The Benelli M4 has been the gold standard combat shotgun for over two decades, and the price tag has always been the price of admission. Now Orthos Arms is asking a fair question with the Raider S4: what if you could get the same basic formula — same rotating bolt gas system, same general silhouette, same magazine tube capacity — for hundreds less? We put the Orthos Raider S4 review question to the test the way we test everything at the counter: look past the marketing copy and see what actually holds up.

What You're Actually Getting

Strip away the branding and the Raider S4 is a 12-gauge, gas-operated semi-auto with an 18.5" chrome-lined barrel, a 6+1 capacity (7+1 if you step up to the carbon fiber magazine tube), and an aerospace alloy receiver machined to accept Benelli-pattern chokes. MSRP runs $1,399 to $1,699 depending on configuration, with the Competition model landing at $1,899.99. Compare that to a factory Benelli M4, which realistically sells in the $1,900-$2,200 range depending on finish and configuration, and you're looking at real money left in your pocket.

Here's where the Raider S4 earns some genuine respect: features that are aftermarket upgrades on a stock Benelli M4 come standard here. A five-position adjustable stock, a carbon fiber cheek riser, an aluminum M-LOK handguard, and an illuminated fiber-optic front sight are all baked into the price. Orthos also built in its patented SHOCK FORCE recoil system, which — combined with the gas system doing its job — is showing up in early range reports as genuinely manageable, even with 3" magnum loads running through it. If you've ever priced out an adjustable stock and M-LOK forend for your M4, you know that math adds up fast.

Where the Comparison Gets Honest

This is the part of any Orthos Raider S4 review that matters more than the spec sheet: Orthos Arms is a newer company, and "Benelli style choke compatible" and "precision-milled aerospace alloy receiver" are Orthos's own marketing language, not independent proof the gun will run like an M4 for the next twenty years. The Benelli M4 didn't earn its reputation from a good first range trip — it earned it from serving as the U.S. military's M1014 and running in duty holsters and patrol trunks for over two decades without excuses. That kind of track record isn't something a newer platform can claim yet, no matter how good the first few thousand rounds look.

And the early word on the Raider S4 is genuinely good — reviewers running head-to-head comparisons, including a widely-watched YouTube breakdown pitting it directly against the real M4, have come away impressed with smooth cycling and honest reliability out of the box. That's not nothing. It's just not the same as two decades of combat and duty use behind it.

The Honest Buyer Split

If you're building a truck gun, a home-defense setup, or a 3-gun rig and you want the most features per dollar with a company that's putting real engineering behind its claims, the Raider S4 is worth handling at the counter. You're getting a capable, well-thought-out 12 gauge for a real discount, and the standard-issue features alone make it a solid choice for the shooter who wants to build once and be done.

If you want the shotgun that federal agencies, military units, and police departments have trusted with their lives for over 20 years — no asterisks, no "should be fine" — stick with the Benelli M4. That's not us being cautious for the sake of it. It's just what the reliability data actually says right now.

Either way, don't buy sight unseen. Run a break-in count through whichever one you pick — a mix of 2¾" range loads and 3" magnum shells will tell you more in an afternoon than any spec sheet will.

Come Handle Both

We've got the Orthos Raider S4 and the Benelli M4 both on the shelf, and there's no substitute for shouldering them side by side before you decide. Stop by the shop, run a few boxes through both on our range, and make the call with your own hands on the gun — not ours.

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Shop Related Products

• Orthos Raider S4, 12GA, 18.5" Barrel, 5 Rds, Black
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