So I’ve just made my first real modification to my Benelli M2. I couldn’t find any good instructions so I figured I’d make my own. (Legal disclaimer – if you can’t safely work on a firearm don’t. This is meant as a guide. Our company accepts no liability for the content of this post, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided. If you have any doubt go to a gunsmith. Undead-Earth LLC is not responsible for anything you do to your firearm.)
If you look at the bolt release that comes stock on the shotgun you can see it is roughly the size of a pencil eraser. Beneath it is the GG&G Benelli over sized bolt release. You can see how rectangular bolt release is several order of magnitudes larger than the stock one.
The first step is to use a small punch to remove the retaining pin. Push it up from the bottom and remove from the top. I had to push it up and use a pair of pliers to put it out. It did take a good bit of force. I highly recommend putting some padding in the receiver in case you slip so you don’t mar the finish.
The next step is to open your kit from GG&G and disassemble the button from the lever. Be careful not to loose the little black screw.
I’ve seen at least one post where the user installed the spring incorrectly. The correct location is at the end of the tab opposite of the button post like so.
This is then placed inside the receiver and the lined up so you can put the retaining pin back in place. This is the hardest part of the whole installation in my opinion. You need to put the lever back into place and line everything up – and then drive the pin in with enough force to get it going. I started by lining it up and looking down the hole to make sure I had it positioned correctly. You can see as I move the lever it isn’t really in place
until image 3.
Getting the retaining pin back in takes a good good bit of force. Be careful and go slow. It is easy to slip and scratch your finish. The final step is to put a drop of locktite on the threads and tighten it down. I don’t have a torque wrench so I tightened it down by feel. I’ll let you know if it comes undone in the future, but I think I got it just about right.
Overall, I am very happy with the end product. My finger isn’t going to miss this button in gloves and I love the fact that this is a complete kit – it comes with the lever and the button as a kit and you don’t need to drill and tap the existing lever. So the stock one is still intact in case you ever want to go back.