Benelli shotguns: The Urbino manufacturer has identified the path of small calibers, managing to propose the 28/70 in its inertial mechanics: the success and the adhesion of customers have advised us to add the Legacy model to the Crio and here we observe them together.
di Emmanuel Tabasso
Who would have thought a few decades ago that the 28/70 caliber would have experienced such success by traveling along hunting routes very different from those usually assigned to it. Memories of a shed with a light pine interior, some hanging hunting prints, the bench in the back wall and the windows on the front are tied to a side-by-side with external dogs of this caliber, fascinating for its marked disparity dimensional compared to 12/70. The elderly owner was amazed and pleased by the passion of two new followers to whom he had shown the magic of opening the barrels, the manual arming of the dogs, the aiming and shooting techniques, the capture of the first prey. Above all were respect for the wild and safety regulations. That of the shed was the classic and characteristic destination of small calibers, a classification in which the 28, 32 and 36 are conventionally included: the possibilities of the first, above all, for a wider range hunt came from the United States where targeted charges to the new purpose they showed unsuspected ability to undermine the classic sedentary without hesitation and at the same time to try their hand successfully on the clay pigeon.
New uses are often combined with new means and so the rifle is also changed to shoot the 28, which has now become a leading actor on the hunting scene here too: the two-barreled shotguns are flanked by semiautomatics and Benelli realizes the first example with inertial functioning, what it is famous for in the world. There were not few difficulties to overcome in setting up the kinematics, functioning as we remember on static and mass movements: putting together the energy of the cartridge, the calculation of the weights in the entities involved, harmonizing the accelerations and the storage of energy with dimensions, because aesthetics also play a primary role, it must not have been easy, but the group led by Eng. Vignaroli has brilliantly solved the problem by delivering a magnificent and fun shotgun to a knowledgeable public.
The minimum energy at the muzzle equal to 140 kgm is the minimum required by the kinematics to operate with regularity and it is at the limits for this caliber where not all the loads reach this standard: special measures occur such as the use of a spring guide pin in a high-density alloy and therefore of high specific weight, fished in the research of car races and aerospace, so as not to weigh down the rifle in any other way, still reaching the necessary goal. Together it was possible to reduce the volume of the spring guide tube of the connecting rod, still lightening the stock with reduced overall mass and gain in balance.
The weight of only 2,4 kg is emblematic as it goes below that normally obtained in a two-rod and even more so for semi-automatic competitors. The locking system with a rotating head, peculiar to the Raffaello, is maintained, with all the known and tested prerogatives of safety and speed of action. The barrel and the chokes should also be observed, all subjected to cryogenic treatment to ensure excellent ballistic performance while maintaining the sphericity of the pellets also placed outside the column and therefore a more garnished pattern in the periphery with an increase in the useful range. The line of sight features a ventilated carbon rib with weight reduction and minimization of the mirage effect due to heat.
The walnut stock is protected and highlighted by the Elegance system coating and the adaptability to the shooter's body is achieved with a set of thicknesses to optimize the fold and advantage; the Air Cell recoil pad is made of highly energy-absorbing materials and is certainly not wasted considering the charges that can be used today in these rifles with 28 g of pellets fired with V / 0 of 360 m / sec: continuous use by ladies or guys it will be even more appreciated. The trigger operates a variable geometry trigger system with a release weight of about 1400 g: the shot goes away pleasantly without encountering scratching, spinning or retraction collapse.
The differences and the use
If the mechanics and the style of the design, due to the architect Marco Gaudenzi, are common to the two models, the finishes change on the other hand: the Crio wears a sober and sophisticated black suit where the frame in anodized ergal and the upper sheath in burnished steel they send out different reflections in which the sunburst fan in the side stands out: the shutter gloss stands out from the ejection window. The appearance of the Legacy is more striking, where the browning of the breech sheath is combined with the clear finish of the castle in contrast: here the already very elegant engravings are further enhanced by a golden medallion on which the 28 relative to the caliber stands out. In use, this miniature shotgun will be appreciated where it has been possible to combine the small size and perfect handling even by people with not exactly slender builds: at the target as behind the pointing dog, emotions are at hand with a speed of movements and a readiness to aim really exciting. A little foresight in avoiding waving will allow for jab shots or accompanying shots with exciting results: in the end, you always shoot a few grams, for us 24 is amply sufficient, but you can also stay below this amount, therefore hitting the target will be the result of the technical perfection of the shotgun and our ability to adapt to a new and fascinating reality.
Data Sheet
Builder: Benelli Arms Spa via della stazione 50, 61029 Urbino (PU) - Tel. +39 0722 3071 - Fax +39 0722 307207 - www.benelli.it - [email protected]
Model: Raffello Crio and Legacy 28
Type: semi-automatic shotgun with smooth bore
Caliber: 28/70
Operation: inertial
Castle: milled ergal block
Shutter: with two front rotating flaps
Cane: 66 cm long - 2 Criochoke *** and cyl with key chokes
Percussion: hammer with coil spring and floating firing pin inside the shutter
Power supply: metal tubular magazine under the barrel for 2 cartridges
Triggering device: of the type direct with single trigger mounted on polymer block
Extractor: claw with internal spring inserted in the bolt head
Ejector: spring plunger in the breech sleeve
Line of sight: ventilated carbon rib, LPA fiber optic front sight (red or green) and intermediate brass sight
Security: two-position with striped button in the guard - locks the trigger
Stock: in two pieces of high class walnut wood - pistol grip and shaped under barrel - grip fields with checkering - AirCell buttplate
Made in the following materials: polished bluing of the barrel, glossy black anodizing of the breech sheath, castle with engravings and inserts in golden metal or black finish - walnut stock with Elegance System surface finish
Stock length from the trigger: 360 mm - drop at the heel 55 mm and at the nose pad 35 mm
Weight: 2.360 g with 65 cm barrel (variations based on component tolerances)