Welcome to another Gun of the Week episode. In today’s show, we’re down on the range with the Benelli M4 Tactical shotgun. What you might notice if you’re an eagle-eyed viewer is this looks a little bit different than the typical M4 commercial shotguns that we’ve seen previously from Benelli. That’s because this is the M4 EXT, or as Benelli likes to call it, more of a good thing. As for the EXT, you could say it stands for “extras,” because there are a few little extras that you get on this new model. Now, the M4 shotguns we’re typically used to seeing are ones coming in from Italy, which means they have to meet certain import restrictions.
Typically … In the past, this has meant the full-length magazine tube here, out at the muzzle, was shortened up a little bit, and it usually came with a fixed butt stock. This time on the EXT, those have been replaced stateside. So, now you have a full-length magazine tube on this gun, which gives it an on-board capacity of seven rounds. It has a 3-inch chamber and a five-position telescoping buttstock.
This particular M4 EXT is in flat dark earth, and there are a few different color options for the EXT models. We’ve outfitted this particular shotgun with a few little extras here. It has a Mesa Tactical sidesaddle to hold extra rounds, a Steiner, MPS red-dot sight and a Streamlight tactical light up front. This is one possible way of outfitting this shotgun for home defense right here, but everything on this gun itself is core M4.
You know, we know and love the Benelli. It’s the U.S. Military’s chosen semi-auto shotgun. In military guide it’s called the M1014. Here, we call it simply the M4, and it’s still got that great ARGO gas-regulating operating system that is super reliable. There’s a cushioned pistol-grip stock here and oversize controls, like the bolt release there and a nice knurled bolt handle. There’s a selector switch for the safety just behind the trigger guard. Up top, it comes with ghost-ring sights as well as a section of Picatinny rail should you wish to add optics. This new M4 EXT Tactical is outfitted ready to shoot, but you can always add in extras, because people love outfitting their M4s.
The new Benelli M4 EXT Tactical is the latest version of one of the best semi-auto shotguns that you can buy. For more information on the new M4 EXT, visit benelliusa.com. And for the latest on new guns and gear, stay tuned to americanrifleman.org.
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