Benelli Magnifico Set of Five
A Matrimony of Efficacy and Aesthetic
Since time immemorial, humans have sought to adorn things of great importance. Whether those things were purely ceremonial or eminently functional, we’ve adorned everything from the flesh of our bodies to modern fighter jets with all manner of decoration ranging from primitive warpaint to exquisite engraving and encrusted jewels.
Now, Benelli has married the rich tapestry of Italy’s culture, innovation and renowned craftsmanship born of the country’s unparalleled artisan heritage with the unrivaled field performance, precision manufacturing and superb handling of the company’s inertia driven semi-auto shotguns.
Benelli designers posed themselves with the question, “How would the world’s most advanced semi-auto shotgun look if reimagined as an interpretation of the classical Italian custom of engraving?” In other words, a melding of Old-World firearm artistry paired with 21st-Century design manufacturing.
The result? The Benelli Magnifico Set of Five.
The Set of Five is a masterfully creative achievement — functional art rendered in wood and metal. Classical forms long expressed by artists through the Golden Ratio are represented in the trigger guard’s flowing lines, gracefully curved receivers hint at the courtyard arches of the Ducal Palace in Urbino. From muzzle to stock, Italy’s artisan gunmaker craft reaches the apex of classical style and contemporary engineering in the Set of Five.
The Magnifico Set of Five is a set of five semi-auto shotguns — two chambered in 12 gauge, two in 20 gauge and one in 28 gauge.
Under the direction of Giovanni Steduto and Valerio Peli, master engravers from Creative Art Laboratorio Incisioni, each receiver serves as a canvas for hand-engraved inspirational scrollwork and modern interpretations of classical hunting scenes inspired by the aristocratic hunting traditions aligned with the individual gun’s theme.
F.lli Piotti, a premiere custom house overseen by master gun craftsmen in the northern Italy province of Brescia, leveraged the experienced Piotti brothers for the stock and fitment work. The brothers selected the finest walnut billets, hand-fashioning the raw wood to jewel-like perfection and seamlessly integrating the metalwork. Hand-rubbed oil finish and buffalo horn butt plates further emphasize the luxurious form.
Such a premier gun set demands the highest quality accoutrements, so Benelli tapped the leather artistry of Oscar Maschera to craft a one-of-a-kind handmade case. Maschera designed the trifold case in a style reminiscent of the triptych form of Renaissance art with a wooden frame wrapped in premium vegetable-tanned full-grain leather with expert hand-stitching and hardware composed of brass and brass-plated steel. The entire Set of Five fits securely in the case.
Integrated into the case lid is an engraving of Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo da Vinci — the personification of Renaissance expression. And to join Italian artistry across the centuries, the unpublished novella Among Forests and Fields by Umberto Piersanti, 2005 Nobel Prize for Literature nominee, is included in a hand-stitched leather-bound cover.
Benelli presented the Magnifico Set of Five this year at an exclusive invitation-only gala held at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. This luxurious, one-of-a-kind shotgun set will have an American public tour at the Beretta Galleries and then return to Europe and be sold to a private customer. Interested parties wishing to purchase can contact Benelli’s General Manager, Tom DeBolt, at the Benelli office at (301) 283-6981. Upon completing this sale, Benelli will donate $200,000 to help fund the American Wilderness Leadership School (AWLS) and the International Wildlife Museum.
Contains 38 of Bruce Buck’s most popular gun reviews for Shooting Sportsman: The Magazine of Wingshooting and Fine Guns. The reviews have been updated where necessary, covering field and target guns ranging from serviceable to exquisite. There is also an informative section on how to analyze a gun intended for personal purchase.
Buck clearly discusses the mechanics of each gun and compares it to its peers. Each review is accompanied by color photographs shows the details of the gun. Where helpful, manufacturing techniques are explained to broaden the reader’s background. Most importantly, Buck uses his years of shotgunning experience to write about what the guns are like to shoot according to their intended usage. Buy Now
