Benelli Argo self-loading carbine, an unsuccessful clone of Browning BAR

The well-known Benelli brand is famous for its extremely reliable guns, created specifically for manhunt hunting. And if the weapon lying on the display case looks unattractive, then once it falls into the hands of a hunter, he no longer wants to part with it.

The only competition for the Benelli Argo are shotguns: Italian rifles are largely copied from their model. An Italian arms company patented a self-regulating gas system and began producing carbines under the model name ARGO.

pushrod and piston Benelli Argo

Description of the Benelli Argo carbine

A self-loading carbine that operates on the principle of a gas piston. The gas system is located under the barrel, similar to Browning carbines.

Despite certain similarities, Italian gunsmiths created a unique weapon, which, due to its design features, can be attributed more to technical curiosities that appear every now and then, but have a relatively short lifespan. The popularity of the Benelli ARGO and its presence on the market for a decade and a half can be considered the result of exemplary aggressive marketing.

Review of Benelli ARGO is given in this video:

Advantages and disadvantages

• The first thing you notice when reading the technical description of the carbine is that the manufacturer limited the effective firing range to two hundred meters. For a weapon with, for example, 30-06 SPFLD caliber, this is incredibly low. BAR carbines of the same parameters allow you to hit targets at distances of up to 400 meters.
• The reason for this, as well as for the fact that many hunters complain about the extremely low accuracy of combat, is revealed when you get acquainted with the design of the carbine.
• Indeed, the Italians came up with a special gas exhaust system, located as close as possible to the chamber, which can itself regulate the pressure and adapt to different types of bullets - light or heavy.
• But at the same time, they made a barrel that did not have a rigid connection with the receiver. It has only two mounting points: on the buttplate of the receiver and at the gas exhaust point, where there is a hollow light alloy cylinder that forms the gas chamber. The latter plays the role of supporting the lever of the first kind, and the barrel with the receiver cover has a certain degree of freedom relative to it. Vibrations during firing, and with semi-automatic loading they do not have time to go out, and thermal deformations, quite significant at a high rate of fire, lead to the barrel vibrating like a reed in the wind. No innovative manufacturing technologies that the manufacturer boasts can completely eliminate the listed factors, since this contradicts Newton’s laws of mechanics.
• The same laws state that at the point where the gas chamber is attached to the barrel, a point of concentrated load is formed, which absorbs almost the entire energy of the shot. Over fifteen years of operation, cases of the barrel falling off the mount were not recorded (or they were carefully hidden), but this possibility cannot be completely ruled out.
• The patented ARGO gas exhaust system is made of dissimilar metals - ferrous and non-ferrous, having different coefficients of volumetric expansion, and rubber rings are used to seal the piston. Therefore, cases of incorrect operation of the reloading mechanism and even jamming are not uncommon.
• What good can you say about Benelli ARGO? Fortunately, the designers kept the same type of bolt as the Browning BAR. It rotates when locked, providing a good chamber seal.
• A controversial advantage, because there is no dispute about tastes, is that the safety button, the slide stop release lever and the magazine cover lever are located on the front branch of the trigger guard (they are spaced apart for the Browning BAR). In the heat of the excitement of the hunt, it is quite possible to confuse what is what.

The real advantage of the carbine is its aesthetic appearance. An excellently crafted stock made of noble walnut wood, an unusually shaped forend with longitudinal grooves for reliable holding, high-quality polished blued metal parts, a nickel-plated (optional) receiver. In general, the Italians have created a weapon with which it’s good to go hunting once a year, shoot a couple of times and show everyone what a “tough guy” you are.

Benelli Argo E Pro carabiner

Purpose

With this carbine you can hunt large ungulates. Effective shooting distance up to 200 meters.

Varieties

In addition to the basic ARGO E model, the ARGO E PRO and ARGO Comfort models are also available, which feature a polymer stock and a height-adjustable butt comb.

Tuning

Perhaps, if it were not for the opportunity to carry out independent upgrades and tuning, the Benelli Argo carbine would not be in demand among buyers at all. However, the rifle can and should be modified at home. Here are just a few ideas that can be brought to life:

1. Installing an aiming bar or bracket. The choice will vary between two options - a Picatinny mount (22 millimeters) and a Weaver sight rail (16 mm). Unfortunately, it will not be possible to create a combined version, just as it will not be possible to mount a dovetail, since the receiver is not designed for a small mount.

Digisight digital night sight

1. Installation of an optical or collimator sight. Once the bar or bracket is installed, you can begin choosing the body kit. Considering that the rifle is not intended for long-range shooting, the magnification of the optics should not exceed 6x. Well, before installing the collimator, you will have to dismantle the front sight with protection.
2. Replacing the standard rubber butt pad with a more ergonomic one. The parts included in the kit have different angles of inclination, so the stock can be completely adapted to the shooter’s build. If more than one butt plate from the set does not fit, then purchasing an additional part at a gun store will not be a problem.
3. Improved appearance. The Benelli Argo shotgun has a beautiful, but very minimalistic design. Well, since it is almost impossible to purchase luxury guns, you can engrave or make inserts from precious metal yourself. However, in this case, most likely, you will have to use the services of masters.

