Benelli M4- 'Gun Stories'

The shotgun may be man's oldest firearm, but that doesn't make it any less lethal for modern military applications. In fact, today's battlefield has spawned a state-of-the-art fighting shotgun from one of the industry's most revered names, Benelli. That gun is the M4.

Here at Gun Stories, we often talk about the great gun designers, like John Browning and Eugene Stoner, men who took their brainchild, and saw them through to completion. Benelli's Marco Vignaroli, took his version of the M4 gas operated shotgun to one of the most sophisticated combat shotguns in the world.

The Benelli M4 is first gas operated shotgun produced by the venerable company. The short-stroke system has only four parts, contributing to the military-levels of reliability. The M4 won the US military trials conducted in 1998, and the first 20,000 Benelli M4s, now with the military designation of M1014, were delivered to the US Marines. By the way, whichever way you call it, the Marines are very happy with it.

The Benelli M4 has become iconic in the military and law enforcement communities worldwide. M4s were in the hands of forces protecting the London Olympics, and after a terror attack in Boston, it was the Benelli M4 in the hands of Boston Police. The Benelli M4 redefines the whole concept of a tactical shotgun, bringing the reliability of a pump, to the firepower of a semi-auto. And any tool that helps American soldiers get home is, by definition, a good one.