Benelli M2-G1 Tactical Shotgun Review

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The new Benelli M2-G1 tactical shotgun hits a sweet spot between affordability and performance that bodes well for its future. It draws a lot of inspiration from the company’s iconic M4, but does so in a cost-effective manner without sacrificing much, if anything, in the way of reliability.

Like its older sibling, it uses a short-stroke dual piston gas system to cycle the action and from the outside you can’t tell the difference between the M4’s ARGO design and the new M2 RPO. The answer lies in the initials. ARGO stands for “auto regulating gas operation” while RPO signifies “rear piston operated.” 

Thanks to notches around each piston in the M4, the ARGO is more or less self cleaning — the movement of the pistons essentially scours fouling out of the cylinders. The RPO lacks those notches. 

During my testing, which I did during hot and dusty conditions, my M2-G1 didn’t show any signs of slowing down or quitting due to fouling build up. In fact, after putting several hundred rounds through the gun over the course of a day I noticed hardly any fouling buildup. 

Pros

• Excellent reliability
• Solid ergonomics
• Fine accuracy with slugs
• Appealing price point

Cons

• Not rated for light target loads under 1 1/8-ounce and 1200 fps

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Key Features

• 
  Multiple M-Lok slots

• 
  Heavy duty ghost-ring sights

• 
  Pic rail for mounting optics

• 
  Also available with non-adjustable, non-pistol grip stock

• 
  Less expensive 5+1 model available too

Specs

• 
  Chamber

  
  12 gauge, 3-inch

• 
  Action

  
  Short-stroke dual-piston gas

• 
  Capacity

  
  7+1

• 
  Barrel

  
  18.5 inches

• 
  Weight

  
  8 pounds, 1 ounce

• 
  Finish

  
  FDE Cerakote

• 
  Stock

  
  Pistol grip with adjustable LOP

• 
  Price

  
  $2,149 MSRP (street around $1,900)

Damn Near Perfect

I usually don’t have difficulty finding elements to criticize on any new gun, but the Benelli M2-G1 left me at a loss for words. It does everything it is supposed to and has no obvious faults. 

When analyzing a gun I look at the following broad categories: ergonomics, shootability, workmanship, fit-and-finish, reliability, accuracy, innovation, and value. This Benelli does a great job checking all those boxes.

Benelli M2-G1 Ergonomics

The controls on the Benelli are intuitive to find and operate. The oversized bolt handle and oversized bolt release are spot-on for a shotgun of this type. The crossbolt safety, which sits at the rear of the trigger guard, is a proven design that most shotgun shooters are familiar with. 

One smart element in the safety’s design is that the contact pad on the shooter’s right is a larger triangle. That generous size makes it easy to find and get the gun from “safe” to “fire.” On the other side, however, the safety is a smaller circle. That discrepancy is deliberate. Benelli didn’t go with a large pad there to reduce the likelihood that an operator might inadvertently “safe” the gun under stress. 

Benelli incorporated a deep scallop on the underside of the trigger guard, which when coupled with the undercut loading port makes jamming shells into the magazine very simple. As you can see in my video review of the gun linked above, it takes little time and effort to get eight shells into the M2-G1 and get it in action.

Shootability

The shotgun manages recoil very well. The action has a lot to do with this, but so does the stock design. The pistol grip has great texture, is made with a slightly tacky material, and has a flared bottom, all of which give the trigger hand a rock-solid purchase on the gun.

The fore-end, too, does a good job helping the shooter control the gun. It has pronounced grooves and a diamond-like texturing pattern molded into its shape, as well as numerous M-Lok slots at the 3-, 6-, and 9-o’clock positions. It is easy to hold onto, gives a lot of flexibility in terms of mounting lights and other accessories, and also did a great job protecting my hand from the scalding temperature of the barrel when running the gun hard.

The multi-position butt stock is easy to adjust on the fly to give the shooter the desired fit and it never slipped or collapsed at any point during my evaluation, even when I ran the gun aggressively.  

Accuracy

For many years I’ve shot Federal low recoil TruBall slugs in competition. The ones I favor are traditionally sold for law enforcement use only (though you can find them if you look around) and spit out a 1 ounce slug at 1,300 fps. 

I’m at the tail end of my current supply, so I didn’t have enough to conduct a proper accuracy evaluation, but if you look at the video you can see where I placed single shots on a reduced-sized IPSC plate at 30, 40, and 50 yards from a tripod with a sandbag support. Those three shots stacked perfectly in one spot, demonstrating very fine accuracy for a smoothbore.

Benelli ships the M2-G1 with a single modified choke. They told me that it delivers the best all-around performance with slugs and buckshot, and I have no reason to doubt it.

I used multiple types of buckshot during my testing, and all patterned tightly out to 25 yards with the Mod choke.

Build Quality

For this gun’s price, the quality of the materials and construction is remarkable. I like the M2-G1’s aesthetics, the Cerakote on my sample looks good and was nicely executed, and all the bits and pieces of the shotgun fit well together without any slop or play, even after running it hard.

Reliability

This is always a difficult quality to judge, since true reliability can only be ascertained after a lengthy period involving many hundreds (or thousands) of rounds shot under different conditions. To counter that I tortured the shotgun to the best of my ability by loading it to its eight-round capacity and dumping shots on target as fast as possible with no break. 

I put 100-round strings through the gun a couple times at my range and even though the barrel was hot enough to put a good char on a ribeye the gun didn’t falter in any way. I think the M2-G1 is going to be a gun you can rely on. 

Benelli M2-G1 Feature Set

Other things in this gun’s favor are the heavy-duty ghost ring sights it comes with. The front post and rear ring are protected against impacts by wings on either side, while the rear aperture is simple to adjust for windage and elevation.

The receiver also comes with a Picatinny rail, so mounting a red dot — as I did on mine — is a snap as well. 

One thing consumers are sure to appreciate is that the receiver maintains the exact dimensions of other M2s, giving it plug-and-play compatibility with accessories currently available for M2 shotguns. 

A Note on Light Target Loads

Everyone who gets a tactical shotgun wants to run it with light target loads. They are cheaper and recoil less. Benelli says the M2-G1 requires a minimum of a 1 ⅛ ounce payload at 1,200 fps to run, which I found was accurate. 

With Winchester AA 1 ⅛-ounce loads at 1150 fps, the shotgun failed to cycle about once per full magazine. But with Federal 1 ⅛ ounce shells at 1,200 fps and Winchester AA 1 ⅛-ounce loads at 1,300 fps, the shotgun never failed to cycle. 

Final Thoughts on the Benelli M2-G1

Comparisons to the M4 are inevitable, and I think the G1 looks especially attractive when viewed through that lens.

The feature set on the G1 outstrips that of the M4 and it is several hundred dollars cheaper. The only thing it doesn’t have is the M4’s proven track record in combat. 

Read Next: Tactical Upgrade: Benelli M4 EXT Review

In that regard, the M4 is still the king of the tactical shotguns, but the M2-G1 more than holds its own against the champ.

Ultimately, the M2-G1 will need to establish a legacy of performance in the field with both civilian and law enforcement customers before we can truly gauge its place in the world of tactical shotguns. 

But the initial impression it gives is encouraging. Whether stacked up against its older sibling or compared against other tactical guns like those from Beretta or Mossberg, the M2-G1 is clearly a contender and my guess is that it will have a bright, and long-lasting, run.