Benelli m4 vs Beretta 1301 Tactical - Is there a new king? 

I have the 1301 and used the m4 in the Marines. Business competition is good. I bet the m4 would never have been upgraded had not Beretta 1301 become so popular. Between the two, I'd take the 1301 any day of the week. Lighter, shorter, faster on target, and cheaper. That matters more to most people (including me), than million round military-required durability, as most people can't afford to truly wear out either shotgun. Shorter is better for maneuvering in tight spaces, and faster between targets. Cheaper speaks for itself for normal people with monetary constraints however, there will always be people who want the military pedigree the m4 offers. I'd still love to have an m4, but it's just too damn expensive for me to justify as an addition to my 1301.

OK, I just bought a 1301 and love it but what pisses me off are all the internet commandos that assume excellence on everything based solely on their purchasing selection. Sort of like the old AR-15 wars when I argued Bushmaster was way better than your Rock River because, well, because I bought the Bushmaster. I bought a 1301 knowing the Benelli has been proven to be Marine proof after two decades of being used in WAR and not too many things can survive being baby-sat by a Marine. I have no problems if my shotgun is #2 I love it and it's dependable unlike a lot of other semi-auto shotguns. I just put a Holosun 507Cx green on mine and using the donut of death reticle it makes for a wonderful platform. Great video and new subscriber!

If the 2nd Gen 1301 was out when I bought my M4, I probably would’ve bought it. They’re both amazing shotguns and you can’t really go wrong with either. One big negative on the Benelli is that the regular stock’s LOP is sooo damn long, and if you need to replace it with the collapsing one it’s like $500+. A big plus for the Beretta is that you can put Magpul furniture on it, and the Magpul shotgun stock is amazing.

Just bought a 1301 Mod 2. Thanks for the info! Wanted a M4 for years but just prioritized other firearms first. Finally got around to getting a shotgun. I’m excited!

I have a Langdon Tactical 1301 and I don't think I'd trade it for anything currently available. 🤘

Great video, have a 1301 and always wanted an m4, now with this new model more reason to get one thanks

What an absolutely awesome time in history for American firearm enthusiasts. We get to bicker over the attributes of 2 of the finest semiautomatic shotguns ever produced in the history of mankind. We are truly blessed to have these fine tools available to us. It’s a great time to be alive……., well, except for all the other stuff. But the firearms community has such wonderful choices available. Now if we can work on the ‘other stuff’ or create our own new country, it’d TRULY be a great time to be alive.

I have a different perspective...I'm a 30 yr waterfowler and have seen all types of shotguns go through all types of environments. That being said I have seen the benelli and beretta at there best and worst in all types of weather. Still gonna take the 1301 over the M4 specifically because of the blink gas system. Just a superb shotgun for a what you get.

The opening minute was very cinematic and fun to watch. Great review!

Agree with the burning yourself issue with the 1301; I'm looking at a Briley forend but they're ~$300 (worth it to mount lights/mounts and not burning yourself).

Love my 1301 I made sure it was the one I wanted which was the lightest fastest cycling tube fed 12 gauge I could find. Might add and M3 to collection later to scratch that beneli itch.

The weight and recoil balance is why my woman prefers the Beretta 1301 to the Benelli M4, it amuses me since they are the first shotguns she has fired.

About a month ago I picked the Langdon LTT 1301, still stocking up on ammo because when I go out and shoot I want to put a couple of hundreds rounds through her

Hell yea! Awesome video! Can’t wait for my 1301

I have both the Beretta 1301 Tactical and the Benelli M4. With my experience, I MUCH prefer the Beretta 1301 over the Benelli M4. My Benelli M4 occasionally fails to eject when shooting low recoil round. Mainly bird shots. As for my Beretta 1301, it spits out the low recoil bird shots with NO issues what so ever. The Beretta 1301 Tactical will be my home defense weapon of choice over the Benelli M4. That’s just me…

What a great review. Thanks much. Very fair. I have a Benelli M4 from a few years back. I've had to pay through the nose for a larger charging handle, bolt release, and standard sized magazine tube (due to import laws); yet all of those things come standard on the 1301. When I purchased my Benelli, the Beretta 1301 was totally new to the market and hadn't proven its chops to the same degree that is has now. If I were to do it all over again there's a good chance that I'd pick up the Beretta. No regrets though - both are flawless platforms and will guard hearth and home without fail. Next - we need to address all the anti shotgun crap that people spew.

