Tactical Upgrade: Benelli M4 EXT Review

The Benelli M4 EXT is new this year and as soon as it was announced I wanted to get one to test. I’ve been a devoted Benelli shooter for decades and still have both an original Super Black Eagle and an old-school M1 Super 90, which was the hotness in the tactical shotgun world in the 1980s and 1990s.

For decades the Benelli M4 has been widely considered the best tactical shotgun available. It cemented its legendary status when the Marine Corp adopted it back in 1999 following a grueling test where it digested thousands of rounds with minimal cleaning and maintenance. It entered service as the M1014 Joint Service Combat Shotgun and was a major upgrade over the pump-action shotguns the Marines had fielded prior.

Benelli M1 and M3 Heritage

Even before the arrival of the M4, Benelli had made a name for itself in the tactical world. The Benelli M1 and M3 series both had strong careers with various military and law enforcement units and were the aspirational choice for people wanting to own the ultimate defensive shotgun.

I was one of those people. The M3, which could be operated in both pump-action and semiautomatic modes, was a technical marvel and to this day enjoys a devoted cult following.  However, the M1 was more popular by far and, like so many others of my generation, it was the gun I lusted after.

My M1 Super 90 was produced in 1995 and by today’s standards lacks many of the features we deem essential on a tactical shotgun. I’d go so far as to describe it as an evolutionary missing link, with a design that bridges the worlds of traditional sporting and modern tactical shotguns.

The clearest examples of this include the diamond checkering pattern on the fore-end, which is a purely sporting feature, a receiver that isn’t tapped or drilled to mount any type of optic, and a set of puny iron sights on the barrel.

Benelli M4 EXT and M1 Super 90 Showdown

Along with testing the new Benelli M4 EXT I was curious to dust off my M1 Super 90 and shoot them head-to-head. Would my Miami Vice-era Benelli hold its own against the new kid on the block? And would the new EXT model address the outdated design elements of the M4 system? That’s what prompted this evaluation.

Benelli M4 Shortcomings

While the M4 is still the king of the tactical shotguns — you can’t argue with its track record in combat over the last 25 years — it now faces serious competition from Beretta and even Mossberg. The Beretta 1301 Tactical is a better shotgun than the older M4 in my opinion. It is more refined, shoots softer and faster, and has excellent ergonomics and feature set.

Until the EXT came out, the M4 suffered from undersized controls and wasn’t available with a stock extended magazine, which is a must-have feature with today’s defensive shotguns.

The Benelli M4 EXT’s New Look

The refresh of the M4 platform addressed those issues. The EXT has an over-sized bolt release, extended bolt handle, QD cups, and a new five-position adjustable stock. The most significant upgrade, though, is the extended magazine that gives the shotgun a 7+1 capacity.

Government regulations restrict the import of guns with certain “non-sporting” features, which is why the older Italian-made M4s for the consumer market had 5-round magazines. The EXT sidesteps that issue because it incorporates enough U.S. made parts to avoid triggering those restrictions.

Sight Options

The M4 comes with a set of robust and effective ghost ring aperture sights. The front post is a square black blade with a white dot flanked by metal wings and the rear is an aperture sight that adjusts for windage and elevation. It too is protected by steel wings.

Most users will want to take advantage of the shotgun’s ability to sport an optic, though. Just in front of the rear sight is a cutout to mount a red dot. The cutout sits low enough so that the sight co-witnesses with the aperture sights. In the event the red dot fails, you can easily employ the irons as a backup.

Running the Benelli M4 EXT

The new shotgun retains the M4’s ARGO gas operating system, which is a good thing. The M4’s legend is built in large part upon the ability of the action to function reliably under adversity. An M4 can be treated horribly and will still run. They handle sand, mud, ice, snow, and water without complaint. They don’t mind being run dirty. And they are able to cycle mild 12 gauge target loads as well as the high-powered stuff.

The gun is very fast and, because it is a gas gun, recoils much more softly than my inertia driven M1 Super 90. Where the M1 had one failure to feed during the evaluation, the M4 EXT had zero.

Ergonomics

The upgrades detailed above make this the most ergonomic out-of-the-box M4 ever. The controls are intuitive to find and operate, the stock geometry makes getting the sights on target easy, and the gun’s heft and balance make managing recoil a snap.

The EXT retains the older M4’s pistol grip, fore-end, and fire-control unit, so the gun feels very much like its forefathers.

Stiff Loading

The only real fault with the M4 EXT is one that’s a carryover from its older family members. The spring in the magazine is a stiff son of a gun so it takes serious effort to stuff the tube full of shells. If you’ve been spoiled by tuned-up shotguns where the shells just glide into the mag, you’ll find the M4 EXT a bit jarring. But this gun is designed for combat, not quad-loading on the clock, and that stiff spring helps ensure it runs reliably.

M4 EXT vs M1 Super 90

You can see how far Benelli’s tactical shotgun has come when you shoot the old M1 against the new M4. My M1 Super 90 is lighter and the inertia-driven action slaps harder.

With light target loads that didn’t make much of a difference but when I tested both guns with 1-ounce slugs the disparity in felt recoil was significant.

Testing Slugs

I shot slug at 25 and 50 yards with both guns. At 25 yards the M1 Super 90 held its own. Despite the small iron sights I was able to engage all the steel without difficulty, including the smaller targets.

At 50 yards it was a different story. With the red dot on board the M4 EXT was easy to shoot accurately and once I figured out my hold — the shotgun was shooting a little to the left — none of the steel could escape my wrath.

The open-sighted M1 Super 90 struggled at that distance, however. The smaller targets were basically unscathed, though I did manage to consistently ring the big stuff.

Final Thoughts on the Benelli M4 EXT

It’s really great to see Benelli give the M4 platform this upgrade. From the aesthetic standpoint it is a winner — I dig the black multi-cam Cerakote finish — but its improved feature set and functionality is where it truly shines.

It has the 7+1 capacity that’s expected with shotguns of this type. It has mounting points along the fore-end for accessories. The versatile QD cup layout lets you sling the gun anyway you want. And it does this while maintaining the reliability and ruggedness that is the foundation of the M4 legend.