Delivering Benelli M4-like reliability and features but at a price closer to the workingman’s grasp, the M2-G1 is a brand-new segment in the company’s semi-auto defensive shotgun lineup
by Rob Reaser
Defense professionals who include a shotgun as part of their essential arsenal know the top-tier drivers. Benelli’s M4 (or M1014) holds the pole position in the semi-auto class, with Beretta’s 1301 Tactical right on its tailpipe. Solid performers such as these do not need reinventing. Rather, slight reconfigurations are developed in order to make the “good stuff” more palatable for the civilian market.
That’s what we saw last year when Benelli introduced the M4 EXT in late 2025. This M4 variant made available the 7+1 capacity and five-position stock (although a slightly different design) of the M1014 for civilian purchase by satisfying 922r import restrictions (remember…Benelli shotguns are manufactured in Italy). Pricing for the M4 EXT, though, which starts at $2,599, could be considered a bit “up there” for us average folk looking for a thoroughbred home defender.
Well…Benelli has fixed that, sort of, with the release of the all-new M2-G1 12-gauge semi-auto defensive shotgun.
I say “sort of” because, with an MSRP starting at $1,949 (a 5+1, standard stock version is $1,829), the gun will still set you back a bit. My test model was on the high end of the M2-G1 price scale at $2,149 (7+1 capacity, 5-position stock, and MultiCam Black finish). Still, that is $450 less than the price of the M4 EXT.
Developed with an eye specifically on the civilian market — even though it is wholly suitable for professional defense work — the M2-G1 represents an all-new shotgun category for Benelli. Given the M2 moniker, I place it in-between the M4 series and the M2 Field series shotguns, although this gun has nothing at all in common with the M2 Field, including the operating system. The M2 uses the Inertia Driven system while the M2-G1 is gas-operated, just like the M4 series shotguns.
The Rear Piston Operated (RPO) Gas System
This gas system is really the big to-do with the M2-G1, so let’s look at that first.
The M2-G1 taps an equally new gas system, which Benelli calls the RPO, or Rear Piston Operated. The idea behind the RPO system is that it is situated super close to the barrel chamber. Contrast this to more conventional gas systems that place the gas ports and pistons farther up the barrel. This allows the more efficient, higher pressure, and assumably the cleanest gas to be quickly diverted to the twin gas collection cylinders.
The high-efficiency gas, diverted close to the barrel chamber, enters the gas collection cylinders, allowing the dual pistons to deliver a short yet authoritative stroke that drives the bolt carrier rearward.
Those of you who are familiar with the M4’s A.R.G.O. system will notice a difference in the gas plugs. The M2-G1 plugs are short compared to the M4-series plugs. That’s because the A.R.G.O. system has the self-regulating gas plugs that are longer and include a spring-controlled gas cap that lets excess gas (gas not required for driving the piston) to bleed off. Other than this self-regulating function, the new RPO system on the M2-G1 is basically the same — dual, short-stroke pistons driven by near-chamber, high-pressure gas. Clean and efficient.
When it is time to clean, the M2-G1 is blessedly easy to break down to its elemental parts, just like the M4. No tools are required since everything can be disassembled with the pull off/push on bolt handle.
Continuing the M2-G1 Tour…
While the M2-G1, from the 20-foot view, looks quite similar to the M4-series shotguns, there are nuanced differences that count.
Starting up front, we see the same protected front post sight but a different magazine extension. There is no screw-off cap like we find on the M4 series. It’s similar to the extension on Mossberg’s 940 Pro Tactical SPX in that the extension unscrews from the main tube. Unlike the Mossberg’s extension, though, the M2-G1 extension has a drain hole to allow water to exit through the muzzle end in case your gun takes a dip. The M2-G1 also comes with an M-LOK barrel clamp, which is perfect for mounting a compact light.
Similarly, the forend, which is unique to the M2-G1, hosts nine M-LOK slots: two on each front side, one on each rear side, and three along the bottom. If you can’t find a place to mount stuff, you’re not trying hard enough. Naturally, QD sling swivel cups are located on either side of the forend.
Moving to the receiver area, we find a couple differences from the M4 series that, I feel, are better. Most notable is the large, paddle-style bolt release. It is easy to find, easy to depress, and makes for near-effortless emergency reloading. I find it much more forgiving than the round M4 release button when operating under time pressure.
Similarly, the bolt handle is more substantive. It’s big, has three grooves to prevent slippage, and makes for a positive, efficient grab when charging the chamber under duress or when cycling in a slug round behind a load of buckshot.
While not consequential to the gun’s operation, the receiver also has a slightly different profile compared to the M4.
Another highlight of the M2-G1 is the pistol grip for those guns equipped with the 5-position stock. This is unique to the M2-G1, and I like it a lot. It is rubberized, but not with a gushy, sticky type of rubber. The hand wraps solidly and positively around the grip, but between the composition and the texturing, your hand will not slip off. I know, because during my test day the humidity was around 10,000 percent. I was soaked from sweat, yet the gun held tight in my hand.
The five-position collapsible stock is same as we find on the M4 EXT, which itself is different from the M4/M1014. Firmly press the square, steel button on the left and move the stock to achieve the optimal cheek weld and length-of-pull for your needs. The back of the stock has a robust rubber buttpad that prevents slippage on the shoulder. It’s not necessarily designed as a super recoil sucker, but it doesn’t need to be. I found the M2-G1 to be easy on the shoulder, whether shooting heavyweight slugs or sub-1-ounce pellet payloads. Credit the RPO gas system and a well-balanced recoil spring for that courtesy.
