As the owner of a Benelli M4, I’ve grown to despise 922r. Actually, as a freedom-loving American, I’ve grown to hate 922R and other silly gun laws that only exist to hamper the rights of free Americans.
I should be able to own a Benelli M4 in the same configuration as the USMC’s M1014 should I so choose. Unfortunately, this 922r nonsense means you must have a certain number of American-made parts in the M4 if you want to add a collapsing stock and a 7-round magazine tube.
You can read all about 922r here because today we are focusing on the Benelli M4 and the 922r upgrades from Freedom Fighter Tactical.
Freedom Fighter Tactical is a small American business that happens to specialize in American-made parts for Benelli shotguns (among other guns). I wanted to legally de-neuter my Benelli M4, and Freedom Fighter Tactical made it possible.
They provide not only a handy guide to 922r compliance and also a complete parts listing of what they carry to make your M4 compliant.
To establish the Benelli in a configuration where I could sport a 7-round tube and a collapsing stock, I need a total of four American made parts. Freedom Fighter Tactical carries everything you need to make your Benelli a 922R-compliant shotgun to make one-stop shopping easier. They make it simple to find the necessary parts to de-neuter an M4 and see if they work.
Starting From the Top
I needed four parts and Freedom Fighter Tactical makes three of the four in house. That includes the seven-round magazine tube, a follower, and both a hammer and trigger. While I already had a hammer, the Freedom Fighter Tactical components aren’t just a hammer, but also an improved trigger system. The hammer and trigger are precision machined parts and reduce trigger pull by roughly two pounds.
The Magazine Tube
The two parts I needed that FFT produced were the seven-round magazine tube and follower. That silly neutered Benelli tube is an embarrassment and I was excited to get a proper magazine on the gun.
I ordered the standard steel variant, but they also make an NP3-coated tube to match H20 M4s and the ultra-cool and lightweight titanium seven-round tube. I went with the standard steel tube and was a bit worried the finish wouldn’t match.
I was pleasantly surprised to find the magazine tube finish perfectly matches the gun’s odd-ish grey/black finish. It looks like it came from the factory and after using a heat gun to remove the five-round tube, the seven-round tube fit like a dream.
I dropped the Freedom Fighter Tactical aluminum follower down the tube and ran it back and forth. It glided smoothly, indicating no burrs, finish glitches or problems of fit between follower and tube. The recommended Wolff factory spring was my spring of choice and it fits perfectly when accommodating seven 2.75-inch rounds.
The Handguard
The handguard isn’t made by Freedom Fighter Tactical, but by Mesa Tactical. However, the Mesa Tactical Truckee forend seems tough to find outside of a special or backorder status. Freedom Fighter Tactical had both the 8.5 and 11-inch models, so I moved quickly to add the 11-inch model to my cart.
This aluminum M-LOK handguard offers plenty of slots to mount accessories. The 11-inch model requires you to remove the M4’s sling keeper, but installation is easy. There is some slight play in the handguard, but not enough to worry. I wouldn’t zero a PEQ 15 on it, but for shotgun stuff, it’s perfect.
I added an angled foregrip, a light, and a sling QD slot and it all attaches quickly enough. The longer design of the handguard makes it easier to mount a light closer to the muzzle to help minimize barrel shadow. The aluminum design also keeps things from getting too hot when running a lot of rounds in a short period. It also allows for a more forward grip if you have gorilla length arms like me.
The Complete Package
I appreciate convenience, and Freedom Fighter Tactical offered me. The parts they make seem to be exceptionally well made, and everything was shipped quickly with tracking numbers provided. I have some level of fear with small gun companies, especially when it seems most of them are likely overwhelmed with orders in the current market.
Luckily, my stuff arrived quickly and I am quite happy with the result of my 922r compliant Benelli M4…but I’m still angry 922r exists in the first place.
The silver lining is the support of smaller American companies. I’m sure accusations will pop up in the comments that FFT paid me or TTAG, but that’s not the case. I’m a happy customer impressed with the parts and service they provide. I’m nowhere near popular enough to be getting that shill money y’all.
Admittedly nothing involving the Benelli M4 is cheap. It’s not a cheap gun and people who buy them tend to accept that this isn’t a bargain gun and the parts for it aren’t cheap either. It’s worth the money, but I’m also a shotgun nerd, so your mileage may vary.