True. All this shotgun talk has me itching to get the M4 out and run some shells through it. It’s been awhile as I’m not a bird hunter or a brown bear hunter.
My dad took at least two black bear I know of with single rounds of .30-.30 Winchester. In the same barrel length I believe the .30-.30 and 7.62X39 are ballistically equivalent. Thirty+ rounds of Russia’s finest ought to do in a brown bear. Who knows more about bears than Russians! I think you are on to something here…
I just looked up about the M4... how does it 'autoregulate'? I have a Remington 1100 that doesn't feed or eject quite as reliably as I think it should... I mean its not terrible, but its enough that I'm always wincing on the inside waiting for it to happen, and then it waits until I stop worrying about it before it does it again. Wondering how the M4 is in comparison.
I’m not a shotgun guy, but from disassembling and looking at the piston system my opinion is the whole thing is over gassed to ensure reliability with lower power shells. It’s supposed to function well with heavy 3” loads as well as light 2-3/4 loads. It has twin pistons (that are self cleaning) so the bolt stays cleaner than a gas operated bolt would I think. I’m not sure on that because I’ve never had a direct gas operated shotgun. Just my opinion but I’d say short answer is the M4 is over gassed and the piston system keeps fouling and subsequent bolt drag to a minimum. I would like to shoot yours and mine side by side and compare recoil. They say the M4 is soft shooting but I bet the gas operated system on your 1100 has less recoil. I would guess that’s what you give up for being over gassed. I’m happy to be corrected by a shot gunner. I’ve only shot 6 shot 2-3/4” and OO buck 2-3/4” out of my M4. I have a few AA target shells around somewhere. I should see how it cycles them.
Also some good answers to your original question.... Because when seconds count police are only minutes away and it is much easier to carry a gun in your pocket than a police officer.
Another option is the Benelli Supernova. Touted as the best pump shotgun for home defense, and considerably cheaper than an M4. Shoots anything up to 3.5" magnum loads. https://www.pewpewtactical.com/benelli-supernova-tactical-review/
