Benelli’s Lupo rifle is Benelli to the core. In 2020 the Italian-owned company set out to design a rifle line that was modular, feature-rich, accurate and practical. In typical Benelli fashion mirrored by its sister shotguns, the 828 and the Ethos, the Lupo once again confirmed that Benelli doesn’t care so much about catering to the traditional crowd as it does pushing the envelope on state-of-the-art gun design while hoping to win over a newer set of hunters and shooters that are more concerned with performance than traditional looks. In 2022 it released an upgraded Lupo BE.S.T. addition, a moniker for Benelli’s proprietary metal coating, and in early 2024, a heavyweight model it calls the High Precision Rifle, or HPR. I recently received one for testing.
At the heart of the Lupo is a proprietary receiver forged from steel. However, the Lupo is unique in that it features what is essentially an upper and lower receiver; the upper consists of the cylindrical steel action that mates to the barrel and contains the bolt, while the lower receiver is made of machined aluminum and forms the sidewalls and mag well. These eventually form a full-length chassis that runs to the tip of the fore-end, thereby creating a rigid platform onto which the barreled action is free-floated.
Oddly, the recoil lug is part of the chassis, rather than the action, so it mates to a recess in the action rather than the other way around. The barrel is mated to the upper receiver by way of a barrel extension that features a nut for adjusting headspace. No doubt this is another factor that contributes to the rifle’s accuracy. Another contributing factor is the barrel’s weight. Near the chamber it measures 1.10 inches in diameter and tapers only slightly to its muzzle that measures .87 inch. Though fluted, by every measure it’s a heavyweight.
The bolt is unique in that it doesn’t slide on traditional slotted raceways forged within the receiver, but rather it’s supported by its own circumference inside the bolt channel. The bolt body is scalloped to give grime a place to go rather than interfering with its rotation. The bolt head features three solid-steel locking lugs, an extractor and a plunger ejector. The rear of the bolt is bent in a dog leg so that it lays flat inside a channel on the receiver, except for the bolt knob that flares over the trigger guard. Finally, a cocking indicator is found on the bolt’s tang, just ahead of the two-position safety. The bolt locks down when the safety is on, yet the bolt can be worked by depressing a small node directly behind the bolt handle. I like how Benelli handled this issue.
The trigger is fantastic; user adjustable from 2.2 to 4.5 pounds, it’s as crisp as a cold candy cane. No doubt it contributes to the rifle’s inherent accuracy. For me the jury is still out on the Lupo’s five-round magazine. It’s very low profile, despite holding five rounds, and the mag itself was ingeniously designed with its center divider that essentially lends it the same ease of loading as a single-stack, while retaining the capacity of a double-stack. But I don’t love the mag’s plastic latch or the fact that there is little space to grab the mag for insertion so that it doesn’t pinch the fingers. But I will say it’s growing on me as I get accustomed to its feel.
Much like Benelli’s shotguns that have garnered reputations for excellent ergonomics via adjustable fit, Benelli designed the Lupo to conform to the individual shooter, what with shims for LOP tuning, a very noteworthy spring-loaded cheekpiece for adjusting comb height and shims for adjusting drop at comb. Finally, the rifle comes with two pistol grip wraps to give the shooter options. The more I shoot at long range, the more I realize how vital stock fit—especially comb height—is for repeatable accuracy at long range. The forearm was also well conceived for target shooting with its flat, square belly and embedded M-LOK rails all around. You’ll find no protruding sling stud here.
In a nutshell, that’s the rifle. So how did it shoot? I can draw several conclusions: First, with its overall weight, heavy barrel, great trigger, ridiculously low recoil and great fit, I found it not only inherently accurate but also that it’s one of those rifles that’s very easy to shoot from the bench. Certainly, its weight is a contributing factor, but I’ve shot plenty of heavy rifles that weren’t all that accurate. It shot sub-half-inch groups with several types of ammo (Benelli guarantees .75-inch accuracy.), but it was also fun to shoot. Its engineers put bigtime effort into recoil reduction, including what is basically a spring-leaf insert into the buttstock just ahead of the recoil pad. It mechanically slows down the recoil force, thereby cushioning it before it hits your shoulder. It’s not overly dramatic, but it helps. Having a cheekpiece that fits perfectly prevents lots of pain, as does this rifle’s serious muzzle brake.
Although Benelli calls the HPR a hybrid rifle, it leans heavily toward the target niche. With its size and angular design, it’s just not my cup of tea in the woods or mountains. But for a box blind or a beanfield, delivered there by an ATV or a short walk? Certainly. And once it’s there and rested on a bipod or window frame, everything in that field should be on notice.
In honest NRA-form, however, I do have a couple of wants. First, if building an expensive rifle from the ground up, why not machine a Picatinny rail directly into the top of the receiver? Doing so would allow mounting the scope lower than bolting a rail to the top of it, and also eliminate a few failure points. Secondly, why not pad the cheekpiece with the same material found on its top-end shotguns?
Perhaps some shooters will at first be turned off by the Lupo’s, well, Benelli-esque looks. But I’d argue that by today’s standards of “different,” the Lupo is fairly tame. After all, all-metal chassis-style rifles have been dominating the precision shooting world for some time now. While the Lupo’s engineering can be criticized for being different, it cannot be denied for its genius. Whatever the case, an old gun writer once said that only accurate rifles are interesting. Well, the Lupo is interesting, to be sure.
Technical Specifications
• Type: bolt-action, centerfire rifle
• Caliber: 6.5 Creedmoor (tested), 6.5 PRC, .308 Win., .300 Win. Mag., .300 PRC, .338 Lapua
• Magazine: removable box; 5-rnd. capacity
• Barrel: 24"; Crio System; heavy contour; cold hammer-forged; 1:8" RH twist; threaded ⅝x24" TPI w/muzzle brake; straight fluted
• Trigger: single-stage; adjustable 2.2 lbs.-4.4 lbs. pull weight
• Sights: none; Picatinny rail for scope mounting
• Safety: tang-mounted, two-position
• Stock: straight comb; synthetic; tan w/black webbing; adjustable comb; adjustable LOP 13.8"-14.75"; Progressive Comfort recoil system; M-LOK attachment points
• Metal Finish: Matte BE.S.T.
• Overall Length: 46.25"
• Weight: 9.5 lbs.
• Accessories: stock shims, LOP inserts, extra grip module
• MSRP: $2,949; benelliusa.com
