Benelli’s shiny new bolt-action penny, the HPR, is a sturdy long-range tack driver good for the vary or the woods.
I’ve been a Benelli fan for years. The primary time I squeezed the set off on an SBE shotgun and folded a large goose, I knew I’d discovered a trusted area companion. Since that hunt, I’ve tinkered with and examined many Benelli makes, from the M2 Sequence to the SBE3 to a number of LUPO bolt-action builds. I’m all the time impressed with Benelli’s purposeful innovation and dedication to offering hunters with shotguns and rifles that may make them more adept within the area. This previous fall, I had the pleasure of toting Benelli’s LUPO HPR Bolt-Motion rifle to the Sooner State for a deer hunt, and it didn’t disappoint.
Earlier than we dive into the hunt, although, allow us to first be taught the ins and outs of Benelli’s long-range tack driver.
First Impressions
HPR stands for Excessive Precision Rifle. One of many first issues that jumped out at me when I opened the Pelican arduous case and eliminated the rifle was its customized look.
The HPR doesn’t appear like a normal manufacturing unit bolt gun. For starters, the inventory seems and appears like a customized artificial inventory. The pistol-style grip feels glorious within the hand, and I appreciated the deep recessed groove behind the grip and earlier than the comb. The comb is totally adjustable to eight completely different peak positions through the despair of a single black button built-in into the inventory.
I respect an adjustable comb peak to make sure correct eye-to-optic alignment, and few normal rifles sport an adjustable comb system that’s this simple. One other successful function is that the elimination of 1 set screw permits for a grip swap. I additionally like that the underside of the inventory is detachable, and a niche can be created when taking pictures off luggage on a bench. When looking, slip the underside again on and have a normal backside inventory design.
The LUPO HPR additionally options 4 drop positions, three deviations (impartial, proper, left), and 6 length-of-pull changes. Most traditional manufacturing unit bolt-actions provide two or three LOP changes, however few provide six. Once more, Benelli’s aim with this rifle was to make sure most shooter customization, which results in spectacular downrange accuracy.
The LOP changes contain interchanging a pair of recoil pads with two thicknesses. The recoil pads are Benelli’s award-winning Progressive Consolation, which guarantees to negate as a lot felt recoil as potential.
The Magazine M-Lok attachment factors make including a sling and attaching a bipod a breeze. The journal is a removable double stack, the set off is adjustable, and I like the huge, flat forearm with AirTouch to make sure a safe grip regardless of the environmental circumstances.
Different must-mention options included the free-floating, fluted Crio Barrel, which Benelli manufacturers a “Sub-MOA” producer. The barrel is threaded and fitted with a Crio System Muzzle Brake to scale back recoil additional.
The Construct
I’ve grown to like rifles with a one-piece 30 MOA Picatinny rail. The rail makes optic mounting a breeze and permits the shooter to set the back and front of the optic in varied positions. Once more, this goes again to Benelli’s drive to offer hunters and goal shooters with a rifle that totally matches them.
I connected Steiner’s H6Xi 2-12x42mm scope, which, due to the Picatinny rail and adjustable comb, made the method simple and allowed me to realize good comb-to-optic peak and correct eye aid. The place of the bolt additionally permits for ease-of-optic mounting and doesn’t intrude with the scope’s housing. This would stay true for those who opted for a bigger, extra highly effective optic.
In case you observe the torque pointers offered by your optic producer, it is best to have zero issues mounting your optic.
I additionally added the included M-LOK sling to the inventory and, after some tinkering, selected certainly one of six forearm mounting positions.
Pre-Shot Noticings
After mounting any rifle with an optic, I get to know the gun first earlier than going to the vary to sling lead. The extra I be taught in regards to the rifle’s match and performance beforehand, the extra profitable my vary mission will likely be.
I first seen this rifle was engineered to be a contest bench gun or a sit-and-wait looking rifle. My rifle with connected optic and full journal pushed the size over 10 kilos. For that reason, I received’t model this rifle a run-and-gun deer or elk rifle. As a substitute, that is the kind of rifle you tote to a pinch level, meadow surrounded by darkish timber, taking pictures home, or floor blind.
The rifle shoulders simply, and its heaviness will increase its steadiness throughout off-hand aiming follow. love the huge, flat forearm, and after I positioned the rifle on luggage on a bench and in my BOG DeathGrip Infinite Carbon Fiber tripod, it felt extremely strong and regular.
