9.1.25 - FFT Status of Business and Inventory Update for Benelli M4 Shotgun Enthusiasts

Hey folks, here is the latest Status of Business and Inventory Update at Freedom Fighter Tactical:

00:00 – Introduction & Welcome
00:34 – Benelli M4 parts leadership since 2008
00:53 – Beretta & other shotgun platforms
01:24 – Updates on BuyYourM4.com & BuildYourM4.com video hosting
02:12 – New 4K video studio & future install/demo videos
03:23 – Upcoming content & fall plans
04:02 – Inventory update: magazine tubes & recoil tubes
04:47 – Collapsible stock supply challenges & timeline
05:59 – Inventory practices vs. other companies
07:18 – Collapsible stock availability (US-made vs. Benelli)
09:16 – Oversize bolt release buttons & NP3 finishes
09:55 – Trigger components & 922(r) compliance
10:40 – Clarifying 922(r) law and ATF insights
13:11 – Why compliance matters & risk management
15:10 – Closing thoughts, ghost ring inserts, appreciation for first responders

Here is the transcript for the video above:

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:34:08
Unknown
Hey, folks at Freedom Fighter Tactical, welcome to the latest status of business and inventory update. Let's get started. Right now. Hey folks. Again, I'm Todd at Freedom Fighter Tactical. Welcome to my channel. I've been doing Benelli M4 parts since 2008. We are the world's leader in Benelli M4 parts, both aftermarket and OEM. We work our butts off here to have everything you need at all times, so that you can build and maintain your guns during the life of your ownership of the Benelli M4.

00:00:34:14 - 00:00:53:21
Unknown
We also by default do M1, M2, M3 and some 1301 stuff. Not as much as I'd like, but that's a whole different headache. Beretta is not the easiest to work with when it comes to being a dealer. But I have been a dealer with them, but I just don't have a whole lot right now for that gun.

00:00:53:21 - 00:01:24:02
Unknown
And I wish I did, but maybe down the road I will work into it. I've had, two websites or two domains that I've been sending people to buy your m4.com and build your m4.com, and the little service that I use to host those videos I'm not really fond of. And so, I did cancel my membership of that service, and I haven't found an alternative to host those series.

00:01:24:02 - 00:01:46:10
Unknown
So if that's something that you're interested in, just watch the videos here and I will announce, in the emails I send. You can subscribe on the email list on the website, but I will announce when I'm going to release that series of videos again, and I'm probably just going to actually add them to the blog and have a blog page where it's just all the videos from by your m4.com, and all the videos from build your m4.com.

00:01:46:12 - 00:02:12:08
Unknown
And that way you can just go to the website and view them on the blog page. So stay tuned for that. That's something I'm working on and considering how I'm going to go about doing that. But, I apologize that those videos, if they're not showing here in September, it's because the, the month ended, I don't know if the month ended on the first or if it's good, if those video series are going to carry on for another couple of weeks to the point where I had canceled, I don't really know how that's going to work.

00:02:12:10 - 00:02:46:12
Unknown
As you can see behind me, it's a little bit different than the last two years worth of videos that I've done. I have rebuilt my Freedom Fighter tactical or my video home studio. And I'm going to be doing a lot of videos in the near future. What I've got behind me, I actually put a picture of the studio on Instagram for people to see, but I've got a camera, everything's 4K and I've got a camera rig pointing down at the table so that I can record, you know, kind of how to and demonstrative videos and that sort of thing and, and install videos.

00:02:46:12 - 00:03:07:07
Unknown
And then I've got a camera that faces out what you can see over my, right shoulder. That is for kind of the talking head, video. But, I'm going to be doing a lot more videos in the future. What? It's one of the reasons why I haven't been doing as many videos here at Freedom Fighter as I'd like is it's talking head videos are boring, I get it.

00:03:07:09 - 00:03:23:03
Unknown
They're good for certain things, but, you know, they're not good for demonstrating. They're not good for install videos. They're not good for all that stuff. And the studio I built behind me, I've had it built before, several years ago, and it's not easy to build it. But I've got it all under wraps. I think it's better than ever before.

00:03:23:03 - 00:03:39:10
Unknown
And I've got videos coming out. I've got in fact, I've got a whole list of install videos that I'm going to be doing. I'm going to be doing top questions answered, all sorts of good content for you guys as we move into the fall. And speaking of that, we're in the first day of September, which I can't even believe.

