benelli M4 for Coyote?

jbuck

jbuck

New member
I have a Benelli M4 that I would like to use for calling, but I don't know if the 18" barrel is too short. I have the removable choke version. So I was thinking about ordering some Dead Coyote rounds along with a Carlson choke.
Seeing how this ammo isn't cheap I am trying to figure out if this is a bad idea, meaning that 18" is too short to have any decent range. I call mostly in wooded area's to 50yds is a long shot.

What say you all?
 
Get the choke and ammo and pattern it at 20-30-40-50-60 yards etc and see the amount of pellets on target at each range. That will tell you your max effective range and just stay within that. I think the ben.m4 would be an awsome shotgun for yotes
smile.gif
 
Not as good as an 11-87 Turkey gun but it should work!
wink.gif



Just messin with ya! I think it would do a fine job with a tight choke and some #4 buck!
 
Thanks I was worried about having too short of a barrel thus cutting my effective range to nothing. I guess that is unfounded. I didn't want to spend the money on ammo and a choke tube only to find out I had a 30yd gun.
 
I use an M-1 Super 90 with the same set-up...18 inch barrel, dead coyote choke, ghost ring sight and 3" #4 buck...I use the same rig for turkeys with 3" coppered #5s. Perfect set-up for slipping through the brush without getting tangles up...don't let the short barrel fool you into thinking its for short range only...

Took this guy this guy at 40 yards this spring...
002-3.jpg
 
Last edited:
Hey Jbuck...if you go ahead and do this, could you please post the results...it seems like a great idea to me. I have thought of doing this myself.

BTW..Jayhawk...great pic...nice gun! Whats the pellet count at 40 if you know and have you tried other choke/shell combos? (hope this isnt a hijack, if so sorry)
 
I haven't taken it to a traditional pattern board yet, but it will keep most of a #4 buck load on an 8 1/2 X 11 sheet of paper at 35 yards...
 
Generally speaking, certainly not a rule, but usually longer barrels tend to pattern a bit better overall. That absolutely does not mean a shorter barrel can't be useful. I have two Benelli M1S90's and have 18 1/2", 24", and 26" barrels for them. If forced to pick just one for predators and turkeys I wouldn't hesitate to choose the 24" barrel. My second choice would be the 26" barrel with the 18 1/2" barrel a very close third. Scroll to the bottom of this link for the update and pictures...

http://easterncoyotes.com/home/41?task=view
 
That was an excellent post GC. Did you ever have the chance to put the guns thru the chrony? I am very curious what a real world difference would show by the shorter barrel length.
 
No, I got lazy and went hunting instead of chronographing the loads from the various barrel lengths. There would be some little variation and I would expect some small loss from the stubby barrel, but I don't think it is enough to really be too concerned with. They used to say that all the powder from a shotshell was burned within 18", but of late I've seen some experimenters say that modern high performance loads act much like a rifle cartridge and actually do benefit from more barrel length. But the gains are smaller than with the higher pressure rifle cartridges. I think the biggest limiting factor is holding a reliable concentrated pattern together at longish ranges. We tend to run out of pellets in the pattern before we run out of energy in the pellets - my opinion and experiences indicate that anyway.
 
Should be a very handy coyote shotgun. Just this morning, coyote callin, I had to cuss the 24" nova a few times when it snagged branches and dumped snow down all over. Usually take the shotgun, along with the rifle, would be nice to have a compact shotgun for this purpose.
 
Alright I ordered a few boxes of t-shot and a few boxes of #4 buckshot along with the DC choke. I will post pics of the patterning when it arrives.
 
use her, i got an M4 as well, don't shoot dogs with it, but she'll kill em especially if you run a full choke on her, just let em get closer.
 
Back
Top