blueovelwookie
New member
i am allowed to purchuse a hunting rifle. I have been looking at the benelli R1 in 30-06. has any one shot one or have any opinions on any of the R1s
benelli R1
- Thread starter blueovelwookie
- Start date
R1, Good to go.
My dad has that rifle. It wears a Leupold Vari X III 3-9 x 40. (If I remember correctly.)
This combination shoots very well and very consistently. I think he loads 165gr Nosler Partition. I'm not positive on his preferred load. But it's a very capable rifle.
He's pushing 80 this year, and prefers a semi-auto vs. a bolt gun. In his mind, it's a softer recoil, and that's all that matters.
My dad has that rifle. It wears a Leupold Vari X III 3-9 x 40. (If I remember correctly.)
This combination shoots very well and very consistently. I think he loads 165gr Nosler Partition. I'm not positive on his preferred load. But it's a very capable rifle.
He's pushing 80 this year, and prefers a semi-auto vs. a bolt gun. In his mind, it's a softer recoil, and that's all that matters.
thesheepdog
New member
Very well made rifles. I have never felt an action so smooth before.
Crankylove
New member
My Uncle has one in '06. Good fit and finish, feels good in the hands, accurate, with mild recoil..........but his is very finicky on ammo.
He bought it used, so it could have unknown problems from the previous owner, but he has had it for about 18 months now, and I still don't think he has figured out how to get it to run reliably.
If I throw out my Uncles troubles, every other R1 owner I have heard from has had nothing but good to say about them. Even with the trouble my Uncle has had, I would have no problem buying one.
He bought it used, so it could have unknown problems from the previous owner, but he has had it for about 18 months now, and I still don't think he has figured out how to get it to run reliably.
If I throw out my Uncles troubles, every other R1 owner I have heard from has had nothing but good to say about them. Even with the trouble my Uncle has had, I would have no problem buying one.
I love my R1 in '06. It has hundreds of rounds through it, and I have had no problems out of it whatsoever. My only minor complaint is accuracy. Being a handloader, I hoped to find a 1" grouping load for it. Everything I tried shot 2". No more, no less really. Light bullets, heavy bullets, factory ammo, heavy powder loads, light powder loads, cold barrel, hot barrel, it didn't matter. The gun fired and fed them all, but just couldn't beat 2". Don't get me wrong, this is plenty good enough accuracy for a hunting rifle, but I hoped for better. Now that I am more experienced at shooting and have a better variety of bullets and powders, I may have to try load developement again, but it would be more for my own bragging rights than a true need for better accuracy. Get one, they are great.
Goatwhiskers
New member
No one should buy a semi-auto expecting match grade accuracy, tho it does happen. That having been said, I gave two of those a workout for a customer. One was a 30/06 for which he provided a box of Rem 180SP factory loads. 2" groups. Switched to Rem 150gr loads, group shrank to
3/4". The other was 300WSM, 150gr factory loads, gave 2" or bigger. Read an article by some writer testing the .223 version. He named a particular factory load that consistently gave 3/4" groups, but that everything else tried opened the groups to well over 1". The mechanical quality of those guns is there, but they seem to be overly sensitive to the load used. A good handloader should be able to come up with a consistent load if better accuracy is your goal. Here endeth the epistle. Goatwhiskers the Elder
3/4". The other was 300WSM, 150gr factory loads, gave 2" or bigger. Read an article by some writer testing the .223 version. He named a particular factory load that consistently gave 3/4" groups, but that everything else tried opened the groups to well over 1". The mechanical quality of those guns is there, but they seem to be overly sensitive to the load used. A good handloader should be able to come up with a consistent load if better accuracy is your goal. Here endeth the epistle. Goatwhiskers the Elder
The R1 in 270 WSM I have been shooting is finicky, but accurate with what it likes. Not superbly accurate, but clearly accurate enough for its purpose.
Using Winchester 150 grain factory ammo it shoots "about full chock". In other word, poorly. I was getting 5 to 6 inches at 100 years.
I went to hand loads and I have tried bullets in the 130-140 150 and 160 weights.
The best so far are 2 loads put together with near max loads of H-1000 powder and one with the Nosler 160 grain bullet and the other with Speer 150 grain grand Slams.
The Speer bullets shoot 1 1/4" groups ever time and every now and then they will push an inch. You can bank on 1.2 to 1.3" without fail in this rifle
The Noslers shoot 1 3/8" consistently and I have shot three 4 shot groups with them that went 1.15", but again you can bank on 1.3" every time
Now that's never going to be a combination that will threaten the record holders at Camp Perry, but any deer or elk is in danger to any practical distance.
