Perched in the foothills of the Apennines, the towering Torricini of the Ducal Palace rise above the walled city of Urbino. The city where Benelli firearms are made is a monument to the 15th century Renaissance and the achievements of Duke Federico da Montefeltro. The palace — and much of Urbino — was built by the duke, who sold his military service and fought wars with his army to pay for it. He loved art, literature and great thinkers. He knew Greek and Latin, and learned to draw, fence, practice horsemanship, and appreciated music and dancing as well. His patronage inspired artists such as painter and architect Raffaello Sanzio, one of the Italian masters. Today, Urbino draws artists from around the world to attend its fine arts academy, graphic design school and visual communication program.
Beneath the walls of Urbino is Benelli. Founded in 1967, Benelli operates a modern manufacturing facility that blends fine art and innovative firearm technologies. In 2019, Guns & Ammo Publisher Chris Agnes and Editor-in-Chief Eric Poole toured the factory, studied the region’s influences, and hunted the surrounding upland fields. From this experience, the 828U was launched in 20 gauge for 2020.
The 12-gauge 828U was introduced in the March 2015 issue of Guns & Ammo. The first over/under design for Benelli, it was awarded G&A’s 2015 Shotgun of the Year award. The 20-gauge version has proven no less special. A version with a 28-inch barrel was the subject of a long-term evaluation, used to take clays and bring down ringneck pheasant on the San Fiorano Estate in the Marche Hills.
The Gun
It could be argued that the 20-gauge version of the 828U is better balanced than its predecessor. In fact, it tested a half-pound lighter than the 12-gauge original. With the action open, it hangs in the hand beneath the hinge. The lines guide a shooter’s hands and fingers to the controls and forearm, while artistic grooves and shapes provide comfort and confidence. Texture was created by laser-engraving designed to mimic the scales of a fish. Even the graceful lines on the aluminum receiver were inspired from the living world, the shape of a mallard’s wing in flight. Leafed ivy engraving conjure thoughts of roosters hiding afield, highlighting its aesthetics. The sliding safety selector punctuates the art-inspired functionality with a shape akin to a duck’s foot, although checkered with a sliding serrated bar for selecting which barrel to fire first. The action-release lever, too, is artfully arched and offset with texture on its touchpoint.
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The 828U surrounds the aluminum receiver with waterfowl design elements. The receiver can be bought with an anodized gloss black finish to handsomely complement the blued steel barrels or with a satin brushed nickel-plated finish for contrast. Being made from aluminum is notable because the 828U with a 28-inch barrel in 20 gauge averages just an ounce less than 5 pounds, or 2 ounces less with a 26-inch barrel. Despite its light weight, the recoil impulse is noticeably gentler than its 12-gauge counterpart. The feeling is a combination of the smaller 20-gauge ammunition and Benelli’s Progressive Comfort recoil-absorbing system hidden within the rear of the stock and recoil pad assembly. Even when shooting high-energy 20-gauge ammo such as 3-inch shells filled with TSS, the Progressive Comfort design self-adjusts with its three sets of interlocking leaves having different levels of elasticity. The first set of leaves is flexible for light loads, while the second manages a bit stiffer load and the third tames the magnums. Where cheekwelds are made, you’ll find Benelli’s gel-comb cushion insert. With it, your face can slide along the comb in comfort while the cushion intercepts recoil energy. Effective as these features are, the fine-figured grain appearance of the AA-grade walnut stock are preserved to ensure a traditional appearance.
Though the receiver is CNC-machined from billet aluminum, a unique, polished steel lockplate is placed behind the chambers. The action is secured as the gun is closed, forming the breech face. The lockplate supports the cartridge base and absorbs the violence during firing. Traditional over/under designs incorporate the breech face as an integral part of the receiver, meaning the recoil energy is transferred directly along the action and stock. Benelli’s design also means that the receiver can be aluminum and the action is easier to open before it’s worn in.
