Benelli R1 .30-06 Springfield Black Rifle

Benelli R1 ARGO...

Benelli R1 ARGO Warning I wanted a new hunting rifle to upgrade from my Rem 750. I saved, thought, researched and agonized and finally bought the Benelli R1 in 30.06. I regret the decision and I am pretty angry at Benelli and all their hype. First off, this rifle is very strange and not like anything you have seen before, not a bad thing unless it looks, feels and shoots like a cheap piece of trash….. The instructions are in about 6 languages, with little flags along the edges to signify which language. No American flag. I found this extremely disrespectful to the American consumer, considering the millions of US tax dollars spent on Benelli products for the US military plus the civilian market. It took three weeks to assemble the rifle. Benelli doesn't ship it assembled, I guess they save 3 cents on a shorter box. I tried and tried, the Pidgin English / Italian (reporting to be British English) instructions suck, the parts are not labeled and the illustrations are worthless. "Warning: Use enough force when screwing on the cap to overcome the contrast of the spring stopping the barrel…." Who knows what that means? I found only one assembly video on You Tube and still struggled for many days. Many folks on the forums have the same problems. Finally it went together last night, I have no idea how. The metal seems cheap and flimsy, trashy compared to the Rem 750. The end of the bolt is about 8 inches hanging out the back of the receiver like a tail, and fits very poorly into a simple cup—definitely not a precision fit. How does the R1 get such good reviews? Hmmmmm. Extra magazines are about $100, if you can find them! Benelli themselves are out of stock. Good luck with that. They sell you the product, then short and gouge you every which way. The included scope mounting rail is very cheaply made and is glossy while the rifle is matte. I suppose common aftermarket rails won't work. The shims for adjustment are very difficult to install and adjust—nearly everything Benelli says about this rifle is an exaggeration or down right false. You will be very sorry if you buy this, I am. Never anything Benelli again!