While most shooters are at least somewhat familiar with Benelli shotguns, they may not be aware of the fact that Benelli Armi SpA is an Italian firearm manufacturer that was founded under the name of Benelli Armi in 1967 as an offshoot of the Benelli motorcycle factory who sold motorcycles through Montgomery Wards! Today, Benelli is best known for producing high quality shotguns for use by military, law enforcement, and private security personnel, as well as civilians all over the world. In fact, Benelli has such total confidence in its products that they back every gun with an industry-leading 10-year warranty.

Consequently, due to their familiarity with tactical shotguns, Benelli originally designed the M4 (M1014) 12 gauge Tactical Shotgun (which is an unusual, gas operated, semi-automatic, shotgun specifically designed for military use in urban warfare) for the U.S. Marine Corps in 1998 and it was extensively tested at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. Therfore, the Benelli M4 Tactical is now the official combat service shotgun of the U.S. Joint Services today. However, until just recently, Benelli did not offer a civilian version of this fine tactical shotgun. Fortunately for us, that situation has changed and thus, the Benelli M4 Tactical Shotgun is now available to civilians. This shotgun features black, synthetic, stocks with a black finish, an 18” barrel designed to chamber 2 3/4” or 3” 12 ga. rounds, a magazine capacity of 4+1, a drilled and tapped Picatinny Rail pre-mounted on the receiver with either ghost ring or open rifle sights, a removable trigger assembly, a rotating bolt head, a bolt-lock lever, and screw-in chokes. But, the true heart of this extremely reliable tactical shotgun lies in Benelli’s piston-driven, Auto-Regulating Gas-Operated (A.R.G.O.), semi-automatic, action which uses a short-stroke, self-cleaning, dual-piston design to cycle the bolt. In addition, this self-regulating system is designed to handle everything from low-brass target loads to high-brass buckshot loads reliably with no internal or external changes required from the shooter.

Our first impression of this shotgun was that it is very solidly built and that it is obvious that this shotgun is specifically designed for use in rugged conditions. Also, the fit, finish, lock-up, and machine work were all as you would expect from Benelli and thus, it is immediately obvious that they did not skimp on the details just because this is a tactical shotgun and not a sporting shotgun. Also, the buttstock is nicely proportioned and the pistol grip is made of very comfortable rubber/ploy blend but, the synthetic forend was not as “grippy” as we would like for it to be. However, when the forend is removed and the ARGO system is examined, you can see that it is a very simple mechanism with very few moving parts and thus, its extreme reliability under adverse conditions. In addition, the pre-mounted Picatinny Rail with either the ghost ring or open rifle sights is a nice feature since it saves the owner the trouble of having this done aftermarket. However, with a retail price $1,899.99, most shooters are likely to have a sticker shock induced heart attack upon seeing this shotgun in their local gun shop! Therefore, we suspect that the main market for this excellent, is somewhat esoteric, tactical shotgun will be military and law enforcement personnel and private security contractors. But, if you want the best tactical shotgun you can get and don’t mind paying the price for it, the Benelli M4 Tactical Shotgun will certainly satisfy your need.

In closing, although we found the Length of Pull at 14” to be quite comfortable, many experienced military shooters seem to feel that this is too long and, if the shooter is wearing body armor, it’s way too long. In addition, Benelli did not see fit to incorporate an adjustable or collapsible stock on the M4 and thus, it either fits you or it doesn’t. Otherwise, the Benelli M4 Tactical Shotgun would make an excellent choice for the homeowner who feels the need for a serious weapon to defend their family against criminals intent on invading their home and doing them harm.

The Saiga AK-47 style shotguns were designed by world renowned engineer Mikhail Kalashnikov who also designed the world’s favorite rifle, the AK-47. Thus, the SAIGA shotguns  feature the same basic internal design as the famous AK-47 rifle and are manufactured by the arms division of the Russian company Izhmash. In addition, although their shotguns and rifles were previously imported into the U.S. by European American Armories, their agreement with Izhmash expired in 2005 and thus, Izhmash then began exporting through the Russian-American Armory Company. However, the current export/import partner for the U.S. market is Wolf Performance Arms (good luck finding a web site!).

