MONTEFELTRO 20 and MONTEFELTRO 20 "E"

Montefeltro has been manufactured to put on the market a less expensive gun without giving up the high quality which has always distinguished all the Benelli products. It is the result of an ambitious project whose aim was to cut down costs and time through a completely automatized manufacturing line. Montefeltro is characterized by highly resistant mechanics, easy disassembling, excellent balance and high elegance. The special locking system, the inertia system, which reduces the recoil, a completely new bolt unit and the one-piece receiver allow soft and almost noiseless firing. The new bolt unit is made up of three main parts: · an external great mass body freely sliding along grooves on both sides of the receiver; · a rotary bolt head, with dual opposed locking lugs, engages recesses in the rear of the barrel; a strong spring between the bolt head and the bolt. The bolt spring allows the working of the gun. The locking system is completely different as it is of rotary bolt type.

The body, when it is pushed back by the internal spring, makes the bolt head rotate clockwise, and disengages the lugs. The head, freed from the barrel, can follow the whole bolt in its rearward movement. When the bolt comes back to the locking position, pushed by the spring allotted in the chock, the body makes the bolt rotate anticlockwise, locking the head lugs inside the cover. The rotary bolt system is better under the technical point of view: not only does it present a larger contrasting surface, but also because the resulting resistence is in axis with the force pushing the bolt rearward; the rotating bolt locking head, perfectly in axis with the barrel, guarantees maximum rigidity and safety of locking system. In addition to this the bolt lugs are stronger than the puntone, which is only an enlonged bar, not in axis. The rotating bolt system allowed the use of a one-piece receiver, the disappearance of the long steel barrel extension and a reduction in weight. The bolt does not slide like a piston inside the cover, but along the grooves on the barrel sides. The absence of the cover allows the substitution of the barrel without removing the bolt, thus cutting down the cost of the spare barrel.

Montefeltro bolt unit is heavier than 121 and the internal spring is stronger as it has to overcome the resistence of the rotating bolt. The greater mass and the higher elastic energy of the internal spring allow a larger storage of kinetic energy to be released as motive power. The heavier bolt and the stronger internal spring offer greater resistence to the recoil, as inertia resistence becomes higher. The unlocking process is slowed down by the rotating bolt head whose lugs have to slide on inclined plans to get free from the barrel extension.

The whole locking sequence is slowed down owing to the different balance between mass, force and resistence. Although the sequence is slowed down, Montefeltro gun has a quicker auto cycle than long-recoil or gas guns. It is only a little slower than the classical Benelli but this cannot be considered a negative aspect because it makes Montefeltro more elastic, reduces vibrations and fractions the recoil push on the shooter’s shoulder. The Montefeltro auto gun uses cartridges with a range of lead shots from 28 to 42 g. The receiver is in Ergal 55, finely finished, dull and black anodized and scratch-resistant varnished. The barrels, with ventilated ribs, can be 65cm long and choke tubes IM/M/IC/cyl., or 70cm long and chokes F/IM/M. The short barrel-extension is tightened and stuck to the barrel, is made of steel alloyed with Ni-Cr-Mo. The barrel is made of steel alloyed with Cr-Mo. The firing-pin is made of steel and is shorter and stronger than the one of 121 model. Operating controls can be adapted for left-handed users. Walnut wood is used for wooden parts, with fine checkering and dull varnishing. The design is rather pleasant and elegant although the one-piece receiver lacks the original classical style of the Benelli gun.