Benelli (firearms)

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For other uses, see Benelli (disambiguation).

Benelli is an Italian firearm manufacturer most well known for high quality shotguns used by military, law enforcement and civilians all over the world. Particularly famous is the Benelli M3 12 gauge, used extensively by American SWAT teams. Benelli recently introduced the Benelli M4 Super 90, an unusual gas operated semi-automatic shotgun intended for military use in urban warfare.

Benelli Armi was founded in 1967 as an offshoot of the Benelli motorcycle factory. The firearms company was acquired by Beretta in 1983.

Most Benelli shotguns utilize a unique inertia operating system developed by Bruno Civolani; it is a simple and reliable design.

The Benelli Super Black Eagle, a favorite of waterfowlers, was one of the first semi-automatic shotguns capable of firing the 2.75, 3, and 3.5 inch shotgun shells.

Benelli shotguns are a favorite of athletes, often appearing in the Olympic Games skeet shooting event. The Benelli Nova (pump action), M1 Super 90, and a customized M2 Field are used by Tom Knapp during his shooting exhibitions wherein he will frequently shoot down several hand-thrown clay targets while they're all still in mid-air, setting a world record in October 2004 when he destroyed 10 such targets with 10 shots in 2.0 seconds, with all the targets still airborne.