Best Benelli M4 Upgrades: Modernize Your M4
The world of semi-auto shotguns is chock full of awesome options. Guns like the Beretta 1301 and A300 Ultima Patrol, the Mossberg 940 Pro series, and the Savage Renegauge Security have redefined the world of fighting shotguns. Before these guns swept in and made their mark, the undisputed king of combat shotguns was the Benelli M4. The Benelli M4 is arguably the most proven semi-auto shotgun on the planet, with over 20 years of service with the United States military. In fact, it was born to serve.
History of the Benelli M4
Prior to the Benelli M4, Benelli used an inertia drive system. Semi-autos like the M1, M2, and M3 all use inertia systems for operations. Inertia systems are great but are weight-sensitive. If you tack on too much weight, they won’t function reliably. The United States military wanted a semi-auto shotgun capable of working with night vision devices.
Night vision devices in 1999 were quite large and heavy. This required a gas-operated shotgun. The United States Marine Corps led the program to find the new Joint Service Shotgun. It’s tough to find a ton of information on the program, as nerds like me weren’t around to chronicle it in detail. It’s known Benelli competed against a few other entries, including Mossberg.
Benelli took home the prize, and the military adopted the guns as the M1014 Joint Service Shotgun. The Benelli M4 uses a gas-operated, piston-driven design. Benelli calls it the ARGO system, and it uses a pair of stainless steel pistons to drive the bolt rearward and operate the weapon. The ARGO system is self-cleaning and reduces the complicated and heavy system of linkages and springs to a much simpler design.
Even since then, the Benelli M4 has served our country in fights where close-quarter combat seems likely.
The Benelli M4’s Downsides
The Benelli M4 in the United States seems disappointing at first glance. It’s admittedly the same gun as the M1014 under the hood. However, due to import restrictions, Benelli has to import the gun in a sporting configuration, or at least what the ATF and US Government define as sporting. This is basically like Dodge putting the Hellcat engine inside a Ford Pinto. This neutered version is just begging to be brought back to its glory.
Additionally, it might be tough to realize that 1999 was two decades ago, and Benelli has made no changes to the M4 platform. It’s the same as it was in 1999, and that means it’s lagging behind ergonomically and for attachments. A lot of things have changed since 1999, but not the Benelli M4. This means it needs a facelift to the modern era as well.
That’s why we are bringing you the best fixes and upgrades for the Benelli M4. Underneath the hood of the late 90s battle machine sits an engine just waiting to race with modern guns like the Beretta 1301. It just needs a bit of a facelift.
Gun University’s Best Benelli M4 Upgrades
Best Benelli M4 Upgrades
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Best Benelli M4 Upgrades
Here is our list for the best Benelli M4 upgrades:
- Best optic mount: Scalarworks Sync Mount
- Best optic: Holosun HS507C
- Best side saddle: Aridus QD-C Side Saddle
- Best forend: Mesa Tactical Truckee Forend
- Best light: Surefire M640DFT Pro
- Best magazine tube: Freedom Fighter Tactical Magazine Tube
- Best bolt release: Freedom Fighter Tactical Oversized Bolt Release
- Best stock: Mesa Tactical Urbino Stock
- Best sling: Blue Force Gear Vickers Sling
Best Benelli M4 Upgrades – Reviews
Before we dive into upgrades, if you want to learn more about the Benelli M4 shotgun, we have a complete review on the M4 to read.
1 Scalarworks SYNC Mount : Best optic mount
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Scalarworks Sync Mount Review
Benelli includes a rail for optics placed right in front of the rear sight, and while it’s functional, it’s not perfect. It places the optic a bit higher than necessary and eliminates the ability to use co-witnessing. With a lot of optics, you are also stacking tolerances with optics attached to plates and then attached to the rail.
What beats the standard rail? The Scalarworks Sync Mount. This replaces the rail and is attached directly to the shotgun receiver. The Sync mounts come set up for several topics with a direct attach footprint. This includes RMR, Aimpoint Micro, and more. This eliminates the need for a Picatinny adapter and mounts the optic lower.
I currently use the RMR model on my Benelli M4, and with most RMR-based optics, the stock ghost ring iron sights co-witness perfectly through the red dot. This makes life much easier and makes that instinctive shooting with a shotgun much more natural. It’s really the best go-to option out there for the Benelli M4.
Scalarworks Sync Mount Pros and Cons
- Super low mounted optic
- Easy to install
- Various footprints available
- Co-wtinesses with stock sights
- Expensive
2 Holosun 507C : Best optic
Holosun 507C
An open emitter red dot sight available in either red or green with either with a multi reticle system that has 2 MOA dot and a 32 MOA circle.
