEPR may be a fun range toy, I think I would have more practical use with the M4.

Excellent choice!...not that there were any bad choices here. Keep in mind that if this turns out to be the wrong decision for you, you won't have any problems selling the M4. There is strong demand for them and they hold their value reasonably well.

Now start doing your research for the mods!

Carrier Comp and Freedom Fighter Tactical both have pretty decent information on the 922R requirements. And Benelli's website has a link to it's forums which is probably the best overall source for Benelli and M4 specific information...not that there aren't other good resources...like Calguns for example.

Good luck!

[snypr]

Technically you are correct. But let me tell you HOW IT REALLY IS!

You've just brought your beautiful new M4 home from the LGS. Maybe you're even out on the range with it for it's initial break in. And suddenly it occurs to you that what you have in your hands is NOT the M4 the way Benelli or the Marines...or God...envisioned it but a very nice albeit NEUTURED version of what they had planned.

Because your gun is I TAL YUN...ie NOT American...your gun is equipped with only a 5 round magazine. Oh sure, the excitement of your brand new M4 will be enough to overlook the wimpy little magazine for a time...but eventually this will torment you to the point of keeping you up at night.

"Yea, 5+1 is just fine for the range but man, I would really like to use this gun for home defense or the Zombie Apocalypse as it was intended...and a couple extra rounds would really come in handy when I'm whacking Zombies. Hmmm...what to do...what to do"

You will try to live with this. You will try to rationalize it and convince yourself that the gun is just fine the way it is. You'll tell yourself that 5+1 rounds of 00 Buck should be more than enough for any Zombie encounter and you're getting faster at reloading anyway.

Ultimately, however, you will come to the same conclusion that every American M4 owner before you has come to. That 5+1 sucks when 7+1 is, more or less, readily available.

Before you know it, you'll be drooling over Carrier Comp's titanium 7 round mag tube and you'll be neck deep in trying to understand 922R legislation to keep your new toy legal.

So a bunch of reading and a few forum posts later and you will be plunking down your hard earned $$ on titanium tubes, and new followers and a Geiselle replacement hammer or a new forend or one of the various other US replacement parts.

And suddenly a couple $50 magazines are staring to look pretty cheap in comparison.

^this man knows what he is talking about... +1.