That new V2 version of the M4 is sick!!! Finally all the correct upgrades out of the box!!! I have an older M4 h2O, but i will be buying the new V2, along with a A300 u-patrol for lower-cost alternative comparison. 👍🏻

I have been wracking my brain trying to decide which of these 2 I was going to get. Now, with the newest M4 being available it is going to come down to affordability. IF I can get a great deal on the new M4 I will grab it up in a heartbeat, but who wouldn't, RIGHT? Of course, I wish my budget allowed for me to just go ahead and buy BOTH to have in my collection. If ONLY I were independently wealthy.

So what you were saying between these two shotguns is almost perfection versus almost perfection? Sounds like the end-user can’t go wrong either way. Excellent review. While I agree a lighter shotgun is beneficial for some reasons most users won’t be lugging the heavier M4 around the mountains thus negating the weight issue. Just something to think about. Either way, excellent choice versus excellent choice.

Thanks for the video and info. I have both these “Italian Stallions”. Either is outstanding. No noticeable performance differences. 1301 (pistol grip) length-of-pull is shorter and better suits my wife. 1301 is shorter over all - less than 2 inches longer than my Benelli SBS pump. Both shoot reliably - any load - and don’t require routine cleaning because the bolt remains nice and shiny clean after each outing. Cycling? Maybe the 1301 BLINK system is faster for advanced shooters but for the practical shooter, that speed advantage likely doesn’t matter. Bottom line (for me) - both great broomsticks guaranteed to reliably eliminate any home invasion threat quickly with devastating results.

A300 Patrol is the new sales king!

Another Solid video my guy. Keep up the Good work...!!!!

Beretta is a whole different level. Period. They always are.

Not sure if it was mentioned, but the trigger on the M4 is pretty heavy (as expected for a military/LE application). The 1301 trigger is much lighter and smoother. Both had clean crisp breaks and good resets. The safety on the 1301 is also larger and easier to manipulate then the smaller, stiffer M4 safety. Going into combat, you want the M4. For a day at the range or field you want the 1301. IMHO

Where did you find this fully loaded version? I don't see it on Benelli's site

Great video straight to the point

Your channel is so underrated! Grab a pop filter for your mic!

QUESTION - Where did you find the M4 socked like that? Cannot find that anywhere.

Why do you think the weight is fine for the infantry but not for hunting?

The M4 is a beast so is the 1301, The one benelli that gets overlooked a lot is the m3, price is good, aftermarket options endless and it just never fails.

This is the Benelli M4 T Pro.

The 1301 is great until the little rubber O-ring in the gas system goes. The m4 for is going to run a lot longer without a problem.

Thank you very much for the great review and for your thoughts on both shotguns. Can you please tell me where we can get that M4 model? I cannot find it anywhere online. Thank you once again.

Great review but….where did you find that M4 built like that? Benelli doesn’t even have it on their website….

Great video! I have a 1301 and put a good amount into it for upgrades. I love it but always have the itch for an M4 also. Why not have both 🤷🏻‍♂️? 😂 both great purchases

Fantastic topic: comparing these two. Thank you. Now compare different red dots for home defense on one of these shotguns.

I had a M4 for years and shot it a ton. I bought a 1301 comp pro and was so impressed that I also bought the 1301 tactical and said if it is as good as the comp pro the benelli is gone. Benelli was sold in 48 hrs. So what was the huge deciding factor? I pulled the berettas out of the box and put the lightest, crappiest bird loads in it I could find and it ran them like a two stroke. The benelli has ammo sensitivity along their whole line of shotguns. I know the whole defensive purpose ammo alibi but I want to be able in a shtf scenario find shells in a rusted coffee can in a remote tool shed and run them. That matters the most to me, all the other features now make the beretta a clear winner. The M4 is very much over hyped in this day and age where mossbergs are giving it a run.

