We gladly return to talk about the Benelli 828 U, a shotgun that has greatly changed the concept of over-and-under at a manufacturer that has made the semi-automatic with inertial operation its workhorse. The motto "Always ahead" he was fully honored with this project where not only innovations are observed, but real revolutions that have made it possible to deposit the conceptual authorship of some solutions. Observing and then picking up the rifle is a first significant step to understand its peculiarities, which must however be completed by fire tests, the only ones that can give completeness to the understanding of this project.
In the fire tests then those of hunting are the most convincing in making the informative concept of this study appreciated: the balancing which, mind you, is not only the finding of the equilibrium point at the height of the half-pins, but a distribution of the masses , we would better say a gathering of the masses between the two hands that support the weapon. It is a concept borrowed from platform shotguns where recently it has been found how to carry a higher percentage of weight (unscientific term, but easy to understand for everyone) in the receiver and all around it favors the swing and ease of aiming. .
The unusual architecture of the Benelli 828 U it is directed on this route and the performance in the most demanding conditions shines in the optimal correspondence of this set-up Woodcock: let's just take one Scolopax rusticola that flies off a bush, just in front of the boots and, while it is already foreseen in the game bag after a flickering draw in that almost clean channel of the wood for an easy first barrel, she tries to fool the unwary with a column of a meter and a half and turn around 180 °, moving behind whoever is threatening it and where the branches are thickest. Nevertheless, finding oneself in shooting condition before the winged tightrope walker is out of sight is favored above all by moving oneself and the over-under with incredible ease and, immediately afterwards, having the rifle aiming on a treacherous flight. The trigger adjusted with the right weight around 1.350 g and with a commendable release fineness starts the shot: the 1st barrel choke is equal to *****, the 2nd is a ****, and the result is promptly obtained.
For a balance of the whole, the shotgun has been designed with a mass of 2,8 kg with a semi-opaque anodised Ergal action frame. Natural Brown to avoid reflections, with 61 cm barrels. The action is actually a box, with appropriate shapes, able to contain the sealing and closing system, derived from the well-known Jäger project, here revised to such an extent that it deserves the achievement of a patent for the implementation of the work it is designed for. the L-block inserted in the receiver and the strikers obtained from the breech block in which the barrels are inserted are used. All these details are made of steel and in the vertical segment of the L the upper double convex profile can be seen, while in the lower one there is an arc subtended between two recesses.
The monobloc performs the function of sealing complementarity with two recesses obtained from the upper extensions of the breech, in which the aforementioned convexities are positioned. A flange protrudes under the lower barrel, inserting itself into the appropriate seats of the horizontal arm of the block, where the semicircular profile of the barrel itself is placed. Finally, we observe the half-pins, the trunnions and the two cylindrical struts, activated by the key, which, by inserting themselves into special holes made in the breech extensions, increase the resistances that inhibit the opening of the barrels under fire. Another peculiarity comes from the joint system between the barrels and the monobloc: the cartridge chambers are obtained from the latter and the welding between the parts involves only a few mm. Another unusual element is represented by the ejectors which, in the classic models, see the stems placed in the monobloc, spring loaded and released by pistons embedded in the thickness of the barrels and activated by the pressure of the gases emitted by the cartridge.
In "Woodcock"We prefer to keep the manual extraction for ecological purposes, no shells dispersed in the undergrowth, and silence avoiding the intrinsic sound of the mechanisms. In harmony with the innovation there is also the opening key, with an arched shape and in an offset position with respect to the axis of the rifle: by activating it, not only the barrels are tilted, but the battery composed of firing pins launched with a spiral spring is armed. : low mass and high speed guarantee rapid fire. The 61cm barrels and chambered for the 12/76 gauge are processed with technology Power Bore which involves drilling at 18,5 mm in the core and cryogenic treatment that improves the ballistic performance of the steel, like the chokes Cryo Chokes, while the carbon rib guarantees lightness and rapid heat dissipation.
The stock
A Grade 828 and 3 Super nut with the system equipment is used for the 3 U stockProgressive Comforts which features the synthetic back to dampen vibrations and the butt plate with internal flexible blade mechanism for the gradual dissipation of recoil energy; lastly, a series of plates with different thicknesses is supplied to adapt the size of the stock to the shooter: the equipment includes the keys for this mechanical intervention.
Benelli, which has always been ahead and this superimposed is further proof of this.
