Gun
Test:
BENELLI SUPER CENTRO
This article was published in the December 2000 issue of Clay Shooting Magazine.
Benelli have sharpened their act and expect the new Super Centro to be taken seriously as a competition gun. Richard Rawlingson investigates.
And therein perhaps lies the problem. The Benelli's reputation is built on a 'jack of all trades' marketing platform. The gun's very versatility has probably counted against it when trying to conquer the fickle competition market. Let's face it - we like our badges and we like to feel that our equipment is finely honed for the specific purpose of helping us become a champion. Anything that smacks of 'general purpose' cannot be right. A 4x4 vehicle may be the perfect go anywhere tool, but you wouldn't enter one in a race would you?
Such thinking
probably owes more to perception than reality, but it undoubtedly affects
a brand's position in the market and that is how Benelli have been perceived;
rugged and reliable - certainly, cutting edge? - probably not. Beechwood
Equipment, the Benelli importers for the UK have recognised this and have
concentrated on the 'gun for all reasons' approach in marketing the brand,
reluctant to take on the big names in the fiercely fought clay gun sector
with a product that lacked that edge. Now they have some extra ammunition
to deploy in the form of the new Super Centro Sport.
THE GUN
Stripped down to bare essentials this is still the Benelli product that has built such a strong reputation around the world. At the heart of it is the 'rotating bolt' operating system, one of the simplest and most effective designs ever conceived for a semi-automatic shotgun.
The system is a comparative rarity in these days when just about all autos are based on one form of gas-operated action or another. It is a recoil system that performs all the complex functions needed to cock and reload the gun with the bare minimum of fuss. The only moving part is the bolt assembly, which is first thrust forwards by the force of recoil compressing a spring. The spring reverses the motion, sending the bolt backwards, rotating as it travels. It takes with it the empty case and ejects it, recocks the trigger and then loads the fresh cartridge on its return journey.
It brings a number of advantages. Firstly, with so little to go wrong it rarely does. Benelli actions will keep working in the most atrocious conditions and take considerable neglect without complaint. That's one of the reasons why they are the choice of so many military and police buyers. Secondly the system can cope with an unusually wide range of loads. Cases from 65 to 76mm (2½ to 3 inches) can be used with shot loads from 24 to 56 gram if the Magnum barrel is fitted, all with no adjustment. The third advantage will appeal to all those who hate the hassle of cleaning automatics - no more fouled pistons and gas ports to worry about. Cleaning should be a quick and simple job with just the barrel needing to be cleaned after every use, while the trigger assembly and bolt need just periodic attention. Finally there is the question of bulk. With no gas piston to accommodate, the fore end contains just the magazine tube. The gun is therefore much slimmer in the fore end area without the bulk and weight in the hand of gas types.
Against these benefits must be placed one downside, a factor that has to be considered by potential buyers attracted to an auto by the promise of reduced recoil. Unlike a gas system, the Benelli method does not in theory
give the same perception of reduced recoil and should not feel as smooth to shoot as one of the latest gas guns with variable valve operation, although as I will reveal later the difference is not as great as might be imagined. Also, although many look to autos for this reason, I feel the market has moved on and shooters are looking at these guns as serious alternatives to the over-and-under in their own right, not just as a last resort, so the Benelli should be allowed to stand or fall by its handling and shootability.
The company market a number of models around the basic action including some fancy grades and a neat little 20-bore. They are also one of the few to offer a genuine left-handed version, although sadly that option is not at present available on the gun we are testing here. The original Centro was introduced a few years ago and was remarkable mainly for its use of interchangeable carbon fibre ribs. That feature is retained on the new model, with a choice of three styles:
- 8mm flat
- 8mm raised
- 10mm raised with centre channel
The last version is the one designated as the specialist clay target rib and was supplied on our test gun. Changing them is a simple process of undoing a lock screw and sliding the rib off the barrel and takes just a few minutes. The screw did have a tendency to work loose however on our test, so a drop of 'Loctite' might be a good idea
The big change on the Super Centro is the introduction of an adjustable comb mechanism, a feature that I have referred to before as this year's 'must have' accessory. It follows hot on the heels of the Fabarm we tested earlier in the year, the first semi-automatic we had seen with this fitted.
