Cristie Gates - Benelli’s Lady with a Gun
Benelli Knocks the Kick Out of Recoil
 Editor’s Note: Cristie Gates of Accokeek, Maryland, media and exhibit manager at Benelli U.S.A., recently took her first turkey with the new Benelli Vinci, a semi-autoloading shotgun. This week, Gates will tell us about her hunt, the new Vinci and the many opportunities for women in the hunting industry.
Question: Cristie, Benelli’s come out with the most-revolutionary idea in the development and manufacturing of shotguns in many years with the introduction of the new Vinci. What is the Vinci?
Gates: The Vinci is a 12-gauge, 3-inch Magnum shotgun that is the fastest-shooting, softest-kicking and lightest-weight shotgun in the world. The inline inertia-driven system is one of many features that make the Vinci so unique. The working parts of the bolt and action are all housed within the first 8-1/2-inches of the barrel receiver. The gun itself is divided into three modules – the barrel receiver module, which houses the cryogenically-treated barrel and the inertia-driven inline action; the Quadra-fit butt stock module, which houses the unique recoil-reduction system called ComforTech Plus (we’ve made advances in our ComforTech system by making the chevrons in the stock a little-bit wider, so that the stock flexes to absorb more recoil than in our previous guns and included a gel-cone pad that helps the stock slide across your cheek, and the gel butt pad that helps absorb recoil as well); and a trigger forearm module that houses the entire trigger group as well as the forearm and the magazine extension. The magazine extension comes out by pushing the button and turning the knob, making the Vinci much easier to clean than any other shotgun because it breaks down into so few parts, all of which can be easily cleaned without tools. 
Question: Why has Benelli spent so much time and expense in researching recoil reduction and incorporating this new research into its new Vinci 12-gauge, 3-inch Magnum?
Gates: Many beginning shooters, both men and women, are concerned with recoil. To be honest, when I first began shooting, I was afraid of recoil, and I didn’t really understand the difference in various loads in shotgun shells and what made some shells recoil more than others.
But when my boss and I shot the original Benelli Super Black Eagle and the Super Black Eagle II with ComforTech, I really noticed the difference. We shot turkey loads , and I really could tell the difference in the amount of recoil that I felt from the two-different types of shotguns. Whether my load was lighter or heavy, I felt the difference in the amount of kick (recoil) in these two different shotguns, one with ComforTech and one without. Now, with the ComforTech Plus, which gives the shooter more flex than the stock, the recoil is reduced even more. Therefore your body doesn’t take all the impact (kick) that you expect from a 3-inch Magnum shotgun. The stock flexes and absorbs and disperses much of the recoil that you normally feel on your shoulder. Because of the new ComforTech, women, beginning hunters and older hunters won’t have to be concerned with recoil. Hunters who only take one or two shots (turkey hunters) may not notice the difference in the amount of recoil they feel, but on a high-volume dove hunt, a goose or duck hunt, where you’re shooting a lot, you’ll be able to tell a big difference. One reason more women are turning to Benelli is because the Benelli shotgun with ComforTech Plus drastically reduces the amount of kick a woman feels.
To learn more about Benelli’s Vinci, check out www.benelliusa.com.
|