I have a friend in Reno that has one in 30-06. His shoots 165 grain federal factory loads into 1 1/4 all the time
So the rifles can be accurate. Not match accurate, but more accurate than a man can hold them without a bench rest. So for the purpose they were made (hunting big game) I think they are good rifles. Weird looking, but well made and nice to fire. The 270 WSM I have has a very good trigger too. My friend 30-06 is not so good. I have handled another new one at the local sporting good store and its trigger was so-so, but I am pleased that the 270 I have here is very good.
Using Winchester 150 grain factory ammo it shoots "about full chock". In other word, poorly. I was getting 5 to 6 inches at 100 years.
I went to hand loads and I have tried bullets in the 130-140 150 and 160 weights.
The best so far are 2 loads put together with near max loads of H-1000 powder and one with the Nosler 160 grain bullet and the other with Speer 150 grain grand Slams.
The Speer bullets shoot 1 1/4" groups ever time and every now and then they will push an inch. You can bank on 1.2 to 1.3" without fail in this rifle
The Noslers shoot 1 3/8" consistently and I have shot three 4 shot groups with them that went 1.15", but again you can bank on 1.3" every time
Now that's never going to be a combination that will threaten the record holders at Camp Perry, but any deer or elk is in danger to any practical distance.
I have a friend in Reno that has one in 30-06. His shoots 165 grain federal factory loads into 1 1/4 all the time
So the rifles can be accurate. Not match accurate, but more accurate than a man can hold them without a bench rest. So for the purpose they were made (hunting big game) I think they are good rifles. Weird looking, but well made and nice to fire. The 270 WSM I have has a very good trigger too. My friend 30-06 is not so good. I have handled another new one at the local sporting good store and its trigger was so-so, but I am pleased that the 270 I have here is very good.
I don't hunt, in NJ you can't even hunt with a rifle, and i don't really plan on hunting deer in PA or anything- I'd really like to do me a 'sniper rifle' build to have tho... anywau if I wanted an autoloading deer rifle, I'd love me a Benelli R-1. Moreso than a Browning BAR, which is the competition right? Both smooth and upscale autoloading hunting rifles right? I'd do a R-1 fo sho!
For the money expected for a Benelli R1, I would prefer a Browning BAR (preferably a MkII Safari). Browning has been making semi-auto sporting rifles for quite some time now and the BAR is a time-tested and proved design.
I love my MkII Safari BAR in .30/06. Had it for the better part of a decade, a couple thousand pills down the barrel, zero mechanical failures of any type.
I love my MkII Safari BAR in .30/06. Had it for the better part of a decade, a couple thousand pills down the barrel, zero mechanical failures of any type.
I, too, wish they would release the 9.3x62 here in the US, but I just looked at their website, and they now have it available in .338 Win Mag. I might have to get one. If the .300 Win Mag recoils "like a light .270.", I wonder how that would translate to the recoil of the .338 Win Mag?
Well my R-1 is the wood stocked version in 270 WSM, and the recoil is about the same as a bolt action 270 Winchester. The "comfort-tec" stocks REALLY take a lot of the 'kick' away, but the wood stocks don't make much difference. I don't mind the recoil at all with my 270, but my friend in Reno has one with the plastic stock in 30-06 and it kicks WAY less then my 270. In fact, I would have to say it kicks about 1/3 to 12 as much
I would recommend the comfort-tec stocks automatically, but for the fact that they are a bit too long for many shooters and because of the design, they can't be cut down.
Benelli should offer them in a shorter version, about 13 1/2" LOP would be great.
The R-1 in 338 would be a great rifle as would the BAR from Browning. Both can be had in that caliber. The Browning BAR can also be had with the BOSS system and in left or right hand. I like my R-1 ok, but I can't see how Benelli expects to compete with the BAR unless they start to offer more features and a few more calibers.
I would recommend the comfort-tec stocks automatically, but for the fact that they are a bit too long for many shooters and because of the design, they can't be cut down.
Benelli should offer them in a shorter version, about 13 1/2" LOP would be great.
The R-1 in 338 would be a great rifle as would the BAR from Browning. Both can be had in that caliber. The Browning BAR can also be had with the BOSS system and in left or right hand. I like my R-1 ok, but I can't see how Benelli expects to compete with the BAR unless they start to offer more features and a few more calibers.
