Benelli M2 Semi-auto shotgun Review

Benelli M2 Semi-auto shotgun
Editor:  Darren Wolz

Basic Description:

Benelli M2 Semi-auto, 12-guage shotgu
Just the facts: 7. 1 lbs., 3” chamber, Synthetic stock, 26” barrell

Story:

I purchased the M2 because of the Benelli reputation for reliability even in adverse conditions  and because the “American” model was on sale for $849.99 at Cabelas.  The American is the same as the Field model except it does not come with a hard case and has three (3) instead of all (5) cryo chokes.  The three chokes that came with my American are the Full, Improved Modified and Modified.  As a waterfowl hunter, this is somewhat of an inconvenience as the only choke among these three recommended for steel shot is the Modified.  As such I paid another $45 for a Briley IC for shooting steel shot over decoys.
As an avid waterfowl hunter, I am unwilling to have my shotgun fail to operate.  The investment in getting the opportunity is just too high to have the gun fail.  We often arise between 2:00 AM and 3:00 AM, drive 150 miles or more and sit in a freezing blind for hours just to have the opportunity to shoot.  After all of this, the shotgun must simply perform! I was planning a trip to Canada in early December and after making the investment of time and money for the trip wanted to make sure the gun was not the weak link.
I opted for the M2 over the Super Black Eagle II because I have found that my success with a 3” shell is as good or better than with 3-1/2” and my budget likes the 3” shells better as well.  If you really need to shoot 3-1/2” shells then you should consider the Super Black Eagle II.
The M2 did not disappoint me at all in Canada.  We experienced snow, dust, grit and very cold temperatures but the gun cycled flawlessly throughout.  This year I have continued to hunt with it and have only cleaned and oiled the barrel but have not cleaned the action and it continues to work well.
We took it shooting clays in 10 degree F temperatures with low brass shells and it worked perfectly.  Not once did it slow down or fail to cycle.
The gun is light , comes up nicely and swings well.  I’m not a fan of the safety near the trigger guard and prefer a tang safety but Benelli did shape the safety well so by feel the shooter can tell the position.

What they could do better:

A tang safety would support both left and right handed shooters.  When selling as the American version it would be better to offer the IC or C choke in lieu of the F or IM to support the waterfowl enthusiast.