2021 Rifle of the Year: Benelli Lupo

American Rifleman is pleased to announce the 2021 Rifle of the Year Award goes to Benelli USA.

by
posted on November 30, 2021
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
Lupolead122
2021 Rifle of the Year: Benelli Lupo

Rifle of the Year: Benelli USA Lupo
Of the myriad rifles introduced and tested by your American Rifleman, Benelli USA and its Lupo rifle earn the top honor for 2021 as Rifle of the Year. The announcement came in 2020 that the Italian shotgun maker planned to distribute a platform on the American market that would be distinctly different than previous guns offered, a manually operated, repeating rifle called the Lupo.

Fans of the Italian maker’s prestige shotguns will recognize the stylish lines of the Lupo rifle, but if you dig deeper, Benelli’s engineering DNA is apparent in the ingenious double-deck receiver that bears resemblance to the upper/lower structure found in AR-type rifles. The design boasts greater shot-to-shot consistency than traditionally mating a barreled action directly to stock material.

In his cover story about the Benelli Lupo subtitled “A Lone-Wolf Approach To A High-Tech Bolt Gun” (September 2020, p. 50), Editor Emeritus John Zent wrote of the Italian company’s latest offering, “Unlike many newcomers that have focused on heavy-barreled, tactical-stocked, 1,000-yd. tack-drivers, Benelli decided to do more than put its stamp on an established template. Instead, it has gone all-in on a well-balanced 7-lb. sporter that emphasizes handling ergonomics, complemented by fresh, modern styling.”

magazine spread guns hunting outdoors text specifications rifle benelli lupo

 

To test the extreme capabilities of Benelli’s Lupo American Rifleman employed Andy Massimilian and his keen eyes to attend Outdoor Solutions Corp. (OSC) Long Range School with the Italian-made bolt action. Massimilian opined, “In what I thought was the most impressive demonstration of wind calling of the class, instructor Ryan Pettis read mirage at two places downrange to give me a dead on accurate 1.5-m.o.a. correction on an 800-yard target. Looking through the spotting scope after two near perfect shots …”

“The action is slick, relatively quiet, and has a 60-degree bolt throw for more rapid cycling. I found the stock contours make the rifle comfortable to shoulder and carry afield, but they’re not ideal by any means for the benchrest shooting that we did at the onset and conclusion of the course; Not surprising, given its intended use. Like most Benelli shotgun barrels, the Lupo’s barrel is cryogenically treated, which can improve accuracy and is free-floated. The trigger can be set between 2.2 to 4.4 lbs., and mine broke cleanly and consistently at a weight that seemed just under 4 lbs.,” Massimilian explained.

outdoors bench rifle ammunition hills mountains grass bolt-action rifle black gun

Noting its two-piece receiver, smooth-gliding, three-lug bolt and hammer-forged barrel, Zent recounted his field and accuracy testing with the Lupo—the former resulting in the successful harvest of a whitetail buck that fell to a close-in snap shot in a Nebraska cornfield and the latter recording sub-minute-of-angle, five-shot groups with three different .30-‘06 Sprg. hunting loads. “With Benelli playing a key role, yet another renaissance is taking place, but like so much of present-day Italian art, it’s neither ornamental nor rooted in the past, but instead is manifested through industrial design, where the goal is to create works of functional beauty, ranging from architecture and furniture, to Ferraris and firearms. The genius occurs when stylistic elements directly contribute to enhanced performance,” wrote Zent.

No doubt that success was aided by the gun’s Progressive Comfort recoil pad system and a shim and spacer set that boasts “Perfect Fitting.” Such features and capabilities—expressed in unique styling, modular design, excellent ergonomics and fine accuracy—made the Benelli Lupo more than deserving of the title Rifle Of The Year.


Are you interested in more Lupo content? Watch American Rifleman staff editors shoot and discuss the Benelli USA Lupo rifle live on the range in this NRA Gun of the Week video.


So what does it take to make the cut?

The winners are selected by a seven-member committee consisting of editors, graphic designers and veteran NRA Publications staff, representing more than a century of collective experience in the shooting and hunting industry. The criteria required to qualify for consideration of a Golden Bullseye Award include being: introduced and available to consumers prior to the selection of the Golden Bullseye Awards; used/tested by a staff member or regular contributor to the magazine and/or affiliated media; reliable in the field, meeting or exceeding the evaluator’s expectations; innovative in design and function; readily perceived as a value to the purchaser; and styled in a manner befitting the shooting and hunting industry and, perhaps more importantly, its enthusiasts.

Latest

springfield armory kuna
springfield armory kuna

Springfield Kuna: A PDW For The Masses

Small, yet fierce, the namesake of Springfield Armory’s latest large-format pistol is a revered forest dweller in the land of its Croatian manufacturing partner, HS Produkt. The new Kuna is poised to be just as welcome in America.

The Armed Citizen® June 30, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Book Review: Clockwork Basilisk: The Early Revolvers Of Elisha Collier & Artemas Wheeler

The result of a decade of research, Clockwork Basilisk is a comprehensive, two-volume history of the rare revolvers that preceded the development of the well-known Colt guns of the 1830s.

Preview: 1791 Gunleather Cobra Gun Belt 01

Employing the same rugged and rigid 0.25"-thick American steerhide as 1791 Gunleather’s original Gun Belt 01, the new Cobra Gun Belt 01 offers enhanced ease of use by taking advantage of a high-strength Cobra quick-latch/release buckle.

NRA CEO Hamlin and President Bachenberg Hold First Virtual Townhall

In the interests of transparency, NRA CEO and EVP Doug Hamlin and NRA President Bill Bachenberg held a live Townhall event, where both answered direct questions from NRA members.

Benelli Adds New 28-Gauge Models to Super Black Eagle 3 Line

Benelli initially introduced the 28-ga. chambering to its Super Black Eagle 3 line in 2022, but this year, the company added three new models tailored specifically to hunters.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.