Benelli Kite

The Benelli Kite is a single shot .177 inch calibre pre-charged pneumatic air pistol designed for the 10 m Air Pistol ISSF shooting event. It is manufactured by Benelli Armi SpA of Italy.

Benelli Kite
Benelli Kite
TypePre-Charged Pneumatic air gun
Place of origin Italy
Service history
Used by10 m air pistol shooters
Production history
ManufacturerBenelli Armi SpA
VariantsBenelli Kite, Benelli Kite Young
Specifications
Mass0.8 kg (1.8 lb) (no magazine)
Length433 mm (17.05 in)
Barrel length240 mm (9.45 in)
Cartridge4.5 mm (0.177 in) diabolo air gun pellets
ActionPre-Charged Pneumatic
Muzzle velocity145 m/s (adjustable 135-165 m/s)
Effective firing range10 m (10.9 yd)
Feed systemsingle air gun pellet
Sightsopen, fully adjustable

The Kite was used by Francesco Bruno to win a gold medal in the Italian Championship 2008. It is also used by Tanyu Kiryakov, who won gold in the 10 m Air Pistol at the Olympic Games in Seoul 1988.

Design details

Like all air pistols designed for the 10 m Air Pistol event, it has fully adjustable sights, a mechanically adjustable trigger (for stroke and weight of 1st and 2nd phase and trigger stop) and an anatomically adjustable grip available in three sizes and for left and right-handed shooters. The model pictured here is fitted with a stabilising balance weight, designed to further improve stability of the pistol during firing and to minimize recoil.

The barrel is manufactured by Lothar Walther with 12-twist right-hand rifling and 450 mm pitch. Air power is supplied from an under-barrel cylinder, available in four different capacities: long (300 shots), intermediate (230 shots), medium (180 shots) and short (80 shots). It uses atmospheric air compressed to 200 bars (20,000 kPa). A pressure gauge on the end of the cylinder allows for constant monitoring of the pressure.

The Benelli Kite features micrometric rear sight adjustment with four settings:

1 click = 1 mm windage (left/right adjustment) at 10 metres. 1 click = 2 mm elevation (up/down adjustment) at 10 metres.

The sight aperture is adjustable by lever and screw.

Performance

The following tables show the results achieved by competitive shooters using the Benelli Kite in major competitions:

Gold medals
Francesco Bruno
Competition Location Date Competitor
Italian Championship Master  Bologna (ITA) September 2003 Alberto Cardinali
Italian Championship Student  Bologna (ITA) September 2003 Elena Ruan
European Championship  Gothenburg (SWE) November 2003 Mikhail Nestruev
Finnish Championship  Finland 2004 Teemu Lahti
InterShoot  Netherlands (NED) February 2004 Joao Costa
European Championship  Győr (HUN) March 2004 Mikhail Nestruev
ISSF World Cup  Munich (GER) August 2005 Mikhail Nestruev
Mediterranean Games  Almería (ESP) 2005 Francesco Bruno
Italian Championship  Milan (ITA) September 2005 Francesco Bruno
Finnish Championship  Finland March 2006 Kai Jahnsson
European Championship  Moscow (RUS) February 2006 Tanyu Kiryakov
Italian Championship  Milan (ITA) September 2006 Francesco Bruno
Italian Championship  Bologna (ITA) September 2008 Francesco Bruno
Italian Championship Juniores  Naples (ITA) September 2008 Andrea Scafa

Silver medals
Competition Location Date Competitor
European Championship  Győr (HUN) March 2004 Tanyu Kiryakov
ISSF World Cup  Milan (ITA) June 2004 Tanyu Kiryakov
ISSF World Cup  Fort Benning (USA) May 2005 Mikhail Nestruev
Internationaler Wettkampf  Munich (GER) January 2006 Tanyu Kiryakov
ISSF World Cup  Munich (GER) May 2006 Joao Costa
ISSF World Cup  Milan (ITA) June 2006 Tanyu Kiryakov

Bronze medals
Competition Location Date Competitor
ISSF World Cup  Granada (ESP) October 2006 Tanyu Kiryakov
European Championship  Winterthur (CHE) February 2008 Tanyu Kiryakov
  • The four vent holes drilled on the barrel increase arm stability and reduce vibration to a minimum when the pellet is fired.
    The four vent holes drilled on the barrel increase arm stability and reduce vibration to a minimum when the pellet is fired.
  • The trigger can be adjusted in terms of inclination, rotation and distance from the grip.
    The trigger can be adjusted in terms of inclination, rotation and distance from the grip.
  • The 22-opening compensator applied to the barrel's muzzle ensures stability of the pellet's trajectory and limits the dispersion of the shot pattern.
    The 22-opening compensator applied to the barrel's muzzle ensures stability of the pellet's trajectory and limits the dispersion of the shot pattern.
  • Power is supplied by an interchangeable, pre-charged compressed air cylinder, available in four capacities (of varying length). An integral pressure gauge enables the pressure in the cylinder to be constantly monitored.
    Power is supplied by an interchangeable, pre-charged compressed air cylinder, available in four capacities (of varying length). An integral pressure gauge enables the pressure in the cylinder to be constantly monitored.
  • Chambering of the pellet is facilitated by an extended guide channel. Once in the guide channel, the pellet is automatically chambered by the sliding probe.
    Chambering of the pellet is facilitated by an extended guide channel. Once in the guide channel, the pellet is automatically chambered by the sliding probe.
  • The adjustable rear sight allows adjustment of elevation and windage without the need for tools. The blade allows variation in the target window range (between 2.2 and 4.2 mm) and elevation (between 1.4 and 2.5 mm).
    The adjustable rear sight allows adjustment of elevation and windage without the need for tools. The blade allows variation in the target window range (between 2.2 and 4.2 mm) and elevation (between 1.4 and 2.5 mm).

See also

References
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