Benelli announces its first over-under shotgun, the Model 828U, a gun the company is calling the perfect union of innovation and elegance. American Rifleman Senior Executive Editor Brian Sheetz was among the first to shoot the company’s first foray into the double-gun market last year at Brown’s Hunting Ranch in Gettysburg, S.D. Known primarily for its semi-automatic shotgun designs, in releasing the Model 828U, Benelli has taken its trademark pointability, ergonomics and performance, and transferred them into a whole new operating system.
The result of many years of development, Benelli’s new over-under retains the manufacturer’s patented Progressive Comfort System designed to tame recoil and minimize muzzle flip. The gun features an easy-operating top lever, an automatic safety and an impulse-driven ejection system. Care was also taken by Benelli to keep the Model 828U’s weight down, constructing it out of a lightweight alloy receiver and topping its floating Crio barrels with a carbon fiber rib.
The gun comes in nickel-engraved and black-anodized models, both of which sport interchangeable 26” and 28” barrels. Look for a feature story on the Benelli 828U in an later this year in American Rifleman. Price: $2,500 for black anodized, $3,000 for nickel engraved.