- Clarity B
- Shootability A+
- Reliability A
- Features A+
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A
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A
Based on 13 Reviews
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Holosun HS507C Review
If you have an optic mount, you need an optic, right? With that in mind, the Holosun HS507C has been my go-to for several years now. The Holosun HS507C uses the RMR footprint, so it matches the Sync mount perfectly. It sits low enough for co-witnessing, and gives you all the modern features you could want from a red dot.
Personally, the multi-reticle system is what I love. The 507C comes with a 2 MOA dot, a 32 MOA circle, and a combination of the dot and circle. The circle is my preferred option. I use Federal FliteControl buckshot, and within 10 yards, I know that every pellet stays within that reticle. This ensures I have total pellet accountability with my shotgun for home defense.
The Holosun HS507C has a side-mounted battery with a solar panel backup. It’s got a nice bright degree of brightness settings, an easy-to-use design, and an affordable optic. The biggest downside I can come up with is the buttons are tiny.
Holosun HS507C Pros and Cons
- Multi-reticle system
- Solar backup
- Side loading battery
- Tiny buttons
3 Aridus QD-C Side Saddle : Best side saddle
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Aridus QD-C Side Saddle Review
There are lots of side saddle options out there, and the best options are detachable or reloadable. Being able to remove the side saddle and replace it with another fully loaded side saddle can be quite nice in a training environment. I doubt anyone in a shotgun firefight will expend the ammo in their gun and side saddle, but I guess it could happen. The Aridus QD-C Side Saddle is, without a doubt, the best detachable side saddle design out there.
It might be best described as over-engineered. It’s a two-piece system machined from aluminum. The first piece is the base, which uses an insanely sticky material to hold the carrier to the gun. This universal carrier means you don’t have to replace and remove bolts, which can affect the reliability of your gun. The second piece is the shotshell carrier. It’s a six-shot aluminum carrier that attaches to the QD-C carrier. I have four shotshell carriers for mine, and they fit well into an AR mag pouch.
A lever locks the shotshell card into the carrier and makes it easy to remove and replace. It takes only a second to have another six rounds loaded onto the gun and in action. The Aridus QD-C side saddle uses spring-loaded retention to ensure your shells stay put no matter what. The Aridus QD-C is a beastly side saddle that is deserving of the Benelli M4.
Aridus QD-C Side Saddle Pros and Cons
- Built to last
- Easily reloadable
- Easy to attach
- Expensive
4 Mesa Tactical Truckee Forend : Best forend
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Mesa Tactical Truckee Forend Review
The United States military adopted the Benelli M4 in 1999, and boy, the handguard is most certainly a product of 1999. It’s perfectly useable but small and provides zero room for attachments. The grip also forces your hand in one place, and for a big guy like me, you feel a bit tight to the gun. A longer, larger handguard that can take attachments is the way to go.
The Mesa Tactical Truckee Forend is the way to go. It comes in 8.5-inch varieties, as well as 11 inches and 15 inches. I have the 11-inch model but would have gone with the 15-inch option if it was available at the time. This machine aluminum handguard installs easily and doesn’t rely on set screws to hold things together. The hardest part of the installation is the terrible instructions included.
The entirety of the handguard is covered with M-LOK slots. You can mount accessories to the bottom and side of the gun. This makes it easy to fit lights, lasers, grips, and more into your Benelli M4. If you are using the weapon for home defense, then a light is a must-have, and Truckee makes it easy.
Mesa Tactical Truckee Forend Pros and Cons
- M-LOK slots
- Great flat bottom grip
- Much longer than stock
- Terrible installation instructions
5 Surefire M640DFT Pro : Best light
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Surefire M640DFT Pro Review
You got the handguard, and now you need the light, right? Surefire is the classic source of duty-grade weapon lights. They recently stepped it up with and released their new Turbo models that amp up the candela to shockingly high levels. The new Pro series also introduced a new mounting method that allows you to utilize a Picatinny rail mount or a direct M-LOK mounting method.
This makes the M640DFT Pro pair well with the Truckee handguard and provides your Benelli M4 with an uber-bright white light. The Turbo model gives you 100,000 candela and 700 lumens of blinding white light. It’s super bright and will most certainly make it easy to establish positive identification with your white light and the Truckee handguard.
The Surefire M640DFT is like any other Surefire, and that means it’s capable of using a ton of different accessories, including a variety of pressure switches. The Pro Mount system allows you to tailor the angle of the light on your gun to reduce the amount of shadow, and it gets it tucked out of the way and keeps the gun slimmer and less likely to catch on this or that.
Surefire M640DFT Pro Pros and Cons
- 100,000 candela
- Pic/M-LOK mounting system
- Compatible with tons of accessories
- Expensive
6 Freedom Fighter Tactical Magazine Tube : Best magazine tube
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Freedom Fighter Tactical Magazine Tube Review
There is something called 922R that essentially restricts certain features from imported guns. To install these features, the gun needs to have a certain number of American-made parts. I won’t dive deep into that, but I will say it’s easy to make the Benelli M4 922R complaint. Once you do so, a must-have upgrade is the Freedom Fighter Tactical seven-round magazine tube. Remove that silly neutered five-round tube as quickly as possible.