The 828U is cocked as the wing-shaped thumb lever is pressed to open the action, rather than a traditional design that cocks the action as its being opened. Under the forend, there are no ejector rods and springs, just a push-button release to separate the walnut handguard from the barrel as on many side-by-side designs. These design factors lend to the receiver’s slim profile and handling qualities. At its widest, the receiver measures 1.567 inches and the forend 1.679 inches.
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With the action open, the impulse ejectors exist within the sides of the monobloc. The locking-plate design is not traditional, so recoil is directed back along the barrel assembly, as opposed to a shotgun’s usual, integral breech face. The locking plate has lugs that hook into the bottom of the monobloc, joining the pieces when the action is closed. Benelli’s approach to this also means that the hinge pin is not absorbing all the recoil. The 828U won’t wear in the way that traditional over/under designs can wear loose, requiring service after a few thousand rounds. Benelli tested the steel locking plate with 20,000 firings, including 10 proof loads. We’ve only shot a few thousand.
Since recoil is managed differently, there are no tangs extending to the wrist or grip of the stock. This means that Benelli engineers could incorporate shim options to allow users to adjust drop and cast as on its semiautomatics. With the provided shims, users can select from one of 40 unique settings. This is a cost-effective alternative to custom fittings that are typical of high-end over/unders.
Underneath the receiver is a detachable trigger assembly that can be removed for maintenance or for additional safety concerns afield, perhaps. A wire tool is provided in the accessory case to complete this process. Installed, the trigger was tested using a Lyman digital trigger-pull gauge. The bottom barrel produced a 3 pound, 5.8 ounce-pull while the upper barrel demonstrated a lighter 3 pound, 2.8-ounce pull. Of note, with each sweep of the lever, left-to-right, the selector resets to the “S” safe position automatically. If you use the 828U for clay shooting, you can remove the automatic safety feature by detaching the trigger assembly and removing a wire per the owner’s manual. From stock fitment to safety preferences, configuring the 828U is user-friendly.
Sighting In
Additional weight was saved with Benelli incorporating a carbon-fiber rib, which can be interchanged with another raised trap-style rib. It adds a modern touch to the 828U. The rib of this model features only a front, red fiber-optic bead threaded in. It worked well in the field and on the range through all daylight conditions, but there is no mid-bead for additional sight alignment.
Guns & Ammo’s sample 828U 20-gauge with brushed-nickel finish has been carried to the range or field by most of the editorial staff for a few years. As new models arrive, this one remains popular for its handling, mounting and pointing qualities, as well as for its excellent trigger. It’s recommended for upland hunters and — with the automatic safety disabled — sporting clay shooters. Those new to shotgunning also appreciated its light weight and low felt recoil, particularly when shooting standard 2¾-inch shells. However, it was just as effective at more distant game birds when using heavier and more powerful 3-inch payloads. With a 3-inch shell fed into each chamber, it functioned much like a standard 12-gauge and punched up a class.
Benelli 828U
- Type: Over/under, automatic ejectors
- Chamber: 20 ga., 2.75 or 3 in.
- Capacity: 2 rds.
- Barrel: 26 in., 28 in. (teste), steel
- Length: 43.25 in. (26-in. bbl.), 45.25 in. (28-in. bbl.)
- Weight: 5 lbs., 14 oz.
- Stock: AA-Grade satin walnut, Progressive Comfort
- Length of Pull: 14.75 in.
- Drop at Comb: 1.5 in., adjustable
- Drop at Heel: 2.13 in., adjustable
- Grip: Standard
- Finish: Gloss blued (steel), nickel-plated, brushed, engraved (aluminum)
- Sights: Bead, red fiber optic (front)
- Trigger: 3 lbs., 5.8 oz. (tested, lower bbl.); 3 lbs., 2.8 oz. (tested, upper bbl.)
- Safety: Selector switch, automatic safety, barrel selector
- Accessories: Crio chokes, flush, incl. Cylinder (C), Improved Cylinder (IC), Modified (M), Improved Modified (IM), Full (F), wrench, drop and cast shim kit, hard case
- MSRP: $3,799
- Manufacturer: Benelli, 800-264-4962, benelliusa.com
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