The Benelli Kite is a single shot .177 inch calibre pre-charged pneumatic

air pistol An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosphere ...

designed for the

10 m Air Pistol The 10 metre air pistol is an Shooting at the Summer Olympics, Olympic ISSF shooting events, shooting event governed by the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF). It is similar to 10 metre air rifle in that it is shot with 4.5 mm (o ...

ISSF shooting event The International Shooting Sport Federation recognizes several shooting events, some of which have Olympic Games, Olympic status. They are divided into four disciplines: rifle, pistol, Clay pigeon shooting, shotgun and Running target shooting, ...

. It is manufactured by

Benelli Armi SpA Benelli Armi S.p.A. is an Italian firearm manufacturer located in Urbino, Marche, Italy. Founded in 1967 as an offshoot of the Benelli (motorcycles), Benelli motorcycle factory that sold motorcycles through Montgomery Ward, Benelli and Benelli US ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. The Kite was used by Francesco Bruno to win a gold medal in the Italian Championship 2008. It is also used by Tanyu Kiryakov, who won gold in the

at the Olympic Games in Seoul 1988.

Design details

Like all air pistols designed for the

event, it has fully adjustable

sights A sight or sighting device is any device used to assist in precise visual alignment (i.e. ''aiming'') of weapons, surveying instruments, aircraft equipment, optical illumination equipment or larger optical instruments with the intended target. ...

, a mechanically adjustable trigger (for stroke and weight of 1st and 2nd phase and trigger stop) and an anatomically adjustable grip available in three sizes and for left and right-handed shooters. The model pictured here is fitted with a stabilising balance weight, designed to further improve stability of the pistol during firing and to minimize recoil. The barrel is manufactured by Lothar Walther with 12-twist right-hand rifling and 450 mm pitch. Air power is supplied from an under-barrel cylinder, available in four different capacities: long (300 shots), intermediate (230 shots), medium (180 shots) and short (80 shots). It uses atmospheric air compressed to . A pressure gauge on the end of the cylinder allows for constant monitoring of the pressure. The Benelli Kite features micrometric rear sight adjustment with four settings: 1 click = 1 mm

windage In aerodynamics, firearms ballistics, and automobiles, windage is the effects of some fluid, usually air (e.g., wind) and sometimes liquids, such as oil. Aerodynamics Windage is a force created on an object by friction when there is relative m ...

(left/right adjustment) at 10 metres. 1 click = 2 mm

elevation The elevation of a geographic location (geography), ''location'' is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational equipotenti ...

(up/down adjustment) at 10 metres. The sight aperture is adjustable by lever and screw.

Performance

The following tables show the results achieved by competitive shooters using the Benelli Kite in major competitions:

Design details

Performance

Gold medals

Silver medals

Bronze medals

See also

References