The Freedom Fighter Tactical magazine tube is American-made, so it counts as one of those compliance parts. Freedom Fighter Tactical produces these tubes in a few different finish options, and they match the Benelli M4 perfectly. It’s my tube of choice, and having that full seven-round capacity takes the Benelli M4 to new limits.
Freedom Fighter Tactical Magazine Tube Pros and Cons
- Finish matches
- Uneuters your gun
- Dealing with 922R
7 Freedom Fighter Tactical Oversized Bolt Release : Best bolt release
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Freedom Fighter Tactical Oversized Bolt Release Review
Since I already mentioned their tube, let’s talk about a must-have Benelli M4 upgrade. The bolt release on the Benelli M4 is this teeny tiny thing that is ridiculously small. I’m not sure what they were thinking when they designed it. It’s almost useless, so let’s replace it! Freedom Fighter Tactical Recently released their own oversized bolt release, and it’s glorious.
Each bolt release comes with a huge rectangle or a smaller but still large circular release. They act as buttons that attach to the release. Both are heavily textured and easily identifiable by just feel. The massive size makes it much easier to press and access. This makes your reloads faster and vastly improves the gun’s ergonomics.
Freedom Fighter Tactical Oversized Bolt Release Pros and Cons
- Super easy to use
- Circle and rectangle included
- Easy to install
- Matches the gun’s finish
- Pricey
8 Mesa Tactical Urbino Stock : Best stock
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Mesa Tactical Urbino Stock Review
We talked a bit about the Benelli M4, how it became the M1014, and its history with the United States Marine Corps. One interesting note was that Marines in MCAS Miramar were looking for a shorter stock option for the M4, and Mesa Tactical produced the Urbino in response. The Urbino shortens the length of pull to 12.5 inches without raising the comb significantly, like the Benelli 3 position stock.
A shorter length of pull is a godsend to most shooters. I’m six foot, five inches tall, and the 14.5-inch LOP on the Benelli M4 is long for me. A shorter length of pull makes it easier to control the gun with a modern squared-up stance. Shotguns aren’t gentle weapons, so a bit more control can go a long way.
The Mesa Tactical Urbino Stock is made from glass-filled nylon and is quite light. The stock doesn’t offer adjustability but does allow you to install a recoil pad and cheek riser. This can add a little length and can also produce a more comfortable sight picture for using your optic.
There are multiple sling points, which are another godsend. People like to mount slings differently, so having a few extra options makes it easy to get your sling placement the way you want it. Since we mentioned 922R, this is another all-American-made part that counts towards 922R compliance.
Mesa Tactical Urbino Stock Pros and Cons
- Shorter LOP
- Cheek risers
- Multiple sling points
- Not adjustable
9 Blue Force Gear Vickers Sling : Best sling
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Blue Force Gear Vickers Sling Review
If you have multiple mounting points, you gotta add a sling. Not just some parade sling that’s more appropriate for WW2, but a modern tactical sling. When it comes to slings, the Blue Force Gear Vickers sling rules the modern roost of tactical slings. It also has a spot with the United States Marine Corps and a spot on about half a dozen of my guns.
I really love the BFG Vickers sling. The padded variant is probably my favorite, but the pad isn’t a necessity. The BFG Vickers sling takes the modern approach of being radically adjustable with the tug of a pull tab. When properly adjusted, the user can press the tab forward to tighten the sling for hands-free use. When pulled rearward, the sling loosens massively and increases mobility.
The Blue Force Gear Vickers Sing is highly adjustable and very easy to get into play. You can easily adjust it for your Benelli and wherever you choose to place your sling. Blue Force gear makes these slings tough as nails, and they last forever. I’ve used one for over a decade now, and it’s still holding up without a problem. It will get a little stiff after a decade of dirt, water, and other exposure, but it still functions like a champ. BFG also produces a ton of attachment mechanisms, from U-loops to HK-style hooks.
Blue Force Gear Vickers Sling Pros and Cons
- Super tough
- Easily adjustable
- Multiple mounting points
- Will get a little stiff over the years
Conclusion
Whenever you upgrade a gun, you should identify what exactly you want that gun to do. Too many people just stick crap on a gun without thinking it through. You need to ask yourself, does this accessory or upgrade make your weapon more efficient at its goal?
If the goal of your Benelli M4 is to make it the ultimate home defense weapon, then your upgrades will differ from someone making a 3-gun shotgun. Keep that in mind as you craft your Benelli M4 into the gun you’ve always wanted it to be. Speaking of, to my Benelli M4 owners out there, what upgrades have you made? Why did you make them? Let us know in the comments.
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About Travis Pike
Travis is a former United States Marine Corps Infantryman and currently a firearms writer, instructor, and works in Emergency Management.
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