THE NEW BENELLI MONTEFELTRO: WOOD OR BLACK, SAME HUNTING EMOTIONS

Montefeltro renews itself with two different 12-gauge versions: the Wood, more geared towards lovers of traditional wood, and the Black, in modern technopolymer. The overall aesthetics are different, but the technical features of a great shotgun are the same.

The new Benelli The Montefeltro is striking at first glance, both in the Wood and Black versions, with a completely reconstructed receiver. This new design features extensive work on volumetric variations, with oblique lines rising laterally and new shapes that rise upward from the cartridge loading port. It's a clear triumph of aesthetics, where the softness of the lines plays with the rounded edges of the past, a feat evident not only in the visual appearance but also in the new pleasure of holding it in the hand. Beautiful and functional for this step in its evolution that we tested.

Naturally, many technical features have been updated and revised in the current version and therefore we cannot speak of a simple restyling, but of a new semi-automatic hunting gun that bears an ancient name.

Two versions, both in 12-gauge: the Wood, with its wooden stock and forend, and the Black, with the same parts made of a beautiful black technopolymer. We'll immediately focus on these differences, before highlighting all the common technical solutions adopted in the two versions.

For the Wood Version, Benelli It drew on a taste for tradition, a strong legacy for many hunters. From a side view, the pistol's geometry creates a downward beak, an uncommon shape. You wonder what kind of grip it will provide, and after hunting, you find the pistol decidedly effective. Later, you discuss with the company's technicians that this geometry is the result of extensive anthropometric testing, not only of the user's hands but also of the rotations of the various segments of the limb holding the gun throughout the entire range of motion that brings it to the aiming position. The stock's checkering itself occupies most of the pistol's lateral sections for a solid grip, leaving no room for slippage; it has a 1,5 mm pitch and is made of beautiful European walnut, the same wood as the forend.

The shape of the football shovel in the Wood version follows traditional lines and appears decidedly functional.

The Montefeltro Wood forend is a work of art in design, with a curved upper recess that surmounts the area covered by the checkering that runs almost its entire length, allowing for multiple grip positions for the non-shooting hand depending on the shooting stance or the size of the shooter's levers. I would say that in practical hunting testing, the forend proved highly appreciable for its ability to counter muzzle rise and prepare the hunter for the correctness of the next shot.

In Montefeltro Black, instead, the technopolymer was adopted which completely replaces the wood and the knurling system was adopted Benelli The Air Touch features a special hemispherical design that allows air to circulate between the hand and the gun. This solution significantly reduces sweating, enhancing the grip's stability. The forend, also made of technopolymer, features a different functional design than the Wood, with a segmented checkering area that appears more aggressive and decidedly effective when tested on the hunting ground.

The shape of the Black's stock is modern and characterized by a stylistic exercise that sees it narrow at the bottom just behind the pistol grip. The sling attachment hole is integrated into the tail section of the narrowing.

The butt plate in both versions has a similar structure: it is made of microcellular polyurethane material, highly effective in absorbing the retrograde thrust of the shot, with a shape that increases the anatomical contact structure between the hunter and the weapon. The basic butt plate has a LOP length of 365 mm, but optional 355 or 375 mm versions are available for a better adaptation to the levers and the hunter's posture.

Naturally, both versions are equipped with a fold and advantage variation kit, with a series of interchangeable plates.

The bolt has undergone a thorough overhaul, with a completely new configuration. Its rotating head is equipped with two large symmetrical locking lugs that lock together solidly when closed. The cocking system is the inertial version, synonymous with Benelli in the field of semi-automatics, which guarantees extremely high effectiveness and notable speed of repetition of the shot.

The trigger group has variable geometry, a feature that allows for predictability and provides a clean and decisive trigger as well as high safety in the event of accidental drops of the rifle. The safety is a cross-bolt type, a position and technology that is strongly consolidated in Benelli.

Among the innovations immediately noticeable by the hunter is the generously sized cocking slot that makes loading and unloading the magazine easy and totally intuitive, without obstructing the view. Here Benelli He worked hard to introduce a new split-type cartridge stop lever that reduces the force required to load. The cartridge stop button is also a new and highly efficient design.

The spring inside the tank has a new calibration that provides increased efficiency even at low loads.

The new 12-gauge Montefeltro has a 76 mm chambering and a choice of 61, 65, 70, and 76 cm barrel lengths. This gun's versatility is so great that it can even accommodate the barrels of the previously available versions. Compared to the previous versions, its barrels have a lower 7 mm rib and a high-visibility red fiber sight. The barrel is cold-hammer forged, offering outstanding performance, a factor also confirmed in the hunting test.

The weapon is supplied with a set of nickel-plated choke tubes that have been cryogenically treated.

Wood on the hunt

The hunting experience began brilliantly with a splendid pointer; two partridges took flight together in opposite directions, the first shot fell, I turned, and with the second shot, the partridge was already far away, and the gun hit a perfect bullseye again. This is to illustrate a point: even though I had only picked it up a few minutes earlier and for the first time, the Montefeltro Wood proved so intuitive, sleek, and balanced that it allowed me to take two 180° lunging shots, without careful aim, and ensured the hunter's instinctive action, something he normally only finds with a gun he uses every day. This behavior was astonishing, as was the great efficiency of the barrel (a 66 cm with a *** choke), which allowed me to cleanly kill the second partridge, now considerably far away. The Montefeltro Wood seemed exceptionally balanced to me, a feature that is particularly noticeable on walked-up hunts and that manages to make its decidedly lighter 3 kg weight felt.

The Black on the hunt

Aside from my personal preference for wood, the Black, with its technopolymer stock and forend and the same barrel length and chokes as the previous model, particularly intrigued me with the innovative design of the forend's checkering, which I found to be very effective even when testing it with a slightly wet hand in the stream. As for the rest, being set with the same LOP, cast, and drop as the previous model, I could only admire the distance to which the pattern is fully effective for a clean kill. I tinkered a lot with the Black, loading and unloading for various road crossings, truly appreciating how Benelli she managed to work to make these operations so easy that they appear absolutely natural and without the need to look at the parts.

The two versions, Wood and Black, are ballistically and technically equivalent, but the choice of aesthetically differentiated materials is certainly useful, catering to the different tastes inherent in the diverse world of hunters. And for the hunter, respecting his own taste is the right way to start his day in a good mood.

MONTEFELTRO WOOD

CALIBER 12

76 mm CHAMBER

BARRELS AND CHOKE TUBES 61/65/70/76

CASE FINISH: In black anodized Ergal

STOCK AND POLE: In painted wood

LENGTH FROM TRIGGER / DEVIATION: 365 ± 2 mm, adjustable to 355 ± 2 mm with short buttplate or with long buttplate to 375 ± 2 mm

TANKS: Tubular with 2-shot reducer (without reducer: 4-shot 12/70 and 3-shot 12/76)

WEIGHT: 3.000 g with 70 cm rod

PACKAGING: 100% Plastic Free cardboard box with VCI (Corrosion Inhibitor), 5 choke kit with key, drop variation kit, sling swivels, safety and warranty manual, Ben Oil

MONTEFELTRO BLACK