Benelli: Technology & Style

by
posted on June 29, 2022
** 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. **

When it comes to well-known Italian firearms manufacturers, Benelli is a comparatively young name in the industry. The Benelli Family had established a motorcycle company in 1911, but the name wouldn't be associated with the firearm market until 1967. The Benelli family was vested in sports shooting and hunting, and started with a unique semi-automatic shotgun action design known today as an inertia driven system. Since its entry into the firearm market, Benelli is now one of the most well known and respected names in the Italian firearm industry, blending both technology and style to its design philosophy.

American Rifleman Staff had the opportunity to visit Benelli's factory in Urbino, Italy, in 2020 to see just how the firm blends its use of modern technology along with a classic style in designing and manufacturing its various line of guns. For its modern manufacturing processes, the firm blend both automation with human touch, in an effort to bring out the best features of both approaches to its products. This includes some of the latest computerized design tools and CNC machining processes, blend with careful quality checks to ensure that each component comes within a certain specification. 

Many of the names for Benelli's various lines of shotguns comes from those associated to the Urbino region. The town was once a part of the Duke of Montefeltro's controlled lands, hence the source of the Montefeltro name. The duke, Federico da Montefeltro, would wear a black eagle on his shield as a soldier, which is where the name for one of the film's most successful lines comes from. The Super Black Eagle line has been described as Benelli's "hero product," or the intertia-driven, auto-loading shotgun the name has best become known for. 

Benelli offers more than just its inertia-driven semi-automatic shotgun designs. The firm developed a piston-driven design, which was spurred by a U.S. Marine Corps contract in 1998 for an auto-loading 12-gauge. This ARGO piston system can both regulate gas flow and offer reliable cycling between different loadings, and is a feature found on the company's semi-automatic M4 shotgun. The Benelli M4 has become a widely popular tactical shotgun platform for both professional and civilian use.  

Building off the success of the M4's ARGO gas system, Benelli developed a semi-automatic rifle line utilizing the same system. Known as the R1, or ARGO in Europe, this line of magazine-fed semi-automatic rifles have sleek and modern lines similar to the Super Black Eagle and was designed for use by boar hunters. All of Benelli's arms are built to the same level of quality and safety, to ensure that the firearms work in adverse conditions whether it be on a hunt or on duty. To  learn more about Benelli and its various firearm lines, visit benelliusa.com.

To watch complete segments of past episodes of American Rifleman TV, go to americanrifleman.org/artv. For all-new episodes of ARTV, tune in Wednesday nights to Outdoor Channel 8:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. EST.    

Latest

Woodward Double Rifle Ihtog 1
Woodward Double Rifle Ihtog 1

I Have This Old Gun: Woodward .500 Express Double Rifle

Produced by J. Woodward & Sons at the end of the 19th century, this double rifle, chambered for the .500 Express cartridge, was tailor-made for dangerous-game hunting.

New For 2025: Springfield Armory Saint Victor Pistols In 5.56 NATO & 9 mm Luger

Springfield Armory added two new pistol variants to its popular Saint AR-15 lineup, and the new models are chambered for 5.56 NATO and 9 mm Luger, respectively.

Review: Winchester 400 Legend

Winchester Ammunition decided to split the difference, caliber-wise, between the .45-70 Gov't and the company's previous 350 Legend to create the new 400 Legend.

More Public Ranges Coming After EXPLORE Act Implementation Order Signed

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum signed off on a Secretarial Order in late June to begin implementation of key provisions of H.R. 6492, which means more hunting and shooting opportunities on public lands across the U.S.

The Marine Corps Scout Sniper Memorial Project

With the United States Marine Corps celebrating its 250th anniversary this year, an elite force within that branch is collecting funds to remember the service and sacrifice of its fallen with a dedicated memorial in Quantico, Va.

Silencer Central Banish 12: A Hunter-Friendly Shotgun Suppressor

Billed by Silencer Central as "the first shotgun suppressor designed specifically for hunters," the new Banish 12 has a number of field-friendly features and also stands out as one of the few shotgun suppressors on the market.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.