Benelli M4 with Advanced Impact Choke system!

Painkillers said:
I have a Mossberg magnum Turkey gun (835?) that is also 10 gauge, reduced to 12 via the choke. It's ported a-la vang comp from factory. For Benelli to take on a similar dimensional set up is good news, tells me it works!

I'm not saying the Mossberg is anything akin to your cutting edge Benelli. The steel used, that wild choke, length of forcing cone, etc., etc., will all be superior in the Benelli. It's the concept of shooting a 12 gauge down a 10 bore and choking it at the near end is what I'm talking about.

Nice gun. I can't wait for the range report of how it PATTERNS at 75 YARDS! :oops:
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I love Mossberg. I’ve got a good old Maverick 88 whose price hasn’t changed in 25 years 😆, and a Mossberg 500 in .410 as well.

Your comparison is interesting. I did a bit of reading on the 835 Turkey and it confirmed what I already suspected: apparently shooting slugs through an overbored barrel isn’t exactly known for great accuracy. Curious to see how that plays out.

I’m really looking forward to testing mine too, and comparing the pattern to my 28” Maverick

If I can keep all the pellets on the same ZIP code at 75 yards, I’ll consider that a win 😂
 
Cl2 said:
Hey Eric, just wondering but are there any Benelli USA markings on the left side of the receiver?
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Mine appears to be marked “BENELLI U.S.A. CORP., ACCOKEEK MD – MADE IN ITALY” on the left side.
My photo is a bit blurry and I’m not home to double-check right now, but that’s what it looks like.

I’m not fully sure about all the import rules, but from what I understand this marking is mandatory for anything imported into North America, even if the gun is built and assembled in Italy.

My Drone Guardian arrived fully assembled in a hard case, just like the European market version.
I believe the U.S. market guns are usually shipped disassembled in a cardboard box due to their local import/922(r) requirements, but feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.
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scubasteve04 said:
Got mine in the mail yesterday and very happy with it.

The QD sling mounts seem kinda flimsy. Can they be replaced by magpul QD sling mounts? Would they fit in the holes? https://www.amazon.ca/Magpul-Industries-Quick-Detach-Swivel/dp/B00HKBSQ26

Is Briley the only place that sells AI chokes? Would these fit on the new Benelli? https://www.briley.com/p-69582-benelli-ai-spectrum-black-oxide-choke-12-gauge.aspx
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Yes, it’s compatible with any choke marked AI (Advanced Impact).
As for the Magpul QD mounts, very good question — I actually have some at home. I’ll check as soon as I get a moment and get back to you
 
Received mine today! 😃
Did we determine what kind of chokes it uses? I’d love to run some slugs through a cylinder choke.
 
tmpart said:
Received mine today! 😃
Did we determine what kind of chokes it uses? I’d love to run some slugs through a cylinder choke.
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Congrats on the purchase

And yes, it does come with a Modified choke (three notches).

Scubasteve04 is right about slugs in an overbored barrel. I checked a Challenger slug at 0.723", and the Advanced Impact bore on the Guardian is around 0.775". The slug basically floats in there. Even if it weren’t risky, the accuracy would be terrible.

Probably best to forget about slugs before ruining a $4,000 barrel for no reason.
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scubasteve04 said:
Got mine in the mail yesterday and very happy with it.

The QD sling mounts seem kinda flimsy. Can they be replaced by magpul QD sling mounts? Would they fit in the holes?

Is Briley the only place that sells AI chokes? Would these fit on the new Benelli? https://www.briley.com/p-69582-benelli-ai-spectrum-black-oxide-choke-12-gauge.aspx
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I’m using the Magpul QDM swivels on mine — they fit perfectly in the factory QD sockets and feel a lot more solid than the stock ones.

Also, thanks again for the warning about running slugs in an overbored barrel. Your advice probably saved someone a very expensive mistake. 💥
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If someone actually explodes their barrel then Benelli is liable for a big lawsuit because nowhere in the manual, on the box or the gun, or anywhere on the internet does it say if the AI barrel is safe for slugs or not.

