Benelli M1 Super 90 - Upgrade or not?

Y

YankeeIronSights

New member
Hi Everyone,

I am looking to hear from anyone who has owned/ has experience with the Benelli M1 Super 90 HK vs. the latest Benelli M2-3-4 Super 90 shotguns.

I own the M1 HK model and would like to know if upgrading from the inertia to gas system is worth the investment. What are the cons and pros of the newer models?

My M1 works well but I have heard that I should avoid adding lights to it because the extra weight may cause malfunctions.

Please advise.


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The M4 is the only gas model, and it is /was designed for military service and is designed so you can hang other gear on it. Inertia guns do not like extra weight hung on them.
 
I have an M3, which are no longer made. If I was going to buy another it would be an M4 due to it being a different design.

The M3 is unique in that it can change from a pump to a semi auto by locking or unlocking the action.
 
I can't think of anything the newer models offer that I would want, the one caveat being if I wanted lower recoil(gas), then I'd get a M4.
 
I have a M2, and have added a Nordic extended tube, but I think I could live with the stock tube and a light. I would not want to do both, as I heard that the gun will not cyclic as well with the extra weight.
 
I like the inertia system and have the poor man's M1 (Benelli 1201FP) for home defense and a Benelli M1 with wood furniture for a field gun. Both stay amazingly clean compared to a gas operated shotgun. Both guns have been excellent and I have no plans to add a gas operated shotgun. They do kick a little harder, but I am use to it.

I always heard that they were finicky when adding weight like a light, but I don't have any experience with that. Today, lights are getting very light and small compared to when these guns were manufactured so you probably could find a small light that wouldn't effect it.

http://www.amazon.com/Lumens-Ultra-Compact-Flashlight-Detachable-Pressure/dp/B06ZYZ2R19/ref=pd_sbs_200_5?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B06ZYZ2R19&pd_rd_r=F7V0J24T7SW8XRQDRAVR&pd_rd_w=58ltf&pd_rd_wg=r3g5s&refRID=F7V0J24T7SW8XRQDRAVR
 
When I got mine I did a trigger job [ just polishing ] and also polished some of the bolt parts. The trigger was a big change and the bolt made all but a few target rounds fully functional. Also dumped the silly glow front sight to a piece of stainless steel. Works fine !! :)
 
I would certainly stick with an M1 over and M3 or an M4. While I love my M2, there is no reason to drop an M1 in favor of an M2 if the M1 is working well for you.

I have hung all kinds of things off the M1 and the M2. Inertia systems "stall" with light loads and a heavy shoulder. The gun needs to be able to move some for the inertia action to work. I would not worry about putting a light on if you are shooting 3.25 dram and heavier loads. If you go 3 dram and under and lean into it hard, might have an issue. But 2-5 ounces of light out front is not going to make a difference. It is a light, a side-saddle, ammo, added up that creates the issues.
 
I've never owned an M1 but know several people who do. To a man they all love them. I would keep the M1 unless I wanted less recoil and then I'd get an M4.
 
Benelli Semi Auto and Pump

I have a Benelli super 90 M1 it acts as a semi automatic and I can use it as a pump. I have searched the internet to find other Benelli's like this one but I have come up short. Has anyone had this shot gun or had experience with one? Is it a rare find? Any info would be appreciated.
 
The M4 was specifically designed as a military combat shotgun. The others are sporters, and are nowhere near as reliable or effective for defensive use. For 3-gun games it's a moot point, though.
 
M1Super90 has a pretty good military and police history. The SEALs seem to have liked them.
I also have a Beretta 1201FP, which mechanically is a M1S90, and it has been faultless. All I have shot has been full power Buck or slug. Very fast cycling.
 
I bought one used several years ago right after the M2 was introduced. Someone had to have the M2 and traded a lightly used 1 year old M1 for a new M2. I got it at a good price and love it. The only difference I can see in the M2 is a redesigned stock. I admit I like the LOOKS of the new stock better,but not enough to trade.

Tom Knapp used an M1 for much of his exhibition shooting. He retired this one a few years ago with over 1/2 million rounds through it.

Tom’s Old Benelli
Benelli M1 Super 90

Tom Knapp finally retired his old Benelli M1 Super 90 last year when he donated it to the Buffalo Bill Historic Center in Cody, Wyoming, where it will be put on permanent display next to the guns of other great exhibition shooters like Herb Parsons and Annie Oakley. Tom's old Benelli wasn't worn out, in fact it had never let Tom down, but it was after Tom sent his faithful Super 90 to the museum that he sat down and figured out how many rounds the gun had fired. Buffalo Bill Historical CenterWith over 140 live shows per year, the total number of rounds put through the Benelli was over half a million. Well, it's a good thing Tom retired that gun, because at that pace he would have worn it out... in another hundred years or so.
Click to expand...

Link to rest of article

http://www.tomknapp.net/gunroom/exhibitionGun.php
 
I never understood how people would want one of these Italian wonder guns, when they all come with short 5 round tubes.

Seems kind of silly.
 
My Beretta 1201 holds six in the tube, one in the chamber, and can be ghost loaded with an eighth round on the carrier. Eight is enough.
 
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