The Benelli Lupo Walnut, rifle, that includes an AA-grade walnut inventory, is at the moment supplied in 6.5 Creedmoor, 308 Win., 30-06 Springfield, and 300 Win. Magazine. chamberings.

When shotgun producer Benelli launched its first bolt motion rifle a couple of years in the past, the Benelli Lupo made one thing of a splash. The Lupo drew consideration as a result of it was a trendy rifle. It was additionally adjustable for a custom-made match due to its chassis-style design with a separate inventory, receiver, and forend. It didn’t harm that the rifle proved to be fairly correct.

Now the rifle is popping heads once more with the Lupo BE.S.T Walnut mannequin. It blends modern styling with old-school appeal. A richly figured AA-Grade satin-finish walnut inventory, this can be a package deal that’s sure to show heads on the vary or within the subject.

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The Global Today Excessive-Grade Improve: Benelli's Lupo Rifle Will get a Lovely Walnut Inventory | The Global Today — The satin-finish, AA-grade butt inventory has a delicate Monte Carlo cheekpiece and a Progressive Consolation recoil pad.

See Extra: Area Examined: Benelli’s BE.S.T. Lupo Rifle

Beautiful Good Seems to be

Artificial shares rule as of late, for a number of good causes. However they’ll by no means match the wonder and heat of a finely crafted, high-grade walnut inventory. I’m sufficiently old to recollect a time when most rifles wore walnut shares, nevertheless it’s been a really very long time since I’ve seen a comparatively inexpensive manufacturing facility manufacturing rifle with a inventory as lovely because the one on the Benelli Lupo Walnut. Completely different producers use completely different grading programs to explain walnut shares. Some say that an AA-grade inventory has a 25 % or extra fancy determine on either side of the inventory behind the wrist. Others assert that an AA-grade inventory has a 50 % determine. I might fee the butt inventory on the rifle despatched to me for testing as being nearer to 50 %.

That’s a subjective analysis on my half, however magnificence is within the eye of the beholder, and to my eye, that is one lovely rifle. The butt inventory has straight strains, a excessive comb, and a delicate Monte Carlo cheekpiece. These components work in live performance to place the attention correctly behind a scope. The separate forend is scalloped, on its higher aspect, for a certain grip with the fingers of the supporting hand. Each the buttstock and the forend have properly executed checkering. The buttstock wears Benelli’s Progressive Consolation recoil pad, which does an honest job of mitigating recoil. Total ergonomics are glorious.

An Impervious End

Walnut-stocked Lupos are supplied in 6.5 Creedmoor, 308 Win., 30-06 Springfield, and 300 Win. Magazine. chamberings. Rifles in 308 Win. and 30-06 Springfield have 22-inch barrels, whereas weapons chambered for six.5 Creedmoor and 300 Win. Magazine. have 24-inch barrels. All have 1:11 charges of twist aside from the 6.5 Creedmoor, which has a 1:8 twist fee. The hammer-forged barrels are cryogenically handled to alleviate stress and improve accuracy and are threaded 5/8 x 24 for suppressors or muzzle brakes.

The shiny black end on the free-floated barrels is Benelli’s proprietary BE.S.T remedy, which is utilized utilizing a mix of Bodily Vapor Deposition and Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition applied sciences. These processes use electrical energy, radio frequencies, and plasma in a high-vacuum surroundings to deposit a strong coating that uniformly covers the handled components. This makes the barrel impervious to the weather. It permits Benelli to supply a exceptional 25-year guarantee in opposition to rust and corrosion.

Benelli Lupo BE.S.T. Walnut Rifle with Leupold VX-3HD riflescope and Hornady Precision Hunter ammunition — The rifle has trim, elegant strains, and a recent European type. For testing, the writer mounted a Leupold VX-3HD riflescope, which might be supreme for looking with the Lupo.

Metal Motion, Aluminum Chassis

One of many issues that units the Lupo aside is its progressive receiver design. Rifles with two-piece shares aren’t all the time famous for producing tack-driving accuracy, however the Lupo design has the power and rigidity to make sure repeatable accuracy. The decrease a part of the aluminum receiver is definitely a chassis, upon which rests a hardened metal barreled motion, with the barrel attaching by way of a metal barrel extension. The receiver has a considerably slender, trim look and angular strains imparting a little bit of European aptitude.

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The one-piece machined bolt used within the Lupo deserves particular point out. It’s a three-lug design that has a cut-out space on the underside of the bolt that enables rounds to experience excessive atop the journal for dependable feeding. Though it takes a little bit of pressure to lift the bolt deal with and cock the rifle, the bolt cycles fairly easily. The dogleg bolt deal with has a brief, 60-degree throw, guaranteeing ample room for scope clearance. The bolt knob is formed considerably like a soccer. It appears a bit unconventional, like many issues on this rifle, however I discovered it exceptionally simple to know and work the bolt.

Benelli Lupo BE.S.T. Walnut rifle detachable 5-round magazine, 6.5 Creedmoor ammunition — The rifle’s five-round removable journal is straightforward to load by pushing rounds straight down from the highest, and it’s simple to prime off the journal when it’s inserted into the rifle.

