Gun Of The Week: Beretta USA BRX1

Welcome to American Rifleman’s Gun Of The Week, and for this episode, we have a straight-pull bolt-action from Beretta to work with on the range. Watch our video above to see it in use on the range.

Most American shooters and hunters have limited experience with straight-pull rifles, and the ones that have are likely familiar with military surplus repeaters such as Mannlicher’s M1886 and M1885 rifles, or some of the others like the Ross or Schmidt-Rubin straight-pulls. Aside from those classics, very few modern straight-pull actions are being built for American sport shooters today. And Beretta USA with its BRX1 rifle is one of the top contenders in that space.

The Beretta BRX1, while it is made in Italy, however, is crafted for, and imported to American shores by the European firm’s stateside counterpart, Beretta USA. The BRX1 comes as a fully featured hunting rifle with a robust action and contemporary elements you just can’t find on those dusty military rifles from yesteryear. And as any hunter knows, a repeating rifle's ability to operate swiftly and accurately is paramount, and that’s where Beretta’s BRX1 takes the cake. It is one of the fastest bolt-action rifles we’ve sampled yet for this video series, making accurate and ultra-fast follow-up shots when needed.

The straight-line action of the BRX1 begins its operation at the bolt handle on the receiver’s right side. A pull rearward not only pivots the handle slightly, but this motion also unlocks the bolt from battery. And it is here you’ll find Beretta incorporates a multi-lug head that locks into an extension on the cold-hammer-forged steel barrel. The bolt rides on rails in the receiver to keep it smooth.

At the bolt’s rear, there’s a three-position safety selector that also cocks the internal striker. A simple swipe up with the thumb is all you need to make ready. Just be sure not to mount your optic too low, or else it may interfere with the sliding safety. Fortunately, Beretta includes a generous section of Picatinny rail fixed to the barrel for use with myriad optic types.

On the range the BRX1 handled great. It is smooth and fast to operate, which can be quite useful depending on the style of hunting. Our testers also very much enjoyed the gun’s appointments throughout. As with most modern hunting rifles, the BRX1 comes with a nicely contoured polymer stock configured for use with a detachable box magazine. This is where Beretta chose to supply a five-round unit for our .308 Winchester-chambered sample that not only loads and removes simply, but it is also brightly colored and can be easily found if dropped. In addition, the included adjustable trigger pull, length-of-pull spacers and barrel-change feature are nods toward user customization you can’t find elsewhere.

Beretta BRX1 Green Specifications
Manufacturer: Beretta (Italy)
Action Type: straight-pull, bolt-action, repeating, centerfire rifle
Chambering: .308 Win.
Receiver: aluminum
Barrel: 20" cold-hammer-forged steel; 5/8x24 TPI muzzle
Magazine: five-round detachable box; orange polymer
Sights: none; Picatinny rail
Stock: green polymer; adjustable
Trigger: single-stage, adjustable
Overall Length: 41" (adjustable)
Weight: 7 lbs., 1.6 ozs.
MSRP: $1,599 (starting)