Benelli Unleashes LUPO Rifle

There’s just “something” about a well-designed bolt-action rifle. The perfect combination of form, function and finish, it immediately grabs the eye of a discerning shooter and causes one to literally savor taking the first shot as if it were the first bite of a juicy steak or the sip of a cool beverage after a long day in the bush.

One might think the field of bolt-action rifles to already be saturated, but the craftsmen at Benelli believe there’s room for one more with the introduction of their first bolt gun, the LUPO.

Italian for “wolf,” the rifle was designed to be an apex predator in the market — a bold statement coming from a company known for its superb shotguns.

The Wolf Pack

Wolves travel in packs, so it’s no surprise Benelli had the good sense to offer their new rifle in three popular American calibers: .270 Win, .30-06 Sprg and .300 Win Mag.

The .270 and ’06 feature a 22″ free-floating Crio barrels, while the magnum wears a 24″ — which seems to get everything possible out of the cartridge. Incidentally, both .30-caliber barrels are cut with a 1:11″ rifling twist, while the .270 barrel features 1:10″ rifling. All barrels are threaded 5/8×24 for muzzle accessories and are capable of delivering sub-MOA accuracy.

Moving forward, the LUPO has a tang-like thumb safety at the top of the grip and an adjustable trigger. No small consideration, I’ve had some awful experiences shooting rifles that suffer from heavy triggers with a mile of take-up. This trigger can be adjusted from 2.2 to 4.4 lbs.

Weighing 7 lbs., the rifle is based on an alloy chassis with the barrel attached to a hardened extension bedded into the receiver. Both are finished in matte blue, which looks about as fierce as any black wolf I’ve ever seen.

Inside, a sculpted bolt features three large locking lugs and a 60-degree throw, while two short Picatinny rails sit atop for your optic of choice.

Loading is accomplished with a detachable 5-round, double-stack magazine that sits flush with the bottom of the receiver. However, the rifle can also be loaded from the top-down with the magazine inserted.

Finally, the front end of the stock has an integrated sling swivel mount with a second pre-drilled a couple inches back from the forend tip.

Taming The Wolf

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and spent a lot of time in an environment where once you step off the pavement, everything needs to work. This also applies to your rifle — especially one used for hunting — because you rarely get a second shot if you blow the first one.

The engineers at Benelli appear to have taken this into account, designing and developing a bolt-action rifle with killer innovations that delivers deadly precision and recoil without the bite. MSRP is $1,699 for all models.

For more info: www.benelliusa.com

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