Beretta 1301T or Benelli M4 LE
Hello everyone,
I recently have been looking more and more into getting a semi auto shotgun. I have AR’s and handguns for home defense and carry outside the house.
I realized though that I don’t really have anything for:
1. Bears/other four legged predators. My wife and I are about to go camping pretty often, and the areas we travel to are known to have bears. Yes I know bear spray exists, and we have that, but a firearm that’s capable of stopping a bear would be extra piece of mind.
2. We travel (by car) to CA pretty often, to visit family. A long gun would be good to have. For anyone not familiar with CA laws, AR’s and AK’s must be neutered in some stupid way I don’t remember off the top of my head. Regardless, a semi auto shotgun seems to still be one of the few types (if not only type) of firearm that can stay as capable as its out of state counterparts.
So, that along with me being tempted to add a semi auto 12g to the toolbox, got me looking at both the 1301T and Benelli M4 LE.
Last I remember, a while before 1301’s became a thing, Benelli M4’s were the go to semi auto shotgun. Are they still relevant (for lack of a better word)?
Based on reading around, Benelli’s have less parts, “feel” more durable, are easy to service, and are reliable. The complaints in the past were 922r, and price of the shotgun itself + aftermarket parts to un-neuter it.
Now I see there’s an LE version that comes with the collapsible stock (or the non-pistol grip for less if one prefers), and a 7+1 tube.
Pricing aside, is there a reason to go with one or the other(1301T vs M4)? I don’t care about aftermarket support, I just want to mount a WML and RDS.
I came upon an M4 for about the same as what a 1301T will cost me. But I want to know if one is truly a better choice over the other.
I just want something reliable and durable. While I know cheaper options exist, im more of a buy once, cry once guy and would rather pick between these two options. Unless there’s really something better.
Thanks
Beretta 1301T or Benelli M4 LE
I have both of them, and they’re definitely not equal in all ways.
Without a doubt, the M4 is a more durable design, and if I were forced to go into an ugly situation, it is the SG I will be taking. If I weren’t running an RMR on it (with a mounting solution that includes a rear aperture), I would have immediately replaced the 1301’s plastic rear sight, which is quite ridiculous at this price point.
Both have been supremely reliable, even with light field loads of birdshot.
Recoil is more similar than not, so that’s not a deciding factor.
The 1301’s buttstock is noticeably shorter than the M4s, so it easier to wield in right spaces, or if you’re wearing a vest.
Neither is a poor choice, but the M4 is a better choice if it absolutely, positively has to work under pretty much all conditions.
Beretta 1301T or Benelli M4 LE
They’re both fantastic SG’s. I don’t own both but I own an M4 H2O and an XPLOR A400 which is similar.
Beretta makes the best hunting SG period. The 1301 is a tarted up tactical hunting model.
Between these two, as others have stated, the main difference is the weight, the other difference is the M4 has two small gas pistons while the Beretta has only one large piston. The Beretta will cycle much faster than the M4 as well.
The M4 is supposed to be able to cycle even if one of the small pistons goes tits up. But would imagine you need a defensive load for that to be the case.
You need to decide whether the weight or the redundancy is more important.