Assuming they’re roughly the same price. I have a friend who can get the Benelli for 40% off retail, that puts it in *roughly* the same neighborhood as the 1301. I think. Based on a really quick Interwebz search.

What’s the opinion of the Hive? If you were going to get only one…

Beretta.

I’d rather have the beretta, even at the same price.

Ok, thanks. Why? What is it about the Beretta that makes you prefer it? Features, ergonomics, whatever.

Benelli

I own both.  Both are extremely reliable, easy to load and shoot, and lots of fun.  Taking price out of it makes for a difficult decision, because the 1301 is significantly cheaper.  I suppose I've got to go with the M4, because there are tons and tons of aftermarket accessories.  There isn't nearly as much aftermarket support for the Beretta.  You can't really go wrong with either one though.  

You would be happy with either.

1301 tac

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Pick up both.  See which one you want to carry over hill and dale.  It's not the benelli.  Could have afforded either, went the lighter.  I'm not a 20 yr old marine.

Afterthought.  The weight difference affords more ammo carrying.

I’ll be poor with my 10 yr old Mossberg 930 SPX that’s was my first purchase here in the EE that eats any ammo I throw at her

If it were my money, I’d buy the beretta. If it was free, I’d take the benelli m4 14” collapsible stock

I REALLY like my M4 and it’s the standard by which combat shotguns are judged, but I’ve heard nothing but great things about the 1301. I’d be tempted to call it a wash, and that’s before factoring in the price difference which favors beretta by a substantial margin.

are those magpul stocks the cats ass over the standard buttstocks and pistol grips?

i'm not a huge fan of the pistol grip one on my M1. been thinking of getting the standard benelli one.

as for which, i handled a M4 at a shop last month, what a heavy pig.

I know that some youtuber did a video about how awesome the 1301 is.  And it's not a bad shotgun.

But he should have compared it to the M2, not the M4.



If you choose the 1301, the 1301 comp with either the 21 or 24 inch barrel is a better choice than the 1301 tactical with the 18 inch barrel, unless compactness is just an absolute necessity.

Ok did ANYBODY read the OP?

He said ASSUMING THEY ARE ROUGHLY equal.

If they're are equal I'd take the M4.

If pricing was equal on both I'd still pick the 1301.

Ergonomics are better. The 1301 isn't as picky about what it feeds. The 1301 is considerably lighter and at the same time is softer shooting.

It's the best defensive shotgun on the market.

The M4 is by no means a bad gun. It would be my second choice on the current semi-auto shotgun market. It's just not quite as good as the 1301.

A GD poll.  Gotta love these.

The biggest strike against the Benelli M4 is the price.  You're removing that barrier.

The problem with these polls is that people are inclined to believe that the one they own is better - they are emotionally attached to the one they have and are not objective.

More people buy the Beretta because it's significantly less money.  However, if you ask those who actually use them and have them, more will say that the Benelli M4 is the one to go with.

Bingo.

Folks settled on Beretta because of price and have convinced themselves it is the best. So did Benelli owners.

Now asking folks to discard a major point in their previous reasoning and expecting a unbiased opinion?  

lol

I own neither but chose the M4 mainly for aftermarket support.

I'm currently looking at a shotgun for gun games.  It's down to the Stoeger M3K and the Beretta 1301.  I think the aftermarket parts availability may be the deciding factor.

I've got a 1301 COMP.  Been really happy with it.  But, I've never shot an M4, so I can't really compare.

1301.

1.5 lbs lighter, cycles faster and is less complex than the A.R.G.O. operating system on the M4.

You seriously can't go wrong with either one in my opinion.

ETA: I own a Gen 1 1301t.

I mean...the Benelli M4 is an iconic shotgun and instantly recognizable.

The Beretta 1301...while being a great shotgun...just isn't.

The M4 is cooler.  Period.

I know, I wanted to give shitposters a brief playground and I figured that at least a few people who had experience with both would chime in.

In for the results. I want another shotgun.

I was recently deciding between these exact two shotguns myself.  I was able to play around and shoot both guns and clearly, they are both superb and you're not going to go wrong with either.  The M4 is heavier, but it does use more metal parts (sights etc) than the 1301.  Some people say the 1301 shoots softer than the M4 but I did not find this to be true.  With defensive loads (buck shot, slugs etc), the M4 felt noticeably softer.  I did notice the M4 feels like it has a heavier buffer spring compared to the 1301.  I suspect this is the reason the M4 doesn't always cycle soft loads or cheap birdshot as well.  It makes sense though as it is made for high power loads (for battle) reliably and for extended use.  The friend that had the M4 I shot, said his didn't cycle cheap stuff (Walmart bird shot) initially.  But after it broke in, it runs everything.  There are reduce power buffer springs that can be swapped out to make it run on anything but obviously, this isn't ideal if you're mostly shooting the ammo it was made for.

Pros:

1301: Lighter weight, Runs cheap ammo better, Less expensive (if cost is a factor)

M4: Build quality (less plastic), Softer shooting , Long term established reliability, More options and accessories (factory 14" short barrel option, collapsing stock etc.)

Cons:

1301: More plastic (sights etc), I bit harsher shooting (buck shot, slugs etc), less options and accessories

M4: Heavier, More expensive, Doesn't run cheap ammo as well.


