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Info on the R1


FJRDon

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I am looking for a site that I had visited before, but can not find again for some reason. It was a list of post of specific issues or explanations about the R1. Can someone direct me toward the site I am vaguely describing or any sites where I can gain more knowledge on the R1.

Thanks

Don

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  • 4 weeks later...

I'm not sure that this is the site you were looking for but here are few sources about R1:

gunsandammomag.com/cs/Satellite/IMO_GA/Story_C/Benelli+With+A+Twist#cont

rifleshootermag.com/featured_rifles/benellirq_062907/

guidetogame.com/blog/?p=76

shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=31652

 

I also found this note to be very interesting and I'm pretty sure a lot of us have already read it :) But for those who haven't and looking for info, here we go:

Just a note to those of you who seem confused about the Benelli R1.

 

I own the new Benelli R1 in 300 WSM with the Confort Tech. options.

As a card carrying Hi Power Expert rated marksman and experienced reloader, here are a few items to note.

 

1) The Benelli R1 is a factory hunting rifle. It’s not designed to be a highly accurate target rifle, don’t except it to be.

 

2) Factory ammo is not designed to be match target ammo, don’t except it to be

 

3) You can get great accuracy out of (most) new rifles, if you hand load and know what your doing. (below are a few examples to support these comments.

 

4) Rifles are like women, every one is different. Even same make, model and caliber. That’s why you need to work up a number of test loads before you can zero in on the best load for that particular rifle.

 

The barrel rifling twist rate on the new R1 (300 WSM) is stated by Benelli to be 1 turn in 11 inches. I have measured my factory barrel to find it closer to 1 in 11.75. If you are using long and heavy for diameter factory bullets in this rifle, you won’t get optimum accuracy. Most Remington/Winchester/Ruger in 300 WSM’s come with a 1 in 10 twist rate (a bit faster and better with heavier/longer bullets)

 

Therefore, it’s not going to shoot the heavier bullets as well as the 150’s and 165’s. It also appears to be sensitive to powder selection. Most of the 300 WSM reloading books recommend 150-180 grain bullets in order to eliminate the heavier and longer bullets from intruding too far into the powder space and compressing the load. But if you understand these limits, you can still product highly accurate for this rifle.

 

Example

It’s first range visit (100 yards, bench rest) resulted in the following. (each 5 shot groups)

 

Factory load.. 180 Gr Federal Vital Shock (Nosler) 2.5” groups (unacceptable)

Handload 1 – 165 Gr Sierra 1.0 inch (acceptable)

Handload 2 – 180 Gr. Sierra 2.5 inch (unacceptable)

Handload 3 – 165 Gr. Hornady SST 0.37 inch (Excellent)

Handload 4 – 150 Gr. Speer Flat Base 0.42 inch (Excellent)

 

Any factory hunting rifle that can produce under one half inch accuracy in a short action magnum 30 caliber load is an excellent hunting companion for ANY north American game just short of only the largest of bears.

 

Looking for a fast handling, quick follow up shooting, self loading 30 caliber magnum. The Benelli R1 is a solid choice.

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No problem. I was shooting my 270WSM with Winchester XP3 recently, and couldn't get a group less than 3 MOA. Will try E-tip and Federal Accubond soon, then will post some results. Just for comparison, my Ruger 10/22 shoots much better than Benelli right now :) Check this out: distance - 100 m, humidity - 70%, wind - 5 km/h, ammo - CCI Velociter 1435 fts, 40 gr., 10 shots in a row without breaks, all were made within 5-6 sec. Here what I got:

 

img004.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have read through all the threads and have a few questions before i make a decision to purchase an R1.

 

I live in NW Montana and want to use a R1 300wm for elk hunting. How does the r1 perform under multiple days of inclimate weather?

 

Have you ever had any issues with your R1 that you would not have had with a bolt action?

 

Do you think you can get your grouping of shots as tight and accurate as a bolt action?

 

What are the advantage and disadvantage to an R1 compared to a Bolt action?

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Since you post your questions again, I'll give you some input.

First, read the whole forum again, you will find a lot of answers: http://www.benelliusa.com/forum/archive/index.php/f-21.html

Second, all rifles are different, some might have problems, some not. It doesn't matter whether it's semi or bolt. More about reliability of R1 you will find after reading some posts from the link above. Third, it was told many times ... semi is not a bolt. Don't expect it to shoot as accurate as bolt action rifles. Semi have a different purpose - ability to make few quick shots in a row. You can find the right ammo for you particular rifle and have MOA or even better. And the last: what bolt action rifle you want to compare R1 with? There are tousands of them and all are different. I think you just need to decide what do you need the rifle for: hunting, if yes - type of hunting, varmint, target shooting and etc. Then, you can consider some models and compare them and pick the one which fits your needs the most. Good luck!