The Benelli Argo is not the best and certainly not the most popular product from the Italian arms company. You can use a “clean” carbine, which does not provide for the processing of the gas system, only for shooting at a short distance. However, those versions that have the prefix “E” in the name can be an excellent base for further upgrades and creating the ideal hunting rifle.

Specifications

Design

Self-loading carbine with a reloading system based on a gas piston. The barrel with receiver cover is removable.

• The trigger mechanism is unregulated, the force on the trigger is 1.8 kg. The safety box is located on the front branch of the trigger guard; it is a button that moves perpendicular to the axis of the barrel. The levers for the bolt stop and opening the magazine hopper lid are also located there. The trigger guard is polymer.
• Semi-pistol stock, stock with comb, rubber butt pad, replaceable. The forend is a casing for the gas release mechanism.
• External sighting devices are an adjustable rear sight with two green fiber-optic threads (optional - prismatic non-adjustable, with a white stripe along the aiming line) and an open front sight with a red fiber-optic thread. It is possible to install rails and brackets for optical sights.

The Benelli Argo E Pro is reviewed in this video:

Modifications

However, not everything with the Benelli Argo is as bad as it might seem. This certainly applies to its modifications, in which the manufacturer tried not only to eliminate existing shortcomings, but also to add some innovations:

1. Benelli Argo E is a modification with a completely redesigned gas exhaust system and corrected shortcomings (often used as a basis for the development of other upgrades and versions).

1. Benelli Argo Special is a modification that differs from the original in having a nickel-plated receiver, thanks to which the weapon not only has an increased strength rating, but is also practically not subject to corrosion (you don’t have to be afraid to shoot from a carbine in the rain).
2. Benelli Argo Comfortech is a relatively new version of the carbine, equipped with an innovative recoil absorption system (the butt plate is made not of rubber, but of technogel, the stock and butt are made of polymer, and the comb is adjustable).

The Italian company also released several limited luxury versions of the carbine, which are distinguished by their expensive appearance (engraving in the form of animals on the metal, gold-plated trigger, wood carvings, and so on). However, it is almost impossible to find such rifles today, since they were sold in extremely limited quantities.

Operating principle

Reloading occurs under the action of a gas piston, which takes part of the powder gases from the barrel bore. After the last cartridge is fired, the bolt locks into the slide stop. To remove it, press the lever above the front branch of the trigger guard or remove the magazine.

To load, you need to press the lever on the front branch of the trigger guard, fold back the hopper cover, remove the magazine and fill it with cartridges. To bring the carbine into firing position, pull the bolt.

If there is no need to shoot, press the safety flag button on the side of the bolt handle.

Installation of the carabiner

The carbine is supplied disassembled, consisting of two blocks. Its assembly is carried out without the use of tools.

1. Take a block consisting of a stock, receiver and forend. Using the front swivel eye as a lever, unscrew it together with the nut. Remove the eyelet.
2. Remove the forend by sliding it towards the muzzle.
3. On the gas exhaust mechanism, unscrew the nut with holes on the edges, using the conical pin of the forend on which the swivel was attached.
4. Cock the hammer on the trigger.
5. Take a block consisting of a barrel, a receiver cover, and put the gas chamber body on the guide of the return mechanism so that the ribs on them coincide. The shutter must be pulled back.
6. When putting on the barrel, the “tail” of the bolt is passed through the trigger tube and rests against the butt plate of the receiver.
7. With the butt resting on the floor or work table, press on the barrel block and make sure the cover enters the buttplate of the receiver and clicks into place with a characteristic sound.
8. Tighten the nut with holes on the edges, securing the gas outlet mechanism. For added strength, use the same tapered boss on the forend.
9. Install and secure the forend by screwing the nut onto the swivel eye.

Carbine Benelli Argo-E class Comfort cal. 30-06 (magazine for 10 rounds)

Design features

The trigger on the Benelli Argo is not adjustable, the trigger release is soft, the clamp is polymer.

Models made of wood have a recoil damping system. The model, made of plastic, has a comfort recoil system installed, which absorbs up to 40% of recoil (according to the manufacturer). You can also change the butt plate and cheek piece.

Advanced technologies and innovative materials have made it possible for design engineers to develop and implement such a complex system that absorbs almost half of the recoil energy. The polymer stocks have boomerang-shaped holes. Their purpose is to increase the flexibility of the butt and prevent the recoil impulse.

The butt itself is made in a special shape that dissipates and absorbs recoil

The comb and butt plate are custom made by Benelli using Technogel. Such material has never before been used in the hunting weapons industry. It has the highest shock absorption rate. They are made in a special anatomical shape, which optimizes energy, increases the contact area and gives comfort when in contact with the weapon.

The forend and neck of the stock have a special Air Touch checkering. It promotes ventilation in the areas of contact with the palms, which increases the security of the grip. The relief of the notch is made taking into account the aerodynamic properties of the spherical surface. This finish is very aesthetic and pleasant to the touch.

Similar models

The carbine was clearly created with an eye on the Browning BAR; they even look somewhat similar. However, the shooting qualities and reliability of Brownings are incomparably higher.

However, you can choose a carbine not from analogues, but also from decent self-loading models, for example, Saiga MK, Anschutz 525, BAR Mark II Safari, Vepr Hunter, Remington 750, Remington 7600, MP-161K, Executive Browning.

Shooting from the Benelli Comfort 12k and the Benelli Argo 9.3×62 carbine are shown in this video: