The Benelli MR1 is a

semi-automatic rifle A semi-automatic rifle is a type of rifle that fires a single round each time the Trigger (firearms), trigger is pulled while automatically loading the next Cartridge (firearms), cartridge. These rifles were developed Pre-World War II, and w ...

developed by

Beretta Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta (; "Pietro Beretta Weapons Factory") is a privately held Italian firearms manufacturing company operating in several countries. Its firearms are used worldwide for various civilian, law enforcement, and military p ...

(originally designated as the RX4 Storm) and 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 ...

of Italy.

History

At one point, Beretta planned to release this firearm as the RX4 (R for rifle), sharing a naming convention with other "Storm" products such as the Px4, Cx4, and

Tx4 The TX4 is a purpose-built taxicab (hackney carriage) manufactured by The London Taxi Corporation, The London Taxi Company, a subsidiary of Geely Automobile of China. From 2007 until their liquidation in 2013 it was manufactured by LTI Limited, ...

. The MR1/RX4 shares design features with the CX4, such as side and lower rails that can be attached near the front of the gun. However, Beretta eventually decided to add the rifle to Benelli's product line instead.

Design

The action is a

gas-operated Gas-operation is a system of operation used to provide energy to operate locked breech, Semi-automatic firearm, autoloading firearms. In gas-operation, a portion of high-pressure gas from the Cartridge (firearms), cartridge being fired is used t ...

rotating bolt Rotating bolt is a method of locking the breech (or rear barrel) of a firearm closed for firing. Johann Nicolaus von Dreyse developed the first rotating bolt firearm, the "Dreyse needle gun", in 1836. The Dreyse locked using the bolt handle ra ...

, using the Auto-Regulated Gas-Operated (ARGO) system patented by Benelli. The gas port is located just forward of the chamber where the gases are hotter and cleaner. The return spring is located in the stock, preventing the use of folding stocks despite the MR1's modularity. When the last round fires, the bolt locks to the rear. A

ghost ring Iron sights are a system of physical alignment markers used as a sighting device to assist the accurate aiming of ranged weapons such as firearms, airguns, crossbows, and bows, or less commonly as a primitive finder sight for optical telescope ...

sight, adjustable for windage and elevation, is standard. The MR1 does not require tools for disassembly, and it has nine attachment points for slings to accommodate multiple carry options. The MR1 is shipped with one five-round magazine. It can accept M16-style magazines with higher capacities. This weapon operates only in semi-automatic mode; no selective-fire or otherwise

full-automatic An automatic rifle is a type of Self-loading rifle, autoloading rifle that is capable of fully automatic firearm, automatic fire. Automatic rifles are generally selective fire, select-fire weapons capable of firing in Semi-automatic firearm, semi ...

version of the MR1 is planned. The MR1 is not intended for military use as Beretta has already developed the

ARX-160 The Beretta ARX160 is an Italian modular assault rifle manufactured by Beretta. Developed for the Italian Armed Forces as part of the ''Soldato Futuro'' (English: "Future Soldier") program, the ARX160 was launched in 2008 as a commercial weapon sy ...

for military and law enforcement use.

Manufacture

The MR1 is the first .223 caliber carbine in the Benelli-family. It is entirely and solely manufactured in the

Benelli Armi 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 ...

plant in

Urbino Urbino ( , ; Romagnol: ''Urbìn'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, southwest of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially und ...

, and marked ''"Beretta Holding"'' as Benelli has been owned by Beretta since 1983. In Italy, the MR1 carbine is listed in the ''National Catalogue of Firearms'' (the list of firearms approved for civilian ownership by the Italian Ministry of Interior) as the ''Benelli Mr1''. The samples sold in the United States were assembled at the Beretta USA plant in

Accokeek, Maryland Accokeek (), "at the edge of the hill" in Algonquin, is a census-designated place (CDP) located in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The CDP is located on the Potomac River, borders Charles County and is approximately 17 miles ...

with imported parts of Italian manufacture.

Versions

Benelli manufactures the MR1 with three different barrel lengths: 12.5 inches, 16 inches, and 20 inches. The 12.5-inch barrel is threaded and features a removable muzzle brake. The MR1's stock section is modular and can be changed between: *standard hunting rifle stock; *Comfortech hunting rifle stock; *pistol grip with fixed stock; *pistol grip with telescopic stock. Benelli-MR1

Availability

The market availability of the different models differ from country to country. The 12.5-inch variant with removable muzzle brake is available to civilians in

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 ...

like all the other variants. In other countries, the MR1 is available to civilians only with longer barrels due to local gun laws.

References