Product photos coming soon
Documents
Italy Benelli Armi
M4
A gas-operated, semi-automatic 12-gauge combat shotgun adopted by the U.S. Marine Corps as the M1014 Joint Service Combat Shotgun. Its ARGO gas system delivers reliable cycling across a wide range of ammunition loads, and it is used by military and law-enforcement units worldwide.
In service since 1998 · 15 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
40
m range
400
m/s
7
rds
💲 ≈ $1,800 — Approximate military/retail unit price
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
Italian export-licensed
UAMA authorisation; standard EU/Wassenaar controls.
Channel: Direct commercial / G2G
Fielded & proven
Widely fielded · 15 operators
In service since 1998. Status: active · ~200,000 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
Unit cost known; one-shot / small-arms class has no meaningful O&S tail to model.
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Effective range
Distance at which the weapon reliably hits point targets. Higher extends engagement envelope.
- 40 m Bottom 1% of rifles
- Muzzle velocity
Projectile speed leaving the barrel. Higher means flatter trajectory and better armor penetration.
- 400 m/s Bottom 3% of rifles
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- 12-gauge shotgun shell
- Caliber
Bore diameter of the main gun or rifle. Larger throws heavier projectiles; not simply better — ammunition commonality matters.
- 18.5 mm
- Ammunition
Rounds carried (main gun) or standard magazine capacity.
- 7 Bottom 5% of rifles
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 1 m
- Empty weight
Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.
- 4 kg
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 1
- Barrel length
Barrel length — longer improves muzzle velocity and accuracy, shorter improves handling.
- 470 mm
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Unit cost
Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.
- $1,800 Stronger than 68% of rifles
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 200,000 Stronger than 41% of rifles
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 15 Stronger than 55% of rifles
Specifications compiled from public Benelli Armi and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
Compare with rivals
See how it stacks up
Tula Arms Plant AEK-971 Frequently asked questions
How many crew does the Benelli Armi M4 require? +
The Benelli Armi M4 requires a crew of 1.
What is the main armament of the Benelli Armi M4? +
The Benelli Armi M4's primary weapon is the 12-gauge shotgun shell.
What is the Benelli Armi M4 used for? +
The Benelli Armi M4 is a rifle & long arms typically used for infantry combat.
How many countries operate the Benelli Armi M4? +
The Benelli Armi M4 is operated by 15 countries.
How much does the Benelli Armi M4 cost? +
The Benelli Armi M4 has an approximate unit cost of 1,800 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration — treat this as directional.
