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The Benelli M4 dominates the combat shotgun market. It has reigned since 1999 when the weapon was adopted by the United States military as the M1014 Joint Service Shotgun. The Benelli M4 is a powerhouse of a semi-auto shotgun that spills 12 gauge pills with near reckless speed. The M4 wears a premium grade price tag, but without a doubt, its a premium grade shotgun. This 12 gauge beast is an outstanding home defense shotgun and is an excellent example of Italian craftsmanship.
The Benelli M4 is a semi-automatic, gas-operated, 12 gauge shotgun designed and built in Italy. The gun comes in various configurations, but the standard model features an 18.5-inch barrel, weighs 7.8 pounds, is 40 inches long overall, and comes with a 5 round magazine tube.
The Benelli M4 is imported to the United States in compliance with 922 R. This requires a 5 round magazine tube and fixed stock. As a Benelli fanboy, my specific model has been heavily customized to legally have a collapsing stock and a 7 round magazine tube. To do so, I had to add four U.S.-made parts. My U.S. parts include the magazine tube, follower, hammer, and Mesa Truckee handguard.
Benelli imports multiple models of the M4. You get the standard black models with pistol grip stocks, standard shotgun stocks, and skeletal stocks. Benelli also produces a beautiful H20 model that features a titanium cerakote finish. There is also the Entry model, which features a 14-inch barrel and requires a tax stamp and some extra paperwork to own.
Semi-auto shotguns come in either gas-powered or inertia operated designs. Benelli made their bucks with the inertia driven systems, but the Joint Service Shotgun program called for a gas-powered shotgun. The reason being is that gas-powered guns are not affected by weight added to the gun. The military wanted to strap on lights, lasers, and optics, including beefy night vision options.
Benelli utilized a revolutionary gas operating system called the Auto Regulating Gas Operated systems. ARGO for short. This system uses a short-stroke dual gas piston design that is self-cleaning and ultra-reliable. Most semi-auto shotguns require a good deal of maintenance when compared to handgun or rifles. The ARGO system allows the Benelli M4 to run through thousands of rounds without cleaning. The ARGO system also allows for the use of a wide variety of ammunition types.
The Benelli is an addictive shotgun to shoot. There is something so fun about ripping through round after round of 12 gauge with the M4. The Benelli M4 has a very fast cycling action, and you can dump all 5 or 7 rounds into a target extremely quick. The gas-powered semi-auto action also produces mild recoil compared to a pump shotgun. The Benelli M4 is a very easy to control weapon, and that’s a must for a semi-auto shotgun.
What’s the point of having faster follow up shots if you can’t control them?
With proper recoil mitigation techniques, you can run the gun rapidly and accurately across multiple targets. Moving between targets as the weapon recoils feel natural and intuitive.
The gun includes an excellent set of stock ghost ring sights that are easy to see and rapid to engage with. These sights allow you to maximize your precision with slugs while retaining speed with buckshot. On top of that, Benelli includes an optics mount for all your red dot needs.
The controls are well thought out and well placed for easy access. The small bolt release makes up my only complaint about the gun. It needs to be bigger, much bigger. Other than that, the gun is well designed. The stock offers good support, and you can get a solid cheek weld on the gun. The stock and built-in recoil pad do a good job of helping mitigate recoil. The trigger is fantastic and better than it needs to be for a shotgun.
Reliability is top-notch. My Benelli M4 has been subjected to near-constant abuse for ten months now, and I haven’t cleaned it. I have no reason to; it’s chugged along for over a thousand rounds without a single malfunction. The M4 is far from ammo picky. It eats the cheapest birdshot loads I can toss into it. The only thing that doesn’t work is those superbly light trap and skeet loads, mini shells, and less lethal ammo.
The Benelli M4 eats reduced recoil loads in the 1,200 to 1,150 FPS range without issue. Reduced recoil buckshot loads combined with the gas-operated design make this a very sweet handling gun.
The Benelli M4 has served the military now for over two decades without the call for an A2 model. It simply doesn’t need one. The Benelli M4 is a powerhouse of a shotgun and is, without a doubt, the king of combat shotguns.