00:03:39:10 - 00:04:02:05
Unknown
And, I think fall starts, you know, third week of September, if I'm not mistaken. So, we are just cruising through this year quick. As far as Freedom Fighter tactical goes and inventory levels, it hasn't been like during Covid where the phone's ringing off the hook and, there's just you know, seven times the amount of orders going out each and every day.

00:04:02:05 - 00:04:24:10
Unknown
But you guys have been keeping me very busy. And, sometimes we can't make things as fast as we sell them. We are getting low on magazine tubes. The titanium and the steel in all variants, seven round and two round are getting low. We do have our next supplies of most of those in the works already, but we are getting low on those, recoil tubes.

00:04:24:10 - 00:04:47:13
Unknown
I'm getting very low. I'm actually sold out of the six position. I'm hoping to have those soon. Collapsible stocks are an interesting item. You know, historically, since I started this business almost 20 years ago. Collapsible stocks have historically been difficult to get. Most of the years through the past have, that we haven't been able to get them.

00:04:47:14 - 00:05:03:09
Unknown
And I am a Benelli dealer, and I can buy direct from Benelli, but I haven't, you know, there have been a lot of years where I can't even get them. And I've had them on order a lot of years, and it's just 2 or 3, four years go by and I don't get them. And it's not because they're not, that I'm not getting them.

00:05:03:09 - 00:05:20:15
Unknown
It's just because nobody was getting them. I do think things have changed just a little bit, because they are putting them on guns with the one position recoil tube and selling them to the marketplace in order to comply with 922 AR. And I think they feel pretty comfortable with that. So the supply has been a little bit better over the last I'd say two years.

00:05:20:17 - 00:05:39:16
Unknown
But I was on the phone with one of my, reps the other day at Benelli and was informed that it's going to be at least four months before they start shipping again. And I'm getting low, and I imagine a lot of the other outfits out there are getting low. I tend to keep a lot of inventory.

00:05:39:18 - 00:05:59:01
Unknown
It's one of the ways that I avoid being sold out all the time. I think that's a rarity in the gun industry to be, to keep a lot of inventory. I think a lot of companies I'm not talking about just in the M4, I'm talking about across the board. A lot of companies that are similar to mine, run very thin on merchandise.

00:05:59:01 - 00:06:18:01
Unknown
And they, you know, if they make something, they make 100 pieces of it and then they don't really start making it again until they're down under ten. And whether that's just poor planning or oversight or they need the money from the first 90 to start the next 100, there could be all sorts of reasons. They could be competing for machine time.

00:06:18:01 - 00:06:36:08
Unknown
They could be, you know, if they if they're like me, I don't have my own factory. So I'm competing with machine time out there with, all sorts of company. Sure. Fires one of the big ones. I run into sure fire products all the time in places that I use. But, the collapsible stocks with a four month out timeline, and that's their estimate, of course.

00:06:36:08 - 00:06:54:19
Unknown
And that's probably their best. Their best estimate. I don't know that they're in the business of giving the worst estimate. When I give an estimate on when something's going to come out again, I give you the worst estimate because I want to set your expectations for the longest time frame. And then if I deliver sooner, then you have a lot to be happy with.

00:06:54:19 - 00:07:18:06
Unknown
And I didn't break my, my estimate wasn't shot. But I think bigger companies, a company like, you know, Benelli or Beretta or any of the bigger companies, they're going to give you their best guess, their shortest timeline. And there's always going to be disruptions and, and, the goalposts always get moved. They always do. So four months could be longer than four months.

00:07:18:06 - 00:07:36:21
Unknown
It could be six months. It could be a year. We don't really know. But right now they're saying four months before any more ship. I already have plenty more ordered. But I have a supply right now that I'm running through pretty quick. The nice thing is, is I've got my U.S made ones and my USA made ones are out the sell against the.

00:07:36:23 - 00:07:53:05
Unknown
But now like probably 3 to 1. So despite being $300 more, but you were paying for American wages, so I don't know where Benelli makes theirs. I presume Italy, but you know, so they could be making them in Turkey. They could be making them in Syria. They could be making them in Morocco. I don't I don't know where they make their stuff.