To accommodate a sling, the stock offers left- and right-side QD sling swivel cups as well as an integrated sling loop on the bottom.
On the dark side of the receiver, you’ll notice that the magazine loading port is not what you would call “beveled.” This was the only gig I was able to give the M2-G1 from my testing. I kept tripping my shotshells on the bottom lip. With practice, things smoothed out, but I would like to see Benelli’s engineers address this in a future rendition to better funnel shells into the magazine tube.
On the other hand, I went through an entire day of testing, with lots of emergency reload drills, and never once did I experience the dreaded “thumb pinch.” I have become almost paranoid about fast-loading a shotgun for fear of the inevitable pinch. The M2-G1, though, never bit back. I could run my thumb in and out of the tube, loading shells with nary an “Ouch!” to be suffered.
I’ll take that over a well-beveled loading port any day.
Moving to the sunny-side-up portion of the receiver, we find the familiar adjustable ghost ring rear sight. Familiar, but again, different from the M4-series rear sight. The M2-G1 rear sight assembly’s base is molded polymer rather than steel and has a more compact and contoured profile.
The rear ghost ring is flanked by two white dots. These work in conjunction with the white dot on the front sight’s post. Simply align the three dots and take your sight picture that way or ignore the dots and utilize the ghost ring and post as they are meant to be employed.
Forward of the rear sight is an independently mounted Picatinny rail section. You can remove it should you wish to trim a bit of weight or streamline the receiver or, as we did, run it with a red dot — in our case a Trijicon RMR Type 2.
Range Testing
Actually, I never could take the M2-G1 to my range. A ginormous old white pine had fallen across the road between camp and the range, and, already running behind on time and not having the gumption to play lumberjack by myself, I improvised.
After burning 800 yards worth of boot leather hauling my plate rack and steel target from my range to the cabin, I decided to make use of the fallen pine. It gave me “cover” for barricade shooting and uneven, cluttered ground to challenge my shooting stance and recoil recovery.
Despite the uncommon shooting positions, the M2-G1 proved accommodating and reliable to a fault. Recoil from the 12-guage loads was well-managed by the gas system and recoil spring. I shot multiple boxes of Winchester Defender for the gun’s break-in (50 rounds of 1 1/8-ounce payload at 1200 fps) even though the velocity was 55 fps shy of that recommendation, then moved on to Hornady Critical Defense 00 buckshot.
The bulk of defensive shotgun work, from my perspective and training, centers on keeping the gun fed at all times. Shoot two rounds, immediately load two rounds as soon as possible. This means loading to an empty chamber, loading to an empty magazine, loading with one hand, interrupting the shotshell stream with slug rounds, and so on.
As mentioned earlier, the M2-G1 performed excellently in this regard. There was no pinching when loading all seven rounds to the magazine tube.
Further, the M2-G1’s paddle-style bolt release made loading from an open chamber smooth as butter. Loading overhanded or underhanded, the shells drop in the ejection port with slick precision. A light tap on the bolt release moves the bolt forward and you’re ready to get back in the fight.
One of the advantages of the defensive shotgun is its load diversity. Sometimes, the situation calls for a big ol’ chunk of lead. That’s where the slug loads come in.
After zeroing the Trijicon at 25 yards, I wanted to see how well the M2-G1 would place a few slugs on a target well beyond the typical defensive engagement distance. So, I grabbed my box of Fiocchi Defense Dynamics Aero slugs (1 ounce, 1560 fps) and set the target at 80 yards.
I have used this load before, shooting with a post and ghost ring sight out of an 18.5-inch cylinder-bore Mossberg 500. The results were square-on headshots at 100 yards. This time, I had the Trijicon RMR and the sight picture at this distance was not working for me. The blue tint of the sight glass combined with a heavily overcast sky and a dark green backdrop made it difficult for me to define the target profile at 80 yards, let alone see the small black dot I sketched on the IDPA target.
Nevertheless, shooting unsupported, all four rounds found their mark — not as tight a group as I would expect to get from iron sights, but good enough.
The only issue I had throughout the entire range session came when I purposefully ignored Benelli’s minimum load requirement for reliable cycling. Benelli states that the M2-G1 requires a shotshell with a minimum payload of 1 1/8 ounces and 1200 fps velocity. To test this, I loaded the shotgun with Fiocchi Defense Dynamics 00 buckshot.
Now, before testing, I had cut open one load to measure the 9-pellet payload. Fiocchi doesn’t give the weight on the box, but my scale read 0.824 ounces — well below the 1 1/8-ounce minimum.
To see if the gun really was that critical of the load, I stuffed the gun with eight rounds of the Defense Dynamics 00 buckshot and went at it.
Of the eight rounds, only one round completed the cycle of operation. The other seven resulted in either failure to feed or failure to eject, split about evenly.
My original thought was that maybe the 1250 fps rating of the load would overcome the overly light load. It didn’t. Benelli is spot-on in its load recommendation. Believe it.
Conclusion
Overall, I must give the new Benelli M2-G1 a solid A. This is a good gun, reliable when used within its stated load parameters. The ergonomics are spot on, especially in regard to the grip and operational controls, and the gun runs notably clean by conventional gas gun standards (Benelli A.R.G.O. system notwithstanding).
Is it worth the asking price? Well, it’s tough to put a price on dependability when you’re in a gun fight, but you be the judge. The M2-G1 hails from good stock, and the Benelli name accounts for something.