Ultimately, I went with the M4 because I couldn't care less about running Walmart birdshot though a defensive shotgun.  That's like complaining your high performance sports car knocks and pings on 87 octane.  The M4 has been proven in the worst conditions (I think the 1301 probably will as well, it's just hasn't been around as long).  The M4 shoots noticeably softer (for me) and I think some of it is the self adjusting gas system (ARGO) and of course the heavier weight.  Weight is not a concern for me, being it is a defensive shotgun and not something I'm going to be hunting with.  There are more options and accessories that I'm interested in, like the collapsible stock.  There was a $500 difference in price, which to me was not significant enough to change my choice.  BTW, I didn't put ergonomics in the pros and cons because I didn't find either better or worse than the other.

@Vespid_Wasp

Why the M2?

The Beretta 1201 (recoil operated) was closer to the Benelli M2

The 1301 is gas operated (unless I'm mistaken) and is a lot closer to the M4 because of that.

I've owned an M1 (HK marked) M3 and 1201 (a couple of them).   The 1201 was pretty good, but no aftermarket support for it.

I'm getting a 1301.

I see a lot of both in class.

Hence my recommendations.

I can own anything. For me, guns are a tax write off. I own two 1301 Tactical shotguns.

Same price?
Benelli M4.

Sell it for profit then buy the 1301.

Benelli m4 with collapsible stock

Yes please.

Does dominion do the polling?

@John_Wayne777

not sure if you posted in the 1301 thread ( Here for the 8 page thread ) but how are yours set up?   Pistol Grip (don't like them myself), the Aridus (or GGG now also) Magpul adapter?

I have a Benelli M1014 with the non-pistol grip stock.  When holding it vs my buddies 1301 the 1301 feels like a keltec.

@AFARR

I have owned gas operated shotguns before I had an M2.  (FN SLP, not a 1301, I readily admit that the 1301 is an excellent shotgun.)  Inertia guns just flat out run.  And run and run and run.  3 gunners and IPSC shotgun in Europe proved that.    If you want a gas gun absolutely I would go 1301 over M4 even if they were the same money.  And it actually has a lot of refinements that you have to resort to aftermarket to get on an M2, so it does have a lot going for it.  


The M4 gets all kinds of attention because of it's military background and because it is expensive.  It costs more... it MUST be better.  The 1301 tactical is getting a lot of attention right now (partly because of a semi-goofy youtuber).




Them m2 is the best Benelli and the 1301 comp is the best Beretta unless the compact nature of the 18" barrel is a must for tight quarters.  Is the M2 better than the 1301?  I've never had the chance to run both of them to failure and I probably have some confirmation bias because of how good my M2 has been for thousands of rounds.  Rough estimates based on number of matches shot and a rough idea of range practice sessions I have more than 20,000 rounds through that gun.  I'm not in this thread to run down the 1301 at all.  But when it comes to the Benelli and a comparative discussion I think people are missing the boat when it always comes down to the M4.   Compare cost/weight/aftermarket of the 1301 and the M2 and then decide.  Really you need to shoot them side by side to really make an educated decision.  Some people much prefer the impulse of a gas operated shotgun.  I am faster with my M2 than I was with my softer shooting SLP and I kept them both for a while to shoot them side by side and decide.  The SLP is not the 1301 and if I had both of those to shoot side by side I might change my tune.  


In addition to a longer barrel giving your more tube room for more capacity ( I would at a minimum go 21 inch), it gives more velocity and I can tell you from personal experimentation on heavy steel plates, a 24" barrel vs. and 18" barrel with identical ammo there is a significant difference.  

Now, if you are only concerned with throwing 00 buckshot or slugs at a home intruder, does it matter?  Probably not.  But if you are going to take this thing to some shotgun matches you want more barrel.

I've got an M4 and I love it, but I've played with a 1301 and I really liked it. Especially with the Magpul furniture.

If I was doing it over again I'd probably go Beretta - but I also don't think you could go wrong with either one.

Gen 1 1301 Tactical
Aridus SGA adapter
Magpul SGA
Aridus CROM for Aimpoint Micro-style optics
Primary Arms micro dot
Nordic +2 extension
Briley rail
Arisaka rail sections
Surefire X300

I don't like pistol grip stocks on shotguns because they load more recoil in the wrist.

This. I want an M4 so bad I can taste it, pure sex!!!

I like both.

I like the 1301 so much I bought 2 of them.

my M4, Super 90 - fucking love it.

Owner of Battlefield Vegas : “If I ever had to have one shotgun for the rest of my life, it would be the Benelli M4.”

Does he have a gen 2 1301 to compare to?

I really like my 1301T Gen 2.


Gen 2 1301 Tactical
Aridus SGA adapter
Magpul SGA
Aridus CROM
Aridus Handguard
Sig Romeo 5
Nordic +2 extension
Streamlight HLX (for now)
Esstac shotgun card

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14'incher... Attached File

Yup
If I didn’t have to pay for it, this ^^

That is hot.

Get benelli. Sell it for 40% profit then buy beretta?

I don't need either one, probably wouldn't be my go to defensive long gun anyway. Would get the M4 because I want it.

Benelli M4

After shooting both the M4 and the 1301....

I like the 1301 better/more....