00:07:53:07 - 00:08:14:12
Unknown
You know, I make a lot of things. And if I like my, a lot of my things come from different places, I might have, certain fasteners that come from Georgia or other fasteners that come from Illinois, and they mate with a part that comes from here in California. And that part here in California might, be made, at three different facilities.

00:08:14:12 - 00:08:40:11
Unknown
It starts at one and then jumps around, Orange County and L.A. County before it's finally finished. And there's no reason to think that. But now he doesn't do the same thing. They probably have manufacturing all over Europe. All over, maybe parts of the Middle East and North Africa, I don't really know. But, I do know that the cost for me to make a skeletonized stock is substantially higher than Benelli, for all sorts of reasons.

00:08:40:11 - 00:09:00:20
Unknown
One will pay for American labor here, too. When they make them, they're probably making ten, 15, 20,000 of them. I make 100 of them, or I make 200 of them. So, you know, I don't get any volume discounting when I'm just doing, the minimums. So, but they sell 3 to 1. I'm actually quite surprised. And I'm very happy for people who are looking for American made solutions for their gun.

00:09:00:22 - 00:09:16:05
Unknown
But the thing about it is, is and the reason why I made the knowing that there was that price difference and I made them at a time when I've had collapsible stocks, but I made them so that if collapsible stocks dry up, they're still an option out there for guys who want a collapsible stock. So anyway, that's where we are in collapsible stocks.

00:09:16:05 - 00:09:31:20
Unknown
Oversize boat release buttons are getting low as well. And P three are getting low. I don't know if I'll do NP three again. I did a really large batch and they sell pretty good, but I don't know how many people really want MP3 button, so I'll decide that in the future. But if you want one, we've got them now.

00:09:31:22 - 00:09:55:16
Unknown
Black are depleting s when we sell. I mean, it's like charging handles. Every order has a boat release every year where as a charging handle, every water has certain things. That's one of the items that every order has. So, you know, that's something that you're looking at getting. It's always good to get it while you can. And even the gun that's been out there, that's we've talked about for years and before I ever had mine, I, we sent people to them to get theirs.

00:09:55:18 - 00:10:17:00
Unknown
And I would imagine they're in the same situation that they're always close to selling out. It's hard to keep that inventory in stock. Everybody wants those. And then trigger components. My trigger kits, they're great for 922 are compliance. And they give you a nicer, softer, crisper trigger pull, eliminating creep and all that. And they're just fantastic.

00:10:17:00 - 00:10:40:08
Unknown
It's been something I've been selling since around 2010, I believe. And, they have been tested in just about every environment, for every, type of duty imaginable. And, we've been doing them now for, you know, 15 going on 16 years. So, that's something to get if you're looking for. I did a video recently on 922 R.

00:10:40:08 - 00:11:04:02
Unknown
I had a couple of clients who, find across the web. They look on their on Facebook or they're on a forum somewhere, and people are saying that it's only an import law. It only applies to importers. Nothing could be further from the truth. You know, the law is vague and ambiguous and unclear and tricky, and it really is a law that has more to do with AK 47 rifles, and it has to do with semiautomatic shotguns.

00:11:04:02 - 00:11:23:09
Unknown
But I think it's just kind of one of those things where it's like, let's, let's go after what we're going after and try to get some kitchen sink items as well. But it's, I did a video, recently here on YouTube. I put a, I put a, a post on Instagram. If you're not, follow me on Instagram.

00:11:23:09 - 00:11:39:23
Unknown
Freedom fighter toe is where you go. But I put a post on there with a, a letter that I redacted the client's information on. And I posted the letter in a video for you to watch if you want to watch it. I am going to and I'm going to do some bigger videos here about it as well.

00:11:39:23 - 00:12:03:07
Unknown
But, the odds of being in trouble over this thing are very, very low. I know that, there's people out there that think that I, you know, beat the drum. I'm trying to scare people into buying parts for nine 22 hour. I don't I just simply for one, I'm a licensed attorney in the state of California, so it would be unethical for me to sell you parts that there is a potential, even if the potential is slight.

00:12:03:09 - 00:12:25:20
Unknown
But there's a potential issue legally with you using the parts I need to inform you and tell you how you can handle it. It's the ethical thing to do, whether I'm an attorney or not, but the fact that I'm an attorney heightens the ethics. But, just being a business owner and not selling people something that could potentially land them in a situation, that's why I have always shared nine 22 hour.