Flush-Match, Removable Journal

I additionally just like the rifle’s removable journal, which holds 5 rounds and inserts simply ahead of the set off guard into a considerable journal effectively. The journal was simple to load by merely pushing rounds straight down from above. Meaning you’ll be able to prime off the journal whereas it’s inserted into the rifle. The journal inserts into the gun with out a lot fuss, nevertheless it takes a little bit of forceful pushing in and down on the journal launch lever to take away the journal. That makes it extremely unlikely to be by accident dropped from the gun whereas maneuvering by way of the comb.

On the rear of the motion, you’ll discover a two-position, tang-mounted security, positioned inside simple attain of the thumb, in addition to a purple cocking indicator. The protection doesn’t lock the bolt down when engaged. It takes simply sufficient pressure to function that it is vitally unlikely to be by accident moved out of place.

Benelli Lupo BE.S.T. Walnut rifle, adjustable trigger — The Benalli Lupo Walnut rifle comes with a superb adjustable single-stage set off.

Adjustable Set off

The Lupo’s single-stage set off, adjustable from 2.2 to 4.4 kilos, is an excellent one. Because the rifle arrived from the manufacturing facility, the set off broke cleanly and fairly crisply at a median pull weight of two kilos, 2 ounces, with no trace of creep. The floor of the set off is grooved, and the set off is protected by an outsized, angular set off guard that can simply accommodate a gloved set off finger.

The rifle has a listed weight of seven.1 kilos, however weight can fluctuate significantly with wood-stocked rifles because of variations within the density of the wooden. My check rifle chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor, weighed 8 kilos, 7 ounces with a scope and rings added. That’s nonetheless mild sufficient, in my opinion, for the gun to be an on a regular basis looking rifle. I didn’t discover the load a lot when dealing with the rifle as a result of the gun is so effectively balanced within the fingers. It carries simply in a single hand and mounts rapidly to the shoulder.

The author testing the Benelli Lupo BE.S.T. Walnut rifle, 6.5 Creedmoor — In vary testing, the writer discovered that the Lupo Walnut rifle delivered sub-MOA accuracy with all 4 examined manufacturing facility masses.

Sub-MOA Accuracy

For vary testing, I wished to maintain the rifle’s weight down and preserve its trim profile, so I mounted a Leupold VX-3HD 3.5-10 x 40mm scope in a set of Weaver rings to the rifle’s pre-installed, two-piece Picatinny rail. Whereas this scope didn’t present the upper magnification that I typically choose for vary testing, it was an ideal setup for looking with the Lupo. With the scope put in, I used to be in a position to zero the rifle with simply two rounds after which ran it by way of a fast perform check. The rifle fed rounds from the journal with no hiccups, and it fired, extracted, and ejected rounds with no points.

Test group, Federal Premium 120-grain Trophy Copper ammunition — This three-shot group, measuring simply 0.31 inch, was fired with Federal’s 120-grain Trophy Copper 6.5 Creedmoor load.

I anticipated the rifle to be fairly correct, primarily based on my prior testing of a Lupo, however puzzled if this wood-stocked gun would shoot as constantly because the synthetic-stocked mannequin I final examined. My doubts have been elevated by the truth that I needed to cope with a full-value wind various from 5-15 mph on the day I examined the rifle, however the Lupo didn’t disappoint.

Outcomes

All 4 examined manufacturing facility 6.5 Creedmoor masses printed three, three-shot teams at 100 yards averaging lower than an inch — and finest teams effectively below that mark. finest teams alone, which trace on the rifle’s accuracy potential, the Hornady Precision Hunter 143-grain ELD-X load shot the most effective group measuring 0.50 inches. Winchester’s 140-grain match load shot a 0.44-inch finest group, and Federal’s 120-grain Trophy Copper load shot a finest group measuring simply 0.31 inch. The typical group measurement for all three of these masses was lower than 0.75 inches.

That’s excellent accuracy given the testing circumstances. Velocities, measured over a Competitive Edge Dynamics M2 chronograph, have been fairly near factory-stated numbers. The 140-143-grain bullets launched at 2,607–2,688 fps out of the rifle’s 24-inch barrel. The 120-grain load stepped out at 1,825 fps.

Benelli Lupo BE.S.T. Walnut rifle, bolt knob, 60-degree bolt throw — The quick, 60-degree bolt throw permits ample room for scope clearance.

Remaining Ideas On The Benelli Lupo Walnut

In a market glutted with so many look-alike rifles with artificial shares, the Benelli Lupo Walnut rifle is a refreshing change. I discovered a lot to love about this gun and nearly nothing to dislike, which is one thing of a uncommon circumstance.

With an MSRP of $2,199, the walnut-stocked model of the Lupo prices about $300 greater than Lupos with camo artificial shares and about $500 greater than rifles with plain black artificial shares. In case you’re on a good price range, the synthetic-stocked fashions make sense. For my cash, the Lupo Walnut is a superb deal contemplating its unbelievable ergonomics. To not point out a end that’s virtually impervious to the weather and an awesome guarantee.

With the Benelli Lupo Walnut, you’re not simply getting a really correct looking rifle. You’re getting a visually gorgeous rifle that deserves to be handled as a household heirloom.