r/canadaguns • u/Wooden_Week5385 • 7d ago
Buy recommendations Benelli M4 or settle for clone
Recently got my pal and have always wanted a benelli m4 but obviously the price tag is quite expensive. I’ve read around that panzer and canuck clones are good quality but a fraction of the cost.
I’d like to hear from some members what their opinions are.
14
u/Tanker2025 7d ago
I was looking at one 3-4 yrs ago. $2100 @ tenda . Now i see them over $3300. Should have bought it when I had it in my hand .
8
31
u/Relevant_Diver_3228 7d ago
Buy once cry once
The Turkish clones are knowen to have bad quality control and occasionally a lemon will squeak through (more than occasionally)
10
u/DougMacRay617 7d ago
I think its more like they make lemons that occasionally last longer then expected
4
u/LumberjackCDN Gold'n Loan Outfitters & Pawn 7d ago
100% this, if you got the scratch get the real deal. Only settle for turkish if you have too.
2
u/One_Salary_9068 7d ago
Ya but at 480$ you could by 5
10
u/Relevant_Diver_3228 7d ago
Yes but 5 combined won't last as long as the real M4 based on my experience
3
u/One_Salary_9068 7d ago
Are you Italian.... Because you sûre sound like one with your exaggeration 🤣
4
6
5
u/jmz-jmz 7d ago
If you’re looking to save some dollars go with a 1301, or a Mossberg 590A1 tactical if it doesn’t have to be semi auto. I went with a 1301, it’s fantastic. Put a chisel stock on mine, so I’ve ended up spending about as much as I would have on the M4 lol. I do think the controls on the 1301 are nicer than the M4 (bolt release and charging handle are perfect stock).
All that said if I run into some disposable cash at some point I’ll probably grab and M4 too
9
u/Elbro_16 7d ago
Get the best of the clones… panzer m4. My isn’t picky, cycles everything including the lightest target loads. I did have to replace a o ring, but I think there was a chunk taken out from factory…
I can’t justify 3k on a shotgun.
2
11
u/DougMacRay617 7d ago
Turkshit. Your gonna get a shit tier shotgun that looks cool and you will always wish you just saved up for the real deal.
4
u/Lumindan 7d ago
A clone will always run the risk of being a lemon.
You can gamble if you're comfortable dealing with the follow up headache and claim paperwork.
Imo I'd rather get Italian perfection.
8
u/Kid-On-Reddit- 7d ago
My benelli was a lemon. The brazing on the gas block was not properly done and would spit gas everywhere and even melt the handguard. Albeit, it did still function reliably.
1
u/Lumindan 7d ago
That's surprising because both my Beretta and beneli came super great out of the box.
I've heard very little of qc issues towards the mainline companies whereas there's a heavily documented trail when it comes to Turkish clones.
I'm not saying your case didn't happen or that you can't just get a lemon, but Turkish lemons are way more likely
7
u/LumberjackCDN Gold'n Loan Outfitters & Pawn 7d ago
Everyone makes a lemon the question is frequency. Is it 1 in a hundred, 1 in a thousand, 1 in ten thousand etc.
3
u/Kid-On-Reddit- 7d ago
Stoeger did eventually send a new barrel but it took around 3 months of waiting and lots of back and forth. I firmly believe this was just a one-off but I wish the customer service would be better and actually pick up the phone.
2
u/Wise-Size-8341 6d ago
To be complete fair, unfortunately experiences like stoeger is what happens with most firearm warranty providers in Canada. It's nice that stoeger provides the same 10 year warranty on benellis globally (unlike a certain American brand's life time warranty shrinking to 1 year in Canada), but the wait and service is definitely not there.
1
u/Magic_Matthews 2d ago
"italian perfection" and "B.E.S.T warranty" Reputation is overhyped IMO.
I got 3 new Benelli M2s in a row with significant machining errors from factory. Stoeger/Benelli CS didnt help at all.
One had a dent in the sight marks
Two had a dent on the reciever & scratches
Three had a machining error on the barrel ring
The factory told me they were cosmetic therefore not covered by any warranty. They are nice shotguns, but far from perfect. Definitely do not deserve the reputation for perfect quality control and customer service they have online.
5
u/RXARMS http://www.rxarms.com/ 7d ago edited 7d ago
I agree that the M4 is a buy once cry once. Don't settle for a clone imo. I wrote a blog on this exact topic which includes clone failure, many of the same supportive arguments over the years are relevant (USMC, ARGO, Mature platform) Is the Benelli M4 Still Worth the Money?
4
u/snakeleather45 7d ago
Pride of ownership. If you want a real M4 then get a real M4. Or, get a 1301. I have a few of the M4geries that scratch the M4 itch but the 1301 is my go to.
3
3
u/zaphodbssecondhead 7d ago
Don’t waste time on the clones. They are trash. The real M4 will last you a lifetime with minimal care.
3
u/BowFella 7d ago
Fraction of the cost because they suck. A shotgun should not have to use magnum slugs or buckshot to feed properly and it should not have burrs that you need to file down.
The amount of cope surrounding canuck is insane. Haven't seen a single canuck gun that didnt have some issue at the range. They are not cheap enough to justify buying them, especially when mossberg is the same price or cheaper and a million times better.