00:12:25:20 - 00:12:43:09
Unknown
I made a decision when I started my business 17 years ago that, I would be the guy that would, share it with you. Now, a lot of companies share with you, but I'm the only one that seems to take a beating for mentioning it. But, I do it because I care about you guys. I know a lot of you guys are taxed three, right?

00:12:43:09 - 00:13:11:20
Unknown
Not tax three class three tax holders, the tax stamp holders. And you've got weapons and silencers and various things. And when you have that stuff, the ATF can catalog your contents anytime they want. You just never know how that's going to go. If you have something in there that's not 920 to our compliant, some agents might not even think of that, although I think all the agents are very adept at nine, 20 to hour and understand it, whether they go after people or not on it is another thing.

00:13:11:20 - 00:13:27:04
Unknown
But I think, you know, I've always talked to the ATF at the trade show, at the short show and try to ask them questions and try to trick them on their answers and, you know, try to get them to tell me, you know, one way or the other way. And they're Cracker Jacks, the ones they send a shot.

00:13:27:06 - 00:13:47:10
Unknown
But the ones I've known in the field, two that I've asked about, that they all they're all very aware of. 922 are, it's just one of those things that, for the cost of an hour, an attorney share. If you're the test case, you can have the gun on 22 hour compliance. Forget about it forever. So a lot of us also are using the gun as a home defense weapon, kind of a go to.

00:13:47:12 - 00:14:03:02
Unknown
And, you just never know how your gun would get scrutinized and by who. And it's just better to be on the safe side. It's like wearing a seatbelt. You know, you can wear a seatbelt for your whole life and never be in even a fender bender, but you wore it just to be sure that you're not flying through the windshield.

00:14:03:02 - 00:14:24:20
Unknown
If something happens, you buy an insurance policy for your health. You spend, you know, my my family's health insurance is like $2,500 a month, and we spend it for years and we never seem to need it. We're going to need it at some point, and you never know when you're going to need it. But we get it. We pay for that insurance because we know that there's the possibility, even if it's slim, that something could happen.

00:14:24:20 - 00:14:41:05
Unknown
So, you know, I've always felt the same way about this. It's something that you can do. I don't care whether you follow it or not. It's none of my business. But I am going to do a video that's comprehensive that shares the letters and addresses. There's two components in the letter. There's a component for importing the gun, and then there's a component for building it.

00:14:41:07 - 00:15:10:00
Unknown
When the gun is already here. And it it says it doesn't say applies to all importers. It says no person shall. Okay. That's as clear as the Second Amendment itself. Right. I mean, no person shall. You can't argue with that. People. Do I find it amusing? I find it amusing that forum trolls like to say that it's an importer, only when they jump up and down and scream and yell and treat people like crap for bring it up line 22 AAC when it says no person shall.

00:15:10:00 - 00:15:34:07
Unknown
It's very clear. It's, you know, I don't like the law any more than they do, but it's it says no person shall. That means you. That means me, that means everybody. That means the importers means anybody. So anyway, we're going to have a comprehensive video on that as well. Listen, folks, I have talked long enough. I didn't expect this video to be this long, but a lot of good things happening here at Freedom Fighter Tactical still working on like ghost ring inserts.

00:15:34:07 - 00:15:56:21
Unknown
That's just been a mess trying to get those. It's just like pulling teeth, pulling unicorn's teeth. It's just, first you got to find them and then you got to pull them. So anyway, first responders out there, people who serve our nation, whether it's at the federal level or all the way down to the lowly dog catcher who does it with compassion and care.

00:15:56:23 - 00:16:14:22
Unknown
I appreciate all of you out there serving the communities, in whatever it is you're doing, if you're not serving it in a capacity where you're proud and mindful of the Constitution and mindful of the citizens of the country, and doing the best you can to serve them. You know, I kindly ask that you find a different profession.

00:16:14:22 - 00:16:39:01
Unknown
We don't need you where you're at. But everybody else who's out there risking life and limb, taking care of Americans. I greatly appreciate you all. Phone numbers on the website, phone numbers on the video. You can call me here anytime. I'm always available to talk to you. You can text me as well. Texting is going to get immediate response, almost always, unless I'm asleep.

00:16:39:03 - 00:16:52:13
Unknown
So I'm very available to help you. And, I hope that we meet sometime. Anyway. Take care. Be safe, and let's have a great September talk to you in the next video.