Machanical, practical differences between Benelli M1 and M3?

The M3 can be operated as a pump gun by turning a ring near the top of the forearm. This gun is designed primarily for anti personnel use and allows the gun to be used with shotgun loads that might not cycle the action (eg beanbag loads, flare loads, bird bombs, blanks etc)

The recoil system is the same in both guns.


Geoff Ross

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K80Geoff is basically right. The bolt assembly are almost the same. The M3 has a bolt brace assembly that connects the fore-end to the bolt. The brace hooks onto the bolt but is not directly bolted onto the fore-end. This allows the forearm to be locked or unlocked to the magazine tube but allows the bolt (and brace) to move fore and aft during cycling when locked. When the fore-end is unlocked, it, of course, could be moved back to cycle the bolt.

There is enough friction between the fore-end and the fore-end slide support to prevent the bolt from cycling by itself (with the fore-end) when the fore-end is unlocked. There is, in my experience, enough recoil from heavy loads to send the bolt and fore-end back and eject the case but not enough spring force to overcome the friction and send the bolt and fore-end back into battery.

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- Ron V.
 
To those who own the M3:
Can the 1st round be "racked", for effect, with the remainders fired SA if forced to shoot?
Is there much slop, or rattle, effect when the forearm is in the forward position? Does it change with the setting(SA vs. pump)?
If firing SA, and there is a cyclic failure, can the pump feature be brought into play to clear it?
Do you feel it is, in any way, "overcomplicated", vs. the tradtional SA-Only M-1? Thanks, VL
 
I bought the M3 because loading and handling are just like the 870 I carried during my law enforcement carrier.

Yes the first round can be chambered by racking the action (pump) or by working the bolt with the bolt handle.

When locked in position there is no perceptable looseness in the forend.

If you were to have a failure to feed or eject you can immediately acivate the pump feature by simply flipping a lever at the front of the forearm with the weak hand thumb.

I don't find it complicated at all and it has proven to be the most reliable semiauto shotgun I have seen or used.

Dave T
PCSD Ret
 
"Do you feel it is, in any way, "overcomplicated", vs. the tradtional SA-Only M-1? Thanks,"

Locking and unlocking the fore-end is so simple and fast that it is not even worth thinking about how much time and thought it takes to do the chore. You can do it faster than you can say "twist the ring."

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- Ron V.
 
So, the the lever(or ring?) at the front of the forend has to be turned to lock it for SA fire? Unlocking it allows for manual operation? Does it use twin action bars(bolt brace), or just one? Could it(they?) accidentally be grabbed during SA fire, causing a malf or injury to the shooter's hand? Thanks so far, VL.

[This message has been edited by VictorLouis (edited July 16, 2000).]
 
"So, the the lever(or ring?) at the front of the forend has to be turned to lock it for SA fire? Unlocking it allows for manual operation? "

Yes. The ring is spring loaded so it flips back into the 3:00-9:00 position whenever you lock or unlock.

"Does it use twin action bars(bolt brace), or just one? Could it(they?) accidentally be grabbed during SA fire, causing a malf or injury to the shooter's hand? "

Twin. They are covered by the fore-end and fore-end slide support.

One thing I like about the M3 pump action is that it is pretty loud (sharp) and it does not have the metallic sound of something like a Mossberg 590.

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- Ron V.
 
Thank you. It does, indeed, sound like the best of both worlds. Maybe when the new M4 hits the market, there will be some trade-ins of the M3. :)
 
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