Benelli’s contribution to combat shotguns shouldn’t be understated. The release of the M4 shotgun and its adoption by the United States military helped usher semi-auto shotguns into the mindset of tactical-oriented shooters. The Benelli M4 series was developed in 1999 and that’s basically where development stopped. Benelli released a few variants, but they haven’t changed much over the years. Twenty-five years later, the M4 has been updated in the Drone Guardian.
I’m not tooting my own horn, but I’ve been advocating for the shotgun as an infantry anti-drone weapon for a long time. Ever since ISIS terrorized the skies in Iraq and Syria. With the war in Ukraine being a commercial quadcopter playground, people are finally starting to take notice. The Ukrainian military adopted some Turkish bullpup semi-auto shotguns, and a clip on Instagram shows the old Winchester 1300 still putting in work for anti-drone work in Ukraine as well.
Multiple military forces, including France, have updated their shotgun inventories. They went with the Benelli SuperNova, which might be one of the best choices out there. The 3.5-inch chamber allows for a bigger payload, one capable of getting geese and other large birds. Shotguns are niche weapons that seemingly keep finding niches to climb their way into. The Benelli M4 Drone Guardian is the first dedicated anti-drone shotgun I’ve seen from a major manufacturer and the first major update to the Benelli M4 since 1999.
The Benelli M4 A.I. Drone Guardian
The full name is the Benelli M4 A.I. Drone Guardia. The A.I. doesn’t indicate some kind of high-tech aiming system; it stands for Advanced Impact. Folks love the A.I. acronym. The new Drone Guardian is designed to function with Number 4 buckshot. A standard 2.75-inch load holds 27 pellets, and a 3-inch load can hold up to 41 pellets.
Benelli states the gun has a choke optimized for the Number 4 buckshot load. They’ve also lengthened the forcing cone a bit like how Vang Comp improves patterns. This is to optimistically extend the range to 50 meters, but they claim a combat range of 100 meters. That extra range is very necessary because drones can be fairly far from their target and be an effective platform.
The Benelli M4 Drone Guardian also features an M-LOK handguard, a first for Benelli. The M-LOK handguard also features a slot for a Steiner MPS, which uses an ACRO footprint, so theoretically, it should also work for the ACRO. Mounting an optic to a handguard is always a little finicky, and a smarter move would have been to remove the optic’s rail and use a low mount.
Additional Upgrades
The optic slot on the handguard allows the iron sight to co-witness through the optic. Those iron sights have also changed. They are now green, high-visibility fiber optic sights instead of metal three-dot sights.
Another first for the Benelli M4 is the configurations available. We have the standard 8.5-inch model and a 26-inch model. A 26-inch barrel allows you to swing the gun a bit more like a bird gun and can help increase the velocity of a 3-inch load.
The Benelli M4 Drone Guardian also features a few slight changes to the ergonomics. Many of these changes address my complaints with the Benelli M4. The charge handle is large, and so is the bolt release. The stock has been redesigned, and the cheek rest increased in size with attached sling points. It also appears to be a two-position stock, but it’s not incredibly clear.
I understand that the Benelli M4 A.I. Drone Guardian is designed for a specific purpose, but I would love for Benelli to make these changes to the standard M4. Better ergonomics, better accessory options, and a better optics mount is needed to update the M4 to 2024.
Would It Work?
Admittedly, shooting drones is tough, even with a shotgun. Smaller drones can be exceptionally fast and difficult to hit. Luckily, the drones that carry grenades and explosives tend to be larger and slower. They can still be an annoying fly that’s tough to swat. A shotgun is easier to use than other weapons but still a challenge.
If you share my unhealthy obsession with combat footage, you’ve seen both Ukrainian and Russian soldiers using shotguns to shoot down drones. It works. It might not be perfect, but it’s a reliable, low-tech option. The Marine Corps is introducing its own drone guy to the infantry squad, so he could also be the anti-drone guy—give him a shotgun. As a guy who carried an M16A4 and an M240, I don’t feel too bad for a guy carrying an M27 and a Drone Guardian.
Purpose built shotguns seem to be a great step forward. I think we need dedicated ammo as well as dedicated shotguns. Hopefully Benelli will relase the Drone Guardian configuration to the mass market. If not I guess I’ll be spending my son’s college fund on GunBroker to buy it by the piece.