Edited by Barracuda
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Its between the R1 300wm or a bolt remington XHR or tikka lite all of the same caliber.

 

I love the ability to have multiple quick shots, but my other concern has to be of reliabilty. NW Montana has some pretty harsh fall hunting weather, with lots of wet snow, mud, tough terrain freeze/thaw, more so than upstate NY where i grew up and began to hunt. The R1 has to be able to battle all these conditions and still stay accurate and dependable, without me having to clean it 3 times a day. This is my main concern.

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  • 2 weeks later...

You should be ok imo. I have a r1 and shot it once so far. Still need practice and get my scope sighted but had some holes touching at 100 yds on paper. 300 win 180 grain reloads and stot it 20 times no major kicking.

 

Anyway when I took my r1 to get the scope mounted at a pawn shop they acted a little jelous. They told me they get 1-2 r1s a year to have scopes put on but none come back to get sold off here in Spokane. I mainly hunt geese with the sbeII and it takes all the conditions just fine. Never do a half or quick clean because that is when I start having problems so I won't do that with the r1. If you don't feel comfortable it is a lot of coin and there is not many r1 shooters out there to tell you. I mainly got one to have it last fall before the semi's started flying off the shelf and going up in price. If you have that itch to try get one and I don't think you would have much trouble selling if not happy.

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  • 3 months later...

I'm going to disagree with some of what was said above about the out-of-the-box accuracy of the R1. I have an R1 with a beautiful wood stock, in .308. I have shot around 500 rounds through it in the two years I've had it, have taken two deer with it, and have learned the following:

 

1) This particular gun is perfectly capable of 3/4" - yes, that's three-quarter-inch (i.e., sub MOA) with Hornady SST 150gr factory loads. It is capable of 1" groups with Winchester Ballistic Silvertip 168gr factory loads. BTW, that's 5 round groups, similar to what the gun magazines all use in their tests.

 

2) Why 500 rounds? Because I worked my way through a number of boxes of different brands of ammo, in various bullet weights and styles (for example, ballistic tips vs hollow-points, soft-points, etc). None shot more than 2" groups, but obviously some were better than others. This, in fact, is true of every factory or custom rifle - any particular gun will "like" a particular load better than others. I guess the point is that you have to spend the time on the range to find out what this gun is capable of. That's true of every gun I've ever owned, whether it be the R1, my 40yr-old 99A Saddle gun (also in .308, which is a tackhammer with the Winchester Ballistic Silvertip 168gr and also, suprisingly, equally accurate with the Hornady SST 165gr factory ammo).

 

3) Similarly, you have to figure out what you are capable of with any gun. Some guns will be absolute treasures for you, but others less so. I'm sure my R1 is capable of even better groups but quite frankly I am not, and for me, it wouldn't make any difference what gun it was, I can't do better than that. Believe me, I've tried. However, I have been able to shoot a two-shot group of 1/4" - that is, one raggedy hole made with two bullets touching in it.

 

4) It's also important to shoot cold-barrel groups and hot barrel groups, and to clean the gun and re-run the group, or just to shoot, say, 100rds without cleaning. You will get different results, and that's kind of the whole point - if you change the parameters of the test, you have to repeat them to make any judgement about any differences that might show up.

 

In other words, based on actual experience and with the targets to prove it, I think making a general statement that the R1, as a "h8nting rifle", cannot be expected to produce very accurate groups (as was quoted by Barracuda, above) is just incorrect. I had a very experienced international shooter and hunter tell me the same thing about my 99A many years ago, until I brought my 7/8" target back from the frames (four holes in 3/4", one flyer) and he quieted down a bit and asked me what my load was. I showed him my 180gr handloads. I also showed him the target I had shot just before that with my 220gr handloads, also 7/8". He quieted down some more. (This was with a Redfield Widefield - wish I'd had the Leupold then that I have now).

 

That's why the tests in many of the magazines list results for several different factory loads. Usually, one will be markedly more accurate than the others.

 

Tecker123, I would have no hesitation about getting your R1 in 300wm. As for the difference between the R1 and a bolt-action gun, it's no different than the difference between any gas auto and any bolt gun. The R1 is as reliable as any gas auto can be, and I have found it to be as accurate as any bolt gun - and there are a lot of people who will say that no auto can ever be as accurate as a bolt action. For a comparison I have my 99A, which is a lever gun and is, with its rotary chamber, essentially equal to a bolt action.

 

In my experience, that's just not so, but then, that's just me, and my own R1.

 

- hope that helps.

 

Uncle Russ

Edited by Uncle Russ
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