I finally had an opportunity to handle and shoot the new Benelli Vinci!
First of all, I must say that the gun does not look quite as radical
when you see it in person, as it does on the videos that we've all
seen. Don't get me wrong, it's still looks quite different but it looks
like it all goes together when you have an opportunity to handle it and
shoot it.
The first thing I wanted to do was to see how it
balanced in my hands and how it came to my shoulder. I was impressed
with both. It balances naturally and is very easy to carry, feeling
even lighter than its advertised weight of 6.8 lbs for the 26" barreled
model. It came to my shoulder naturally and my eye was aligned with the
rib and front beads without effort.
The disassembly of this gun
is remarkably simple. Just a few buttons pushed and a few turns and you
have the 3 major assembly groups apart, with access to the
receiver-barrel and fire control units for easy cleaning. This also
allows for a remarkably compact disassembled gun. The case that's
furnished with this gun has a place for everything and molded spaces
for additional items that you may want in the future. The usual Benelli
oil, thread cleaning choke tool, shims to change cast/drop and Crio
chokes are all included in their own compact case.
The new stock
is billed as the "ConforTech Plus" model and has one major change in
the chevrons that absorb/diffuse recoil and an entirely new method of
attachment to the receiver, all done by hand, with no tools needed.
There are no springs or assemblies in the stock so many types and
configurations of stocks can easily be mounted.
Just about everything about this gun is different and not only from other Benellis but also from other guns period!
Okay,
so how does it shoot? Four folks shot this gun as fast as it could be
loaded and shot with everything from 2.75" clays loads, 3" steel shot
waterfowl loads and 3" turkey loads, mixed up and in sequence. It shot
them all and try as we would, we could not make it jam.
The
trigger is not especially light but it's very crisp and would allow a
gloved hand to use it with no problem. The recoil was perhaps somewhat
less than a comparable SBE II and I attribute that to the new stock and
recoil pad. There's a major difference in felt recoil between this gun
and the original SBE that I shoot most of the time with turkey loads.
The
receiver is already drilled and tapped with the turkey hunter in mind
and comes with a Red bar front and brass center bead sights. There are
also many other common sense changes to this gun that you'll appreciate
when you try it.
There are several options available for stocks, butt pads and combs but this one seemed to fit me just right the way it was.
The
good news is that this gun is availalbe and you should be able to see
one at your local Benelli dealer if not now then very soon. It's truly
a very exciting gun!
You may also want to read http://allaboutshooting.com/article_info.php?articles_id=283