The Benelli M4 Super 90 shotgun was developed in Italy by Benelli Armi Spa. In 1999, after a hard series of tests, the M4 Super90 beat out all competitors and the Army Armament Research and Development Center awarded the contract for the M1014 Joint Service Combat Shotgun to Heckler&Koch USA, Inc., which is importing the guns to the US. The US Marine Corps will be equipped with the first 20.000 units. The Benelli M4 Super90 is a gas operated, smoothbore, magazine-fed semi-auto shotgun. The Benelli engineers developed this unique new ARGO (Auto Regulating Gas Operated) shotgun especially for the Military. Dual, stainless self-cleaning pistons which are located just ahead of the chamber operate directly against the rotating bolt and eliminate the need for complex linkages which can be found on other gas autos.
The M4 can be quickly strapped or reconfigured in the field without tools and gives the user the choice of three modular buttstocks and two barrels. The telescopic stock may be replaced by a pistol grip or hunting-style stock. Operating controls and sling attachment points are optimized for ambidextrous use. The sights are the military ghost-ring style and adjustable for windage and elevation in the field with a cartridge rim. A Picatinny rail allows mounting of both conventional and night-vision sights. All steel parts are black matte phosphated and aluminum matte hard-anodized for low visibility in night operations. The M4 Super 90 does not require any particular maintenance and it is said that it is impossible to corrode and totally reliable in all environmental conditions.
