The U.S. military has a long history of shotguns. During World War I, the German Army actually protested the use of the Winchester Model 97 pump-action shotgun, which the Germans claimed violated Article 23(e) of the 1899 and 1907 Hague Conventions and warned that any American captured with a shotgun or shotgun ammunition would be executed.

There is some irony that the Germans issued such a protest after it had utilized Zeppelins to bomb England, unleashed submarine warfare that targeted allied shipping, introduced the flamethrower and even used poison gas against its enemies! The Judge Advocate General for the U.S. Army denied the claims and stated the shotgun was a legitimate weapon of war.

The U.S. military has continued to carry shotguns in every conflict since then, and for the past twenty years has carried the semiautomatic M1014 Joint Service Combat Shotgun. Introduced in 1999 it has recently been used in Afghanistan and Iraq and is essentially the mil-spec version of the Benelli M4. 

The Civilian M4 

The Italian-based Benelli, which made a name for itself with its semiautomatic shotguns after World War II, has supplied various models including the M3 12 gauge to American SWAT teams as well as military forces throughout Europe and Asia. Yet, when it came time for the American military to seek a new semi-shotgun, Benelli took its designs in a new direction. 

Instead of utilizing the long-favored inertia recoil system that had been standard in Benelli’s semiautomatic shotguns for years, company engineer Marco Vignaroli designed the shotgun to employ the same operation found in the company’s then-new Ri semiautomatic rifle. As a result, the M4 was the first of Benelli’s shotguns to employ its ARGO (auto-regulating gas-operated) short-stroke gas system, where dual stainless steel short-stroke pistons cycle a rotating bolt. This self-contained gas system requires fewer operational parts—a total of four—but is also known for its self-cleaning attributes. The M4 could also self-adjust to instantly handle a change from 2.75-inch shells to 3-inch magnum loads.

The main difference between the military and civilian versions was the capacity of the tube magazine—7+1 for the military version and just 5+1 for the civilian model. However, the civilian model still packs the same punch, which has made it a favorite for home defense as well as for use in 3-gun competitions. The M4 was in the top five of best-selling semiautomatic shotguns according to the NRA's American Hunter based on GunBroker.com sales for 2019.

The civilian M4 version features a Cerakote Flat Dark Earth receiver, a black polymer stock and soft rubber-covered pistol grip, and adjustable ghost-ring rear and post front sights. The length of the pull is 14.38 inches while the trigger pull weight is 8 pounds, 10 ounces so this may not be a shotgun most will want to fire all day, and at 7 pounds 13 ounces it is no lightweight but that extra heft helps contain the recoil. 

About the only thing not to love might be the price. With an MSRP of $2,399, the M4 isn’t cheap and for that money, one could certainly purchase a truly spectacular over/under shotgun instead. But then again, as shotguns go this semiautomatic is the one that will do a far better job as a home defense weapon. 

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. He is the author of several books on military headgear including A Gallery of Military Headdress, which is available on Amazon.com. 

Image: Wikimedia Commons / U.S. Department of Defense