Page 12 - GUNS Issue n.01

In the configuration we tested, the Lupo has a 20”
barrel for a total length of 1,082 mm and a weight
(without optics) of 3,180 grams (7 lb.).

Center of gravity
The heart of the Lupo revolves around Benelli engineers’ choice to anchor the main
components to a 7075 aluminum chassis, which has an integrated trigger guard: in the front we have the
forend with Air Touch checkering, while in the rear we have the super adjustable buttstock, in addition to the
action assembly. And this is the mechanically fundamental part of this rifle. The fitting is precise and the steel
insert of the recoil lug is “drowned” into the chassis, while in the front part of the action there is a rectangular
milling that houses the insert, a method very similar to that chosen by the technicians of Tikka in order to be
able to guarantee excellent performances.
The steel on steel contact (there are also those who produce the insert using aluminum) ensures maximum
stability against firing stresses and the solidity of the action-chassis assembly is guaranteed by two screws that
are to be tightened to 8 Newton, as suggested by Benelli. Furthermore, the high rigidity of the action makes
bedding superfluous. When reassembling the rifle after the photo shoot, we verified that it is advisable to first
tighten the front screw, then the rear one and then perform the final tightening in the same order.
The last element of this structure, which has a decisive influence on the ballistic performance, is the barrel,
which gave us top-of-the-line results during our test. It is produced within the Beretta group, using Sae 8641
steel (a type of steel with excellent tensile strength and yield strength), hammer forged, 22” long and with a

1 2 3

4

1_The safety is positioned in the terminal 2-3_The peculiar design of the bolt’s body. 4_On the bolt head there are three
part of the action, so that it can be The recess in the lower part allows the 120-degree locking lugs. On the sides,
ambidextrous. Note the cocked firing pin cartridge to sit higher in the magazine the extractor and the spring-loaded
indicator under the rear of the bolt. and, therefore, be better aligned with the ejector.
chamber, a solution that leads to greater
fluidity during the feeding process.

10 TEST RIFLE_Benelli lupo Be.S.T. caliBer .30-06