Consequently, as the name implies, the Saiga-12 is a 12 gauge, semi-automatic, shotgun that is visually similar to the Kalashnikov series of assault rifles and is available in a wide range of configurations. Also, like the many Kalashnikov rifle variants, the SAIGA-12 is a gas-operated shotgun with a a rotating bolt that feeds rounds from a detachable box magazine. In addition, it features the large, AK style, lever-safety on the right side of the receiver, the optic mounting rail on the left side of the receiver, and the large, top-mounted, dust cover that is held in place by the rear of the recoil spring assembly protruding through the back of the dust cover. Plus, the Saiga-12 incorporates an adjustable, two-position, gas system that engages a recoil buffer for firing high-power loads such as slugs and buckshot which generate so much recoil force that the receiver would be damaged if the excess gas were not vented by the recoil buffer and yet, by adjusting the system, the shooter can fire low-power loads such as bean-bags and flares from the same gun since these loads do not generate enough pressure to cycle an action deigned to handle the heavier loads.

Furthermore, because 12 gauge shotgun shells are nearly twice as wide as 7.62 x 39mm rifle cartridges are, the size of the extraction port in the side of the dust cover had to be increased to accommodate the 12 gauge shell. But, because the bolt had to remain the same length to fit inside the AK-47 sized receiver, the rear section of the bolt is covered by a sliding metal flap that rides on the recoil spring which allows the gun to be sealed against dirt when the bolt is forward. But, the compression of the recoil spring during firing causes the flap to move rearward in order to clear the extracted shells.

The Saiga-12 features a traditional rifle stock a barrel length of 23 inches chambered for both 2 3/4” and 3” rounds as well as AK-style with tangent rear open sights and high post front sights and a standard AK rail can be mounted on the left side of the receiver for optics. Also, this shotgun is available with two, five, seven, eight, and twelve round box magazines as well as ten, twelve, and twenty round aftermarket drums and all magazines may be interchanged with all 12 gauge models (sometimes minor fitting may be necessary). In addition, the SAIGA-12 has a threaded barrel that enables the shooter to add various muzzle brakes or chokes.

Since the SAIGA-12 was originally designed for hunting various species of small and medium sized game under adverse climatic conditions, its internal configuration is based upon the ultra-reliable AK-47 assault rifle and thus, the SAIGA-12 will provide the shooter with the same reliability when hunting or competing in harsh weather or rough country. In addition, the detachable magazines make reloading a very quick process when using the shotgun in various types of competition. Consequently, the SAIGA-12 is an excellent choice for the tactical or competitive shooter and for the home owner in need of a self defense weapon.

Last, it is important to note that a new version of the SAIGA-12 called the “Saiga Taktika model 040” was recently introduced that addresses all of the deficiencies of the previous models. Therefore, the new model features last-round-hold-open of the bolt that provides the user with instant feedback that the weapon is empty and enables a quicker magazine change, a hinged dust cover with Picatinny rail to make mounting optics easier combined with a Picatinny rail gas block that allows for the addition of combat lights and a vertical foregrip. In addition, it features a newly designed 8-round magazine that can be inserted straight up into the magazine well and can be done with only one hand instead of the traditional “rock & lock” method on older SAIGA and AK designs.

Thus, for anyone who is looking for a tactical style shotgun for either competition for home defense, the SAIGA-12 is an excellent choice due to the ultra reliability of the AK-47 style internal components and the ability to quickly reload the weapon via detachable magazines. Furthermore, the SAIGA-12 would also serve well as a hunting firearm due to its rugged, rifle-like, design and the ability to easily mount optics.