The Benelli uses a mechanism new to me, which is actually made and patented by Rizzini. It is made of lightweight alloy and gives an unusually wide range of adjustment. I managed to raise the comb by no less than 18mm, while lateral movement of plus or minus 10mm is possible. The design also answers criticism I have had of some others I have tested by using just one size of Allen key for all adjustments. Rizzini may find themselves with others queuing up to buy the system.
The standard stock length is 365mm, the last 15mm of which is a rubber recoil pad with a hollow centre. The length can be extended by 10mm by fitting a factory-supplied shim between the stock and the pad. For some reason the pad has been designed with quite a pronounced toe that I feel is just waiting to snag up during gun mounting, especially as the pad's surface is already quite sticky. Some rapid reprofiling would be needed if it were mine.
The gun is a
multichoke and here I feel the company may have missed a trick in the
current market. Their chokes are definitely of the 'old fashioned' variety
in comparison with what we are seeing from other brands, short and not
exactly exuding precision. Given where the likes of Fabarm are going,
I would have gone for something rather sexier in the choke department
to add to showroom appeal.
COSMETICS
I have always like the slim lines of the Benelli, which always look considerably less 'clumpy' than most autos and I prefer the simple styling of the Centro to the more ostentatious decoration of the high-grade models. Just the Benelli name in red on one side of the receiver breaks up the plain black, while the carbon of the rib is all that immediately identifies this model.
The wood on the
stock and fore end is plain and functional and finished with a satin lacquer.
A Benelli logo is set into the heel of the grip. A trace of the utilitarian
past lingers on in the shape of the sling swivel on the stock. This is
easily removed, but will leave a hole and would surely be much better
left off altogether?
ON TEST
Operation of the Super Centro is fairly conventional, with the bolt release button in the expected place front right of the receiver. The safety catch is integral with the rear of the trigger guard, again as expected. All Benellis also feature a neat magazine cut-off which prevent the next cartridge being loaded and this is operated by a lever, the end of which emerges alongside the trigger guard and can easily be reached by the trigger finger.
For the first part of my test I decided to put those claims of cartridge compatibility to the most severe examination. From the depths of my cartridge store I gathered a range of loads from the lightest 24 gram right through to some 53 gram magnums, with lots of high performance 36 and 42 gram varieties thrown in for good measure. The Benelli proved up to the challenge, cycling everything without missing a beat. Those magnum loads pack an enormous punch and I would certainly not want to shoot a whole box full!
The test gun came with a 27½ inch barrel, handling much like a 30" on an over-and-under with the extra length of the receiver. The lack of weight under the fore end means that the gun is fast moving and precise in its handling and it coped easily, for example, with a round of skeet. The balance point is only an inch or so ahead of the trigger guard. It is almost totally free of the inertia that can be found on many autos with much more weight forward. Some may find it a touch too quick as a result.
The trigger pull is happily adequate and fairly typical of the breed. It is not the crispest, certainly by over-and-under standards, but at 4½ lbs it is nicely weighted and should not be noticeable - which is the main criterion for judging trigger performance in my book.
Now to that recoil question. I showed the gun to top skeet shooter and coach 'Alfie' Oldring and he was of the opinion that it differed little in perceived recoil to his trusty old Beretta 303. We conducted some back-to-back tests with a selection of cartridges and I have to say I agreed with him. Looking at how the gun works there are two points of interest. Firstly it relies on compressing and releasing a spring, so there will be some energy loss due to friction (elastic hysterisis for all you physicists out there) and secondly the operation is still spread out over time, just as in a gas gun and, as Alan Rhone pointed out last month, this is one of the ways that the body's perception of recoil is altered. That's as far as my theorising goes, but this is a sweet shooting gun.
The Benelli is
a very likeable gun and certainly in this latest form it mounts a credible
challenge to the more established brands. Only one or two small details
prevent it scoring even higher marks. Perhaps it is time the secret came
out and its merits became more widely appreciated?
More
information: Beechwood Equipment PO Box 162 Weybridge Surrey KT13 9PJ
