First Look: Benelli M4 EXT

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First Look: Benelli M4 EXT

Benelli has just announced the M4 EXT, the ultimate version of the iconic semi-auto 12-gauge straight from the factory.

The Benelli M4 is widely considered to be the best combat shotgun of all time. Used by military and police units across the globe since its introduction in the late 90s, the Italian semi-auto 12-gauge has garnered an excellent reputation for rugged reliability thanks primarily to its ARGO (auto-regulating gas-operated) gas system. Commercial versions have been available in the U.S. for a while now, but they came from the factory lacking some important features, and upgrading them with aftermarket parts could potentially run afoul of 922R compliance regarding imported firearms. Thankfully, that’s all now behind us, as Benelli has just announced the M4 EXT.

Benelli M4 EXT titanium

The biggest and most important upgrade of the Benelli M4 EXT is its full-capacity 7-round magazine tube as opposed to the usual 5-round tube. It also comes with the proper 5-position collapsible stock instead of the fixed-stock lookalike that came on some of the older commercial M4 models. The stock features a QD sling mount, too. Another small upgrade that makes a big difference is the new oversized bolt release that enables faster operation, even while wearing gloves.

Benelli M4 EXT fde

The rest of the M4 EXT is the same as the older models, but that’s a good thing. It means it features the same proven ARGO gas system, handy 18.5-inch barrel length, quick-acquisition ghost-ring sights and comes with a Picatinny rail for mounting optics.

Bret Maffet, Senior Product Manager at Benelli, said this about the new shotgun:

Consumers weren’t asking us to reinvent the legendary M4…they were simply asking us to unleash it. Now we have

The new Benelli M4 EXT is available with either a Black Multicam, Titanium Cerakote or FDE Cerakote finish and has an MSRP of $2,600.

For more information, visit benelliusa.com.


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Adam Borisenko is the Online Editor for Gun Digest. He lives in Iowa where he has studied, collected and enjoyed shooting firearms for most of his life. While he has experience covering a wide array of different subjects, his special interest is in Combloc guns and other military small arms from the second half of the 20th century.

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