4
u/DoubleDownDeuce 7d ago
I can't justify spending $3k for a single shotgun so I settled for junk. My Charles Daly hasn't been horrible but it doesn't cycle target load super effectively and I've had a couple light-strikes.
3
u/Lumindan 7d ago
How many light strikes vs how many rounds?
10 light strikes in say, 100 rounds should be a huge cause for concern etc
2
u/DoubleDownDeuce 7d ago
I've had countless cheapo target load rounds fire fine but 2/5 of a single box of federal power-shok were either light strikes or bad primers... And I've always just leaned on the side of Turkish shotguns are junk.
1
u/Scary-Detail-3206 7d ago
If it’s just a range toy, even a 10% fail to fire isn’t the end of the world.
I don’t trust my life to any of the Turkish firearms out there. I bought Italian for those applications but sometimes a cheap Turkish gun is fun to muck around with.
3
3
2
u/rastamasta45 7d ago
This question comes up a lot and you have to ask yourself “are you going to use the M4 like an M4” and what I mean by that is running it to the ground. Competitions, range trips every other week, and just shoot the shit out of it, make your ride or die home defence option, then M4 all the way.
If not, you will be fine with the Turknelli, I have a Revolution Arms S4 in OD green, owned it for 4 years and put about 700 shells through it, haven’t had a single stoppage. Is this proof it’s bullet proof, no, but it’s been a fantastic range toy that I take the range maybe once every 4 to 6 months (I own a massive collection and can barely cycle through my firearms) I bought it for 780 and it’s served me great.
2
1
u/iatekane 7d ago
If the real one is a bit steep in pice consider a used on close to the $2k range or something like a 1301 tactical or even the Mossberg 990 on a sliding scale of price.
Gambling on a gun with suspect quality/function is probably not a great idea if you’re new and not as familiar with troubleshooting issues as someone with a lot of experience.
1
u/SakanaToDoubutsu 7d ago
Over at r/shotguns we have a stickied post on this subject:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Shotguns/s/5HdCbomDeO
TL;DR: they suck ass and are so bad one gun shop in Oklahoma had some many defective ones they just threw them in a dumpster and it got the owner arrested.
1
u/The_King_of_Canada mb 7d ago
My canuk is decent. Cycles well, fun to shoot. I wish the foregrip was better quality but for the price it was well worth it.
1
u/Imaginary-Leading-49 7d ago
Is it a range gun or bush/home defence gun?
If range only, save money and buy ammo! If the latter, spend the $3k+!
Personally I use my 870 for bear defence and use my Panzer M4 for fun.
1
1
u/Azndude50 7d ago
I had a Panzar Arms M4 Speed Pro. It was a fine gun. If you don’t mind used, try looking on gunpost for deals on a Benelli M4.
1
u/shamone94 7d ago edited 5d ago
I had a Canuck Operator Elite that I bought for 800 bucks, ran like ass in the beginning, then ran smooth for about 100 rounds, then started having issues ejecting shells.
Gave up trying to diag and fix it, and bought an M4. I run it hard and and it’s a beast of a firearm
Buy once cry once
1
1
1
u/tyler111762 Resident Certified Millennial Punk 6d ago
Buy a 1301, a turknelli clone, and spend the rest of the M4 budget on ammo.
you'll have 2 guns, one thats a better shotgun than an M4 for practical use, and the Clone range toy you can beat the piss out of without worrying about losing value, as well as ammo to use them both.
1
u/NorthwindX7 6d ago
Eh, for the difference in cost id go with a knockoff. Save your money for when you are looking for precision focused, where the dollar matters more. Shotgun is just a shotgun. Difference between a cheap bolt action and an expensive one matters way more.
1
1
u/ElectronicPrize9514 3d ago
Do your research. Not all clones are the same.
A good clone is definitely a better dollar value. Yes M4s ND Benelli are going to come with better QOP. However they still have issues. Considering most issues with guns are present asap. Warranty will cover most lemons.
Personally my first gun was the canuck Tacop. Had an issue with the first 50 rounds. Made a post here. Listened to some advice. Thing has been flawless since. 250 rounds in it now.
There are deff some brand snobs on here. Its just a weird brand/elitist thing. If youre practical about it. A good clone is deff worth the money.
1
u/ExtremeCommercial821 2d ago
The clones are not good alternatives at a fraction of the cost. You pay cheap money for cool looks and that's it.
Just get a Mossberg or my preference; a Winchester. You can get a tactical SXP (pump, but has the looks), or SX4 or SR2 for a semi and they'll all shoot as fast as a real Benelli, (if not faster), with a super smooth action, AND it'll take any shell you throw in it with zero hesitation. The cost is virtually the same, too.
Do you have a cheap clone to hang on a wall or do you actually want to use something that functions as it should, for life?
19
u/Cock_ball_dickin 7d ago
Good ish quality but not nearly the quality of the M4. Imo if you want it to actually rely on it for bear defense or something, I wouldn’t skip on the cost. But if it’s literally just for plinking/ the range and quality doesn’t matter? I’d go with a clone, because to be honest the clones are still not great quality, cheap beater gun? Maybe, but a shotgun you want to rely on? Don’t skimp on the cost