How to keep a Benelli M1S90 ready

Schweizer · January 16, 2001, 06:05 PM

How Do you keep your M1S90 ready for HD with respect to safety and quick useability?

Here's what I do:

1. Apply safety
2. open the bolt
3. close the bolt with the cocking lever
4. load the magazine completely
5. press the cartridge drop lever (one shell is extracted from the magazine and passed onto the carrier)
6. disengage the safety
7. pull the trigger (always point the gun in a safe direction!)
8. store it that way

Advantages:
+ The gun can be made ready to fire by simply pulling the cocking lever
+ it is in a much safer state compared to having an engaged safety only (impossible that it fires when dropped)
+ stress on the magazine spring is greatly reduced since the magazine is not fully loaded (= max magazine capacity minus one)
+ you have the nice racking sound of a pump when making it ready

Disadvantage:
- the max amount of shells is reduced by two. (1 less in the magazine and none in the barell)

jfrancis · January 16, 2001, 07:14 PM

That's the way I keep mine. The other advantage is that you have the chamber empty if you feel the need to throw a slug in for the first round.

NAD · January 16, 2001, 07:49 PM

I keep mine loaded, chamber empty, shell on top of carrier, safety on. I'm not sure if the newer Benellis can do this, but on mine I can add the shell to the top of the carrier by going in through the ejection port. This way I will have a full magazine.

GGGLOCK · January 16, 2001, 10:19 PM

That's how I keep mine, except I wasn't dropping the hammer. Makes sense to do this though, because it would keep the springs relaxed. I learn something new everytime I log on to this forum!

Dave McC · January 17, 2001, 07:52 AM

Uh, guys?.......

This technique sounds like it would work, but as an instructor and shooter I have SERIOUS misgivings about any loading,unloading or securing routine that involves pulling the trigger.

The HD 870 here is kept cruiser ready. Empty chamber, slide locked forward, safety on, mag loaded.Time frame between holding the weapon and firing is on the order of one second, even with old slowpoke me.

NAD · January 17, 2001, 10:13 AM

I agree that pulling the trigger just to relieve spring pressure is not a wise move if there are any shells in the magazine. I would do this on a gun with an exposed hammer where I could control its fall, but not an internal hammer unless I had to for some reason.

IMHO reducing magazine capacity by one shell to relieve spring pressure isn't necessary either. It isn't the amount of compression on a spring (unless it's over compressed) that causes a reduction in return force, but the repeated loading and unloading of the spring that eventually will reduce its power.

Springs are cheap. Change them every year or so and don't worry about it.

jthuang · January 17, 2001, 02:15 PM

That's the way I keep my M1S90 as well. All my classes on long gun handling recommend keeping hammer down if possible (i.e., don't try that on an internal-hammer double that's loaded, hehe).

Justin

Schweizer · January 17, 2001, 04:12 PM

I know that there is an ongoing controversy on this subject but in my opinion storing your gun fully loaded IS a problem for the mag spring. This is because the mag spring is then (almost) totally compressed and therefore is in an overcompressed state (or close to). Most experts recommend to download your mag by 1 shell to avoid this problem.
I'm aware that this is no scientific explanation but it seems to me to be quite reasonable that a relaxed spring is under less stress than a fully compressed one.

Exchanging the mag spring frequently sure helps but there's a better solution:
Buy 1 aditional mag spring.
Every year or so compare it to the one in the mag.
If there's a difference in length go buy a new one and replace it.
I'll bet you discover that most of the time a replacement isn't necessary.

Sea Bass · January 17, 2001, 05:57 PM

I keep my Benelli as described above.

ljlcdl · January 17, 2001, 05:57 PM

Downloading a SG mag by one allows the immediate option of popping a slug (or other choice) in the mag before racking the slide. I'm not sure it's done for spring preservation. Gotta love the versatility of a SG!

ljlc

CMOS · January 18, 2001, 07:08 PM

I keep my M1S90 loaded, round in the chamber with the safety ON. If I want it, I'll want it quick and I see no reason to have to cock the bolt system.

CMOS

January 18, 2001, 07:08 PM	#11
CMOS Senior Member Join Date: June 10, 1999 Location: TEXAS Posts: 1,417	I keep my M1S90 loaded, round in the chamber with the safety ON. If I want it, I'll want it quick and I see no reason to have to cock the bolt system. CMOS __________________ There's plenty of room on Earth for all of God's animals. Right next to the wine and mashed potatoes . . .