Ive never found 'C-Clamping' comfortable, on any rifle, and was suprised to see people still doing it with shotguns. Im hoping Beretta starts selling the A300 forend as an aftermarket piece, so 1301 owners can swap it over for a light mounting option.

I have both... M4 was neutered by 922r. Gotta spend about an extra 1k on the "older" m4s to get it propper with the 7 shot titanium toob and 4 other american parts. I gotta say i like my 1301 more with the t1 crom and briely handguard.

Burning your fingers is a legit point you don't see in any reviews. Depending on the model and rate of fire you can burn your hands by just firing 25 rounds or so. Idk why no one else is talking about that. Maybe they are just busy looking cool instead of firing the gun. I fixed that problem by wearing a glove on my support hand which didn't solve the problem, but usually, I am done shooting before it becomes uncomfortable to touch the gun. That handguard is a huge upgrade on the m4.

I just picked up that exact M4 with all the new mods … I’m stoked

What model of the M4 comes with all these upgrades???

Love it. Thank you for the video. Already connected my local store to get me a one. Can you tell me what you use for the extra rounds on your gun please 🙏🏼

@7:33 roger that !!! Thank you for the humor!!!

Try the 1301 mod 2 out and see how it compares now

😂 intereting choice of intro and music. Thanks for the review!

Can you do a video on body armor vs 00buck? 25 yards will pepper entire human torso. Will it hit unprotected area around body armor??

I feel like the 1301 is more geared for combat all the accessories you can buy including a CROM Aridus seals it.

just picked up my new 1301 enhanced for $1,375. It offers way more than the M4, which is still currently priced at $1,900. This was an easy decision for me.

I’ll stick to benelli for hunting. Got a super black eagle myself. About to add a 1301 tactical to the collection.

I enjoyed the video. Nice work 🍻

I just looked at benellis website. I don’t see that version

I love both and have nothing against either, I know some factor the price, recoil, speed…I love my Benelli m3 for the factor of semi and auto. The main key is practice, practice PRACTICE. I do love the weight of the 1301 but I love how you can disassemble the m4 the easiest with no tools required. Shoot some argue over mag feed over tube magazines, I just love we all enjoy and are part of the 2A community.

I love my M4 T-Pro. 🍻 great video!

love my 1301. just ordered the briley handguard that gives you a ton of m-lok and provides a barrier over the barrel for clamping without burning.

I do own a Benelli M4 You can 100% use the Benelli M4 for small game hunting as with any other shotguns. The Benelli m4 was not original made for hunting in mind, it was made for the military. I have used it for goose, duck, grouse and capercaillie and works just fine. Have seen people shooting turkey, hogs and coyote with the gun and it works very good. But now i see more and more hunting stores are having the Benelli M4. My country has an extremely strict weapon laws on what you can buy here.

Not putting MLOK on the handguard and using proprietary pic rails is SUCH a Benelli thing to do.

I own both. I will tell you straight up the 1301 is superior, ESPECIALLY as its cost is about 40% of an m4 tactical.

I have experience on both systems, and love both. I pick the Benelli M4. The way I describe it is this, the M4 is 99.9% and the 1301t is 99.89% They are so damned close, that its all down to personal preference. Youre not all of a sudden armed with an inferior gun using the m4 now that the 1301t is out. But youre not way ahead, either. I prefer the argo system and the collapsing stock. Those are the biggest 2 points. But like I said, they are within 0.01 of eachother

Who the fuck would get mad about being told the m4 is the gold standard? It literally is.

Where did you find the new model Benelli? I can’t find it anywhere online or in store. What was the price?

Great Content!

My 870 police magnum would clear out a house full of zombies just fine. On the cheap too.

Genesis 12 has revolutionized the game. It will be the new industry standard in 5 years time.

Why not get a Mossberg 930 Tactical or Secrity, mod it with a couple OR3GUN parts, and save a ton of money? 99% of shooters will never outshoot this set up and it's rock solid.