After eradicating the journal and pointing the barrel safely downward, I manipulated the BE.S.T coated bolt deal with. Chambered in .308 Win, a short-action caliber, the stroke was brief and clean. I like brief actions. The set off break was butter. There was no creep or hangups. Regular strain produced a crisp break, and I discovered no purpose to make any changes.
The protection is positioned instantly inline the place the highest of the inventory meets the motion, and I discovered the placement extraordinarily useful. I additionally favor the lengthy bolt launch button on the receiver’s left aspect.
Time To Go Growth!
After eradicating the bolt and performing a fast bore sight job, I took two photographs from 100 yards to hit a 1/2-inch diamond bullseye with the second shot. Set on the taking pictures bench, the recoil was minimal, the muzzle leap was zero, and I used to be impressed with the rapid accuracy.
After giving the CRIO barrel time to chill, I shot a three-round group from 100 yards in beneath 5 seconds that I might cowl with a nickel. Not solely did the rifle’s accuracy impress me, however I used to be additionally impressed with how shortly I might function the bolt. As a result of recoil was just about nothing, I might keep in my optic and execute rapid follow-up photographs.
For every week earlier than heading to Oklahoma to chase whitetails, I punched paper and rang metal from 100 yards to 800 yards with a pair of various cartridges. Whereas the rifle favored Federal’s 175-grain Terminal Ascent bullets, Norma’s 180-grain bullets proved uber-accurate.
I fired the LUP HPR inclined off a backpack, kneeling with the rifle in a tripod, off-hand, and off a bench, and I can confidently say it is without doubt one of the most correct manufacturing unit rifles I’ve ever examined. It jogs my memory of a long-range chassis rifle in a straight, normal bolt-action system.
Time To Hunt
This was a media hunt, which required me to make use of Norma’s 180-grain BondStrike Lengthy Vary bullets. I wasn’t thrilled about this. I really feel 180-grain bullets are overkill for whitetails, and when looking the open panorama of western Oklahoma, I might have been extra snug with a quicker 150-grain bullet. Except elk or different heavy-boned sport is on the menu, I might go for the lighter-weight bullet. I shot Fiochhi’s Hyperformance 150-grain SST Polymer Tip Pat Tail to 500 yards with glorious outcomes.
It was mid-November, and the whitetail rut was rocking. I’d spent a number of weeks in Oklahoma in November, and I used to be drastically wanting ahead to this hunt.
Surprisingly, the stroll to my cabin-like taking pictures home on the hunt’s first morning was over a mile and concerned a number of uphill stints. As a western hunter, I’ve zero points with strolling, and I’m not complaining. This is a rifle evaluate, although, and I wish to reiterate that the LUPO HPR will not be a rifle you wish to tote lengthy distances. I didn’t thoughts it on this case as a result of I knew this was a sit-and-wait hunt, however for those who’re searching for a long-range rifle that may make a wonderful saddle gun or a outstanding carry gun, the LUP HPR isn’t it.
The taking pictures home was as cool as I’ve been in. It was rustic, like one thing from an previous western film, and the view was beautiful. Steam rolled off the distant Canadian River, and the inexperienced wheat area in entrance of me held quite a few does and small bucks.
The sphere cleared when the solar solely crept over the horizon. Although I might see flashes of deer alongside the distant river backside, the motion slowed. I really feel deer calls have been made to be used in Oklahoma, and I caught my rattling antlers out the window of the taking pictures home and cracked them collectively as loud as I might. It was a relaxed morning, and I needed the sound to hold.
I’d simply sat the horns again within the nook of the blind and began scanning the sector after I spied a buck. He was coming at a full run throughout the wheat area. I like the magic of the rut.
The issue was the buck was coming so quick I used to be apprehensive he would get beneath the hill, out of sight, and are available up downwind of my place. After getting the HPR set on the one wood beam that made up the entrance taking pictures window, I ranged the buck at 304 yards and yelled to cease him. The brand new vary was 276 yards, and the flat, huge forearm offered a lot stability that I might discover the buck shortly, settle the crosshairs, and make an ideal shot.
Closing Ideas
This is certainly one of my all-time favourite bench and sit-and-wait rifles. The LUPO HPR is ultra-accurate and enjoyable to shoot. Benelli provides it quite a few long-range calibers, together with the .300 Win. Magazine., 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, .338 Lapua Magazine., .300 PRC, and in fact, the caliber examined on this article, the .308 Win.
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