January 16, 2001, 06:05 PM	#1
Schweizer Member Join Date: January 16, 2001 Location: Switzerland Posts: 25	How Do you keep your M1S90 ready for HD with respect to safety and quick useability? Here's what I do: 1. Apply safety 2. open the bolt 3. close the bolt with the cocking lever 4. load the magazine completely 5. press the cartridge drop lever (one shell is extracted from the magazine and passed onto the carrier) 6. disengage the safety 7. pull the trigger (always point the gun in a safe direction!) 8. store it that way Advantages: + The gun can be made ready to fire by simply pulling the cocking lever + it is in a much safer state compared to having an engaged safety only (impossible that it fires when dropped) + stress on the magazine spring is greatly reduced since the magazine is not fully loaded (= max magazine capacity minus one) + you have the nice racking sound of a pump when making it ready Disadvantage: - the max amount of shells is reduced by two. (1 less in the magazine and none in the barell)

January 16, 2001, 07:14 PM	#2
jfrancis Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2000 Location: Orlando, FL, USA Posts: 211	That's the way I keep mine. The other advantage is that you have the chamber empty if you feel the need to throw a slug in for the first round.

January 16, 2001, 07:49 PM	#3
NAD Senior Member Join Date: October 20, 1998 Posts: 169	I keep mine loaded, chamber empty, shell on top of carrier, safety on. I'm not sure if the newer Benellis can do this, but on mine I can add the shell to the top of the carrier by going in through the ejection port. This way I will have a full magazine.

January 16, 2001, 10:19 PM	#4
GGGLOCK Member Join Date: July 13, 2000 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 77	That's how I keep mine, except I wasn't dropping the hammer. Makes sense to do this though, because it would keep the springs relaxed. I learn something new everytime I log on to this forum!

January 17, 2001, 07:52 AM	#5
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	Uh, guys?....... This technique sounds like it would work, but as an instructor and shooter I have SERIOUS misgivings about any loading,unloading or securing routine that involves pulling the trigger. The HD 870 here is kept cruiser ready. Empty chamber, slide locked forward, safety on, mag loaded.Time frame between holding the weapon and firing is on the order of one second, even with old slowpoke me.

January 17, 2001, 10:13 AM	#6
NAD Senior Member Join Date: October 20, 1998 Posts: 169	I agree that pulling the trigger just to relieve spring pressure is not a wise move if there are any shells in the magazine. I would do this on a gun with an exposed hammer where I could control its fall, but not an internal hammer unless I had to for some reason. IMHO reducing magazine capacity by one shell to relieve spring pressure isn't necessary either. It isn't the amount of compression on a spring (unless it's over compressed) that causes a reduction in return force, but the repeated loading and unloading of the spring that eventually will reduce its power. Springs are cheap. Change them every year or so and don't worry about it.

January 17, 2001, 02:15 PM	#7
jthuang Senior Member Join Date: January 21, 2000 Posts: 823	That's the way I keep my M1S90 as well. All my classes on long gun handling recommend keeping hammer down if possible (i.e., don't try that on an internal-hammer double that's loaded, hehe). Justin

January 17, 2001, 04:12 PM	#8
Schweizer Member Join Date: January 16, 2001 Location: Switzerland Posts: 25	I know that there is an ongoing controversy on this subject but in my opinion storing your gun fully loaded IS a problem for the mag spring. This is because the mag spring is then (almost) totally compressed and therefore is in an overcompressed state (or close to). Most experts recommend to download your mag by 1 shell to avoid this problem. I'm aware that this is no scientific explanation but it seems to me to be quite reasonable that a relaxed spring is under less stress than a fully compressed one. Exchanging the mag spring frequently sure helps but there's a better solution: Buy 1 aditional mag spring. Every year or so compare it to the one in the mag. If there's a difference in length go buy a new one and replace it. I'll bet you discover that most of the time a replacement isn't necessary.

January 17, 2001, 05:57 PM	#9
Sea Bass Senior Member Join Date: December 11, 1999 Location: CA Posts: 176	I keep my Benelli as described above.

January 17, 2001, 05:57 PM	#10
ljlcdl Member Join Date: July 9, 2000 Posts: 80	Downloading a SG mag by one allows the immediate option of popping a slug (or other choice) in the mag before racking the slide. I'm not sure it's done for spring preservation. Gotta love the versatility of a SG! ljlc