How many rounds to loosen up a Benelli M4

[goodoleboy]

I did a forum search for a buddy of mine I went shooting with today. He just purchased a new M4 Benelli and had some problems at the range today. He was shooting low velocity bird loads and it would fail to feed about every 3rd-4th round. He got upset and said that he was going to take it back. After much deliberation, I opted not to offer him a couple of hundred dollars for it (what can I say, honesty hurts some times). I told him I believed it was the ammo's fault and not the gun's. I had a box of high velocity #5 loads I dug out of the tool box and I let him run a few tubes of it through his gun and it ran without a hitch. I found a few threads on the forum about the topic, but break-in periods varied between 50 rounds and 1,000 rounds of high velocity buck and slug loads.

What would be a reasonable figure to tell him to break it in? Will a shotgun such as this ever run low veloity bird loads reliably?

[kmrtnsn]

My M4 loathed being run dry when new. It also needed about four boxes of full power #4 buck to break it in. It'll fire about anything now without a hiccup.

[platoonDaddy]

Threw combination of about 300 rounds of buckshot, slugs, birdshot downrange. Now it will shoot anything without any issues, even 1oz #8's for trap.

[MadAngler1]

I had zero issues with my Benelli M4 out of the box. Before I shot it, I stripped it down, and I took care to lubricate the bolt, bolt carrier, chamber, bore and the inside of the receiver with some Slip 2000 EWL. Ran like a charm with either birdshot (size 8, 1-1/8 oz loads) and buckshot.

I still clean it and lubricate it after each time I shoot without any issues. I've never had a malfunction at all after 400 rounds (I don't get to shoot it enough ).

[BMWguy206]

I think it took me about 100 rounds.

[sjc3081]

If I remember correctly I broke it my M4 with 50 rounds of Winchester 2.75inch slugs. I lubed the gun with the supplied Factory lube and never have a malfunction.

[kmrtnsn]

OP, remind your friend that the M4 is a combat shotgun and not a skeet gun or a quail gun and was not designed for those light loads. Once broken in it may fire them but it was designed to function reliably with full power buck and slug loads.

[Alaskapopo]

For semi auto shotguns my general rule of thumb is 3 dram loads with 1 1/8 ounce of shot. My M2 does fine with 2 3/4 dram loads but every semi I have ever owned has run on 3 dram 1 1/8 ounce of shot.
Pat

[goodoleboy]

I'll pass the info on to him. I have no idea how extensive he cleaned it prior to taking it out to test it. I told him that those light loads were probably to blame and that he had a combat shotgun, designed to shoot fairly hot loads for its extended service life. Thanks for the info, he'll be pleased to hear that a couple of hundred rounds of high-speed loads will fix the problem. Thanks again.

[kwesi]

For semi auto shotguns my general rule of thumb is 3 dram loads with 1 1/8 ounce of shot. My M2 does fine with 2 3/4 dram loads but every semi I have ever owned has run on 3 dram 1 1/8 ounce of shot.
Pat

I contacted Benelli shortly after getting an M2 SBS. I was told to break her in on 3 dram 1 1/8oz loads. Appx. 150 rounds. Even after 150 rounds of hot military green hull & Fed Tactical 00 LE full power (flawless) she did not like Fiocchi 00 full power. The last rounds I then tested were Federal Bulk #7 1/2 and all ran perfect.