I'd been kicking around the idea of getting a Benelli M4 for a few years—it's been around since the late 1990s and has gained a reputation a one of the best combat shotguns. It was designed by Benelli in response to a request from the US Military for a new semi-auto combat shotgun—it was their first gas-operated shotgun (as compared to their other models which used, I believe, an inertia-driven system (similar in concept to my other Benelli, an M76 9mm pistol). From what I've read, the gas operation was chosen as inertia-driven operation could be hampered by the addition of lights or other devices which could add enough weight to adversely affect operation. And now, on to the details.
The shotgun comes with a nice set of LPA ghost ring sights, as well as a picatinny rail for mounting other optics. I've got a Holosun 507C-GR X2 on mine—more on that later. You can also see the bolt release button just below the bolt handle—I've ready that some people have found this hard to activate but I've not found that myself. You can get aftermarket replacements if desired. You can also see the "cartridge drop lever" with the red dot in the front part of the triggerguard—this needs to be activated after loading the magazine tube. The shotgun can only be loaded with the hammer cocked—the red dot on the drop lever indicates that it is cocked. The safety is located right behind the trigger.
Here's a view of the shell lifter (or carrier as Benelli calls it). I'd read that some shooters have noticed a tendency for it to snag their fingers when they're loading shells in but I did not experience that myself, although I have with other shotguns with similarly-designed lifters.
I replaced the factory bolt handle with a replacement from Taran Tactical (TT on the top, factory on the bottom). It's a bit bigger than the factory one, and has a nice knurled texture. The only other change is the addition of an S&J Hardware magazine tube to allow for five 3" inch shells.
Here's the pistol grip—it's made of comfortable, grippy rubber and is nicely textured. I like pistol grips on short LOP shotguns as I've found that with a regular stock the thumb on my shooting hand will bump my nose with heavy-recoiling rounds—that's not an issue with a pistol grip. You can also see the front-most slot for the adjustable rear stock on the stock's shaft.
Here's a closer look of the ARGO system on the underside of the barrel—it's a really simple system. There are just these two pistons and the sleeves they ride in. The shotgun is capable of shooting all loads without any adjustment (Hence the "Auto Regulating" name).
This is the rotating bolt and its carrier. The "tail" of the carrier is reminiscent to me of the FN FAL bolt carrier.
Here's the sturdy rear ghost ring sight, adjustable for windage and elevation.
And here's the front sight, well-protected by robust ears. I had planned to use these sight instead of the Holosun but as you'll see shortly, that didn't work out.
My rear stock is the three-position adjustable version (there are also a fixed-length pistol-grip stock and a field stock versions). The release button is on the left side of the stock, and I was concerned that it would cause problems with recoil (although that turned out not to be the case). There's a comfortable recoil pad, too.
With the stock in its middle position it's a very good fit for me with one exception. The design of the stock means that as the stock is retracted the cheek weld changes since the cheekpiece rises up, and with the stock in this position I could not see through the sights without scrunching down uncomfortably on the stock. It's fine in the fully extended position, though. So, I thought I'd try the Holosun sight.
Here's a view through the sight—I like the way the green reticle stands out, and the 65MOA ring feels like a good fit for a shotgun. A 1 MOA dot can be added in the middle of the ring, or just on its own. I would have liked to put an RMR on the shotgun but prices have climbed significantly in recent years. I've had good luck with the other Holosun sights I've had, so I thought I'd give this one a shot, so to speak. You can get replacement mounts for some sights that replace the factory picatinny rail for lower mounting—since I wanted a bit of a higher sight I went for a regular mount.
So—how does it shoot? Well, really well! The first thing I noticed was the satisfying "ka-chunk" feel of the action operating—I don't have a lot of experience with semi-auto shotguns so it was a new experience for me. The second thing I noticed was the mild recoil—even with slugs—usually after a 50-round session I've got a bit of a bruised and achy shoulder but no issues at all with the M4. One other cool thing about the M4 is that it's one of the shotguns that you can "ghost load" it—basically placing an extra shell on the shell lifter.
I'm really happy with it!
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