Benelli Montefeltro Beccaccia: testing the semi-automatic designed for woods and walked-up hunting

The walk is pleasant on a beautiful sunny day following the dogs and the shotgun slung over our shoulder does not weighs us down. We are here to field test the new Benelli Montefeltro Beccaccia semi-automatic shotgun, in this case a 12-gauge.

We are well acquainted with the woods bordering the meadows of the hills where we are now, places favoured by woodcocks, and seeing the dogs pointing cannot fail to bring back memories of fine winter hunting days experienced here. The gun is dedicated precisely to woods and woodcock because of its light weight of no more than 2.7 kg and the geometry of its barrel, designed to optimise shots at short ranges in the vegetation. Winter is still far away, but the Montefeltro Beccaccia clearly demonstrates its characteristics on the partridges and pheasants that we encounter and punctually hit both with instinctive shots and aimed shots at longer ranges as the wild birds gain ground flying down the hillsides towards the valley. We use Baschieri & Pellagri MB Extra cartridges with higher loads than those that could be used for woodcock, i.e. 35 and 36 gram payloads of number 7 lead, yet the shotgun remains stable and soft at the shoulder when firing, demonstrating that it is a gun specifically designed for the woods but which can also be used more generally in other walked-up hunting situations with loads of different power.

Benelli Montefeltro Beccaccia, the features

Starting with the stock, the Montefeltro Beccaccia confirms that it is a firearm of sober elegance and above all of concrete functionality, since the grade of the wood is responsible for much of its lightness. The FX Wood finish protects the surfaces of the stock and fore-end from external agents in a hunt that takes place in the woods and in often damp environments, preventing dulling and deterioration over time.

The pistol grip, revised in its geometry, is rather steep and facilitates the approach of the hand to the trigger guard for greater gun control and better readiness at the moment of firing. The fore-end remains slender in its lines and rather short to allow quick swinging.

Moving on to the receiver, which maintains the same essential profile as the wood, it is characterised by a stylised engraving depicting the profile of a woodcock in gold on a blued surface with a beautiful contrast of colours. A homage to the wild bird is found in the grip cap where a red rubber insert contains another woodcock depiction. In its shape, the receiver echoes the more hollowed-our and sporty lines of the new Montefeltro.

Of particular note from a technical point of view is the introduction of the Easy Loading and Easy Locking systems that facilitate operations by making them smooth and silent. In fact, the rotating bolt head does not necessarily have to be released but can also be accompanied slowly and guarantees perfect locking of the ready-to-fire shotgun. The enlarged magazine loading port and the new trigger guard shape allow for a smooth and fast loading and unloading actions. The revised and lightened trigger is pleasant and precise, with a pull weight of approximately 1.9 kg. The cryogenic barrel with a dedicated length of 61 cm is equipped with a set of internal chokes that, from the densest woods to the open spaces, guarantee well-distributed and lethal shot patterns from short to medium ranges.

For those who want optimised shot patterns on particularly close shots in the woods, Benelli also offers the special Ampliator choke, with a rifling that guarantees a wide shot pattern already in the first 10 meters. It should be remembered that dispersing cartridges are not recommended with this type of choke, as they would create an excessive, therefore ineffective and not infrequently also dangerous opening of the pattern with central voids and peripheral pellets that would be useless in shooting. During our test we adopted the intermediate three-star choke with which we found instantaneous and safe shots in the field and neat clay target brekages even beyond 35 meters, showing the 61 cm barrel's full potential.

Benelli Montefeltro Beccaccia technical specifications

For more information please visit the Benelli website.