Benelli Armi SpA is an Italian

firearm A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes c ...

manufacturer best known for

shotgun A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small pellet-like spherical sub- pr ...

s used by military, law enforcement and civilians, located in

Urbino Urbino ( ; ; Romagnol: ''Urbìn'') is a walled city in the Marche region of Italy, south-west of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially under the patronage of F ...

Marche Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to th ...

. Founded in 1967 as an offshoot of the Benelli motorcycle factory that sold

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

s through

Montgomery Ward Montgomery Ward is the name of two successive U.S. retail corporations. The original Montgomery Ward & Co. was a world-pioneering mail-order business and later also a leading department store chain that operated between 1872 and 2001. The curre ...

, Benelli produces the 12-gauge

Benelli M3 The Benelli M3 is a dual-mode (hybrid pump-action and semi-automatic) shotgun designed and manufactured by Italian firearms manufacturer Benelli Armi SpA, and one of the "Benelli Super 90" series of semi-auto shotguns. The M3 holds a maximum of ...

used by American

SWAT In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...

teams. Benelli and Benelli USA have been owned by Pietro Beretta SpA since 2000.

Products

Shotguns

Many Benelli shotguns utilize an inertia-operated system developed by Bruno Civolani. In 1999, Benelli introduced the

Benelli M4 Super 90 The Benelli M4 is a semi-automatic shotgun produced by Italian firearm manufacturer Benelli Armi SpA, and the last of the "Benelli Super 90" series of semi-automatic shotguns. The M4 uses a proprietary action design called the "auto-regulating ga ...

, a

gas-operated Gas-operation is a system of operation used to provide energy to operate locked breech, autoloading firearms. In gas-operation, a portion of high-pressure gas from the cartridge being fired is used to power a mechanism to dispose of the spent ...

semi-auto shotgun intended for military and law enforcement. The Benelli Super Black Eagle, used by waterfowlers, was one of the first semi-automatic shotguns capable of firing the 2.75-, 3-, and 3.5-inch

shotgun shell A shotgun shell, shotshell or simply shell is a type of rimmed, cylindrical (straight-walled) cartridges used specifically in shotguns, and is typically loaded with numerous small, pellet-like spherical sub-projectiles called shot, fired thro ...

Semi-automatic

* 121, 121 SL-80, 121-M1 (12- and 20-gauge) * M1 Super 90 (12- and 20-gauge) * M2 Super 90 (12- and 20-gauge) * M3 Super 90 (12-gauge, hybrid semi-automatic or pump-action) * M4 Super 90 (12-gauge) * Raffaello (12-gauge) * Raffaello CrioComfort (12- and 20-gauge) * Raffaello Crio 28 (28-gauge) * Vinci (12-gauge) * Super Vinci (12-gauge) * Benelli Montefeltro (12- and 20-gauge) * Super Black Eagle I (12-gauge) * Super Black Eagle II (12-gauge) * Super Black Eagle III (12-gauge, 20-gauge) * SuperSport *

Ethos Ethos ( or ) is a Greek word meaning "character" that is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or ideology; and the balance between caution, and passion. The Greeks also used this word to refer to ...

(12-, 20-, 28-gauge)

Over-under

* 828U (12-gauge) ** 828U Sport (12-gauge) ** 828U Upland Performance (12-gauge)

Pump-action

Nova A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramat ...

(12- and 20-gauge) ** Nova tactical ** Nova field *

Supernova A supernova is a powerful and luminous explosion of a star. It has the plural form supernovae or supernovas, and is abbreviated SN or SNe. This transient astronomical event occurs during the last evolutionary stages of a massive star or when ...

(12-gauge) ** Supernova tactical

Rifles

* Benelli Argo ** Benelli Argo Comfortech ** Benelli Argo EL ** Benelli Argo Special ** Benelli Argo Deluxe * Benelli MR1 (chambered in

5.56×45mm NATO The 5.56×45mm NATO (official NATO nomenclature 5.56 NATO, but often pronounced "five-five-six") is a rimless bottlenecked intermediate cartridge family developed in the late 1970s in Belgium by FN Herstal. It consists of the SS109, L110, a ...

) * Benelli R1 * Benelli Lupo

Target pistols

* Benelli MP 90S * Benelli MP 95E

Pistols

Benelli B76 The B76 is a pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns we ...

Air pistols

* Benelli Kite (Variant: Benelli Kite Young)

Submachine guns

* Benelli CB M2

References

External links

Official homepage - Italy
{{Benelli Armi SpA Defence companies of Italy Italian brands Manufacturing companies established in 1967 Beretta Urbino Companies based in le Marche Italian companies established in 1967 Firearm manufacturers of Italy Sporting goods manufacturers of Italy