Custom Benelli M2

M

mserman

New member
All winter I felt like I was fighting my shotgun as I was snowshoeing into my stands and on the trail. The Benelli Supernova is a great shotgun but it is HEAVY! So last March I had the idea of building a lightweight shotgun that would be smaller and lighter.

I picked up a Benelli M2 Field with a 21 in barrel on Gunbroker and started with that. I come from a military background so that might explain the tactical components...
Nordic Component mag tube extension(+3)
Nordic Comments barrel clamp with rail
Benelli SteadyGrip stock
Vortex Razor Red Dot

The gun started out all black but I sent it to Rob Roberts Custom Gun Works in Batesville AR. It was there for quite sometime (four months) but they were working through a rebuild after a fire. His shop does all the Benelli Performance Shop work. He's also the only one I could find who has the license to hydrodip Optifade patterns. He also did...
Patriot Brown Cerekote
Tapped and mounted the rail on top of the receiver
Extended and polished the forcing cone
Trigger job
Polished the inside of the action
New slammer button

I haven't fired it yet so pattern pictures are to follow after the weekend. I have a small stock pile of Hevi Shot in BB and #4B so I will see how those pattern with a Carlson predator choke. I also have an Indian Creek choke coming in the next day or two. I'd like to try out a TSS BB from Apex ammunition to see how that patterns.

Anyways, thanks for reading. Here's some pictures...
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Thanks you!

Total round capacity is 6. I had to double check the MI reg's which is 5+1...It worked out perfectly because I wanted to make sure the balance would be right for one handed carrying.
 
The ‘steady-grip’ stock is great for predator or deer hunting. I actually put a regular stock on mine to use in other areas, still like the steady-grip though.
 
That's a beautiful rig. I am sure you will enjoy it. I have the m2 tactical model with an ultradot sight. Killed a bunch of coyotes with it!
 
Finally made it out to shoot some patterns. I took the M2 over to my uncles and he and I snuck off to shoot while the ladies visited. Here's the fist three patterns.

Carlson Dead Coyote
Hevi Shot Dead Coyote - T 1 1/2 oz
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Carlson Dead Coyote
Hevi Shot Dead Coyote - #4 Buck - 1 1/2oz
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Indian Creek Assault
Hevi Shot Dead Coyote - #4 Buck - 1 1/2oz
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I have some BB TSS coming next week from Apex Ammunition. I want to see how that shoots through the Indian Creek tube. Then I'll get on to zeroing the red dot. Considering the Hevi Shot and BB TTS cost about $5 dollars/rd what do you guys think of using some cheep #7 bird from 20yds out to dial it in with a confirmation shot using the more expensive ammo?

Finally the view on the way home...
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Set a target up at 13 yards. Use a full choke and a trap/skeet load of bird shot. Shoot from a rest as carefully as if you were sighting in a scoped rifle. At 13 yards from a full choke a common trap load of 7.5 size shot will cut a nearly solid hole a couple inches or less in diameter. About as clean as a rifled slug. Get your windage perfect and set your elevation 1" - 2" high. At 40 yards you should be very close to point of aim now.

I prefer a 60/40 pattern with about 60% of my pattern hitting just at and over the bead. You may like a flat 50/50 pattern. On a coyote facing me or broadside I put the bead just under their chin or jaw and can see the head clearly. Kinda like a handgun target shooter using a six o'clock hold on a target. One of my old Benelli M1's shoots a 60/40 pattern and the other one shoots a flat 50/50 pattern.

Shot loads and chokes are as fickle as a teenage cheerleader. It takes some range work and patterning to determine the best combination for your gun. Of course it may need a minor tweak of the sight adjustment to get it dead on the dot when you do choose a load, however you will be pretty close at that point and shouldn't cost too many expensive shells to get where you need and want to be.
 
If using factory loads, find the one you like and then stock up. Seems like they change components every few years, and then you have to start from scratch.

Turkey loads and Deer slugs are a good example: buy three or four different boxes, find the one you like... Three years later all of those factory loads have changed. Wads are the most noticeable, but I would guess powders change also.
 
The Apex Ammunition I was waiting for came in the mail today. After work I headed out to the "range" to give these loads a shot. Here are the results...

Indian Creek Assault
Apex Ammunition 3in TSS BB 1.5oz
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This combination of choke and load gave me the smallest pattern at 40yds. Very close to the Carlson with Hevi Shot T though.

Carlsons Coyote
Apex Ammunition 3in BB 1.5oz
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60 yd results
Indian Creek w/ Apex TSS BB
*note I'm not very happy with the zero on my red dot so I will be working on that next...

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I was pretty happy with this pattern. What do you guys think? The eye test tells me the density of the pattern is still pretty good at this range.

60yd
Carlsons w/ Hevi Shot T
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Not nearly as dense at the TSS
 
With TSS shot #3 and #4 shot is all you need for coyotes to get great penetration on coyotes.

1-1/2 oz of Hevi-Shot number 4 buck has about 30 pellets per shell.
1-1/2 oz of TSS BB shot has about 47 pellets per shell.
1-1/2 oz of TSS #3 shot has about 100 pellets per shell.
1-1/2 oz of TSS #4 shot has about 124 pellets per shell.

I have had great results shooting coyotes with loads that have 70 pellets or more. The TSS #3 and #4 shot 1-1/2 oz loads are instant death on coyotes. It is much easier to put pellets in the vitals of a coyote when you have 30% to 50% more pellets per shell.

IMG_8428 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/156463377@N08/, on Flickr
The above pattern was a 1-7/8 oz load of HW13 BB shot with 86 pellets per shell. 27 pellets in a paper plate at 40 yards is a very deadly pattern on coyotes.
 
That's a good looking pattern Bob. For the OP, Bob is using about .025" choke constriction from his bore. That would be a choke of about .698" for the Benelli M2.
 
Bob and GC, thank you!

I think I'm going to order up some of the #4 from Apex. That is actually what they recommend as well. I was just skeptical.

They also sell #2 which they recommend for deer. That seems crazy to me!
 
Originally Posted By: msermanBob and GC, thank you!

I think I'm going to order up some of the #4 from Apex. That is actually what they recommend as well. I was just skeptical.

They also sell #2 which they recommend for deer. That seems crazy to me!




Believing how good TSS shot is was hard for me to understand at first also. Below is the link to a story about one of my first TSS shot coyote kills.
http://www.predatormastersforums.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2806818

Look at how TSS #4 shot compares to lead BB shot in the KPY Shotshell Ballistics software.

1300 fps lead BB shot gets 3.70" of gel penetration at 46.1 yards with 77 pellets in 1-1/2 oz.

1300 fps TSS #4 shot gets 3.70" of gel penetration at 78.9 yards with 124 pellets in 1-1/2 oz.
 
Originally Posted By: msermanBob and GC, thank you!

I think I'm going to order up some of the #4 from Apex. That is actually what they recommend as well. I was just skeptical.

They also sell #2 which they recommend for deer. That seems crazy to me!




It's hard to believe till you try it. I shot a coyote with #4 TSS Mod choke at just under 30 yards. It was broadside and I broke both shoulders and had fur scattered all over the snow !
It never took a step,just folded up and never twitched .

Crazy I know.
 


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