Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Benelli R1 question

Has anyone shot the new Benelli R1 in 338 mag? I've read good things about the accuracy of the R1, and was thinking of getting a 338 mag for some reason, but was wondering about the recoil.

338 win mags are great, that rifle is just plain fugly though. Why not a bar??

Not sure about the BAR, the comfortec system on the Benelli really works on their shotguns, and the R1 is supposed to be pretty accurate. I've never been a fan of auto rifles for hunting, but a 338 might be interesting...

You may wish to PM Goodiewrench or Sopershole (same person, different name) as he has at least one of these rifles.

Quite frankly I have not heard anything great regarding the R1's accuracy. I have owned/own Benelli shotguns and love them but I don't think the rifle is there yet.

Pros:
Lighter then the BAR unless you buy the lightweight Stalker
You can buy another barrel for it(check the price first )

Cons:
Beretta customer service which plain sucks
Styling
500 bucks more then a BAR
BAR's i have owned shoot like really good bolt guns

My uncle uses the BAR in 338 win mag exclusively on his elk hunts and loves the thing. It kicks a little more than a bolt action 30-06, comparatively speaking. It is also pretty damn accurate with the same load I run in my bolt guns. If it were me, I'd opt for something that has been around for a while and has proven itself like the BAR as compared to the R1 which looks like a space gun to me. I'm new to the semi-auto big game hunting rifle seen since I just recently bought a winchester model 100 that I absolutely love. I bought it just because it reminds me of my pre 64 model 70's not because I thought I'd like shooting it so much. Funny how things work out sometimes though. I like showing the pics of my (new to me) win model 100 to remind people that they actually used to make a nice looking semi-auto hunting rifle :

Don't know about the .338, but a buddy of mine has one in .30-06 and the accuracy is terrible, 2 to 3 inches @ 100yds.

On the other hand my .308 Bar lightweight stalker is very accurate +/- 1" consistently with Federal blue box 150's

That may just be all in the load he is running.

He is a handloader and has tried quite a few different loads with no luck so far. I'm sure there is a load or two that it will shoot, he's working on it.

Semi-auto rifles are known to be picky sob's . The BAR, however, is usually one of the better shooting ones. I got extremely lucky with my Winchester model 100 and it shoots like this after bedding in the correct spot :




The main problem I have with the M100 is the trigger, but I'm not touching it. I know I pulled the last shot on this 5 shot group but hey 4 of them looked pretty good . This was with the Aetec scope that was going haywire too, so I took it off.

I picked up a Mdl 100 in High School with hay bucking money. It never cycled well for me. I even sent it into Winchester at one time. I final got it to cycle well with a 300 Savage level load of imr4895 in nickel cases using small base dies. I did like the rifle and killed a few bucks with it. I finally traded it off years later. I think my brother still has one though. I always liked carrying that thing in the hills. It is the best looking of the semi's out there.

I've always like the looks and ran across this one for a real good deal and couldn't say no . It cycles very well with my other 308's "pet load", the extractor just didn't like them so I had to reduce the load a bit. Thankfully I caught the extractor in time before it flew apart . I clean my rifles after everytime I use them and usually inspect this one in particular since they are known for pitting the gas piston. Upon examination I found the hariline crack in the extractor and replaced it that same day. I'm running 2 grains less powder now with good results (had to find the lower node for the rifle powder, bullet combo though). I'd love to take it out this year for deer hunting but I think I'll be doing some long range shooting in the Deschutes canyons or some CRP, summer fallow or wheat stubble fields. Being from Oregon, you know what that is all about

I have only been around one of these rifles, it was a 30.06 the guy sold the thing cause he couldn't get it to shoot for chit. I was not impressed with it's accuracy at all...........Hillbilly.

So it truly shot like it looks

I bought a Benelli 30-06 this year for my wife. She wanted a semi auto and liked it better than the BAR. I bought a box of 165 gn Core Lokts mounted the scope and have shot it at a target twice. after a couple of adjustments. I had it an inch high at a 100. I let it cool off while shooting another rifle. I loaded it up took a rest and shot 5 times.
All the shots were within an inch. I was happy. I tried it again after taking it all down and thoroughly cleaning it. And it is still on. It kicks a little more than a bolt 243.
I figure a 338 would be tamed some and would be reasonably comfortable to shoot.