I contacted Stoeger Canada and they said "They are pre installed with a proprietary 10mm Modified choke, allowing the flexibility of using slugs and buck"

Benelli USA said they don't know about the Drone Guardian, but "For the other AI guns that we offer here, SBE 3 AI and the Ethos AI, slugs are not recommened to be shot thru an AI barrel"
 
scubasteve04 said:
If someone actually explodes their barrel then Benelli is liable for a big lawsuit because nowhere in the manual, on the box or the gun, or anywhere on the internet does it say if the AI barrel is safe for slugs or not.

I contacted Stoeger Canada and they said "They are pre installed with a proprietary 10mm Modified choke, allowing the flexibility of using slugs and buck"

Benelli USA said they don't know about the Drone Guardian, but "For the other AI guns that we offer here, SBE 3 AI and the Ethos AI, slugs are not recommened to be shot thru an AI barrel"
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Interesting. Stoeger’s answer could definitely lead someone in the wrong direction, and Benelli USA doesn’t seem to realize that an AI barrel is an AI barrel, no matter which model it’s installed on.
It’s possible Benelli keeps the specs secret because, judging by the replies we get, they don’t seem to know them. 😆
 
EricMJ said:
Interesting. Stoeger’s answer could definitely lead someone in the wrong direction, and Benelli USA doesn’t seem to realize that an AI barrel is an AI barrel, no matter which model it’s installed on.
It’s possible Benelli keeps the specs secret because, judging by the replies we get, they don’t seem to know them. 😆
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It would be interesting if they are trying to keep specs hush-hush while simultaneously dumping them on the civilian market. My guess is they intended it as a military only product but got little interest so now they are offloading them onto the civilian market.

The marketing on this gun is terrible. They should have just marketed it as a next-gen Benelli that could work in both close combat and also be used as a last ditch drone defense. The handgaurd and the red dot alone are worth the upgrade. Plus you get a better stock, better sling points, better controls. The AI performance claims are pretty dubious and people are seeing right through it.

Additionally, there is no real confirmation that the AI chokes from the Benelli M4 are interchangeable with the SBE and Ethos. It is a safe assumption but until someone actually measures them or tries them in both guns there is no guarantee they are interchangeable. It kind of enrages me that Benelli sells the SBE with a full set of 5 AI chokes but the M4 only comes with modified. And why even bother making the choke removable if you don't actually sell additional chokes?
 
tmpart said:
Around the 8:15 mark, the Benelli rep says you can fire almost anything through it.
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I might yolo and try some of my Brenekke slugs out of it when I get down to the farm to shoot.

My guess is that a catastrophic failure is unlikely (Mossberg being dramatic?) but accuracy might be marginal.

Additionally that video mentions Norma AD-LER ammo as being optimal and the Norma website lists Stoeger Canada as a distributor, I wonder if it will be possible to acquire that ammo as a civilian.
 
I agree once you break down the numbers, the Drone Guardian isn’t not more expensive than a standard M4 A1 with a comparable red dot. Even more so if you get it on sale.That’s if you even need a red dot to begin with. On top of that, you benefit from the Advanced Impact technology.

And yes, all Benelli AI chokes are interchangeable. Even Benelli Defense redirects you to the general Advanced Impact choke family. Their website probably just isn’t updated yet, considering how new this system is. I’d be curious to know the price of a full AI choke set… probably about the same as two Turknellis. 😆

As for Norma AD-LER ammo, I doubt civilians will ever see it. It would be interesting to test, but for hunting purposes it’s not really relevant. I mainly wanted to try the AI technology — and since the M4 was already calling my name, the timing was perfect: an M4 with an AI barrel and a Steiner optic? 🥰 Hard to resist.

It would be fascinating to hear real feedback from Ukraine on AD-LER’s effectiveness, but I’m already assuming they’re sticking to classic buckshot, especially if they expect to bump into infantry or clear trenches.

By the way, in the video you can see Kim using a Benelli AI 10+2 cm choke at 3:35

One thing is certain in that video — Kim is clearly having the time of his life. Must be an incredible experience.

 
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