Great review

I can’t find this “new Benelli model” anywhere…

I only own the 1301 and I love it. And it seems a perfect shotgun for LARPing at the range, home defense, or law enforcement use. But I suspect if I was storming Falujah I’d want the robustness of an M4.

The biggest issue I have with the M4 is you're stuck with only the "tactical" model. 1301 you could swap out the barrel to a 26" and go shoot trap with it, same gun. It's funny Benelli basically did everything to the m4 that people have been doing aftermarket for years (and yes, way more than $500. I do like the aftermarket parts more, but they're easily 2x the upgrade cost).

You would think they would use a M4 buffer tube. The possibilities would be endless!!!

Just curious, All the extras shown on your M4 like the handguard, oversize bolt release, adjustable stock. Did the gun come that way or did you add the parts? The reason I ask is I can't seem to find your model on the Benelli website. Thanks for any info...

Will you be running the Orthos Raider s4 through the 500 round rundown

The sheer irony of touting a firearm to bet your life on, while it is being shown hanging up on a reload. Reassuring.....

I'm guessing everyone here already knows, that Beretta also owns Benelli. Two Italian brothers.

You may have ruffled some feathers also😎

Sick intro

I'm still debating which one should I get? Both have prons and cons

Good video but I hear a lot of annoying “mic tap” sounds. I’m wearing earbuds so it’s possible others aren’t hearing it. I’m still undecided which way to go. I’m also curious what you’re opinion of the Gen 12 is. If you could have any of them for free, would you still choose the M4? It’s almost impossible for me to get past the ease of smacking in another magazine.

M4 has 20 plus years of trained killers putting in work with it... the Beretta 1301 I'm sure is fantastic! Maybe even better. But it doesn't have 20+ years of kicking ass behind it... get the m4

The M4 IS gas operated, unlike the Benelli SBE I and II. For those interested, they should check out the Beretta 300 Patrol. If a woman in your house may have to use the shotgun in a self-defense situation, please take that into consideration. In home defense, a 20ga is more than adequate.

I bought my M4 because it was on sale which made it a hundred dollars more than the 1301 so I had to get the Benelli

So now what, 1301 mod 2 further improved the 1301 grip and feed ramp? I think it makes this even more of a non issue for the forend

Great video ❤

It's interesting that the 3rd gun on the table which is shown many times is not mentioned once in the vid. For the rest of us who won't be going to war and who won't be shooting competition but who want a quality, fast shooting gun that will handle pretty much everything you feed it, perhaps we should consider the even less expensive Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol.

I have the same M4 set up an streamlight in the same place. How do you keep you sling from getting caught up against the light?

What m4 does he have? On benellis website it doesn’t show any different “newer” models.

Coming from a Saiga 12 I am pretty sure neither one will disappoint.

Anyone who hunts late winter water foul can tell you that Beretta will do everything the M4 will do, that said I still like Benelli

I can't find this model Benelli M4 anywhere online :(

Compared to Mossberg jm pro??

Nice video, wish I could get those upgrades for my older M4.

Yup! It’s called an AR. Holds more rounds, is more versatile, has longer range, pretty much better than a shotgun in every way

I can’t even find that M4 on any website, including the manufacturer’s site. Unicorn?

Nice review/comparison, I'm actually trying to decide which one to buy myself. I will argue one point with you though, the Benelli M4 *is* a hunting shotgun. It's just designed for hunting people.

Benelli makes GREAT guns. Best on the market as far as I'm concerned.

I’ve owned many Berettas and now a Benelli M4 Entry…. Beretta shotguns are not close IMHO.

Lighter! 2 pounds is a lot when having to lug it around. Mine works flawlessly.

Don't like the stick at all on Benelli, I'm sure it's a good shot gun but I would change stock.

1301 is better. Wrapping your thumb over the M4 and not getting burned isn't a pro. Original M4 doesn't have that cover and the M4 that does is after market pimp'd out. Of course the 1301 is better because it doesn't need expensive after market accessories to perform at a high standard.

Now the 1301 is the same price as the M4