CJW Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 I have looked at a bunch of the threads on Benelli mods and am pretty sure I'd like to save my thumb as much unnecessary pain and suffering as possible. I am thinking about opening up my loading port, and could use some input. From the pics I have seen posted, it looks like the area to file/grind is pretty much where the factory bevel is. Does that sound right? If anybody has a before/after comparison, that would be helpful Also, what should I do about the bare metal when I am done? Any suggestions on how to deal with the finish there? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cas Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 (edited) I don't think there's anything you can do to the metal, refinishing wise, that's going to stand up very long. Even spent gobs of money and had the receiver re-anodized, it would still get scratched up fairly quickly. By keeping my edges straight I kept the end result looking fairly clean and think it looks fine without refinishing. I studied a lot of the photos before I did mine. Some people hog them out while others just seem to file them down flat so the sharp edge is gone. I did sort of a combo of the two, sort of a gentle bevel in like a mag well, but tapered, with more bevel in the front than the rear. It's probably a "middle" job, more metal removed than some, but less than a lot of others. It wasn't meant to be the finished product, I planned of trying it and making changes as needed, but so far I haven't bothered with it. I kept the power tools away and just used a couple small files. A medium sized flat one for the major removal, a small swiss file and one very small round file with an arched buffing type stroke for blending and rounding. Edited January 9, 2011 by cas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJW Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 Is the receiver actually anodized? I was trying to find that out. That makes me leery about filing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Sierpina Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 The recievers have some sort of paint or perhaps powder coat on them. They're not anodized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomfab Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Benelli receivers are anodized for sure. I think it's just Type II anodizing, not the Type III hardcoat that you see on most quality AR15 receivers. The aluminum is very soft without anodizing. You could have the entire receiver chemically stripped of anodizing and re-anodized for less than $100 probably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Sierpina Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Benelli receivers are anodized for sure. I think it's just Type II anodizing, not the Type III hardcoat that you see on most quality AR15 receivers. The aluminum is very soft without anodizing. You could have the entire receiver chemically stripped of anodizing and re-anodized for less than $100 probably. Then I got screwed. My M2 is not anodized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenleafshooter Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Cas What kind of time did it take to do? Hours days? I assume if it is aluminum it would go pretty quick. Is there any advice to someone who was about to try this for the first time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
assaulter Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 It took me less than two hours going slow and easy with a file. Tape off the profile you want to create and its pretty hard to screw up. I used a vise to hold the receiver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lead-Head Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 I taped mine off last night and opened it up with a dremel sanding drum. It ain't that pretty, and not that uglified either. I guess I could sand it with some paper to polish it up, but I really am more concerned with function over looks. It did help my loading, especiaally taking off material at the muzzel end of the port to make it easier to overcome the shell catch. Took maybe 30 minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS101 Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 When I did mine, I used a carbide bit. I set up a 2x4 and used it as a guide to keep the bit at a good angle. Once I had it close to where I wanted it, I used files and stones to shape it the way I wanted. Then, I finished up by using some 600 grit sandpaper to get rid of all tool marks. Overall, I think I took about 2 hours. Biggest thing: Prep Work! Stick a sock or towels in the receiver to limit aluminum shaving from getting inside everything. Also, make sure there isn't any oil in the gun at all!. The shaving will stick to it. Tape off the edges, because your hand will slip (I forgot this step). Take out the trigger group! again, shavings are not your friend! Do it outside, or set up a vacuum system to get the shavings as you create them... Go SLOW!!!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cas Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Can't add much to what was said. Contrary to the old post, I did go back and make minor changes in one or two spots since then. I stripped the receiver of everything but the recoil spring/assembly, masked the whole thing off and went real slow. Even still it was probably a couple hours start to finish, really taking my time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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